The Grand Expedition Colorado to Alaska to Baja...

[unkamonkey]

Years ago we would go out camping with a friend and the last thing he would do is to have all of us out policing up the camp area. Boy scouts, yep, every morning, out cleaning up the trash hunters had left in a wilderness area around a lake. Rangers came in on horseback and hauled it out. I spent an hour with a friend at a campsite and all I did for an hour is to pick up cigarette butts. It is a bit of a touchy subject with me as well.

 

[bald.eagle]

Incredible trip! Really enjoyed living vicariously through you as I'm currently stuck in Baltimore on travel for work. Subscribing and will keep up for sure!

I'm also putting that LG phone in line for my next phone! Great pictures.

 

[aero]

Incredible trip! Really enjoyed living vicariously through you as I'm currently stuck in Baltimore on travel for work. Subscribing and will keep up for sure!

I'm also putting that LG phone in line for my next phone! Great pictures.

Thanks! I'm working on updates as we speak! I've mostly used the phone on auto and wide screen but I'm starting to put it in full manual mode more often to get even better pics.

I'm east of Mt Hood... found a nice wide corner to call my office for now. Might camp here since it'll make for epic sunset pictures. Hopefully we can get a few clouds to make the sky pop.

 

[aero]

Back to civilization… for a minute.

After doing a lot of climbing and spending a bunch of time in the Vancouver, British Columbia area, I decided it was time to head south since there was a lot to see and the winter was coming soon. I crossed back into the US later in the evening to avoid any huge traffic jams. Now that I was back here it was time for some maintenance on the truck and a general check over. The first day in Washington, I got half a day before it decided to rain. It rained throughout the day, into the night and was still going in the morning. So that's what the PNW rain is like!

I met up with some friends in Seattle and was able to spend some time in the big city. The first surprise… there are hills just like San Francisco, some of them seem just as steep as SF. The first day we checked out a lot of the tourist things that were pretty cool to see.

The Space Needle; there was a run up the stairs that day and none of us thought it would be fun to join so we enjoyed the view from the bottom.

21001171239_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

The gum wall. Not sure what the history is on this gem. But as you might suspect, the alley is covered in chewy goodness. Pro tip… the gum on the wall usually already lost its taste, so just leave it there.

21001171335_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

The famous market which included the fish shops where they throw the fish back and forth over the counters. I wasn't able to get any good pictures of them in action but everyone was gathering around and cheering them on.

21001171337a copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Onto the piers overlooking the sound.

21001171359_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Did you know that the main area of downtown that is near the water actually has a ‘basement' of sorts? Because of some bad planning, the original city was built a bit too close to the water and after the big fire, they rebuilt the city on top of the old city, leaving the first floors as a basement, and building the roads where the second floor would be. This was in the ‘basement' and was an original crapper. It was originally at ground level, but due to the location to the water, when the tide would come in, it would pressurize the sewer pipes and when you flushed the toilet, you could get a very uninvited poo volcano. So they lifted them a few feet to try and solve that problem.

21001171557a_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Something about the Seattle area and poop. This spot is named Poo Poo Point, I can guess why it might be. I watched a ton of these people lifting off and flying around. It was a little too windy for some, but they all looked to be having a blast after they were able to lift off.

21003171536b_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

On my second day exploring Seattle I took the train and then rented the orange or green bikes. They made quick work of most of the getting around the city. Remember that part about San Francisco type hills. Yeah, I found them! You would think all is well when you are going downhill, but not so much when you are on a bike that seems to have wooden brake pads. I did survive the day, but got quite a workout. If you are in the city, they are a great way to see it. Both have apps that are easy to use and if you are new, they usually give you a few free 30 minute or under rides. If you see a hill and don't feel up to it. Park the bike, hike up and hopefully there's another at the top. Oh yeah, and the green bikes have a LOT more gears than the orange bikes. I learned that too late.

Art feature at a park with the Space Needle in the distance.

21004171100_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

North of downtown Seattle and across the river is an old gas refinery that has been turned into a park.

