I have invented a character called Portland Hiker Steve (PHS) as the person interviewing me. How’s that for not being ordinary?
PHS: First of all Brad, I’d like to thank you for taking some time to sit and talk with me. I’ve been a fan of yours for quite some time. You’re almost as legendary as the loony hikers.
Brad: Thanks Steve, it’s my pleasure. Although I don’t think I’m in the same league as EP, Mayhem, Sean or some of the other elite top-level hikers.
PHS: Yeah, I know what you mean. If I were real, I’m sure they would hike circles around me.
PHS: So what was your latest adventure?
Brad: This last Sunday (12/23/12) Hiker Chris and I parked at the Toothrock trailhead, strapped our snowshoes on our packs and decided to see how far up the Tanner Butte trail we could get. The Toothrock trailhead, in case you didn’t know, is on the Oregon side of Columbia River Gorge right at the Bonneville Dam exit.
Toothrock TH sign:
PHS: What were the conditions like when you got there?
Brad: Even thought there was rain in town in the morning and on the drive there, it stopped by the time we arrived at 9 AM. We didn’t get rained on until on the way back down.
PHS: What about snow on the road?
Brad: There was no snow at all until right as we were pulling into the parking lot. Of course, as you know, in the Gorge, that can change in a matter of hours in winter.
PHS: I hear there is a winter storm watch for the Gorge on Christmas day with up to 6 inches of snow accumulating and gusts between 40-50 MPH.
Brad: It sounds like you’ve been looking at the KGW weather page.
PHS: Were there any other cars there?
Brad: Nope. Not even when we got back, although it was almost dark by then.
PHS: So how did the hike go?
Brad: It was great! One unusual thing we noticed right at the start was that the gate by the water tower was open, which rarely is. Years ago, people used to be able to drive past the gate two miles up the road all the way to the Tanner Butte trailhead. Due to vandalism and garbage dumpers, the road was closed except for power line maintenance crews.
PHS: Was the gate still open when you got back?
Brad: Yes it was. Quite unusual.
Water tower/open gate:
PHS: Was there much snow on the road leading to the Tanner Butte trailhead?
Brad: Not much a first, but as we gained elevation it increased. There were tire tracks in the snow so we didn’t have to walk in it.
Road under power lines:
PHS: What was the road like where there were some mudslides that covered the road in 2011?
Brad: Those were some major mudslides that came roaring down the steep hillside covering the road several feet thick. The road had been completely cleared. I could have driven my Subaru all the way to the Tanner Butte trailhead.
One of the slides in 2011:
Cleaned up landslide:
PHS: Anything else of interest getting to the Tanner Butte trailhead?
Brad: Nope. Except an alien spaceship landed and the passengers asked us to take them to our leaders.
PHS: Very funny.
Brad: I thought you would like that. But at the trailhead, as they always are, the falls were pretty.
PHS: I saw the picture, but it would have been prettier without you in it.
Brad: Ouch!
Falls at the Tanner Butte TH:
Tanner Butte TH sign:
PHS: Did you have any trouble crossing the creek above the falls?
Brad: Not at all. There has been some work done on the trail at that point making it easier to cross. However, right after crossing the creek a large tree had recently fallen across the trail. In summer when it is dry, it would have been no problem climbing over the log. It was so big that we could not straddle it while keeping both feet solidly on the ground. To make matters worse, the log was angled steeply down the hillside and covered with a layer of snow and ice. Also making matters worse is that Chris and I were both wearing slick rain pants. We both had visions of slipping while straddling the log and sliding down the length and then crashing into sharp, pokey and hard objects below.
PHS: So what did you do?
Brad: I was just barely able to stretch out on my tiptoes to get enough of a footing while using my hiking poles to push back against the ground. One slip and I would have been taking a slide ride down the hill. After watching what I did and scouting out the crossing, Chris opted to crawl under the log rather than chance it. There was barely enough room for him to squeeze through. Let’s just say that Jabba the Hut would not have been able to do it.
