Snow continued to fall last week in the higher elevations of the Cascades, slowing the inevitable awakening of mountain trails and prolonging the wintry waiting game. While the 'Juneuary' weather pattern is back again this year, there are still many options for nearby mountain running adventures at lower elevations. Only an hour from Portland (and visible from downtown), Silver Star mountain (4,390') promised to satiate cravings for summits, scree, crags, and open ridgelines.
Silver Star is named for the prominent ridges that radiate from its summit. Viewed from above, the summit and ridges form the shape of a five-point star. Despite being well below the typical alpine treeline, the ridgelines around Silver Star have remained mostly un-forested ever since the devastating 1902 Yacolt fire. As a result, the scenery is spectacular and resembles high alpine terrain.
Freefall Willie and I headed out Sunday morning as the clouds slowly surrendered to blue skies. After some dead ends and backtracking, we finally parked below the Starway trailhead (around 1,500' elevation). We crossed Copper Creek and started up the relentlessly steep trail. It didn't take long for us to reach the top of the Starway ridge (just below 4,000') where we emerged from the forested slopes and gained our first views of Silver Star and surrounding peaks. Perma-grin set in.
Our eyes darted between waterfalls, wildflowers, and grand views of white, hulking volcanoes. We could see clear to Mount Jefferson in the south and to Mount Ranier in the north. We dog-paddled up a steep snow slope to the summit of Silver Star where we had plenty of company. The crowds weren't too surprising given the nice weather, proximity to Portland, and the nearby North Silver Star trailhead, which is just over a thousand feet below and roughly two miles from the summit.
From the Silver Star summit, we descended on snowy trails and headed toward the North Silver Star trailhead, making a three-mile loop by returning on the slightly technical Ed's trail. After a quick summit to the high point of this ridgeline, we then made our way below Silver Star and followed the ridge toward the summit of Little Baldy (3,940'). After a steep scree crawl, we summited Little Baldy and enjoyed the views and solitude. We debated a much longer loop back to the car, but ended up backtracking down the Starway ridge. This was a wise choice as we didn't have lights and it was getting a little late in the afternoon.
I'm guessing the run was around 14 miles with about 4,000+ feet vertical. The total time was 5 hours and 20 minutes (car-to-car). Our pace was casual and we spent a lot of time enjoying the views. Some of the trails were also pretty technical and overgrown in places (we definitely appreciated the ribbons marking the trail on the Starway ridge). It was a stellar day on and around Silver Star. We're already planning a return trip for some bigger adventures in the area.
Silver Star is named for the prominent ridges that radiate from its summit. Viewed from above, the summit and ridges form the shape of a five-point star. Despite being well below the typical alpine treeline, the ridgelines around Silver Star have remained mostly un-forested ever since the devastating 1902 Yacolt fire. As a result, the scenery is spectacular and resembles high alpine terrain.
Freefall Willie and I headed out Sunday morning as the clouds slowly surrendered to blue skies. After some dead ends and backtracking, we finally parked below the Starway trailhead (around 1,500' elevation). We crossed Copper Creek and started up the relentlessly steep trail. It didn't take long for us to reach the top of the Starway ridge (just below 4,000') where we emerged from the forested slopes and gained our first views of Silver Star and surrounding peaks. Perma-grin set in.
Our eyes darted between waterfalls, wildflowers, and grand views of white, hulking volcanoes. We could see clear to Mount Jefferson in the south and to Mount Ranier in the north. We dog-paddled up a steep snow slope to the summit of Silver Star where we had plenty of company. The crowds weren't too surprising given the nice weather, proximity to Portland, and the nearby North Silver Star trailhead, which is just over a thousand feet below and roughly two miles from the summit.
From the Silver Star summit, we descended on snowy trails and headed toward the North Silver Star trailhead, making a three-mile loop by returning on the slightly technical Ed's trail. After a quick summit to the high point of this ridgeline, we then made our way below Silver Star and followed the ridge toward the summit of Little Baldy (3,940'). After a steep scree crawl, we summited Little Baldy and enjoyed the views and solitude. We debated a much longer loop back to the car, but ended up backtracking down the Starway ridge. This was a wise choice as we didn't have lights and it was getting a little late in the afternoon.
I'm guessing the run was around 14 miles with about 4,000+ feet vertical. The total time was 5 hours and 20 minutes (car-to-car). Our pace was casual and we spent a lot of time enjoying the views. Some of the trails were also pretty technical and overgrown in places (we definitely appreciated the ribbons marking the trail on the Starway ridge). It was a stellar day on and around Silver Star. We're already planning a return trip for some bigger adventures in the area.
Oh man...I got a "permagrin" just reading and looking at the photos...Can't wait to get out there myself! Nice job guys :)
ReplyDeleteWow and wow. Those rocks look like they've been through some serious geologic events. Great photos; makes me want to hit the trails.
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