21004171201_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

In my search for weird things, the Fremont Troll definitely needed to be a stop on my list. For scale, under its left hand is a full size VW Bug…

21004171223a_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

After my feet were tired of exploring and I was ready to leave traffic behind, I took I-90 east and began to explore forest roads. I checked out quite a bit before deciding the top of Snowshoe Butte would be a great place to see, and hopefully camp. I got up there when it was already dark, saw a cow elk just before I got to the top. It was cold and windy, but it would work. I snapped a nice picture before going to bed. The best part of this picture is what you can't see… multiple elk bugling in the distance.

21005171947b copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I explored a bunch more forest roads, it stayed dry for the most part until I got to some random area that I decided to camp at. It was near freezing, very windy and raining. It continued that through the night and into the morning. I was east of Mt Rainier and since it is a lone mountain that juts up over 14,000 feet, it makes its own weather. So as soon as I got out of its weather pattern, it was a sunny day.

21007170830_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

21007170919_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I drove through Mt Rainier National Park which cuts through on the south side of the mountain. I was hoping to see it but it stayed completely covered by the clouds that were dumping down snow.

21007171250b_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

 

[aero]

Trail Time

I finally got back out on the trails for the first time since Morrison Trail. At least the first time with another rig.

I joined up with another contributor to Trailsoffroad.com who was planning a run near Mt Ranier. I met up with the group at the location, and there were a lot more rigs than I expected. A good variety of makes and models, Jeeps (including XJs and a new Cherokee), Land Cruisers, Land Rover, Xterra. We made our way to the trailhead and aired down. It was a short trail up to Surprise Lake, which is mostly an easy trail with a few more difficult areas.

21008171023 copy - Copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

We started up the trail, bouncing around, through one small step obstacle and stopped to scope out a larger obstacle. After we stopped, a Wrangler jumped into drive and bumped into the one in front. The tow hook on the bumper grabbed onto the rear bumper of the one in front and took about 30 minutes of lifting and maneuvering for them to break free.

The rigs that wanted to try the obstacle began working the way up and then we were met with the next hiccup of the day, a bent rim and blown tire against a rock. Thankfully there was a spare rim that fit, and we slowly made our way to the top.

21008171230a copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

21008171237e copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

21008171246a copy - Copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

After we made it through the obstacle it was smooth sailing to the top, other than very overgrown trails.

21008171425_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Just slightly narrow. Thankfully I have pinstripes all over the truck already.

21008171440 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

But the view was well worth it. The clouds even cleared for a view of Mt Rainier! We had a BBQ at the lake before we began to head down.

21008171457_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

21008171644_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Back down the obstacle

21008171706 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

When we got to the bottom, we thought all would be well. Not so much. First, the Land Rover had a flat tire that was sliced open. It ended up falling off the jack onto the rim. But luckily it did not chew up the threads of the lug studs! I was airing up and looked back at my truck to see smoke coming out from the bed. That's strange because I turned off my smoke machine. I took stuff out of the bed thinking something like a plastic bag fell onto the air compressor and melted. But as I got the stuff off of the top of the divider I saw an orange flicker from where the air compressor was. I took out the divider and saw a fire on the wiring! It took a half a second burst from the extinguisher to put it out.

I quickly saw that the issue was the wiring from the fuse panel in the bed to the compressor wore away the protective coating and arced. I got the wire at an audio shop and clearly it was not up to the job of what it was made for. It wasn't tight, nor on a sharp corner, but ran from the bottom of the bed around the curve for the wheel well. It was at that section that it wore away the protective covering. I replaced the wires with something better and it works just like new. So it's always a good idea to check over everything once in awhile! The wiring has only been routed like that for six months or so. Thankfully that was the only area I used that particular wire at.

 

[aero]

Vacation!

After my wheeling adventures I wasn’t exactly sure of my plans so I hung around in the area. I was debating on heading northwest around the Olympics or swinging out to the coast and going south, saving the Olympic National Park for next time.

