This post is long overdue, but I literally still think about last summer’s perfect backpacking trip every day. My husband and I hiked the Timberline Trail, a 41 mile trail that gains approximately 10,000 ft of elevation as it circumnavigates Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest peak. We were blessed with 3 nights and 4 days of perfect weather for our journey. We opted to fly into Seattle instead of Portland because it was way cheaper. We landed in Seattle on a Monday afternoon and after a quick stop at REI for some fuel and Chick-Fil-A for some grub we drove the 2 hours and 45 minutes to the Rodeway Inn Jantzen Beach, a cheap hotel just outside of Portland. 10/10 would NOT recommend. Okay maybe that’s dramatic, but it was kind of sketchy so we didn’t even feel like leaving the hotel for a proper dinner and just called it an early night. We woke up before the sun for our 90 minute drive to the start of the Timberline Trail. We stopped at Mama Bear’s Espresso, a roadside coffee stand for some lavender lattes and found the best breakfast burritos at Ant Farm Cafe in Sandy. We drove right through the clouds as we gained elevation on the road up to the Timberline Lodge where we would begin and end our hike. After finding the overnight parking, taking our last bathroom break in an actual bathroom, making a few last minute adjustments to our packs, and signing our Wilderness Permit, we were on our way on the Timberline Trail!
We were immediately amazed by the beauty of the trail and practically had it to ourselves since it was early on a Tuesday. It was a constant mix of uphill and downhill and a few easy stream crossings here and there. We stopped about two hours in to finish our breakfast burritos for lunch in a peaceful clearing surrounded by wildflowers. We passed a trail runner headed the opposite direction and were passed by a PCT thru-hiker, since the Timberline Trail actually runs on the PCT for a good portion.
There were a few more people at Ramona Falls, a popular day hike destination, but we didn’t see many people as we passed the falls after filtering some water and continued on to the Muddy Fork River. We found a great campsite just beyond the river that was hidden by the privacy of some trees and bushes. We set up camp and cooked our dinner- Beef Stew for Derek and Chana Masala for me. We enjoyed a Lenny and Larry’s protein cookie for dessert and played a game of cribbage in the tent before falling asleep to the peaceful sound of the river after a 12 mile day.
It was a chilly morning but we warmed up quickly with coffee and oatmeal as we packed up our site and began what would be several hours of uphill hiking. A portion of the trail is closed from a windstorm a few years ago so there is a detour but we were quickly greeted with several downed trees all over the trail. It became pretty exhausting having to go over and under the obstacles, and was pretty comical at times given the size of our large packs weighing us down. It was a workout for sure but it was all worth it when we came out to a clearing and saw Mt. Hood towering in front of us. It was a perfect spot to take a lunch break and ironically the group that had the same idea was also from Nashville!
We fueled up with tuna salad on a tortilla (a backpacking staple) and dried mangoes and continued on in the afternoon heat. As we made our way around the north side of the mountain the landscape really began to change. There were beautiful meadows with wildflowers and white pasqueflower that looked straight out of a Dr. Seuss story.
We passed Elk Cove with hopes of making it to Cloud Cap for the night since it was still early in the afternoon. Swedish Fish and Haribo Cola gummies fueled us as we pressed on and crossed the raging Coe River. We had been warned about the Elliot River which was still a few miles away, but we found the Coe to be the most sketchy. We got smacked in the face with overgrown brush as we made our way down the slippery rocks to the actual river crossing. There was a rope that we held on to get across safely, but while the water was only about shin-deep, it was fast. Of course it was uphill on the other side with a few more downed trees to straddle; morale was low and the winds were picking up. We plopped down at the first spot we found that resembled a campsite in the middle of an old burned area. It was super exposed and we knew it would be really windy at night so I decided to jog up the trail a little bit to see if anything looked more promising a little further up. Sure enough, we found a perfect spot nestled in the safety of the trees, much more protected from the wind. We quickly set up camp and got the water boiling for dinner. Derek enjoyed Pad Thai while I wolfed down Kathmandu Curry- so warm and tasty after those 11 uphill miles. We split another protein cookie and took a swig of whiskey before getting a good night’s sleep. We didn’t see a single other person that night and it was so peaceful.
We woke up to another brisk but beautiful morning and enjoyed coffee and oatmeal while we marveled at how lucky we had gotten by finding this campsite. We were just short of our mileage goal the previous day so we knew we had a big day ahead of us. We filtered some water from a stream then began the downhill trudge to the Elliot River crossing, the most anticipated river crossing of the trip according to the recent trail reports. I personally didn’t think this knee deep crossing was as intimidating as the Coe, but we were crossing in the morning which is usually the best time to cross before the afternoon sun causes more snow melt. The scariest part was all of the loose rock and gravel on the way down to the river and then the sharp climb out on the other side.
After we made the ascent up past Cloud Cap the terrain really changed again and part of the trail was like walking on a sandy beach, which really took a toll on Derek’s Achilles tendon. We doctored him up with an old makeup sponge, duct tape and a compression sock and we made our way up to the high point of the trail at about 7,300 feet where we stopped for lunch. We enjoyed more tuna on tortillas and had to break out our puffy jackets as the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped.
It was a pretty long but easy descent from the high point with jaw-dropping views on the way. The sun came back out for the last few miles of our day which took us across another easy stream crossing then into the wildflower fields of Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area. It was so neat to walk under the chair lifts and in and out of dense patches of forest where the sunlight radiated through the pine trees while birds chirped and the butterflies examined the wildflowers. It was magical and a perfect end to our 14 mile day.
We found another nice campsite and in high spirits we set up camp and prepared our last trail dinner- Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and a nice Cab Sauv which we had proudly carried for the past 37 miles so that we could enjoy on our final evening on trail. We had a Snickers bar for dessert before our last sleep, which ended up being the chilliest night with temperatures in the 30s.
We had a 5AM wake up call so that we could knock out the final four miles of the trail and be back at the Timberline Lodge for our 9AM brunch reservation. We packed up quickly and snacked on Honey Stinger waffles while we walked. The sunrise was unreal as we walked through the meadows and headed downhill towards our final river crossing. The White River was violent and cold but was an easy crossing after we found the trail. We lost some time and had to make it up on the final grueling ascent up towards the lodge. We met a middle-aged German couple who was hiking the PCT and pushing for the Washington border that afternoon (bucket list, yes please).
Just as we got view of the Timberline Lodge with under one mile left, we saw a giant rainbow that was practically at our ending point congratulating us. Not going to lie, I got emotional. It was so beautiful and it felt like such an accomplishment and a blessing that we got four perfect days on the Timberline Trail (and finished in time for our brunch reservation!).
Whatever you do, make sure you plan your hike around the all-you-can-eat brunch buffet at the Timberline Lodge on the weekends. I literally still think about that brunch. We had celebratory Bloody Marys and talked about what an incredible experience the Timberline Trail was. I am so proud of us and I really hope we have the opportunity to visit this beautiful trail again some day soon. We headed to our Airbnb in Portland for a much needed shower and take out Ramen and enjoyed the rest of our vacation.
Until the next adventure…
-x0 Lia
adventureawaitsx0 