Backpacking Training Hike Up Dog Mountain

We had a nice breakfast at the restaurant associated with the Cascade Locks Best Western and then we paid three dollars to cross the Bridge of the Gods and went over to the Dog Mountain trailhead.

It was showering when we started. It did not rain as much as the forecast had suggested, but part of the reason we had gone further to the east was to avoid the rain, most of which was falling on the west side of the Cascade Range.

This trail is quite steep and was quite a slog with our fully loaded backpacks. We definitely got some good training out of this hike! We made it up to the Summit of Dog Mountain and then came down on the Augspurger Mountain Trail. The Augspurger trail is not nearly as steep and our knees appreciated it. It rained lightly off and on during most of the hike and then started in earnest for the last hour and a half or so, so we got to test our rain gear in a variety of situations. We hiked about seven and a half miles overall.

We stopped in Stevenson on the way back. We found a couple of small things we’d been looking for at the pharmacy to there and then had an early dinner at Walking Man brewery.