The other week, I took Michael to hike on Mt. Hood and—I cannot make this sound dramatic enough—I do believe it changed my life: I finished the hike grateful to be alive; with my desire to backpack Timberline Trail reaffirmed; in awe of the pioneers, who traversed similar (and even more severe!!) terrain without modern accoutrements and with enormous wooden wagons, livestock, pack animals, pets, children, and pregnant women in tow (it boggles the mind); and with a deeper appreciation for the intimate knowledge of, relationship with, and respect for this land (and its other inhabitants) that Indigenous peoples had to’ve had to thrive on said land for generations.

We hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, beginning at Timberline Lodge, to Paradise Park Loop 757, a 13.1-mile lollipop loop with 2,838 feet of elevation gain. This hike was so unbelievably, indescribably beautiful. Frankly, “beautiful” doesn’t even cut it. Nor does “gorgeous.” Or “breathtaking.” Or “astonishing.” Or “magical.” Or any other word I’ve ever been exposed to in any language ever. Imagine: If hiking Hood elicits this response from me, I might actually lose my entire mind whenever I finally hike the Enchantments and in the Sierras.

A heads up: This is a very media-heavy post. During the hike, I took 192 photos and 20 videos with my phone and a handful of photos on a disposable camera that I’ve not yet dropped off to be developed. As I put this post together, I narrowed down those 212 iPhone photos and videos to 99 and then spent almost all of Saturday agonizing (agonizing!!) over paring that number down even more, even if just barely, to about 65 total photos and videos. Ywfms 🫡

We began at sunrise and I kid you not it took almost 20 minutes to go the first quarter mile because I kept stopping to take in the sunrise and the 360-degree views, and trying to capture both with my phone’s camera. A fool’s errand! The sky looked like a watercolor painting and try as I did, my phone cannot and did not do it justice.

Starting at sunrise was the right choice. Watching the light hit the mountain, as well as the surrounding rolling hills and mountains, and illuminate the fall foliage was incredible. And on such a clear, calm, and warm morning? A blessing, even. Plus, if we hadn’t started so early I wouldn’t have had as perfect of a setup as I did to whisper to Michael Everything the light touches is our kingdom and then giggle to myself like a small child.

We hit Zigzag Canyon Overlook, the first viewpoint on the route that AllTrails lists, shortly after my photo shoot at this boulder, at 7:45 am and 2.45 miles in. That panoramic photo at the top of the post as well as the handful of photos and the video below were taken from this point. About a mile down the trail from here there’s a water crossing, over Zigzag River. If you’re not comfortable with water crossings, or don’t want to or can’t proceed any further for whatever reason, hiking to here from Timberline will make for a memorable-enough hike.

The hike from the overlook down to the river is about a mile. It’s a beautiful mile. I wish I’d taken more photos of it.

Zigzag River was a little nerve-wracking to cross. It’s very cold, and the current is faster and stronger and the water deeper than you might think from your view of it at the top of the canyon. Also, while many of the rocks I tested out were sturdy and did not rock back and forth under my weight, they were very slippery. When I reached the river, I was the only one there and it took me about five minutes to find a place to cross that felt safe to attempt without help, should I need it, around. The spot I found was upstream, toward the mountain, and I used my poles for extra support.

Keep in mind that if you decide to cross water, you will have to cross it again on the way back. You may not be able to find the spot you initially crossed to cross back over on your way back. And even if you do find it, the way you cross over the first time may not be as easy to cross on the way back.

The fork at which you must decide whether to hike Paradise Park Loop 757 clockwise or counterclockwise is about half a mile beyond the river crossing. We hit it at 8:36 am and 3.94 miles in, and hiked it counterclockwise, which is the way AllTrails prescribes. You can’t lose either way. And also, I think going counterclockwise is the right choice, especially if you hike it early on a clear day. This is opinion is based entirely on vibes.

Traveling counterclockwise, we were treated to vibrant fall foliage and picturesque views of the sun continuing to rise overhead.

I brought a disposable camera with me on this hike. Sadly, I didn’t use it as frequently as I’d planned. I mostly wanted to use it to capture the early morning colors and ambiance. I wasn’t sure whether it was light enough to get decent photos without the flash, or if using the flash would’ve made for better photos. There were a limited number of exposures left on the rollI and I didn’t want to “waste” them by experimenting. What a ridiculous notion!! I regret not experimenting when I had the opportunity.

It was a truly perfect day for this hike. Clear skies, no bugs, warm temps (it was 52 F when we began and 76 F when we ended), no wind, and, because we began so early, very few encounters with other people—there were about 10 people on the south bank of Zigzag River as we approached the north bank to cross back over; the real crowds began just after we passed Zigzag Canyon Overlook on our way back to Timberline, as people made their way from Timberline to the canyon.

