Camping in Bigfoot Territory – Exploring the Dark Forests of Oregon

3 Days of Backpacking in the Pacific Northwest Wilderness.

For this late summer adventure, I packed up my gear and headed out for three days of camping, hiking and backpacking deep in the woods of Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest.  Utilizing a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) along with some other lesser used trails, I routed out a backpacking loop that would climb about 2,700 feet up onto the shoulder of Mount Hood.  The focal point of this loop is an alpine meadow area known as Paradise Park.

Because the total mileage of the loop was a relatively short distance of only 16 miles, I decided to do a base camping approach for this trip.  The plan was to camp both nights at Paradise Park at around 6,000 feet, with side trips further up Mount Hood on day two.

For sleep and shelter I packed in my trusty trekking pole tent, a three-season inflatable sleeping pad, and a 30 degree sleeping bag for the expected lows going down to just above freezing or so.

Standing at 11,249 feet, Mount Hood the tallest peak in Oregon and one of the highest  mountains in the nation based in terms of prominence (peak height relative to surroundings).  Starting at around 5,500 feet or so, the mountain begins to transition to a windswept landscape akin to the surface of Mars.  It’s truly an amazing place.

The approach from down below is an entirely different experience though. The environment prior to tree line is a dense, quite, almost eerie forest with thick foliage and towering pines trees.  The stuff that bigfoot legends are made of, from what the locals tell me.  I didn’t believe in any of that though…

Trailhead Used
Paradise Park Trailhead
Mt Hood Village, Oregon 97049
45.31218941983911, -121.81907830291594

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Solo Hiking the White Mountains – Backpacking the Presicat Loop

Join me for 3 days of hiking, backpacking, and stealth camping in the White Mountains.

For this late Summer trip (August), I’ll be going for the full range of White Mountains backpacking and hiking experiences. From the seclusion of rugged wilderness areas, to the tourist laded summit of Mount Washington. Encompassing both the western and eastern sides of Rt 16, the goal is to complete a 3 day loop comprised of the Presidential Range, Tuckerman Ravine, Wildcat Range, and the Carter-Moriah Range before returning to the car.

If you’re interested in the gear, you can check out my full Ultralight Backpacking Gear List Video

The 11lb base weight system seen in that video is identical to my system for this trip with the exception of the following changes which increased the base weight by about 2.5 lbs:

Fleece Sleeping bag (21oz) replaced with Suisse Sport 30 degree mummy bag. (3lbs)
Mont-bell Ultralight Down Parka (9oz) was brought for additional warmth.

I carried around 7lbs food and water (usually only 1 liter), so total pack weight was still around 20 lbs or so.

GPS Tracking Data for Entire Trip is Available for download on the Trip Data page.
**Tracks for each day end on the trail prior to picking a specific campsite. Recording is resumed on the beginning of each day, back on the trail from night before.

Parking: Imp Trail head 44°19’23.40″N 71°13’0.99″W
(**not starting on Imp trail, this will be the finish)

Trails Used (in order):

Day 1
Road Hike to Dolly Copp Campground
Begin on Daniel Webster-Scout Trail
Osgood Trail
Gulfside Trail (passing Madison Spring Hut on descent)
Mt Jefferson Loop Trail
Return to Gulfside Trail
Sphinx Trail
Stealth Camp towards bottom of Sphinx Trail in the Great Gulf Wilderness
Daily Totals: 11.40 Miles, 6,008 feet elevation gain

Day2
Back up Sphinx Trail
Gulfside Trail
Trinity Heights Connector (to Mt Washington Summit)
Tuckerman Ravine Trail
Lions Head Trail
Alpine Garden Trail
Tuckerman Ravine Trail
Grab a drink at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and cross Rt 16 to
Lost Pond Trail
Wildcat Ridge Trail
Stealth Camp before getting to Carter Notch Hut
Daily Totals: 13.80 Miles , 6,755 feet elevation gain

Day 3
Carter-Moriah Trail
Carter Dome Trail
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Totals: 8.77 miles, 2,471 feet elevation gain

Trip Grand Totals: 34 Miles, 15,234 feet elevation gain.


Summit’s for this Trip in order:
Mt Madison, Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington, Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat Mountain, Carter Dome, Mt Hight

Camera Used: Samsung H-300