Circling the Mountain: Reflections from the Timberline Trail
- Dec 4
- 5 min read
(An Introduction)
I’ve been holding out on a major experience -
In spite of my eagerness to share about this journey, like many other big experiences, it needs time to stew in the back of my mind before I can even begin to assign words to it. You could compare it to Haruki Murakami’s concept of the drawers or, consider John Steinbeck’s quote:
“I cannot write hot on an event. It has to ferment. I must do what a friend calls 'mule it over' for a time before it goes down.” - Travels with Charley, 1962
I always find this to be true, but at the same time, I don’t want too much time to pass so I lose the immediacy of it all. Because immediacy is perhaps the most impactful sensation that hiking the Timberline Trail gave me. Immediacy on a physical, sensorial, mental, and of course, spiritual level.
The Timberline Trail was forged in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a part of FDR’s New Deal program. Its spectacular 41 miles wrap around Mt Hood along the line where the trees transition into the harsh rock and glaciers of the mountain’s rugged peak. With 10,500 ft. of elevation gain, it circles around her passing up and down and across countless ridges, rivers, meadows, and streams.
When hiking around a mountain (your favorite mountain no less), it's impossible not to let each step of the journey take on a bigger framework of metaphorical meaning. “A hero’s journey” may be overdramatic, but the truth is, hiking around an entire mountain is dramatic. Each day she reveals a new face, new angles and new perspectives. Some moments feel intimate with the jewel-like crown of her peak, or with vibrant wildflowers lining a gentle meadow stream. Other moments feel harsh, vast, and aggressively unforgiving. But regardless of the flavor we walked into, each stretch of the mountain was distinct and imbued with a profoundly regenerative power.
For instance, the practice of crossing a river came to mean much more than “crossing a river.” It became a metaphor and lesson we could see from a macro perspective that could be applied to life as a whole:
How to get from point A to point B in one piece:
Before plunging ahead and across the river, stop to identify where the trail continues on the other side. You think this would be obvious, but its easier than you might think to go through the trouble of crossing (focusing on the challenge) only to find the way forward is lost or forgotten on the other side.
Scan the river for obvious places to cross - logs, big rocks etc. If there is no obvious place, scout options and determine what seems safest.
After choosing your way across and determining if shoes need to be removed etc, use hiking poles to test the stability of each rock or log before putting your weight on it. Then you may proceed with focused confidence.
These may seem like obvious lessons to apply to one’s path through life but that doesn't mean one always has the patience to only move with strict intentionality. But when you're crossing a raging river that could easily sweep you into its frigid waters and over the edge of a cliff into rocky oblivion with one misstep, you have no other choice but to really practice this way of moving forward - making each step intentional.
And then of course, on either side of each crossing, there are the relentless ascents and descents along and across the mountain’s many ridges.
As everything began to take on metaphorical meaning, we could suddenly see how this was yet another mirroring of life: Ups and downs are inevitable and necessary. Would we have felt the profound rush of elation and joy reaching a beautiful stream to replenish our water supply if we had not just trudged up an interminable, hot, continuous slog of a ridge? Perhaps, but that snack break and the connection we felt with the other hikers who had also stopped at the watering hole after enduring the same climb, made it that much more meaningful. Again, although an obvious part of life, accepting the continuous nature of these ascents, descents, crossings, repeat, and embracing the flow of it all was perhaps one of the most striking experiences of the journey. The huge rewards that awaited each hurdle - lush meadows, unparalleled panoramic views, proximity to the mountain peak (aka the big moments) accelerated our motivation and sense of purpose through each challenging stretch. But in a way, the big moments were still just a small part of it all. The multitudes of small pleasures along the way added to the overflow of our cups.
The huckleberries for instance. As giant as the tasteless blueberries you find in a supermarket, but flavorful and juicy enough to give you an out of body, transportive, experience when consumed by the handful. Small flowers, whose color seemed electric against the lush greens of other plant life, the intricate swirling textures of dead, burnt trees, bleached a silver white by the sun - falling asleep to the sound of rushing water each night, and of course the quiet quiet quiet and absence of civilization. Small, but infinitely bountiful gifts.
All the while - up or down, in forest, meadow, or barren wasteland, on the Timberline Trail you are present with the mountain and her peak reaching up to a point of unimaginable clarity and perspective - Clouded in or in clear skies, the mountain is always in tune with the bigger picture. She can see much farther than any human can fathom and yet contains her own multitude of universes and worlds in and across her vast expanse. This sense of alignment with the micro and macro is the gift that you get to experience and carry with you along the trail. A sense of profound connectedness to your body, your senses, the path in front of you - the particular angle and view that surrounds you, and that sense of intrinsic connection your proximity to her peak creates between you and the world and the intangible universes beyond.
(Grandpa, if you're reading this, that's why I like mountains so much. Love you.)
Consider this the first flush into my exploration of the bigger picture of this experience - more details and perspectives to come in the Trail Log (Stay Tuned).
Try this Hike...
the Timberline Trail
(Oregon Hikers is always a good reference to start with, but get a real map for the journey!)
Sources vary on the mileage and elevation gain, which makes sense considering there are alternate routes and shortcuts within the full trail but I'm using the numbers from the trusty map I purchased (and loved) from Elevation Changes Cartography. This map is designed specifically for the Timberline Trail, making it really easy to follow. It also lists amenities and structures along the way along with interesting historical tidbits. If you decide to hit the trail, or are just interested in studying it, I highly recommend this map.
Distance: 41 miles
Elevation Gain: 10,500 feet (Total)
Trail Type: Loop
Trailhead & Parking: Free parking at Timberline Lodge Directions HERE
Season: Summer to early Fall
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