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Took a gamble on a new trail near Mt. Hood and it totally paid off
I've been hiking the same three routes around Portland for like two years now. Last Saturday I decided to try this unmarked path I spotted on someone's old GPS track near the Lost Creek area. Turned out it connected to a hidden ridge with views of the whole valley, no other people for miles. The catch was the last mile had some pretty loose scree that made me nervous with my daypack. I learned that sometimes the best routes are the ones nobody talks about online yet. Has anyone else found a solid trail by just following random GPS files?
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wells.reese3d ago
That scree near Lost Creek is exactly why I always toss a lightweight hiking pole in my daypack now, even on "easy" days. A friend of mine actually took a bad spill on that same type of loose rock last summer near Zigzag and broke his wrist, took months to heal. I think the hidden gem part is cool but the risk factor with those unmarked trails is something people skip over when they post the pretty photos. The GPS files can be years old too, so the trail conditions might have changed a lot since then. Glad your gamble worked out, but that's a good reminder to always check the terrain before you commit.
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