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canyonwalker) wrote2025-07-06 06:05 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2025-07-06 06:05 pm
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Hiking Misery Ridge, part 2
Oregon Cascades Travelog #20
Misery Ridge, OR - Sat, 5 Jul 2025, 3pm
We're hiking the Misery Ridge trail. You know we had to take pictures like this.
But really we weren't miserable. At least not yet, while we were at the top of the ridge. 🤣 There were so many beautiful sights up there!
I already wrote about the hike around the river and the climb to Monkey Face (previous blog entry). Here's another view of Monkey Face:
This one's with anonymous hiker standing where I posed for my selfie in the previous blog.
That snow capped peak in the distance is Mt. Jefferson, BTW. It's one of seven volcanic peaks in the Oregon Cascades you can see from up here, including all three of the Three Sisters.
There are other views from atop Misery Ridge beside the Monkey Face. This is that forbiddingly steep dark ridge that looms over the river. From here it looks like I could hike down to it and skip along its top.
But I didn't. Because, while the hike up here wasn't exactly miserable it also wasn't... a walk in the park. 🤣 It was hard. And I wanted to rest.
Hawk sat down on a bench with a view over Monkey Face while I hiked down to it. When I came back I didn't want to sit, exactly. I was concerned if I sat I might not want to stand back up... and hike all the way down the mountain. So I stood. In the shade. And used this tree as my dressing stand to take the weight off my pack off my back while I stretched.
Soon enough it was time to start down. This being the Misery Ridge loop route we selected, we didn't have to double back the way we came. There was still more trail ahead of us.
That trail ahead of us was the steep part of the trail. The part that does countless switchbacks up the front face of Smith Rock. From the top it's no less steep... though it is at least down.
Going down still doesn't make it "a walk in the park". Going down a steep trail is a toe-jamming, knee-jarring, try-not-to-slip affair. Hawk and I did it mostly in silence.
The last bit down the steep switchbacks reminds of playing Donkey Kong. This is what it would have looked like from the ape's point of view. Maybe that's why the rock at the top looks like a monkey face!
When we crossed the bridge at the bottom of the canyon I rested up at that round oasis for a bit. This time I did sit... because I needed to regain strength for the 200' climb up and out of the canyon. While sitting there I chatted with some climbers about the day's beautiful weather. "It's hot out here, is it 90°?" one asked the other. "No, it's only 75," the second answered. I chimed in that 75 was correct, adding that it certainly feels like 90 because of the sun exposure. "And I'm so glad we hiked today when it's not actually 90, like it was a few days ago," I quipped. Yeah, it would've been a lot tougher on us if we'd done this hike on Tuesday like we'd originally planned.
Hawk caught up to me at the oasis. I didn't realized how far she'd fallen behind. She was in bad shape from the steep descent. I took her pack for the climb out. I think for her this was the Misery Ridge part of the trek. For me it was... well, I chose not to form an opinion of it. It was just the last thing we had to do to finish an otherwise amazing hike. In beauty I walk... even if I'm hobbling at the end
I'm jotting down these notes as we're stopped just outside the park. There's an ice cream store here! Middle of nowhere, and someone has the bright idea to build an ice cream shop right next to desert-y park where everyone comes out hot and tired and hungry from hiking. Brilliant!
Misery Ridge, OR - Sat, 5 Jul 2025, 3pm
We're hiking the Misery Ridge trail. You know we had to take pictures like this.
But really we weren't miserable. At least not yet, while we were at the top of the ridge. 🤣 There were so many beautiful sights up there!
I already wrote about the hike around the river and the climb to Monkey Face (previous blog entry). Here's another view of Monkey Face:
This one's with anonymous hiker standing where I posed for my selfie in the previous blog.
That snow capped peak in the distance is Mt. Jefferson, BTW. It's one of seven volcanic peaks in the Oregon Cascades you can see from up here, including all three of the Three Sisters.
There are other views from atop Misery Ridge beside the Monkey Face. This is that forbiddingly steep dark ridge that looms over the river. From here it looks like I could hike down to it and skip along its top.
But I didn't. Because, while the hike up here wasn't exactly miserable it also wasn't... a walk in the park. 🤣 It was hard. And I wanted to rest.
Hawk sat down on a bench with a view over Monkey Face while I hiked down to it. When I came back I didn't want to sit, exactly. I was concerned if I sat I might not want to stand back up... and hike all the way down the mountain. So I stood. In the shade. And used this tree as my dressing stand to take the weight off my pack off my back while I stretched.
Soon enough it was time to start down. This being the Misery Ridge loop route we selected, we didn't have to double back the way we came. There was still more trail ahead of us.
That trail ahead of us was the steep part of the trail. The part that does countless switchbacks up the front face of Smith Rock. From the top it's no less steep... though it is at least down.
Going down still doesn't make it "a walk in the park". Going down a steep trail is a toe-jamming, knee-jarring, try-not-to-slip affair. Hawk and I did it mostly in silence.
The last bit down the steep switchbacks reminds of playing Donkey Kong. This is what it would have looked like from the ape's point of view. Maybe that's why the rock at the top looks like a monkey face!
When we crossed the bridge at the bottom of the canyon I rested up at that round oasis for a bit. This time I did sit... because I needed to regain strength for the 200' climb up and out of the canyon. While sitting there I chatted with some climbers about the day's beautiful weather. "It's hot out here, is it 90°?" one asked the other. "No, it's only 75," the second answered. I chimed in that 75 was correct, adding that it certainly feels like 90 because of the sun exposure. "And I'm so glad we hiked today when it's not actually 90, like it was a few days ago," I quipped. Yeah, it would've been a lot tougher on us if we'd done this hike on Tuesday like we'd originally planned.
Hawk caught up to me at the oasis. I didn't realized how far she'd fallen behind. She was in bad shape from the steep descent. I took her pack for the climb out. I think for her this was the Misery Ridge part of the trek. For me it was... well, I chose not to form an opinion of it. It was just the last thing we had to do to finish an otherwise amazing hike. In beauty I walk... even if I'm hobbling at the end
I'm jotting down these notes as we're stopped just outside the park. There's an ice cream store here! Middle of nowhere, and someone has the bright idea to build an ice cream shop right next to desert-y park where everyone comes out hot and tired and hungry from hiking. Brilliant!