I have had Triangulation Peak and Boca Cave on my list for a while now, but was encouraged to do it now from a friend a few days prior to the weekend. I posted it on my hiking group on Facebook and my friend Ryan was down to hike again! We headed out a ways past Detroit Lake to the trailhead. We felt a little lost on these rough back roads, and had to go though a bit of snow, but made it! I was kind of surprised to see snow since we have been having a early spring with near summer-like weather! I knew this was going to be a stunning hike because as we drove up, we got peeks of the view of Mt. Jefferson and those alone were amazing. The day was beautiful, clear skies and the sun was shining.
Starting out at the trailhead we went through several patches of snow. Some spots were alright, but Ryan and I were definitely thankful for the patches of dry land. Most of the trail was thin on a steep hillside making it difficult to navigate in the snow and both of us slipped several times. This was a little scary since there was a strong chance of slipping and falling right down the side of the mountain. This was definitely a less traveled path as there were several trees down that we had to either climb under or over.
Finally getting to the top was the most stunning view of Mt. Jefferson. The mountain was just right in front of us. We hung out at the top for a little bit just taking in the view. Not only did it have an amazing view of Mt. Jefferson, but it had a panoramic view of Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three Sisters, and I think I could see Mary's Peak. We came across a couple of guys who were headed back from camping up there the night before. They said that it was such a clear night that they could see Mt. Hood lit up on the ski slopes and they could see skiers and snowboarders shredding the mountain the night before.
At the top, we wanted to find Boca Cave. We had some loose directions of where it was and another couple of people were up there looking for it as well. Though, the cave was not on his map, we all went in different directions. Ryan and I found what we thought was a trail perhaps leading to the cave. What we really found was a steep cliff that we managed to scale the side of, then realizing we made a huge mistake and we could be in some serious danger, we climbed back out of and made it safely back to the top. The other group found the real trail that led to the cave and we headed out that way. Due to the normal roughness of the trail on top of the snow coverage, it was pretty difficult to get to the cave. I had to attach my backpack to a tree in order to climb over the final ledge to get to the cave. It was really slick and tough to get to. The cave did not disappoint though! It had a perfect triangle view of the mountain that Mt. Jefferson was framed perfectly in.
Ryan and I definitely wished we had brought a lunch because we were starving by the time we started heading back down the mountain. So I definitely recommend bringing food and plenty of water. I also wished I had worn my hiking shoes that are waterproof, but I had on my normal tennis shoes. But with the rough terrain, you'd be better off in hiking gear and even some hiking poles would have been nice. I really need to get some of those!
It was a huge bummer I packed my nikon camera, but getting to the top I realized I forgot the battery! So sad! Luckily I still had my GoPro and my iPhone takes pretty great pictures.
Anyway, maybe this hike is better for summer, but it was by far an amazing hike and as difficult as it was, totally worth it.
- Date of hike: March 7th, 2015
- Distance: 5 Miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 1500 Feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Mile Mark: 251
Ryan and I at the top!
The start of the trail covered in snow!
Some pretty rough snow patches
Incredible view of Mt. Jefferson
Panorama
View from inside Boca Cave
The sun was definitely shining! Such an amazing day!
And even Freud joined us for the adventure! If you don't know, Freud is passed around to each therapist at my internship site every month! And this month he was passed to me because apparently he wanted a little adventure! He sure got it!
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