Calendar

Past Activity

Blanton to Spencer to Pisgah Explora

  • Start date: 01/01/2019

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 01/01/2019

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

***DETAILS*** Steve has kindly agreed to pick me up at Pisgah at 0755 on the day of the hike. We will arrive over at Blanton about 0820, so don't expect to see us if you arrive really early. At the end of the hike, I will drive everybody back to Blanton UNLESS you want to have someone pick you up. Your call. Just let me know.***This is not quite the full Ridgeline from Wild Iris Park, but is Blanton to Spencer Butte to meet the rest of the Obsidians then depart down to the Ridgeline Trail, take it to Baldy, go to Suzanne Arlie Park, come out by LCC, walk to 30th Ave., cross I-5, stop at the Shell Station, walk Seavey Loop (well off on the left side) to the base of Mt. Pisgah, and take Pisgah up and then down, getting into the second car for the trip back to Blanton. Figure about 7 hours to do this. Mileage is about 4.5 to Spencer Butte summit, about 6.8 to LCC, about 4 to Pisgah base, and another 2.6 on Pisgah if we go straight up and down. Might be slightly less; shouldn’t be more.

A car shuttle will take you back to Blanton.

  • Event Leader: Mike Smith

  • Event Leader Phone: 520-488-9569

  • Event Leader Email: mssq@comcast.net

  • Assistant Leader: Steve Cordon

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Urban

  • Departure Location: Blanton RidgeTrail Head Parking Lot

  • Rating: Difficult

  • Roundtrip total drive miles:

  • Season: 2019

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Bring layers, enough food and drink, but there will be a Convenience Store stop available. If the weather is really nice (think: heavy rain), we probably will not do it but just do the New Years’ Day hike.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 18

  • Member Fees: 1

  • Elevation Gain: 3000

  • Non-Member Fees: 2

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Back in 2016, I thought about doing a hike up both Pisgah and Spencer Butte the same day, walking between them. Dave Cooper reminded me I ought to quit talking about it and do it, so I did, from Willamette to Spencer to Pisgah a year ago on New Years' Day. Steve Cordon joined me, and we both thought it was a good hike. I thought I was done with my obligation. I was wrong. Coop said that while the hike was good, it would have been a lot better had I started from Blanton. He decided to join the hike to show me that such was truly a better option. I put the hike on the schedule, limiting it to 5 for simplicity with the car shuttle and also for the number of people walking along Seavey Way. We did the hike on a cold, foggy morning, getting on top of Spencer Butte before 10, in the cold wind. We took our own pictures, didn't wait for the rest of the Obsidians to worry about spelling "Happy" correctly in the pictures, and kept going east, past Fox Hollow, past Dillard, past Baldy, down the hill into Suzanne Arlie Park, and then leaving it to take the path to LCC. We decided we could wait 20 more minutes for lunch at the Shell station, and took a longer break there. We then left, dealt with the rather heavy traffic on Seavey Loop, taking the back way into the parking lot at Mt. Pisgah. We took trail 7 to 3 to 1, and all of us were surprised at how difficult Pisgah can be with 16+ miles already hiked. To put it bluntly, we were hurting. But, we got to the top, spent some time there, then sort of limped down to the car and shuttled back to Blanton. Good hike, and I hope I've finally met all such obligations. Or is the next step from Wild Iris Park?