As I transitioned to working 40+ hour weeks between OHSU and Pharmaca, I spent a much-needed day off in the Gorge. Located an hour east on the Washington side of the Columbia River, Dog Mountain is a popular but difficult hike. I was first introduced to it at the end of last summer, but Aunt Judy convinced me to repeat it for the springtime wildflower display (typically in late May/early June).
I arrived to the Dog Mountain Trailhead at 10am on Monday, shocked to snag one of the last parking spots--word had apparently gotten out that the flowers had bloomed early this year. Instead of taking the Dog Mountain Trail, I switched it up by starting on the Augspurger Trail to make a 7.4 mile loop (2,800' gain).
The Augspurger Trail starts climbing immediately out of the parking lot. The path crosses multiple talus slopes, leading to views of Wind Mountain and the Columbia River to the west. The morning was overcast, but it was the last dry day before a stretch of rain.
After three miles, in lieu of continuing on to the summit of Augspurger Mountain, I turned at a junction to connect to the Dog Mountain Trail. From here, a brief climb breaks out into the summit meadows. The yellow balsamroot hadn't quite peaked, but it was certainly close--vaguely reminiscent of scenes from The Sound of Music.
Another junction lies almost a mile ahead. Turning left to continue upward on the Summit Loop Trail leads to the windy summit of Dog Mountain. A wild turkey was hanging around up top, unfazed by the crowd of people taking its picture.
Backtracking down the Summit Loop Trail, the clouds began to clear out to reveal a beautiful afternoon. I could just make out the snowy peaks of Mts. Hood and St. Helens in the distance.
About a half mile later, I reached Puppy Dog Lookout.
From there, I followed the trail back down into the forest before reaching the lower viewpoint. I returned to the trailhead by 2pm.
The drive home that afternoon was just lovely, riding the high from the hike and surrounding natural beauty; so very enchanted by the PNW.
