Powell Butte and Larch Mountain
Yesterday we had quite a bit of an adventure. Since it was such a beautiful day (60′s and sunny!) after breakfast we drove out to Powell Butte, a park with lots of hiking trails on top of an extinct volcano. It was cold and windy up there, but quite beautiful, with shockingly picturesque views of Mt Hood, Mount St Helens and Mount Adams peeking out from behind some other low mountains.
Then last night we decided to drive out somewhere remote to try and see some stars. The night sky is generally pretty much overcast here, so it was kind of exciting to have a chance to see some big sky. Also there are so many remote wilderness areas in close proximity that it was tough to choose one to go to. We settled on Larch Mountain, since it’s pretty close and we’ve heard some good things about it.
Unfortunately when we got about halfway up the mountain the road was completely closed off for the winter.
Even still, the sky was brilliant with stars and the moon. We’ll have to go back there when the road opens, for sure.
After a while it was just too dark and cold and creepy up there. I was certain I was going to be eaten by a grue so we high tailed it home.
Anyway, check out the full set of pictures for more crazy hiking goodness.