4/12. A beautiful Saturday. Not too hot. Went up on Elk, continued to King's and down. Took Wilson Creek back to the car (at Elk Creek Campground)- No elks of course. Our loop is desccribed at here. According to both Marc and Dave's GPS gadget, their readings are:Distance: 11 miles loop. Time elapsed: 8 hours: 5 hours moving, 3 hours stationary. Elevation gain: 4400' (accumulative), min 860', max 3243'.
Both summits offer good view of the surrounding half-logged hills, and enough flat space to sit for lunch (I took a nap on King's). Both have some log box (made by the same guy). On a clear day (not today), we should see the ocean. I like this trail, more rugged than others around Portland. In the dry months, you should avoid coming here: little stone make some steep sections very slippery. There's even a stupid rope to aid you descending Elk (I didn't use it). Even though the total elevation gain is quite significant, this hike offers enough flat parts to let you recover. Yes, some sections are quite steep, produced a lot of sweat!Trailhead to Elk summit is 1.4 miles, and steep. Took 1.5 hours with breaks. Another 1.5 hours later, we reached the junction of King's Mountain tail (only 1.3 miles to go). 30 minutes later is the rope, which took awhile. 30 minutes later, lunch near King's summit. Rested for an hour. A steep descent. Almost at the trail head, walked 3.5 miles on Wilson Creek trail (mountain bikers).
