Clouds on this day, I am afraid. But does Paradise wait on the other side?

BEGINNINGS

My hope was to hike from Timberline Lodge through to Paradise Park and go above, off trail to explore the old airplane crash on top of Mississippi Head. From the Head, I would ascend higher to get above the head of Zigzag Canyon. Next, over to the ski lifts above Timberline to descend back to the car. This hike would be the last of several I did this summer around different sections of the mountain – McNeil Point, Cooper Spur and Cathedral Ridge.

It was a gorgeous day with several folks gearing up in the parking lot for the beginning of their Timberline treks.  There was over hundred people I counted on the trails, Timberline and Paradise Park. That was a far cry from the solitary fellow I met on my hike the week before at Badger Lake on the Boundary Trail in Washington State in the heart of the southcentral Cascades.  Soon, I crossed the Little Zig Zag Canyon, always easy in the am and much hotter in the pm.

Paradise earned

Immediately after comes the real Zig Zag Canyon with the inevitable drop.  Mississippi Head loomed over it all as just the first touch of clouds appeared.

Early morning panorama from the Pacific Crest Trail looking into the 800 foot deep Zig Zag Canyon with Mt Hood on the right – Mississippi Head is the cliff area at the base of Hood.

Viewpoint where the Timberline Trail encounters Zig Zag Canyon coming west from Timberline Lodge. To reach Paradise, you drop down and up to the meadows on the other side. Mississippi Head is the cliff region at the head of the canyon. Click and drag with your mouse for full 360 view.

Doggedly, regaining the lost elevation from the bottom of the canyon and then some, I made my way up into Paradise Park with some flowers still present.

PARADISE LOST

Continuing, I wandered to Split Rock on the north edge of the Park where there always seems to be people camping. There is a plaque on the rock commemorating early Mazama club presidents – Mazamas is a climbing club with a long history from Portland – ….

Climbing above Paradise

… and ascended meadows on boot paths, sometime faint, sometimes not.

360 view with Mt Hood and Mississippi Head engulfed in clouds.

Finally, I reached sandy, ashen slopes on the west base of the Head but clouds multiplied. As a result, they dropped down obscuring everything.

360 view – the end of the journey was reached hiking up the boot path to the cliffs ahead. Hoping the clouds would dissipated turned out to be wishful thinking and I retreated the way I came up.

TURNING POINT

Now, the whole purpose of the hike was to see and I didn’t want to hike around cliffs in a possible whiteout, I returned the way I came. First, retreating down to Split Rock.

Split Rock in the center of the picture with the multiple summits of Zig Zag Mountain beyond.

Return to Paradise

Next, past the old Paradise Park shelter …

… and down through flowers of Paradise.

Mississippi Head is on the left while the cliffs of Zig Zag Canyon lie straight and center ahead.

THE TEASE

As I descended back into Zig Zag Canyon, of course, the weather above improved.

Naturally, what goes down must come up and meaning Zig Zag Canyon.

Looking over to the top of the Head, I saw I probably could have wandered up above and back to Timberline without too much problem. But there is always another day.  By the time I got back to Little Zig Zag Canyon, the weather was now quickly getting better …

Return from Paradise

IT’S A WRAP

… and by the time I was back to Timberline, there was nary a wisp of a cloud.

Tthe hike was to supposed to be a loop. Making it two thirds of the way, meant a longer day – 14 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain. Nice pictures, though. Success? Technically no, but fulfillment comes in many guises.

September 7