Hiking Reports

Travel using primarily feet only. Hands might be used with hiking poles for balance or uphill travel.

Baldy Mountain, Oregon, June 2026

June 30, 2026 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Thursday, June 25, I visited Baldy Mountain in the Blue Mountains southeast of Prairie City, Oregon. Linda and I were returning to Bend from Baker City but I took a detour on the way while Linda drove on to Bend with our dogs. I expected a quick detour, but it proved otherwise.

Baldy Mountain from my parking spot on abandoned FR 312

A quick search on a peak database I use reveals there are 80 peaks in Oregon with “Bald” in their name, and 6 named “Baldy Mountain”. This Baldy Mountain has 7618 feet of elevation and 958 feet of topographic prominence. It has been on my “wish list” of Blue Mountain peaks to visit for several years.

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Fish Creek Mountain, Oregon, July 2025

August 13, 2025 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Sunday, July 27, I left my secluded and primitive campsite south of Timothy Lake and drove to the Fish Creek Trailhead in the Mount Hood National Forest of Oregon. My goal was to hike Fish Creek Mountain, a peak in the Mount Hood National Forest with 1432 feet of topographic prominence.

Climbing the Fish Creek Mountain Trail up steep slopes towards the Fish Creek Divide

I followed Forest Road 57 west, then turned north on Oregon Highway 224 past Ripplebrook Campground. Immediately after crossing the Clackamas River I turned sharply south and climbed Forest Road 4620 to the Fish Creek Trailhead. This road climbs through an extensive burn from the Riverside Fire of 2020. The road was in good shape in spite of the fire, with a few spots of recent rockfall and timber debris that were easy to drive around.

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Childs Mountain, Arizona, March 2025

April 11, 2025 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Thursday, March 27, Linda and I found a somewhat secluded campsite off Darby Spring Road south of Ajo, Arizona. Here we spend the next three nights with our dogs. I hiked my first peak, Childs Mountain, on Friday. Meanwhile, Linda explored the Sonoran Desert near our camp on foot with our dogs.

Childs Mountain to the west from near AZ Hwy 85

Childs Mountain has 1240 feet of topographic prominence and is the site of a FAA radar facility. To reach it, I drove north from Ajo on Arizona highway 85, then west on Childs Mountain Road. The road was gated about four miles short of the facility. I parked nearby and hiked the road upwards.

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Slavin Peak and China Peak, Arizona, March 2025

April 6, 2025 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Saturday, March 22, I hiked Slavin Peak (Peak 7115) and China Peak in the southern Dragoon Mountains of Southern Arizona. I had several goals in mind. First, I wanted to see how my left foot handled hiking after injuring it four weeks earlier. Second, I wanted to explore these peaks to see if I wanted to lead them for the Southern Arizona Hiking Club.

Slavin Peak rises on the left above me from its south ridge

A fellow SAHC member (who did not have a 4WD vehicle) was approaching her goal of 400 SAHC peaks. She had not yet hiked Slavin peak. I thought I could lead both Slavin Peak and China Peak on the same SAHC hike, but had not been that deep into the Southern Dragoon Mountains. I needed to see what the combination hike would require. It had a few surprises for me.

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