Mt. Defiance - Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness

Holy crap. This is one of those hikes you do once and you never do it again. Or some psychos do it every year...but for me, it's a one and done. For this hike you gain 5,000 feet of elevation in 6 miles. It took Val & I about 5.5 hours, we did hit a foot of snow near the summit which slowed us down quite a bit. I've heard that this hike is a good strength trainer for climbing Mt. Hood or Mt. Adams...I'm good on that. The views were beautiful, crowds bleak and my body hated me for days following. To access this hike, take I-84 toward Hood River and park at the Starvation Creek Trailhead. There was quite a bit of construction near the parking lot, it looks as though they may be adding a road to the bridge where the Starvation Ridge/Mt. Defiance trail begin. If for whatever reason you should be punished, this is the hike for you and your sinful ways. Enjoy!