The Next Father-Son Hike

The Kings Mountain hike a few weeks ago went so well that Ruairí and I decided to tackle a bigger challenge.  The Columbia River Gorge is filled with many incredible hiking trails.  This day, we crossed over to the Washington side to hike to the top of Dog Mountain, a popular trail.  With an elevation gain of over 2800 feet from trailhead to summit, this one is a bit more daunting than the Kings Mountain Trail, and about 50% longer.
The weather was forecast to be sunny, cold, and very windy, which it was.  We were prepared with plenty of layers.  We were somewhat disappointed in the views, since an inversion layer made the air a bit hazier than we had hoped (I’ve been up here later in the winter, when everything is crystal clear).  Even so, we had good views on Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens, and Mt. Adams.  We took the popular “scenic route” alternative of the Dog Mountain Trail on the way up, and took the Augspurger Mountain Trail back down, for a nice ~7 mile loop.
At the top, with Wind Mountain and the Columbia River down below

At the top, with Wind Mountain and the Columbia River down below

 

Ruairí takes the lead near the summit; Mt. St. Helens peeks above the ridge to the left

Ruairí takes the lead near the summit; Mt. St. Helens peeks above the ridge to the left

 

At the lower viewpoint (1600' elevation) on the Dog Mountain Trail "scenic route"

At the lower viewpoint (1600′ elevation) on the Dog Mountain Trail “scenic route”

 

 

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