Mt. Hood

Ty and I spent the 4th of July weekend testing out our new camping gear on Mt. Hood. We had an awesome time exploring the trails on and around the huge volcano.

First on the list of things to do? Immediately get up to Timberline to see the one and only Overlook Hotel from The Shining. Finally! I can check that off my bucket list. What a relief.

One more childhood dream fullfilled.

The clouds around Mt. Hood were not particularly cooperative. This was the best shot we got. It was a beautiful day, but the clouds just wouldn't burn off.

We spent the afternoon hiking Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. Classy name huh? Suffice it to say that Tyler spent a good part of the hike finding 'clever' (and mature) alterations to that name. Half way through the hike we came to this beautiful lake. Hiking in Oregon is just the best. The hikes are so easy and the rewards at the top and along the way are so awesome. It will be hard to transition back to Utah hikes. I would rather die than hike that dumb Mt. Olympus again. Worst hike ever. Especially now that I have new and higher expectations to hiking.
Anywho...we loved the Mountain lake. So much that I had to do a high kick on a log. Woo!

The trail was beautiful and the weather was not too hot, so we had a great hike. It did take well over a mile before my heart rate finally slowed down and I was able to breathe normally. I am no longer able to hike at any level of elevation. My Utah lungs are no more.

Sad day. Photos from the top.

There was an incredible view of the Cascade Mountain Range. It is awesome to look out and see the massive volcano peaks in every direction. Oregon is cool. We had one awesome camp site. Dinner was complete with our favorite Jewish hot dogs and some incredibly delicious kabobs. The temperature dropped radically when the sun went down (hence the awesome Utes beanie). We got into the mid 30's...which is not my kind of weather. Lucky for me Tyler can make a mean fire and we survived the cold with huge flames, hot chocolate and about 9,000 smores.

When the sun peaked through and the clouds blew over for about 3 minutes Tyler jumped in the car and frantically drove to a spot where we could snap a few photos of the mountain. We were sad it wasn't super clear because we really wanted the full effect of camping at the base of a volcano, but we still had a fabulous weekend and can't wait for our next camping adventure.