We left the Timberline Lodge behind us today. Like Jefferson, the trail wrapped around Mt Hood all day today. There weren’t any clear views, but the fog all around the mountain was very dramatic. The trail had an alternate route past Ramona Falls which were flowing well from recent rainfall. After visiting the falls, I continued along the blue blaze to rejoin the PCT a few miles later. At the end of the day, a steep climb took me up to Bald Mountain where I made camp near the trail junction. Today’s mileage was 14.5 miles, 23.4 km.

After leaving camp, I walked straight into pea soup fog. Various trees, ridges, and rocky patches of snow would briefly become visible as the clouds moved past. At one point, I may have glimpsed Mt Hood itself, but it’s hard to know for sure.

After a couple of hours, I’d descended a little below the clouds. I passed a spot which looked over the Zig Zag falls and into the valley below. As I continued downward, huckleberries grew in thickets along the trail. I enjoyed snacking on these as I walked past.

Further down the valley, I reached the alternate trail which goes past Ramona Falls. Every comment on the junction waypoint enthusiastically recommended hikers to take the alternate, so of course I did just that.

After the falls, and after rejoining the PCT, I met Pie Guy, Lunatic and Random at the bottom of Oregon’s last major climb. I’d been considering making camp at the bottom to tackle the climb tomorrow morning, but they encouraged me to continue up and camp with them. I figured that if I pushed, I could make it to camp before dark. At the top, we had time to set camp and hang out for a little before sunset and rain sent us to our tents for the night.