Early Fall in Oregon

Wow its the beginning of September already, and fall is rolling in. I have officially been in Portland, Oregon now for 2months and 5days. What an amazing city to call my new home, but I've spent the majority of my time here exploring the Dormant Volcanoes of the Cascade Range or Spinning my way to the Coast in search for salt water. August 15Th I embarked with three other people, to complete the famous Timberline Trail. 41 miles of unbelievably gorgeous but extreme terrain. Passing in and out of alpine meadows on our way around the mountain. Wildflowers in peak bloom and the bugs, slowly making me loose my mind. I opted not to bring shelter this trip as my steady checks with the weather called for warm sunny days and pleasant nights in the upper 40s. One thing that did not go through my head was the high activity of gnats, flies, mosquito's, etc. flying around my head as I lay there our first night under the stars at the base of bald mountain. Thanks to our fifteen sticks of Nag Champa and the coolness of the night settling in, the bugs did die down and I managed to sleep soundly next to three other tents, exposed to the night. The following day I awoke to blue skies and a sore body, as we tramped our way further into the Mt.Hood Wilderness, and towards the infamous Elliot glacier washout. Officially the trail is closed at Elliot Glacier due to a major slide that washed out the entire canyon, but we manage to form a plan to the top of the ridge and slide down the glacier and bushwhack our way through the canyon. The endeavour took over two hours to safely traverse the canyon filled with rapidly melting snow and loose rock, "Dangerous". We make to the other side of the canyon and quickly decide to call it a day, making camp under the stars that evening, sunsetting over the distant sister mountains of Rainier, St.Helen's, and Jefferson miles away. Day Three completed our loop around the mountain hiking through exposed glaciers and alpine meadows as we made it back to the Timberline Lodge and Bar Bound for some burgers, just as a thunderstorm was in the works over the horizon. More updates of the Oregon Coastal Bike Tour to come stay tuned.