Dog Mountain Hike

Every year in remembrance of my brother Steve his family and friends go on a hike on his birthday. This year I joined them on a hike up Dog Mountain near Hood River on the southern border of Washington. It was a long drive down, but it was one of Steve's favorite hikes and was worth visiting. Surprising none of us had done the hike before despite hearing many tales from Steve about the mountain. It was a short six mile hike, but was challenging due to the almost 3000 feet of gain. Halfway up, the trail opened up with great views of the Columbia River and Northern Oregon. The open section was made up of just two long traverses across a field of yellow flowers the mountain was known for. My nephew Eric brought his Bernese mountain dog Dallas for his first major hike. He did great on the way his way up, but had to be carried down the last quarter mile due to sore paws. Overall it was a great hike and worth the long drive down.