PHS: Sounds exciting. Did you have trouble on the way back?
Brad: Coming back, I thought it through a little more. I figured out it was much easier to cross it face forward while grasping the bark on the log on each side with both hands. That way there was little chance of slipping. I felt stupid for not thinking of that the first time.
Log across trail:
Chris attempting to climb over log:
Chris crawling under log:
View looking down log:
PHS: Were there any other places with obstacles?
Brad: Not as bad as that one. Right after that there was another log across the trail that required some agility to get over. There were also places where snow weighed down branches forcing us to snowshoe around or plow through it.
Chris climbing over another log:
PHS: Speaking of snowshoes, when did you have to put them on?
Brad: On the Tanner Butte trail around 2700’ is a campsite where the trail either continues on up to Tanner Butte or splits east to go to Wauna Point. That’s where we put them on. We probably would have been better off putting them on a few hundred feet lower.
Snowy trail above campsite:
Me & Chris taking a short break on the snowy trail:
PHS: Was it difficult to stay on the trail and make progress through the snow?
Brad: Even though there was between 1-3 feet of snow, depending on the tree coverage, we could always see a slight depression in the snow where the trail was. Plus, we are very familiar with the trail. Sometimes it was difficult for the lead person to break the trail through the deeper snow. But that’s what gets you in shape.
PHS: That’s for sure, but sometimes I’d rather have a Bosterson or ebishop breaking the trail for me. They are a ball of energy on the trail.
Chris breaking the trail:
Snowy trail close to Dublin Lake turn off:
PHS: So, how far did you get?
Brad: Since we had to break the trail and because we didn’t get on the trail until 9 AM, we decided to stop at the Dublin lake turnoff at 3750’. It gets dark early this time of year. We had gone 13.8 miles and up over 3700’ in elevation gain, some of it in deep snow. There’s no shame in accomplishing that.
Tanner cutoff trail sign:
Dublin Lake turn off sign:
Thermometer showing temperature at Dublin Lake turn off:
Chris taking a break at Dublin Lake turn off:
PHS: How was the trip back?
Brad: Coming back down in the snow in our tracks was so much easier than going up in the trackless snow. Also, the snow acts like a cushion, which my knees and feet appreciated.
Looking back at the broken trail:
PHS: Anything else to note?
Brad: There were a couple other things. One of them is that on the road below the Tanner Butte trailhead, I noticed something flash across the road. I stopped to get a better look, then Chris saw a deer in the middle of the road. It didn’t run away or even move. We got closer and it still didn’t move. We yelled at it and it still didn’t move.
PHS: So what did you do?
Brad: Chris and I were both aware that deer are known to attack people when agitated or protecting their young, so we were wary. I’ve seen too many videos of this on YouTube. I made sure to lengthen my hiking poles just in case. We eventually got close enough that I threw some rocks in its direction. It finally moved, but barely. As the rocks rolled progressively closer, it finally meandered off the road down the hill.
Deer Attack:
PHS: What was the other thing of note?
Brad: Not a big deal, but I discovered what might be the last flower of the year along the side of the road.
PHS: What kind was it?
Brad: I don’t know for sure, but I think it is Herb Robert. I’m sure one of the more knowledgeable PH members can positively identify it.
Last flower of the year:
PHS: So what time did you get back to the car?
Brad: We got back at 4:20 PM.
PHS: 4:20? Hmmm.
Brad: OK. Stop that now.
PHS: So what’s next for the Bradman?
Brad: Chris and I were going to do something up Herman Creek on Christmas day, but with the weather forecasted to be snowy and windy, I’m not so sure?
PHS: So you don’t want to get stranded on Christmas?
Brad: No. I’d rather be at home where it’s warm.
PHS: Thanks again for spending time discussing your recent snowy adventure. Maybe I can interview you in the future.
Brad: I enjoyed answering your questions. We’ll have to see if the PH audience feels you’re worthy of being a part of more TRs.
PHS: Any last words?
Brad: Hike on, Man.
@ the mention above, but I'm also not in those guys league either!
