It’s become tradition. At the tail end of each summer my father, uncle, cousin, and I hike a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Last year we logged a couple dozen miles south of Mount Rainier. The year before Goat Rocks Wilderness in southern Washington, and before that Mount Jefferson in Oregon, among others. This year, with fall threatening an early arrival, we went east to a little known area called the Elkhorns, a meandering mountain range largely above 9,000ft that’s technically the northern tip of the Blue Mountains—another range few from western Oregon have ever heard of.
A solid six hours drive from Portland and Seattle alike, the Elkhorns aren’t easily accessed. The terrain is equally remote and rugged. Most guidebooks rate our trail of choice—the Elkhorn Crest Trail—as difficult. I wouldn’t disagree. But here, the juice is well worth the squeeze.