| Date: April 28, 2006 | | Location Memaloose Overlook Hike | | Where: Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area | On Tuesday, touring around in our car, we had driven a section of the Historic Columbia River Highway, and I had noticed a path that might be another route for the Memaloose Hills. This intrigued me after Mondays route debacle, and I felt this might be a more recently used route. This played on my mind until I had to go explore and find out. So Friday morning Buster and I took off to explore, while Jeanette stayed back and cleaned the motor home and did laundry.
|  | | Memaloose Overlook I parked at the Memaloose Overlook, and then picked up the path directly across the road. It turned out to be a fairly well used path, that wound up through the oaks in an almost park-like setting.
|  | | park-like setting This route led to neither of the two hills I was expecting, Hudson Hill or Castellija Hill, but to a third hill, simply noted on the map by its elevation of 822'. Profusely covered with blooming Balsamroot, I could easily name this, Balsam Butte.
|  | | Buster waiting patiently for me to catch up Further study of the map shows the rational in this route, it's all within the boundary of the Mt Hood National Forest. Although a short hike from the Overlook point, it can easily be combined with the lower section starting at the Memaloose Rest Area for a three to four mile round trip.
|  | | view of Mt Hood |
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