July 28, 2012: Barrett Spur (Mt. Hood Wilderness, Oregon)

The 2011 Dollar Lake Fire obliterated a huge swath of forest on the north side of Mount Hood just below the Timberline Trail; this was my first trip through the burned area. We hiked from the Vista Ridge Trailhead up to Wy'east Basin, then up the unofficial trail that takes you to Barrett Spur. We walked along the snowfield/glacier on the west side of the spur, scrambled up the south end (which is fun but not for the faint of heart) and went down the north end. Then we went straight north to Dollar Lake, bushwhacked down to the snow-covered Timberline Trail, and traversed west to Wy'east Basin before heading back down Vista Ridge as the sun set.

(On the way home, we discovered that after 10:30pm in Sandy, your only dining choices are McDonald's and Taco Bell.)

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