In case this hasn't been made clear, I got very lucky with moving to Portland when I did--the weather has been unusually mild this autumn. My co-worker at NewEra commented that this is the driest November that she can remember. That being said, I realize that my luck might be up soon, so I squeezed in one more hike before the holiday.
On Tuesday, I returned to Beacon Rock State Park on the Washington side of the Gorge. The Equestrian Trailhead is located off lovely Highway 14, just 50 minutes east of town. Hardy Ridge is a lightly-trafficked, moderate 8.1 mile loop over 2,200' elevation gain.
I set off at 11am, hiking north on the Equestrian Trail for a mile. At the first junction, I continued another half mile to turn onto the East Hardy Ridge Trail, lined with salmonberry bushes. A connector trail leads to a four-way junction at the top of the ridge. I climbed a bit higher to snag some unobstructed views, but the high winds prevented me from reaching the true summit. Still, I got a glimpse of Hamilton Mountain, Table Mountain, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.
Back at the junction, I completed the loop in a counter-clockwise direction by taking the connector trail down the western side of the ridge. End: 2pm. I met Kyle afterwards for happy hour eats and drinks at my new favorite vegan bar, The Sweet Hereafter.
