Dave Goes Outside: Larch Mt. Crater and some other stuff

It's been a downer of a fall hiking season. Since getting back from the honeymoon I really haven't done anything. I've fallen off the shape wagon and now easier hikes aren't as easy anymore. I completely missed the climb to St. Helens thanks to incredibly poorly timed storms preventing me from going out. I've been sick and or lazy a couple of weeks, and busy others, thanks to trips to New York and such. So really, I haven't had anything meaningful to report until this weekend, when I went out to Larch Mt. Crater in a desperate attempt to reclaim some hiking happiness.

But before that, a few extra photos. Keeley's Brother and his roommate came to visit a while ago, and we went out for a hike attempt. Cape Horn was the original goal, but upon reaching the first overlook shrouded completely in mist, we turned back. I would have been happy to do the whole hike like that, but it's not very good when you have tourists in tow who deserve to see more. We instead dropped down to Beacon Rock for the quick mile ascent to the top and salvaged the ugly day into something decent, if undemanding. I saw a mouse, that was neat. He let me get pretty close.

But then this past weekend Keeley was entered in the New York Marathon, which meant I was going to the Big Apple. I was mildly nervous about it, NYC was never my thing and the trip, while good, pretty much confirmed that it will never be my thing. Upon getting in Friday night it was sensory overload. The people, the sound, the traffic, it was overwhelming in a terrible way and all I wanted was to sit alone in the woods. The next two days were better, and I enjoyed walking around the city a bit but I was still far more stressed out than I wanted to be and I don't know how 8 million people live like that. Maybe you get used to it, especially if you grow up there, but NYC and big cities like it are never going to be my thing. I like my solitude and quiet.

Needing a palate cleanser after that, I decided to get the hell out into the woods even if the weather sucked. I walked a lot during the week through the nearby trails, and then on Saturday drove myself out to the gorge for a quickie 7 miler in Larch Mt. Crater. Larch Mt. is an extinct volcano visible from Portland out in the Columbia Gorge, recognizable by it's pointy hitch at the summit. The hitch is Sherrard Point, the ancient plug of the volcano that hasn't eroded away yet and offers good views on a clear day. I've been there once before.

This time it wasn't clear. No views, just clouds and rain and cold. No matter. Larch Mt. is reachable via Multnomah Falls but it's a grueling 7 mile uphill march, but the summit it drivable between May-November, so I just made the cutoff. From the top, you can go any number of ways, but the most common is a wooded walk down into the crater and back up for a loop. I did that.

The hike itself is pretty unremarkable, honestly, You slowly drop down either side of the crater rim (I went counter clockwise) until you hit the crater trail, which meanders through some old growth over streambeds at the genesis of Multnomah Creek (Which eventually becomes the tallest waterfall in oregon). There isn't much but trees and creeks to see, and one bog meadow with a look back at the summit. It's quiet. It was misty and wet. My feet hurt. Not too much climbing but enough to get some semblance of workout. I got 7 miles and my return to inner peace for a while. Plus more things to mark on my map.