hiking - The Gorge is my Gym

This week’s forecast is brought to you by Crossfit Hood River and their upcoming standup paddle series taught by the SUP fitness queen, Nikki Greg. Now, you’re probably wondering why Crossfit (a gym, kinda) is sponsoring a report related to a website called ‘The Gorge is my gym’. Well, Crossfit will kick you a** into shape faster than anything else (you basically have a personal coach), leaving you more ready to tackle Mother Nature’s gym. Nikki’s SUP series will get you SUP’ers into great shape too. The clinic runs 7/18,7/25,8/8,8/15 and is $155 for the series. You can sign up by calling 541-490-0939. And yes, we’re giving something away on the email list, but we’re not sure what yet. Stay tuned…

It seems like Mother Nature loves Kiteboard for Cancer… it’s windy every year for this event. Today’s no exception. We’ll see 10-15 near Hood River this morning, building to 17-20 in the afternoon. There’s a good chance we’ll see the wind get gusty near Hood River late, picking up in Stevenson and east of The Dalles as yet another weak system swings onshore.

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We’ll see a deeper marine layer tomorrow morning, setting up a breezy day. On top of tonight’s system that’s causing these high clouds, another will swing through tomorrow, bringing even more clouds. So, the strongest, steadiest wind will probably be east of Hood River tomorrow. We’ll see 16-19 in the morning, building to 21-24 in the afternoon, and possibly hitting the upper twenties at Arlington and Maryhill late in the day.

As of last night, it was looking like we’d see stronger wind on Tuesday, but now it looks like an upper level low will set up off the coast for light wind instead. The wind picks back up a bit on Wednesday as the low crosses the state, but at this point, there’s no high pressure building in behind, meaning it’s not looking super strong.

If you’re looking for something to do today, come check out the Tenacity games, with kiteboarding at the Event Site and kayaking on the Whtie Salmon below Condit Dam. This afternoon is the White Salmon Riverfest. There’s a group paddle down the class III Middle at 3:15, then swing by Rattlesnake Rapid at Husum to watch a competition at 4:30, and then cross the street to Wet Planet for the BBQ and symposium starting at 5pm. If you stick around after that, there’s beer, music, and finally, starting at 10, kayaking movies. (10, just so you know, is way past my bedtime)

If you’re a mountain biker, today’s news is that Falls Creek is now open from Old Man Pass down. There are about 10 downed trees and 10 patches of snow, but there’s nothing to keep you from riding the trail. That is confirmed news, as I rode it yesterday. For those of you waiting patiently for Ape Canyon/Plains of Abraham, the Gifford Pinchot website reports lots of snow and downed trees above 3500’.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the sad-looking link below. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til June 2012, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors.

We’ve got a beautiful sunny weekend on tap with some cool events going on, so even if you’re not a Wind Johnnie, there’s something going on for you.

Although the models aren’t showing much wind today, there’s a .09 gradient from Portland to The Dalles and it’s blowing 10-15 on the river. I don’t see the gradient falling, so we’ll see 15-18 from Stevenson to Mosier this morning, picking up to 17-20 this afternoon.

The Clymb: free membership.
Access to super cheap gear including Trew, Zeal, Sierra Designs, and many more.
The wind looks a little stronger tomorrow as a system approaches the coast. We’ll still start off with 10-15, but by midday, we should have 19-22 from Stevenson down to Hood River. If you usually launch from the Event Site, be aware that it’s closed this weekend for the Tenacity Games. Speaking of the Tenacity Games, you know how the wind always dies for Windfest? Well, it always blows for Kiteboard 4 Cancer. That means Mother Nature likes this event, and you should too. If you’re not participating and you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

Monday looks windier, as clouds move into Portland overnight. We’ll have westerlies near Hood River in the 21-24 range in the morning, probably shifting east in the afternoon. Plan on cooler weather next week with west winds in the 20ish range for the extended period.

If you’re down at the Waterfront Park or Event Site in Hood River today, the tents and sights are the Tenacity Games. There’s music and food and kiteboarding and SUP competitions to watch, so come check it out. Tomorrow brings more kiteboarding and a kayaking race on the White Salmon, followed by the White Salmon Riverfest and Symposium, with a $25 community raft trip. Call Wet Planet today to register for that.

Coming up Monday after work, there’s free Tai Chi at Wilson Park in Hood River at 5:30, and there’s the casual Alternative Ride leaving Mountain View Cycles at 6:15.

Finally, word on the street is that Falls Creek is open from top to bottom. I’m checking it out today.

Have an awesome day today!

Temira