Made in the shade: The Green River Valley

Wow, this summer in Portland has been hot! To escape the heat and refuel, I like to emerge myself in some of the close old growth valleys that are scattered in various wilderness areas around. When you are surrounded by trees of this magnitude, it feels to me as if time is slowing down involuntarily. This lets my ideas simmer until the best conclusion is found and saves oodles of time that I feel would be wasted in town trying to do the same thing. Here is one of my top picks for camp spots along this valley that I hope you will go out and enjoy.

The Green River Valley: Located north of Mt. St. Helens, this valley sees little foot traffic. By starting off Rd. 2612 by Ryan Lake off Rd. 26, the best camp spots are only 3 miles in, where the river is close to the trail. Find a nice spot among these giants either by the Green River or further in the forest too. Or better yet, stay an extra day and take a day hike up to Vanson Peak for amazing views of Mt. Adams and Rainier, an 11 mile round trip journey before settling in for the night with those cold beers you stashed in the river.

One of the great camps along the Green River

Soak in these wooden giants for an extra night

Take a dip in Vanson Lake on the way up to the peak

Alpenglow on Mt. Adams from Vanson Peak