Then I got a last second invite to Vegas. Since I hadn’t been there before, prices weren’t too bad and I was close to Seattle I said let's do it! So a mere six hours after the idea of a trip, I was driving to the airport. I didn’t get any sleep on the plane, but I got some pictures!

21010170750 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

When i landed, what better way than to start the day with White Castle and a beer since it was breakfast time, but my body was looking for dinner. My Lyft driver from the airport was working a few weeks earlier when the shooting happened. He shared his experience, it was very strange to see the building for the first time in that circumstance. My condolences to all those whose lives were changed.

21011171936d copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I walked along the strip before meeting up with friends who slept in from a late night.

21010171000_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I was down there for a wedding, which went perfect and was a great time.

21010172301 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

At least he’s honest… and got people wanting pictures with him which I’m sure led to a donation.

21011171551a-1 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I only had my phone with me and all of the lights on the background were overexposing the picture. I didn’t realize that until I was looking at them later. Wish I would’ve noticed sooner so my outside pictures didn’t end up all blurry.

Seasonal display inside the Bellagio.
21011171849-1 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I was there less than 48 hours.. A good quick vacation. Someone got a picture of me being overwhelmed that there were so many people around. haha

21011171123 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

After landing in Seattle, I wanted to get my air compressor wired back up so I was not without it for extended driving. Naturally it was raining, but I found a nice shelter for my work. You can see the singed plywood of the divider where the fire was.

21012171241 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

This is where the wires rubbed the casing off and arc’ed. I pulled the positive out after it happened to make sure there was no way I’d accidentally hit the switch for it and have it arc again. The curve was nice and round and it was not tight at all, so just cheap wiring I guess. The new stuff that I got at the auto parts store is much harder than what I used before from the audio store.

21012171243 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

After that trip I decided it was time to make my way to the coast and south. I will be back to explore the Olympic National Park!

 

[aero]

Back to the journey!

After landing and fixing the wiring on the truck, I saw a post that the Mt Hood area could receive up to 16” of fresh snow in the next 24 hours. Umm yeah! So I turned the truck south and made my way in that direction. I wasn't sure where I would head, but figured there would be forest roads in that area that were open. I also saw a lot of waterfalls and scenic areas just across the border into Oregon.

As I got closer, I found out most of the waterfalls and scenic areas were closed due to a recent fire. So I stayed in Washington before crossing into Oregon through Hood River. It was sunny and nice as I ate lunch at a park along the road. I continued climbing towards Mt Hood, which I could not see because there was a wall of snow clouds. As I climbed into the clouds it began raining, then was very icy. And then the snow started sticking! I found a forest road and began exploring.

The snow was still somewhat powdery, which would not stay the same tomorrow! The depths were pretty deep and consistent. The snow was deeper than the bottom of my door in quite a few locations. And the best part was I still was not reaching dirt.

21013171412b copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I drove up to a fork in the road and picked one direction that was deep and then started descending. It also became a shelf road. A way down the trail I decided it might be a good idea to back off of the trail since it was still dumping snow and I wasn't sure if there was a turn around spot ahead. After making it to the top I ran into a couple locals who were up there taking turns snowboarding down in the fresh powder. The clouds opened up to reveal blue skies and quick glimpses of Mt Hood.

21013171536a copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I continued exploring other roads and found lots of neat picture opportunities.

21013171752_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

It started getting late and time to find a camp spot. It was still snowing, and very windy but I wanted to try for an east exposure to heat up the truck in the morning. I found an open spot after dark that was all clouded in. I couldn't even crack the windows at all on either side because it was forcing snow into the truck. I had a gourmet PB&J dinner since I was not going to cook anything in that weather. When I woke up, I got a great surprise of a view.

First a nice sunrise!
21014170643b copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

And straight in front of the truck was Mt Adams which is just east of Mt St Helens. Both of the mountains didn't want to cooperate and fit in the same picture through the trees.

2DSC06553 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

More sunshine! Its going to be a beautiful day!

21014170725b_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

The clear skies everywhere made for great pictures of all of the mountains surrounding me.