Every few hikes I’m reminded of how many different types of people there are and how many different types of choices they make while hiking. This hike was one of those hikes. It was at this point in this particular hike that I encountered one person wearing strappy sandals and another wearing very heavy-looking leather motorcycle boots. ON A HIKE!! On a trail that is almost entirely SAND!! It reminded me of when I was finishing up another longer-than-10-miles-hike last summer and encountered (1) someone wearing JEANS!! IN JULY!!! In nearly ONE-HUNDRED DEGREE weather!! ON A HIKE!!! and, a few moments later, (2) a couple who asked me questions about the trail and who, it quickly became clear, had no understanding of the trail, no map, no food, and NO WATER!! HOW!! And WHY!!

Something that surprised me: how small and jagged Mount Hood looks from up close. From a distance, she’s a majestic, perfect point. Up close, at least from Timberline and without snow, she looks much less intimidating. So much so that I looked up whether you can summit her from Timberline. You can. It’s only (“only”) a seven-mile trip to the top. No, I did not attempt. A trip to the top requires mountaineering skills and gear, even when there appears to be no snow, and there’s no proper trail to guide the way. I would love to properly summit a proper mountain one day. I need much more knowledge and experience under my belt as well as the proper apparel and gear before I even consider such an attempt. And I don’t think it’d be smart to do it alone.

We spent just under six and a half hours on the trail, with five hours and eight minutes of actual hike time. Before heading home we sat in the back of my car, soaking up the sun, refueling and rehydrating, and feeling very privileged to live so close to such a beautiful place, and to have the resources to access it.

A few “start of hike” and “end of hike” comparisons (some of these are repeats from earlier in the post; some of them are included only below). First up, the view of the sunrise from the Timberline Lodge lower lot vs. the same-ish spot roughly six hours later after we finished the hike:

Mount Hood, from the trailhead:

Mount Jefferson from near the ski lifts, just beyond the trailhead:

Zigzag Canyon Overlook:

The skyline view from Zigzag Canyon Overlook:

This hike was very special and immediately became my all-time favorite. I’m so deeply grateful to live so close to Mount Hood, to have a reliable vehicle to get me there and back, to have the money to pay for the gas to get me there and back and the snacks and apparel and gear to sustain me on the trail, to have the time to spend an entire weekday on this adventure, to have the health and fitness to easily complete the route, to have the tools required to document it in the ways that I have, and to have a mind that appreciates it all. I am so, SO happy I got to have this experience.

After getting back the photos from the roll of film I had developed the other week, I knew I couldn’t let this year go by without a single hike. So, I decided to hike Angel’s Rest—my trusty first-hike-of-the-season trail—and I brought lil MJ along for the adventure.

Because I like to hike alone and it doesn’t get light until later now, I started several hours later than I usually do—at the time I began this hike I’m usually on my way home or all the way back home. The plus side to this is, I got in a full session at the gym before setting out for the hike.

I was worried about starting later because it was a Friday, perfect weather, this trail is close to the city and very popular, I didn’t want to hike a crowded trail, and also I wanted to be able to park at the trailhead. I was also worried about starting earlier because I’m a woman who hikes alone, it’s dark dark at the times I usually begin hiking under full daylight in the height of summer, the trail is close enough to the city for a weirdo to quickly and easily access it for nefarious purposes if they wanted to, and also: cougars. Anyway. There was plenty of parking when I got there (and none when I left), the trail didn’t begin to get crowded until I was halfway back down, and I didn’t get got by any weirdos or cougars or, notably, my own brain. Success!

This was my fourth time hiking this trail (not counting a fifth attempt late last summer that was cut short by an encounter with a cougar), and my first on this side of summer. My first time hiking it, in 2021, was about a month before summer officially began, and it was cold and barren. The next two times I hiked it, I did so during the height of summer; it was warm (hot, even) and everything was in full bloom. I wasn’t sure what to expect this time. Summer didn’t end that long ago, so I knew it wouldn’t be barren. Still, I didn’t know whether to expect summer or fall colors.

The colors were beautiful!! So vibrant!!

On our way to the summit we of course stopped at the large boulder the size of a small boulder for photos. I wish I’d stopped on the way back, after the sun was a little higher in the sky, to get better-lit photos of Michael. Next time.

We hit the boulder a little under an hour from the time we set out, and hit the false summit five minutes later.

Once you clear the false summit and are back on trail and covered by tree canopy, the summit is only a few minutes away. We spent about 20 minutes at the summit—an extremely long time for me—eating snacks and soaking up the sun. The weather was truly perfect. I thought it would feel colder up there, with the wind and the water and all. I considered continuing on to complete the loop. I decided against it because I hadn’t planned for it and didn’t have much more water or snacks with me.

By the time we reached the summit, the sun was in the south sky, which made it difficult to get good photos of the southern parts of the 360-degree view. You will simply have to trust me that it was gorgeous.

By the time we finished, Michael was exhausted, this being his first hike and all. Before heading home, we sat in the back of my car and ate some more snacks (snacks are one of the best parts of hiking) and rehydrated.

All in all, a beautiful morning. I’m glad I didn’t let the season pass without at least one hike.

Note that this trailhead now requires either an Oregon State Parks annual parking permit or a $10 day-use fee to park at. At the trailhead, the day-use fee can be paid only via QR code; no cash, card, or tap to pay. Because many trailheads have spotty or nonexistent cell service, it’s recommended to buy your pass in advance.