Hunchback Mountain, July 24, 2012

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Schoolteacher John
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Joined: July 4th, 2011, 2:40 pm

Hunchback Mountain, July 24, 2012

Post by Schoolteacher John » July 25th, 2012, 10:42 am

Waiting for the snow to melt on Mt. Hood, I took a walk up Hunchback Mountain yesterday just to stay in shape. A cool morning, a toasty-warm afternoon, and only a few flies made for a nice hike. Lots of red ants, though, which is a drag because I like to take off my boots and rest every now and then....

The trail starts out well-graded, an easy walk, for the first mile or so. Then it gets steep, and in places it gets ridiculous.
Kinda gets steep in places.jpg
At the 2.1 mile mark, a reward for your trouble.
Rimrock viewpoint 2.jpg
Looking at the map, I though the trail would level off once I reached the ridgetop. But no such luck; the trail does level off in places, then it charges relentlessly up a hill, then down to a saddle, repeat. It's like climbing a staircase without the benefit of actual stairs.

There were flowers out in places, mostly at Rimrock viewpoint, but here and there along the trail as well.
More company.jpg
Just when I thought I must have missed the sign, there it was.
Pyramid sign.jpg
SE toward Devil's Peak
Devil's Peak.jpg
Somehow this hike seemed tougher than Devil's Peak (via Cool Creek) to me, which is odd because the elevation gain is less.

I took one last shot on the way down (at Rimrock viewpoint), then headed down to the Zigzag Ranger Station. Sadly, my guitar (which I usually stash along the trail because the heat inside a car would destroy it) was gone when I got back.
One last look.jpg
The photographs just don't do justice to the vibrant green of the ridge against the blue sky. The views on this hike were astonishing.

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hlee
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Joined: April 16th, 2012, 12:41 pm
Location: St. Helens, Oregon

Re: Hunchback Mountain, July 24, 2012

Post by hlee » July 25th, 2012, 2:09 pm

Photos never do the greens and vibrant colors and the scope justice.

Your guitar was stolen?? UGH! How many of these cretins do we have just lurking around the trails seeing what they can get their greedy stupid fingers on. :evil:

Hannah

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.
-- T.S. Eliot

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Schoolteacher John
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Joined: July 4th, 2011, 2:40 pm

Re: Hunchback Mountain, July 24, 2012

Post by Schoolteacher John » July 25th, 2012, 2:44 pm

The trailhead is really close to Highway 26, so I should have hidden it a lot better than I did.

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HikerFam
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Joined: July 19th, 2010, 11:57 pm
Location: Rhododendron

Re: Hunchback Mountain, July 24, 2012

Post by HikerFam » July 27th, 2012, 12:51 pm

I agree, cool creek is a killer of a trail especially loaded with gear lol, but hunchback does seem more difficult, im heading up there in a few days to knock it out.

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