Mt Hood
2DSC06597 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Mt Adams
2DSC06609 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Mt St Helens
2DSC06629 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Since it was a nicer day out and the snow started to pack down a little, I decided to attempt that narrow shelf road I started the day before. I got to the end of that stretch and there was a nice wide turn that made for a great location for hanging out for lunch and editing some pictures with Mt Hood in the background.

2DSC06660 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I walked down the trail a little further to scout it out and see if it was a good idea to explore that way with the truck.

21014171159a_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Since the spot was nice and there was no traffic, other than a few snowmobiles, I figured I would just make this spot my camp site. It was wide enough for other vehicles to come down and turn around if needed. I worked on starting an early dinner and my second attempt on the trip of making cornbread to go along with some chili! Only a few minutes after I poured the cornbread batter into the pan I heard someone huffing and puffing their way down the trail. I looked up and saw a guy who appeared a bit flustered. He asked if there was room to turn around because he started down the trail and wasn't able to back up. I told him there was plenty of room and I could move if needed so he went back up to get his vehicle. Next thing I know, a Subaru is down and turning around. He was able to turn around without issues. I told him to make sure to take it easy on his way up… keep the momentum up but don't go too fast.

I continued getting ready for my epic feast as he drove up the trail. About a minute later I thought I still heard him and walked around to see that he was still on the trail, and was very sideways. He was not in a good spot and was only making it worse by trying to free himself. I know it's hard for everyone to do, but if you get stuck, the first thing you need to do is STOP. You are almost guaranteed only to make it worse.

I walked up, told him I would help him but first, I WAS going to finish my dinner since it would take a while to get him back on the road. I offered up some of the dinner which he happily accepted.

21014171836 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

His vehicle was going nowhere. The rear drivers tire was on the edge of the trail (at best). I had him air down his front tires while I rigged up the winch. I snatched off a tree on the uphill side to pull sideways tension on the rear and keep him from going further down the cliff. I was able to get the front tires to grip the Maxtrax while I drug the rear of the car sideways back onto the trail. We were then able to air down the rear, and got the third Maxtrax under a rear tire. He was able to get enough momentum from the Maxtrax to continue to the top. There were a couple slippery areas but it was able to pull to the top.

After almost three hours, I returned back to my camp spot and was able to get a few night photos before I was ready to head to bed.

2DSC06672 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Mt Hood being backlit by Portland/Vancouver.
2DSC06679 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Little did I know… the winch was really excited to be used… and the usage today wouldn't be enough to keep it happy for long.

 

[mccustomize]

Awesome pictures!

 

[aero]

Awesome pictures!

Thanks! Your build is looking great.

 

[ExplorerTom]

All your pictures and stories are great.

For most of us, a week long trip is about all we can muster due to our other obligations and commitments that keep us grounded. A week really isn't that long- I could probably wear the same underwear for a week. We pack all the food and supplies we need before we leave and don't need to restock. Most of us can probably even get away without showering for a week. But on your extended journey, how have you handled these types of tasks? Laundry? What kind of food are you eating? How often do you restock? When you restock, what are you restocking? How often do you have a camp fire?

I think a lot of people may find these "less sexy" details interesting.

 

[aero]

All your pictures and stories are great.

For most of us, a week long trip is about all we can muster due to our other obligations and commitments that keep us grounded. A week really isn't that long- I could probably wear the same underwear for a week. We pack all the food and supplies we need before we leave and don't need to restock. Most of us can probably even get away without showering for a week. But on your extended journey, how have you handled these types of tasks? Laundry? What kind of food are you eating? How often do you restock? When you restock, what are you restocking? How often do you have a camp fire?

I think a lot of people may find these "less sexy" details interesting.

Great questions. I was thinking about writing a post to address that so might as well do some of that now.

