Dog Mountain

This past Saturday I hiked up Dog Mountain. The weather was perfect, and apparently hiking on the Washington side of the gorge is the thing to do at this time of year. From the summit you could look across and see the snow still covering that altitude on the north facing slopes of the Oregon side of the gorge. On the south facing slopes of Dog Mountain the snow was gone and the sun was warm and pleasant. It even got close to 70 degrees down at the base of the mountain.


The hike was pretty taxing. It's a 7 mile loop with a 2700 foot elevation gain. I took a few breaks and was pretty exhausted by the time I reached the top, but it was well worth it. The views were amazing. As you can see in the above picture, the top of the mountain was completely open and the skies were clear, which made for some excellent vistas.


Below is a picture of Mt. St. Helens taken from the summit. You could actually see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens from the top. I didn't take a picture of the other two because I have had better views elsewhere. This was the first time I'd seen Mt. St. Helens, though.


Aside from a blister on my heel that I got from the steep and extended descent, I finished the hike feeling good. I wasn't even terribly sore the next day. Not sure what my plans are for next weekend, but it is supposed to be gorgeous as well. Perhaps another hike on the Washington side of the river.