This weekend was beautiful.

The temperatures in the valley peaked Saturday close to 100. This is considered surprisingly hot for the Portland area. It is even more surprising when you consider that less then a moth ago it was still threatening to snow.

The long winter and quick warm up has caused the rivers to swell due to the rapidly melting snow in the cascades.

Friday

On Friday, I took the motorcycle out and road along the Clackamas river. At Barton, I stopped to watch several groups launch rubber rafts into the river. Floating the Clackamas is a fun during the summer. Yet, with waters at 40 degrees and levels nearing flood stage - I just hope that everyone knows what they are getting into. The waters are fairly calm near the launch point, but can get very rough in the miles that follow.

Saturday

On Saturday, Samantha and I decided to do some swimming. Rather then settle for the brown Calcakamas, we headed to a spot I knew about on the Washougal River in Washington. This particular spot has a deep pool and an overhanging cliff allowing for a 25-30ft plunge into the cold blue waters. To get there, take a right at Dougan falls and continue a few more miles on the dirt road. It is approximately here

Remember to point your feet

Finding that path less traveled. One blustery afternoon while on a camping trip in the Washington backcountry, I had the idea for www.TrailB.com, a hiker community site. I envisioned a place where I could photo blog all of my adventures for others to see and also search for new adventures by reading the logs of other outdoor travelers. During the summer of 2005, I thru-hiked the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, uploading my daily journals to the site as I went along.

I am currently working to update the site. Check out the in-progress development version.

On April 17, 2005 my partner and I set out from the Mexican border for a six-month backpacking expedition to reach Canada by way of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The PCT travels over 2650 miles through California, Oregon and Washington. It traverses a wide variety of landscapes ranging from the waterless deserts of southern California to glacier-capped peaks of the Pacific Northwest.

This trip took years to plan, and was more eventful and inspiring then we ever could have imagined. Due to injury and illness, we did admittedly have to skip a few notable sections of the trail this season. Yet by the end, we completed over 2400 miles and gained a much greater respect for nature (as well as our sore feet).

During the course of the adventure, we logged hundreds of journals, took thousands of pictures and even captured a few short movies.

Now that the trip is at an end, I have taken some time to compile everything. You can find all of the logs at www.TrailB.com/PCT.

On April 17, 2005 my partner and I set out from the Mexican border for a six-month backpacking expedition to reach Canada by way of the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT travels over 2650 miles through California, Oregon and Washington. During the course of the adventure, we logged hundreds of journals, took thousands of pictures and even captured a few short movies.