Hygiene:
For water, I started off with the 12 gallon water tank in the bed that has a pump to a faucet in the back. I also had a propane heater so I could heat the water for a shower head. So at the beginning, I would use the water heater with the shower or swim in any of the vast fresh clean water options (typically very cold, I think the coldest that I checked with a thermometer was 43 degrees). But I learned that campgrounds/rv sites often sell showers for a few dollars which makes it so easy. And whats better after a long day of outdoor activity? Hot springs or hot tubs. Both come with shower facilities. And aquatic centers offer showers, a swimming pool and hot tubs for a minimal fee ($4-6 for a day pass). I got rid of the propane heater on the truck since it was more hassle than it was worth although it worked great. I also added another 7 gallons of water capacity with a 6" PVC tube on top of the truck. The shower can tap from either tank and during the summer, the PVC would get warm enough on a warm day. And for daily cleanliness, wet wipes work great.

There are plenty of restrooms everywhere you go, so that makes it easy sometimes instead of digging holes.

Places that may have showers: Gym, Climbing Gym, Aquatic Center, Campgrounds, Public Parks, Hot Springs, Trucker gas stations (last resort as they are typically expensive, I've seen $8-14 which is just silly).

Water:
Filling up the water has been pretty easy. Most gas stations that cater to truckers or RV's will have potable water. and some parks as well. I've also used this site to find them. http://www.sanidumps.com/sanidumps_usa.php?id=64 I don't have a gauge on the 12 gallon tank, but I know when its starting to get low, and I always have the extra stuff on the roof if that gets low. The filler tube is smaller than it could be so you have to turn the water down when filling. That'll be addressed on the next rig.

Gas:
I still have not had to change out my full grill size propane tank! Its used daily for food prep and still going strong. I have a small backpacking stove for when it runs out, I just want to see how long it'll last. I went with a full size so it'd be easy for swapping out at any store along the way vs finding a place that recharges them but I've seen a lot of gas stations and stores that do fill tanks. I shut it off as I am finished cooking so it clears the line until I need to use it the next time.

Campfires:
They are fun to sit around and BS, but when you're alone... its just a hassle unless you are using it for cooking. I have only had two campfires this whole trip, both were with other people. I did bring a cast iron pan for cooking on the fire but I just use it on the stove.

Laundry:
I originally did most laundry with the Scrubba: http://amzn.to/2ligjMK but I also had fresh glacier water and no humidity for hanging stuff to dry. It works well and is easy, but I ended up being close to cities or driving through so it just ends up being easier to do it at a laundromat. And then I can also do everything at once along with bedding. Now that I'm in the PNW, dry stuff gets slightly wet from the humidity in the air, so it would not work well at all.

Food:
Breakfast is usually oatmeal or eggs. I have a good sized rubbermaid bin that holds all dry goods and is overstocked for how often I swing by the store. I have a fridge and freezer which makes food storage much easier, but I have gravitated away from most meat just because it still takes time to cook it, store it so it doesn't leak when thawing, and clean everything properly during and after. I will have it occasionally (currently have some ground kangaroo since it was interesting and cheaper than beef). But tuna, canned chicken, fried chicken from the store, veggies coupled with pasta, rice, quinoa are the usual. I dont like fish (other than canned tuna that I can mask the taste with condiments) so I wasn't able to catch my own food.

Restocking:
Gas is always what I run out of first, so when I'm there, I'll get basic food while I'm there and do laundry or shower.

It has been much easier than I expected. I am actually trying to avoid buying some stuff from the store so I am forced to clean out the bin of dry food since I have stuff that I bought long ago.

And as far as camp sites, I've yet to pay for a site. Sometimes that does mean driving further to get to a legit campsite, or... sleeping in a Walmart parking lot. During the summer, when I would've liked to get a camp site, it was at popular national parks where they were already full and were charging $25+ per night for a camp spot. But there is usually something near. Thats also part of the reason I was going to avoid most of the California coast... it is not friendly for camping; or traffic, or being relaxed.


What I'll do differently next time:
Second water tank will have a 12v heater element for easy and reliable heating.
Aux battery for charging stuff other than using the 12v from main and only battery
More lighting for general camp lighting and better cooking light
If the next rig is a pickup, ideally it would have a tray and canopy but if a regular bed and cap, the cap will have a high top.

