Watch out for the 'shortcut' on the east side of Mount Hood's Timberline Trail

I was hiking the loop last fall and got caught in bad weather near Cloud Cap. My map showed a dotted line cutting straight down a steep slope to save about two miles. I took it and ended up in a mess of loose scree and downed trees that took me over an hour to navigate. The time I 'saved' was lost, and I nearly twisted an ankle. Has anyone else found that so-called shortcut to be more trouble than it's worth?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_grant3313d ago

That shortcut is a total trap, I slid halfway down that scree field last summer. Did you find any decent workarounds once you were stuck down there?

umab3513d ago

Man that scree is brutal, wesley_grant33. Once you're down there, the only real way out is to head east along the base for about a quarter mile. You'll hit a gully with more stable ground that angles back up to the main trail. It's a longer walk but way safer than trying to climb back up that loose stuff. Just keep an eye out for the big cairn marking where the gully meets the path.