We parked at the Still Creek Campground and hiked up the Barlow Road, which is a ski trail in winter. Then we picked up a little connector trail that took us to a dirt road, then turned left another dirt road, then finally picked up the unsigned trail to the summit. It goes STRAIGHT up the mountain, with almost no switchbacks. Good grief. I was glad to see the summit come into view, where a lovely autumn spray of vine maple greeted us.
There's a mighty fine view of Mt. Hood up there:
There's a pretty nice view to the south, too:
Eureka Peak is the flat-topped mountain in the left foreground:
We were eye level with the tops of many trees, some of which had those huge crazy cones that remind me of old-fashioned Christmas candles.
We sat up there for awhile and enjoyed the view. We could hear Highway 26, but it wasn't nearly as loud as it had been at Flag Mountain earlier. It was a pleasant and uncrowded spot to sit and admire Mt. Hood.
On our descent I spotted a heart-shaped rock.
Then it was on Mt. Hood Brewing for a post-hike libation. Great day!