RTT's are cool, but being able to sleep in the vehicle without setting anything up and just looking like a parked car is very nice... its not as practical with multiple people, but certainly doable if you can use the entire width of the vehicle.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I figured you learned some cool tricks along the way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[aero]

Snow Bashing

After getting a good night sleep after helping with the recovery, it was time to head down the mountain. The easy way or the unknown way was the question. From where I was at I could go back up the route that I came in on. It was likely iced over from last night and I would need to wait a little while for it to melt. Or I could head down a trail that looked to be somewhat easy, and I had a snowmobiler who rode past and said it was not too snowy and I would make it fine. What the heck, lets give it a shot! I walked down about a mile the night before and it did not look too difficult.

Until about 500 feet past where I walked to. There was a north facing completely exposed shelf road that was under deep snow. It was close to level, I could tell where the edge was in some places by small trees poking through. Tires were still aired up, I debated on airing down but thought the extra height would help since it was so deep on the uphill side. If not, I'd need to back up the whole way to the spot where I camped. I walked ahead and it looked to get better, and if not, on the other side of the shelf road was a large turnaround area.

I began to cross, knowing that if I started to slide AT ALL, I would have to stop and completely dig it out since there was not any trees above or below for an anchor. The tires dug in and kept trucking along. It was the second time in offroading that I had butterflies in my stomach since a small slip and I would likely be going over the edge which meant an estimated five rolls before trees would stop the truck.

21015171111 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

But I made it across! At no point did I find dirt, I was completely on snow, which was the case for the majority of the trail. Smooth sailing from there on out. Not. I made it a good distance, in snow that remained about a foot deep on top of packed snow. I still had not aired down, probably should have and it may have helped in a few spots that I got stuck in.

The next challenge I knew as soon as it came into sight. It was an uphill section that had a deep rut that weaved its way back and forth from left to right across the trail. I tried to keep momentum up but it still grabbed the truck and I slid sideways into the rut. This was one of the times I got to “Dukes of Hazzard” it out of the truck since the doors on the drivers side were buried. Winch time.

21015171125_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I got through there to get into another similarly rutted section. It was too narrow to drive alongside the rut and I slipped in killing momentum.

21015171148 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

I know it seems like I should be able to follow those tracks that are in front of me and stay out of the rut… well yes, if I was a snowmobile like what made them.

I continued pushing my way through the deep snow. The deep snow turned to heavy, deep and wet snow as I made my way. There were sections where it took a bit of backing up and bashing through.

21015171246_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

A few sections were insanely deep but I still managed to push through. Not many pictures though since I started to get annoyed that I was now so close from the end… but so far. I also lost snowmobile tracks which got me thinking “what if there is a gate or a large tree ahead that they couldnt pass”.

There were nice views along the way and the weather was nice. This may be Mt Jefferson.
2DSC06701 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

Then I got to one section where the wet snow was well over a foot deep with no solid ground to be found underneath. The trail was also off camber to the drivers side. The front end dug in and the rear followed the slope towards the edge. I pushed it a little further than I should have, but stopped before dropping the drivers rear all the way over the edge.

So I began a recovery… the same one I did on the Subaru the night before. Thankfully the trees were plentiful. I used the hi-lift to keep tension on the rear and not let it slide off the trail while I winched forward. I thought about using two snatch blocks and using the winch for this, but I figured I would use the fancy techniques for another time.

21015171332_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

And the video of the fun.
[video]https://youtu.be/0xTmOWqXrIs[/video]

I was able to continue until a long uphill section that was even deeper snow where I had to winch to the top of the hill. From there it was downhill, I was quite thrilled to be free!

I even took some pretty pictures on the way out.

Mt Hood
2DSC06716 copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

21015171813c_HDR copy by Brandon M, on Flickr

After this I made my way towards the coast so I could begin heading south.

 

[Scurvy]

Man that was an adventure! Glad you made it out of Mt Hoods backcountry, good feeling when you make it back to civilization after taking a route that you weren't sure of. Great pictures.

 

[aero]

I figured you learned some cool tricks along the way. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, always learning!