| Mike Pennington ~ Apr 13, 2013 |
| Great trip. Trail conditions were really good. Previous blow down from past years has been cleaned out and the approach road repaired. Had some unexpected moderate snow at the top along with some pretty good winds. Made it quite chilly so we didn't linger too long. We had an awesome motivated team which made it a lot of fun. I highly recommend this trail to anyone looking for an early season training hike. A big thanks to Steve for putting this on. Mike P |
| Steve Dougherty ~ Apr 14, 2013 |
| Twenty-six participants completed the 2013 Mary's Peak Mountain Fitness Hike. The forecast called for cool weather and showers with snow above 3000 feet. Trip leader, Steve Dougherty, gave a few route instructions and safety reminders before releasing the horde on the North Side Trail. Assistant Mason Smith tried to stay out front while assistant Cathy Lazarus served as "sweep". The group was able to stay in contact by using radios. The forest was cool and misty as we started out from the 1800' trail head. Above 2500 feet the forest floor was dusted with snow from the night before. Rays of muted daylight lit the dark forest and enhanced the snow decorated ground. It did not take long for the group to sort it self out. I worked my way up through the group and settled in behind Gary Westphal and Eric Smith, following them to the 4097' summit. The snow was blowing sideways as we crossed the parking lot and trudged up the service road to the summit. Visibility was good enough to keep everyone on route. An incredible seven participants finished the hike in 1:33 and under and all but one finished under two hours. Participants got a real mountain experience on the summit due to the cold temperature and sideways snow. A summit photo was taken before all could finish in order to get people moving back down to the shelter of the trees. Just after returning to the trees I met Reagan Lopez and Bhavani Krishnan, who had started 30 minutes late. Unfortunately, they did not hear the warning about the tricky switchback and stepped over the logs to extend their hike an additional 10-15 minutes. They are not the first to miss that turn ... nor will they be the last. The hike back down was uneventful. The sky cleared and some modest rays of sun were cast through the big timber as we returned to the trail head. |
| Drew Huebsch ~ Apr 14, 2013 |
| This was my first time up Marys Peak and my first time training with this group of climbers. I could not have asked for a better day to experience all the greatness of Oregon and all seasons in one outing. Everyone was extremely friendly and the instruction was great. I look forward to climbing with this group again. |