The backside of Barlow Butte from a rocky outcropping along Barlow Ridge:
The views from the true summit are somewhat obscured by trees but points along the ridge and just below the summit offer excellent views of the surrounding landscape. Although on this day, it was the sky that made things so special:
From the Butte, I could see my destinations down Barlow Ridge(arrows):
At the base of the first rocky outcropping:
I climbed up the backside(right). The rock is as crumbly and unstable as it gets, so be careful if you scramble up there:
The views from the rock were much better than the views from the Butte. Here's Mt Hood and the White River washout:
Meadows everywhere along the ridge and below the butte:
And my second destination(high point on the right) from the first rocky outcropping:
At the base of the first rocky high point was a memorial for a man named Richard Lambert:
There were spots like this all along the ridge:
A little more hiking and an easy scramble put me on top of the second rock, where I took a closeup of Hood:
And a shot of Barlow Butte from the second rock:
On my way back I decided to hike down the Barlow Creek Trail to Devils Half Acre Meadow. Where there were still some good looking flowers. Douglas Aster:
And Yarrow:
Originally this was supposed to be a Huckleberry/Wildcat Mtn mega hike. But when I arrived at the wildwood day use area near zigzag the spots in front of the gate were blocked off with metal cables and pink ribbon. The fs, my guidebooks and three hiking websites said you could park at the gate at any time of the day or night. So I parked in the dirt right next to the gate in a very awkward little spot. I took off down the road and hiked up all the switchbacks on boulder ridge past the first viewpoint. As I went further and further I couldnt stop worrying about my car. So I just called it off and headed back down to see if it was still there. The Salmon River was a calming sight in the early morning:
Back at the day use area, the hosts asked me what time I had started and if I was the one who had parked near the gate. They told me it wasnt really an ok place to park but "they guessed" it was alright this time. My angry (and immature) side told me to take a fat leak on the ticket booth but better judgement prevailed and I drove off to do another hike i'd never done before, The Barlow Butte Trail. All in all, it turned out to be an awesome day of hiking. And the best part about failing a hike like that is I get to go back and try it again:)
