Lost wesding rings Dog Mountain 4/12/25

Howdy friends!

My wife dropped a carabiner holding her 2 wedding rings and a ring identifying type 1 diabetes. If anyone happens to stumble across these we would sure love to see them again. If you find them my email is andrew315burns@gmail.com. Safe hiking ! 

Balsamroot has not even started to bud on the upper meadow, but its a great time for trail work! Do you know when you are at the first great overlook ("Puppy") and see something that might be a trail that goes into the woods? (see photo) I frankly always thought it was a user trail. It is an actual trail that goes through the woods up to the summit (see map), so is a great option on those crazy windy days in the gorge. WTA has been working on this section regularly over the last few years, so the overgrown vine maple section is in great shape. 

Dog Mountain x 2.2! The top was socked in on my first loop (took the difficult route up, more difficult down) but there were beautiful sections of misty forest. At some point , I realized that I wanted an extra few hundred feet of elevation gain in order to bump my total over 6,000 feet for the day, so in between loops I added on an extra 1.2 miles by going up to the first junction and back to the parking lot. Finally, I went back up for the full second loop (more difficult route up, difficult down). That last loop was understandably exhausting, but featured the great views and blustery wind that this hike is known for.

Terrific weather on that day. The trail was clear of obstacles and we met plenty of kind hikers on the trail. It's busy on the weekends, so I recommend a weekday hike if you can manage it. Steep hiking all the way up for the most part, so make sure to stretch and bring water with some electrolytes wouldn't hurt. 

I hiked this with my four year old. I hadn’t been here in ten years so it was nice to revisit. The trail is steep and climbs through the forest for the majority of the hike with a couple spots for nice views and resting spots. We didn’t really stop much because we had a late start at 1pm. 

The wildflowers are starting to bloom but are not at their peak yet. Once you get out of the trees it is so beautiful and open. The air feels amazing up there and the views are fantastic. There is a nice spot to rest or turn around at but honestly, just keep going because it isn’t as far to the top as it looks. 

My daughter has been hiking since she was a year old and she has done many difficult hikes but she really impressed me on this one. She did the entire thing herself and she really enjoyed it. All around it was a really amazing day shared with her in a magical place.

The trail is in good condition. Just a bit muddy in some spots. We got back to the car at 5:30 making this a four and a half hour round trip. Not too bad for a four year old!