Table Mountain

5/21/2016

Starting Point: Dick Thomas Trailhead
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 3200 ft.
Drive Time from Portland: 1 hour

May 20th 2016

the "fake summit" or "pre-summit" views from MY top.

This is attempt #3 to find the top of Table Mountain.
Attempt #1 & #2 can be found HERE, the first of which resulted in my car being broken into and robbed at the Bonneville Trailhead.

So I had some major nerves trying this hike again, especially because I was hiking SOLO. But I remembered the last time I tried hiking this mountain with friends and had a pretty good idea of where we went wrong.

FYI - you do have to pay for a 5$ parking pass at Bonneville Hot Springs Resort front desk - HOWEVER, that pass gives you a $5 coupon to be used at the Resort on anything! You can buy a coffee drink, use it in the bar or restaurant or buy something from the gift shop. I used mine to take five dollars off THIS new hiking book from the gift shop (total score!).

Anyway - you head up the gravel road to the left of the back parking lot. Once you get to the T at the end of the road, TAKE A LEFT. A picture of the WRONG WAY, (right) is pictured below. You'll come across a little sign pointing you to Aldrige Butte and Table Mountain. Then you start climbing through the "jungle". Eventually you'll get to a cute little bridge, also pictured below.

Don't go this way!

Remember this cute bridge! You'll turn RIGHT when you get to the T after this bridge.

You'll walk a little ways and come to an unmarked T in the road. It doesn't say it, but TURN RIGHT. Keep walking and you'll eventually get to another little fork-ish split in the road. Head up (the middle split). Just trust your instinct and also keep your eyes peeled for little pink ribbons in the trees that some nice hiker put up to mark the way.

Keep walking far far far up the hill. You'll hear a waterfall next to you. Then after more walking, you'll see the sign with options for Aldridge Butte and Table Mountain (below). Keep walking and you'll see down on your left a little man-made T-Pee (below).

More wandering and climbing steady uphill and you'll get to the main Table Mountain sign.

On my second attempt at Table Mountain - we went left up to "West Table MNT" marked in sharpie on the sign. We walked for what felt like forever and eventually turned back thinking we were lost. I think you can eventually get there from here but we didn't have the patience or daylight to do so that day. When we passed this sign again on our way out, a fellow hiker told us he went up to the right to get to the top.

So THIS time, I took a right. This is called "Heartbreak Ridge".

Heartbreak Ridge is TRULY heartbreaking. Gosh, it's so hard! Straight uphill. I had to stop and catch my breath so many times.

I passed one hiker chick with her dog and she had ROCK HARD ABS! So obviously this hike is only for the BEAST of hearts.

It's also kinda dangerous if you're not in great shape and feel confident. Another hiker here told me that he believes this is the second steepest hike in the gorge. The last thing you wanna do is faint while you're hiking this steep climb and tumble backwards or slip on a rock.

One blog states you travel 700 feet in elevation in the first half mile on heartbreak ridge!

I kept cursing the Gods, hoping the peak was coming soon and finally got to an open-ish area (FLOODED WITH BUGS!) who wouldn't leave me alone long enough to take a picture.
Learn from my mistake - BRING BUGSPRAY!
I passed another couple who were coming down from the top and they said they've been hiking back down for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I started to panic here thinking I wouldn't make it (it was well passed 4pm. I kept chugging a little longer because they told me I'd see the giant rock of a mountain soon. I climbed up this side trail and that's where I finally ended my search for the big Table and settled for this little table.

When I finally took a load off, cracked a cider and started in on my lunch perched from this cool little ridge, a Dad and his hiker son came down behind me. We chatted for a while and he did tell me that if I wanted to try to get to the top, it'd definitely be another hour and I'd be scrambling over tons of rocks to get there. It was about 5:15pm now - so I decided against it. But, of course, I will be back (after a little more training at the gym).