I parked at Bridge of the Gods Trail Head in Cascade Locks. Hiked on Gorge Trail #400 to Eagle Creek Trail Head (about two miles). Alternatively, you can walk the bike path. Proceeded up Eagle Creek to my previous stopping point - Tunnel Falls. Kept going on the "Vertigo Mile" past Twister Falls, then took the Wahtum Lake trail. Got within a half mile of Wahtum Lake and hit snow. I was only about a third of a mile from intersecting the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). My intent was to camp at Wahtum Lake and then on Sunday, take the PCT back to Cascade Locks and my car. Stopped in an open spot to send a Delorme InReach satellite text message to my wife, telling her my change of plans. Then I retreated back down Wahtum Lake trail about 5 miles until I found a suitable camp site. It started raining hard right after setting up my tarp, so I got my wet clothes off, crawled into my sleeping bag and had a cold dinner of trail mix. About midnight, I woke up and could feel that the foot of my sleeping bag was getting really wet. A miniature lake was forming at my feet due to a slight low point on the ground. I propped up my foam sleeping pad with water bottles and shoes, placed the foot of my bag on top of my bear can, and went back to "sleep". It stopped raining around 3am and eventually the water soaked into the ground so I could get a couple hours of sleep.
Sunday, April 6, 2014 (9 miles)
I broke camp and hit the trail around 8am. Met a couple of friends from work above High Bridge and the three of us hiked back down together. It was great meeting up with them and really made my day. They were kind enough to give me a ride back to my car from the Eagle Creek Trail Head.
Monday, April 7, 2014 (0 miles)
A nice, sunny day back in Beaverton. I was able to dry out all my stuff on the back deck and enjoy a well deserved beer.
Lessons learned:
- pick tarp location carefully; avoid low points with no drainage
- pay attention to every step you take (I slipped and fell once on the vertigo mile)
