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Appeal Tribune ❚ WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019 ❚ 1B Sports 13 best hikes on Mount Hood Lower Twin Lake, Mount Hood National Forest. PHOTOS BY BONNIE HENDERSON AND MATT REEDER / SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL Feature waterfalls, old-growth forest and alpine views Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon’s tallest mountain is sur- rounded by a wonderland of forest, can- yons and waterfalls. Whether you’re backpacking or day hiking with kids, you’ll find something to love on the thousands of miles of trail that circle, zag and twist around the 11,250-foot volcano. Here are the best hikes around Mount Hood, according to this reporter and guidebook author Matt Reeder, who penned PDX Hiking 365. Note: most of these hikes are intend- ed for summer hiking, but a few make good snowshoe adventures. but count on rugged backpacking con- ditions. Most people start and end their trip at Timberline Lodge. Here’s a detailed guide to the hike. Nearby towns: Government Camp Level: very difficult Open: July to October Notes: Expect the trail to have chal- lenges throughout the route. Directions: From Government Camp, follow Highway 26 a short dis- tance and turn left onto Timberline Road. Park east of the lodge in one of the signed parking areas. The upper park- ing area is restricted to lodge guests. Coordinates:45.32998, -121.70839. Elk Meadows Elk Meadows features postcard worthy views of Mount Hood. Timberline Trail It makes sense to start with the most iconic trail on Mount Hood — the Tim- berline Trail. The almost 40-mile trek circles Oregon’s tallest mountain on a challenging route that offers views both of the mountain, waterfalls, wildflower meadows and views across the state. Most people complete the route in 3 or 4 days, depending on fitness. There are plenty of backcountry campsites, This alpine meadow on the eastern side of Mount Hood features postcard- worthy views of Oregon’s tallest moun- tain along with a funky shelter right in the middle. The hike to this paradise is 6 miles round-trip with about 1,100 feet of climb, making is challenging but doable for most people. The trailhead is adjacent to Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area — a popular winter destination far quieter in sum- mer. You’ll cross Clark and Newton Creek amid a forested setting before the trail switchbacks up Newton Canyon. Elk Meadows is above. Wonderful picnic areas can be found here, as well as plen- ty of backcounty campsites. Nearby towns: Government Camp Level: moderately difficult Open: Late June to October Notes: Camping is forbidden within Elk Meadows, but there are sites on the trail that swings around the perimeter of the meadows. Directions: From Government Camp: Follow Highway 35 east toward Hood River for 10.7 miles, past the turn- off for Mount Hood Meadows, and turn See HIKES, Page 2B Breitenbush River offers great trout fishing Fishing Henry Miller Guest columnist DETROIT — If you prefer your trout fishing on the rocks with a splash of bubbly, now is the time to head for the hills. “I just grew up fishing in the Umatilla River, and I just prefer fishing streams over lakes when it comes to trout like these,” said Mark Dabulskis of Gates. He had just hiked up the bank at mid- day Monday, at the bridge over the Brei- tenbush River upstream from the Wil- lamette National Forest’s Cleator Bend Group Camp about nine miles north of Detroit . He was carrying a half-filled bucket of water with a chunky rainbow trout, about 13 inches that he had caught un- der the bridge. “I came up here a couple of days ago, and you could catch your limit in about five minutes,” he said about a hatchery stocking of rainbow trout the previous week, adding with a chuckle. “Obvious- ly there’s been a bunch of people fishing here over the weekend, so they’re not quite as readily available today.” Hatchery trucks were scheduled to roll again the weeks of July 22 (1,800 keeper-size, 8-inches minimum) and July 29 (2,666 keepers), dropping rain- bow trout at four sites along the Breiten- Mark Dabulskis and two fishing buddies were plying the clear, cold waters of the Breitenbush River. HENRY MILLER / SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL bush River. The appeal of crystalline, chilled run- ning water shaded by canyon walls and towering firs along with hatchery-aug- mented opportunities to catch a trout or two are almost irresistible. Especially for someone such as Da- bulskis, who cut his fishing teeth as a kid on eastern Oregon streams. “There’s nothing wrong with fishing off the dam,” he said with a chuckle about Detroit Lake, “if you like fishing shoulder-to-shoulder, if that’s where you want to go. “But up here you can kind of fish off by yourself.” Fishing on the Breitenbush isn’t rock- et science, he added. “I use just a little spinner, Rooster Tails, or Blue Fox, or whatever,” Dabul- skis said. “These planter fish are kind of simple to catch, sort of easy to catch …” He paused. “When they’re there; if they’re there,” he said with a laugh about the single trout on Monday vs. the five-minute limit the previous week. Trout-stocking is done at four sites along a 10-mile stretch of the Breiten- bush River from the first bridge over the river heading north on Forest Road 46 (Breitenbush Road on the left after crossing the bridge on Highway 22 into Detroit) to the U.S. Forest Service’s Brei- tenbush Campground 10 miles up- stream. Limited dispersed (non-camp- ground) camping is available starting about five miles from Detroit, and devel- oped camping is available at Breiten- bush Campground, where 18 of the 29 primitive sites are reservable. Rates are $17.68 for a standard site, $32.42 for a double site. The camp- ground features water, vault toilets, pic- nic tables and cooking grills. During 2019, the campground opened Memorial Day weekend and closes Sept. 14. For more information or online reser- vations, go to https://www.recrea- tion.gov/camping/ campgrounds/233301 on the Recrea- tion.gov website. A campground map also is available online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/de- tailfull/ willamette/rec reation/camping-cabins/ ?cid=stelprdb5136312&width=full The Forest Service’s Cleator Bend Group site is reservable for groups of up to 45 people at a rate of $146.37 a night. Amenities are similar to those at Breitenbush Campground. Reservations for the May 22 through Sept. 12, 2020, camping season are available online at https://www.recrea- tion.gov/camping/ campgrounds/233259 Blast from the past, version 2.0: Cathy Ingalls, formerly Beckham back in our joint SJ days, wrote to tell me that she had seen the mention in a column about her drubbing me in racketball in the distant past. “I’d totally forgotten that story, but I see that you hadn’t ...” she emailed. To which there was only one appro- priate response. “You should know by now that I’ve made a career out of writing about my serial humiliations,” I replied. And so it goes. Henry Miller can be contacted via email at HenryMillerSJ@gmail.com