April 2000
Depending on how much you have toured my Oregon page, you may have noticed a hike called Kings Mountain. On that page I make reference to another mountain next to it that you can connect to from the top of Kings. That mountain is Elk Mountain. That was our hike, this is my story.
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At the trailhead, all seemed well. Only 1.57 miles to the top, and a gain of around 2,100 feet. You can see Ally in the background urging us on. We never thought about doing the math...2,100 feet in 1.57 miles. I will save you the effort...that sign might as well say "Impending Pain". |
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One of the first sights, VERY early into it was a sign indicating we were at 1,000 feet. We started at around 600, and saw this sign in no time at all. |
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The higher we got, the more impressive the views became. Down below is Highway 6 that runs from outside Portland to the town of Tillamook. If this picture doesn't give it away, yes, it was a steep hike, as you can tell by how close the road is to the mountain we are on. |
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Another similar view from a clearing. At this point the heat was setting in. Ironically was only around 75 degrees, however we were on an exposed ridge going up this mountain. Spirits are still high at this point, but the sweat is flowing and Ally is showing signs of exhaustion. |
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1,500 feet. Ok, this picture is out of sequence, but oh well.... |
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Ally and I stop for a photo op...yes, that is the trail that leads up to where we are. And yes, it really is that steep up to where we are. Most of the like was like that. |
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The
tongue is starting to grow...but Ally will always find the energy to pose
for a picture on a hike. One step back though and Ally would drop a
couple hundred feet. This is not a hike for those who are afraid of
hikes.
Look at these pictures, then go look at some other hikes...notice the change in colors?? Half the green is not back yet...but it's coming. |
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A rare blue skied winter day...but the brown is still all around us. There is such a huge difference in Oregon from winter to summer. |
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2,000 feet of elevation...the spirits are returning to normal levels...and we are starting to hurt. |
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We are getting near the top, and slide areas are showing up.... |
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Our first casualty... Ally trotted up ahead of us, and down she went. Apparently I am not the only one who got out of shape over the winter. Not to fear...she would rebound. |
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2,500....we are getting close... |
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Near the top, one look back into a wooded area.... |
| Basically at the top, and looking out over the Tillamook Forest... |
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The top!!! 2,798 feet of elevation in 1.57 miles. OUCH!!! |
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Time for lunch...and this was our view. You just can't find this sort of table at any restaurant. There is no better feeling than eating lunch on top of a mountain on a day like today. |
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The
blue tube on the first dead tree is the register log. All hikers who
make it to the top of the mountain are encouraged to sign in. I have
now signed the book on Elk and Kings Mountain.
After lunch, Tom and I were talking about coming back later in the summer to do the full loop (12 miles total). Hmmm...we had already done the hard part (supposedly), so why not finish it?? 3.5 miles to the summit of Kings, 2.5 miles down, 3 miles back to the truck...plenty of daylight. OFF WE GO!!! (remember, this is the first hike of the season) |
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As we are about to leave the summit of Elk Mountain, we see our first odd sign. "Caution". We laughed at the first one. The next 6 that we saw we dubbed the "No Shit" signs. Things get serious when these signs appear. Several times we were having to use all fours to get up and down ledges...and if we were doing that, I can assure you it meant that Ally couldn't do it safely on her own. So now Tom and I are teetering on ledges and lifting Ally up and down ledges. Safety First!! |
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At
this point we are all extremely hot and tired, not to mention sweating
like crazy. Solution?? SNOW ANGEL!!!!!
Trust me, this is not as good of an idea as it may look like. Sure it cools you off in a hurry, but it also soaks you through!! |
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Continuing the quest to Kings Mountain...Ally leading the way still. |
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The trail looking back...we were always happy to see the wide portions of trail. |
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One last picture before we begin our ascent up Kings Mountain. We are probably at 2,000 feet right now, with 1,200 to go (up). The pain is truly set in now, but the worst is yet to come! |
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