Springtime: May 7th-June 10th

After months of being excited for the start of my spring/summer hiking season, I got off to a pretty rocky start. Firstly, I wasn't able to hike in April due to high snowpack where I was living and a need to stay in the area for medical reasons. Then I was going to start right at the start of May after helping my partner move into their new house... but then I got sick and had to wait a bit. Then I had a couple of important things planned for the middle of the month, and then I went down to California to hike for what I hoped would be a couple months. However, after climbing only my third peak I had to rush back north to help my partner move after their new living situation turned pretty bad. And after dealing with all that stress plus a few other things I didn't mention, I needed a few weeks to recover. Eventually, I got back out hiking, abandoning my plans to hike in CA in favor of peaks in OR after seeing the cost of living down there. These are the peaks that I was able to do during those six weeks of chaos, so enjoy ;)

Hamaker Mountain, May 7th

Hamaker is a paved road all the way up, and when I did it the last of the snows were melting, so that was sick!

Bryant Mountain, May 8th

Climbing Bryant was a bit odd for me. I approached via the south on Bryant Mtn Rd, which was a dirt road of inconsistent quality with the worst at the start with some serious erosion. I'd recommend high clearance. Anyhow, I parked my van at a pulloff just before the powerlines and biked up to the gate, which was posted. So I wandered through the woods instead of hopping the gate and wowza that was a mistake - the brush is THICK. I eventually found my way back to the lake and then along a few ATV trails back to the road, and followed it up. Delightful views on the way up and spectacular views on the summit! Shasta, Melaski, Crane, Eagle, and all the peaks surrounding them were all vibrant! This was my first true hike since Grays Butte back in November and I cried at the top I was so happy to be back doing what I loved :)

Tamalpais Mountain, May 17th

Tamalpais is pretty well-documented and within a state park, so I'll just add that the final whack to the top is quite brushy and I'd recommend long sleves!

Konocti Mountain, May 19th

Konocti is well documented and in a state park, but I find it quite odd how many amenities (bathrooms, benches, trash cans) there are along the route up, which is just a well-grated dirt road you can't even bike up. Would it have really been that much pricier to cut a hiking trail?

Black Butte, May 21st

Black Butte Trailhead can be accessed with a vehicle with high clearance, although the road isn't too terrible. The trail meanders around the peak and honestly I would strongly advise against hiking with snow in the spring cause this mountain might be the steepest peak I've ever climbed and the avalanche danger is NO JOKE. Luckily there was no snow, but I did still worry about rockfall. Anyhow, it was a wonderful hike with sweeping views of both Shasta and Eddy. Would highly recommend :)

Mount Tom, June 10th

Gotta say, this peak is pretty disappointing. Eugene has nearly half a million people living in the area and this is the closest major mountain. There could be multiple hiking trails leading up a state park or protected forest, or at leasta nice lookout at the summit. But no, not only is it just a dull dirt road up, but the summit itself has been destroyed by mining. This peak had so much potential but apparently private property is more important than collective good. Tom is a relatively straightforward drive that is easily doable in a sedan. Starting from McGowen Creek Road, you'll keep going until you see a fork in the road - go left. I went right and was able to make it back to the main road but if you choose that path, have a high-clearance vehicle you don't mind being scraped up. You'll turn onto Mt Tom Rd until you reach a t-intersection - head left. Eventually you'll be greeted with a locked gate at around 100ft shy of the summit. If you proceed, you'll find the aforementioned mining site where the summit used to be. Personally, I think 100ft shy for a peak of this caliber is fine, so I just got my photos and headed down without bothering since it was a weekday and I didn't wanna run into some uptight middle-management figure angry at me for trespassing