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Dollar Lake
As I indicated in my last post, I parked at the very rough 4,500-foot trailhead for the Vista Ridge Trail on the north side of Mt. Hood in late July. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
After hiking through an area burnt by a 2011 wildfire, I met the Timberline Trail which circles Mt. Hood. A few more steps and I was at the open meadows of Wy’east Basin. The Ladd Glacier and the summit of Mt. Hood were seemingly close enough to touch.
I began hiking east to gain a wonderful overlook of Elk Cove and the Coe Glacier. Then, following an old climbers’ trail to the south, I soon reached Dollar Lake at 6,000 feet, with a nice reflection of Mt. Hood.
Since the alpine wildflowers were at their peak, I returned to the Timberline Trail and hiked to a high point west of Wy’east Basin. After eating a snack I reluctantly began the hike back to the trailhead.
Wy-east Basin
Fireweed
Mt. Hood reflected in Dollar Lake
Penstemon
Mt. Hood
Old Man of the Mountain
California Tortoiseshell
Field of Heather
Heather
white Rhododendron
Merten’s Coral Root Orchid
Lower trail
Avalanche Lily
Mountain Heliotrope
What a magnificent hike! It looks as if you could walk right up and touch Mt Hood from that vantage point. I love the Penstemon and the Avalanche Lily. The Old Man of the Mountain reminds me a bit of a Gray Cousin It, which did give me a bit of a giggle, I admit. The Mountain Heliotrope is beautiful; I love that the other flower, though quite colorful in its own right, is blurred in the background. Thanks for including us on your adventures, John. I gain such knowledge with each of your posts.
Thanks for all the kind comments Ellen. You would have enjoyed the hike, and everything there was to see.