Eliot East Moraine and Timberline Trail High Point     8/31/18       (Hike#46)

We have hiked here a few times. This is our first time taking the Eliot East Moraine trail along the crest of the moraine.

Once up the steep sandy ascent to the crest of the moraine, there is a fabulous view to the Eliot Glacier, and the glacial valley below, the entire way to the Cloud Cap Shelter.

I enjoy zooming in on the textures, crevasses, and steep edges of the Eliot Glacier and the rocky exposed top of Mt Hood in late summer.

The moraine trail joins the Timberline Trail near Cloud Cap Shelter:

After visiting the Cloud Cap Shelter we continued south on the Timberline trail, up and down the wrinkles of the mountains’ flank, to the 7300’ high point of the trail. Clouds intermittently floated across the top of Mt Hood. We could see the faraway peaks of Mt Adams, Rainier and Jefferson above the blanket of clouds in the distance.

By the time we retraced our steps north, the clouds had diminished.

We saw a marmot on the Eliot Moraine, and a blue bird on the Timberline Trail.

Not many flowers.

The rusty, red and yellow fall hues are beginning to color the vegetation on the rocky alpine slopes.

Lookback:

I like to review my photos from previous hikes to compare conditions. There was a lot more snow during our hike a month earlier last year.

And a lot more flowers, and a better view of the distant mountains last year.

CRAFTING

I cast on another round washcloth, and I have been swatching the Song yarn, trying decide what to make with it.

We walked through the Art In The Pearl street fair on Labor Day and admired the beautiful artwork. This piece, by artist Kathy Ross, I found especially inspiring.