Sashay On Solstice

To celebrate the summer solstice, longtime buddy and Cascade co-conspirator Tom Maloney (above) and I settled on, appropriately enough, Mt. June for a day hike to open the climbing season. The old lookout site on top provided sweeping views of the Cascades from as far north as Mt. Jefferson to as far south as the rim of Crater Lake.

A good starter trail for beginners, the relatively easy, 2.5-mile round-trip hike climbs through a Douglas fir forest only about 1,000 feet in elevation from the trailhead. The wild rhododendrons were in bloom, along with other wildflowers along the way and at the summit of Mt. June (above and below), which tops out at 4,816 above sea level.

Taking the side trip to nearby Sawtooth Rock, which continues on to Hardesty Mountain, we then reversed course so we could make it back to Eugene in plent of time for dinner.

Scanning the horizon, we pondered future hikes in the high country. Turns out, we have options aplenty, such as Diamond Peak, shown here from one of our many climbs “back in the day.”