One of my first posts covered the hike on Three Corner Rock with my last mountain corgi, Cuillin. Even at 12, Cuillin showed the style, stamina and simple good looks of the corgi in the heights of the Cascade Range of southern Washington State. He lived up to his Gaelic name. Three Corner Rock is high enough to be classified a Munro, even a metric Munro since the peak is 3,550 feet high (1082 meters). For those not familiar with the quaint system of mountain classification in Scotland, Munros are mountains over 3,000 feet (914 meters) and metric Munros are over 3,300 feet (1000 meters).

Of course, the mountains in the Pacific Northwest are higher and more numerous than Caledonia. We call Three Corner Rock, the perfect place for a fire lookout, at least until it moved north to the San Juan Islands.

That hike took place in late May while today’s jaunt is mid-June. The major difference is the magnificent floral display atop the summit plain of Three Corner Rock – especially beargrass and Indian paintbrush – and a new corgi on hand. People gush about the flowers on top of Dog Mountain, but here on Three Corner Rock and many other sites throughout the Cascades, color abounds.

ACCESS THE PATH

Access is the same as always, Rock Creek road which is unmarked. For some reason, that always means I waste 20 minutes going up the wrong road.

Cross the Bridge of the Gods from I-84 – $2 toll – turning east on Washington Highway 14. After 0.7 miles, turn left on Rock Creek Road – signed here! – direction Skamania Lodge. Another 0.3 miles, just past the Lodge and the speed bump, turn left again – Foster Road. Go 0.9 miles staying left when Foster Creek Road joins Ryan Allen Road to turn left on Ref Bluff Road.

After crossing a one-lane bridge, the road becomes gravel. After 0.7 miles, keep right taking the lower of the two gravel roads – CG 2000. On CG 2000, stay left at 1.8 miles. 3.3 miles brings you to a bridge across Rock Creek with Steep Creek Falls across from the road. Stay on CG 20004.3 miles up to Rock Creek Pass where several roads intersect. Keep to the road on the far left – CG 2090 – and ascend another 0.3 miles to where the Pacific Crest Trail – PCT – crosses the road.

If only I could follow my own directions!

ON THE PATH

Repeating my earlier post but adding slightly, hike south on the PCT 1.4 miles. Ascending slowly at first through a fir forest, three switchbacks gain most of the 800 feet of vertical gain. After the switchbacks, there is one nice viewpoint over Rock Creek valley towards Mt Adams.

Shortly after the viewpoint you find the junction with the Three Corner Rock trail listed as “3/4 miles” beyond. This path gains a little height before turning south across a forested plain. Just before reaching a supposedly abandoned 4-wheel drive road – always seems to be evidence of someone driving on it when I am here – there is a small path leading off to a rusted out horse trough. There is a water pipe here, but I have never seen any water.

summit plateau

Back to the abandoned road, turn right and shortly arrive at the summit plateau. A microwave station is to the left. To the right, old crumbling concrete steps lead up the basaltic stump – Three Corner Rock – to the site of the old fire lookout. The last couple moves to the top of Three Corner Rock still require some rock scrambling, quite beyond the capabilities of a mountain corgi.

SUMMIT

I tied the new boy up just below the top and listened to him whine as I took in the far-reaching views. Nothing like listening to the gentle wind blowing atop Three Corner Rock with the howls of an aggrieved mountain corgi just below.

The best views are to the south and west. Five ice-clad volcanoes are seen – Jefferson, Hood, Adams, Rainier and St Helens. To the west is Silver Star. To the southeast, Dog Mountain can be seen, while closer at hand is the Birkenfeld-Table Mountain ridge. Stebbins Creek valley drops off to the southwest aiming down the Washougal River valley towards Portland. Come earlier in the day for better views in this direction.

There has been a fair amount of logging going on down in the Stebbins valley the last couple of years. Do not be surprised to run into log trucks on the road up Rock Creek.

THE NEW BOY

the breed

According to my zodiac sign, my mountain companion should be a Pomeranian, but I decided years ago to go with the dog breed linked to the preceding astrological category, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Corgis are famous for their association with English royalty. The breed has climbed the American Kennel Club ranks to number ten in popularity before dropping back slightly to eleven.

In the United Kingdom, Pembroke corgis were listed for awhile as a possible “endangered” breed with a drop in the number of puppies – Cardigans are still listed as such, but the tv series “The Crown” and Instagram pictures seem to have dramatically increased the breed’s popularity.

Breed popularity can be a tricky thing. Harder to find new puppies which means more expensive. Popularity can lead to overbreeding. Overbreeding can lead to genetic problems which do crop up in corgis if breeders are not careful.

the corgi

Corgis – both the Pembroke and its immediate cousins, the Cardigan – were bred originally as farm dogs, to herd and keep watch. They herd by nipping at the heels of those to be brought in line. You can notice this behavior with their play. They like to go in low on other dogs. They also have incredible stopping and turning abilities. Other dogs have more speed, but they can change directions, stop and go amazingly quickly. Being a herding and all-around farm dog, they tend to have a lot of stamina if exercised properly. Socialize them early and often and they are welcome additions to the family, as well.

Corgis do shed, all the time. Hair is always around, just a fact of living with a corgi. The corgi tends to be intelligent.

mountain corgis

My first corgi, Toffee, seemed to learn any trick I could think of. Her learning ability only limited by me.

All of the corgis I have had have showed amazing stamina, especially when you consider their legs are only four inches. Toffee would go with me on hikes over fifteen miles regularly. My second dog, Cuillin, climbed mountains until he was twelve. Named for the mountains of the Isle of Skye, he had a proper name for a Gaelic dog.

Oliver – a new corgi on Three Corner rock

Oliver – aka OllieBear – is my third corgi. He joins a line of corgis who have followed me up the peaks and hills of the northwest. Having learned from earlier corgis, they now generally have a harness including a handle. The handle allows me to efficiently do corgi-assists on the trail in areas like downed trees too big for them to jump over or crawl under or on short steep rock sections. Being close to the ground, corgis tend to get muddy lower sections and a handle allows you to stay cleaner when helping your little friends out.

Ollie’s beginnings

Ollie came from a breeder in the south Oregon Coast area. Given a choice between two dogs, I went with the little fellow described as “stubborn, but spirited”. “Stubborn” is an understatement at times.

stubborn

One of those times was when we came back to the car from our outing. He is still a fairly young corgi at only 1.5 years, so I keep him leashed up on the trail up Three Corner Rock. Normally, I do let him drag his leash only grabbing it when we get near to a cliff edge, the side of a river or near other people or dogs on the path.

At the car after walking almost five miles, I wanted to give him some water. Finishing putting water into a bowl, I looked up to see where he had gotten. Calling for him, he finally popped out on the other side of the road where the PCT continues to the north. I could tell by the look on his face, he was in a mood which can only be described as playfully stubborn. Every time I approached him, he would take off down the trail a few yards and look back smiling.

I tried ignoring him for a few minutes after he disappeared further up the trail. Someone had come through recently with a dog on the trail and I started to worry Ollie had gone farther up the trail in search. Resuming the search, I could find no sign of my corgi. I ended up walking a half mile through the forest before finally turning back. Still no sign. So, retracing my steps, I now was getting worried for him.

Resolution

A few yards from the road where the car was, he popped up on the trail again. He had been hiding off the trail when I had walked past him. I finally cornered him with the help of some large downed trees and escorted him back to the car. Lesson learned for now. Keep my foot securely on the leash!