Paul DiMilla
@pauldimilla.bsky.social
Ex-professor of engineering/chemistry & healthcare technology R&D professional. Native New Englander self-transplanted to PNW. Hiker/climber & climate-conscious gardener. Boston sports fan(atic). Cultivator & purveyor of a cornucopia of interests.
For comparison, the same view south towards #MtJefferson last July.
August 29, 2025 at 6:13 AM
For comparison, the same view south towards #MtJefferson last July.
The Paradise Park loop from Timberline on #MtHood today lived up to its reputation today for outstanding scenery, although the view south towards #MtJefferson was very smokey.
August 29, 2025 at 6:09 AM
The Paradise Park loop from Timberline on #MtHood today lived up to its reputation today for outstanding scenery, although the view south towards #MtJefferson was very smokey.
The big volcanoes (e.g., Mt St Helens, Mt Shasta, & Mt Rainier) get the bulk of attention, but the distributed volcanic fields between them are more attainable for novice adventurers, with some having non-technical ascents with terrific summit views.
August 25, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The big volcanoes (e.g., Mt St Helens, Mt Shasta, & Mt Rainier) get the bulk of attention, but the distributed volcanic fields between them are more attainable for novice adventurers, with some having non-technical ascents with terrific summit views.
I can't fathom eating marmot, regardless of how it's prepared!
August 25, 2025 at 12:20 AM
I can't fathom eating marmot, regardless of how it's prepared!
A little Oregon Sunshine can be a joy in late spring and a favorite of native pollinators, but by late August it would be nice if the weather followed the lead of Eriophyllum lanatum and chilled a bit. #NativePlants
August 22, 2025 at 6:42 PM
A little Oregon Sunshine can be a joy in late spring and a favorite of native pollinators, but by late August it would be nice if the weather followed the lead of Eriophyllum lanatum and chilled a bit. #NativePlants
I went up to Jefferson Park & Park Ridge last week via Whitewater Trail, which now goes through a pyrolytic hellscape. But the payoff was fantastic!
August 17, 2025 at 10:20 PM
I went up to Jefferson Park & Park Ridge last week via Whitewater Trail, which now goes through a pyrolytic hellscape. But the payoff was fantastic!
Boundary West Trail from Hummocks near Mt St Helens is ~8+ miles/1.8k' gain. Palmateer Pt/Twin Lakes loop (~9 mi/1.5k' gain) & Chinidere Mtn (4+ mi/1.1k' gain) also have great views. Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls loop (5 mi/1.6k' gain) is steeper but partially paved. All w/i ~2 hr from Portland.
August 17, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Boundary West Trail from Hummocks near Mt St Helens is ~8+ miles/1.8k' gain. Palmateer Pt/Twin Lakes loop (~9 mi/1.5k' gain) & Chinidere Mtn (4+ mi/1.1k' gain) also have great views. Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls loop (5 mi/1.6k' gain) is steeper but partially paved. All w/i ~2 hr from Portland.
Note that the alt-text for the first pair of smoke-filled photos should be switched (not that it mattered much that day). The view from Observation Peak, right off the #PCT (actually, on the easiest path for the PCT with the snow in late June) is awe-inspiring & among the best I’ve experienced! 3/3
July 29, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Note that the alt-text for the first pair of smoke-filled photos should be switched (not that it mattered much that day). The view from Observation Peak, right off the #PCT (actually, on the easiest path for the PCT with the snow in late June) is awe-inspiring & among the best I’ve experienced! 3/3
And 11 months later, on a mostly sunny & smoke-free afternoon, #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin reappear, along with the rim of #CraterLake! 2/3
July 29, 2025 at 9:39 PM
And 11 months later, on a mostly sunny & smoke-free afternoon, #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin reappear, along with the rim of #CraterLake! 2/3
How do you make 9000’+ mountains like #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin disappear? Push a burning car into a bone-dry ravine & cause the #ParkFire. The view looking SSE & E from Observation Peak in the Siskiyous on a sunny but very smoky afternoon exactly one year ago today. 1/3
July 29, 2025 at 9:35 PM
How do you make 9000’+ mountains like #MtShasta, #MtEddy, & #MtMcLouglin disappear? Push a burning car into a bone-dry ravine & cause the #ParkFire. The view looking SSE & E from Observation Peak in the Siskiyous on a sunny but very smoky afternoon exactly one year ago today. 1/3
To perhaps brighten your day, how about a calming flower on the bush anemone 'Elizabeth' (Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth') in my backyard? Native to Fresno County in California, the plant requires absolutely no supplemental irrigation now that it's made it through two winters.
June 9, 2025 at 7:57 PM
To perhaps brighten your day, how about a calming flower on the bush anemone 'Elizabeth' (Carpenteria californica 'Elizabeth') in my backyard? Native to Fresno County in California, the plant requires absolutely no supplemental irrigation now that it's made it through two winters.
Lunch was at a viewpoint near Devils Rest, w/ snow-covered #MtAdams & #MtSteHelens providing a backdrop above the #CRGNSA. In 2017 the Eagle Creek Fire devastated the area, requiring the hard work of volunteers to reclaim trails, which was appreciated greatly while descending the Primrose Path. 3/3
May 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Lunch was at a viewpoint near Devils Rest, w/ snow-covered #MtAdams & #MtSteHelens providing a backdrop above the #CRGNSA. In 2017 the Eagle Creek Fire devastated the area, requiring the hard work of volunteers to reclaim trails, which was appreciated greatly while descending the Primrose Path. 3/3
No springtime hike in #CRGNSA is without wildflowers! Several red-flowering currants were in full bloom, but my favorites that day were the green-flowered alumroot growing along moist seeps trailside. 2/3
May 19, 2025 at 5:32 PM
No springtime hike in #CRGNSA is without wildflowers! Several red-flowering currants were in full bloom, but my favorites that day were the green-flowered alumroot growing along moist seeps trailside. 2/3
Last month’s sunshine provided multiple opportunities for hikes in #CRGNSA, including this improvised loop in the waterfall corridor. #MultnomahFalls gets lots of attention (& deservedly so), but two of my favorites that day were #WiesendangerFalls & #WahkeenaFalls, both less crowded w/ viewers. 1/3
May 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Last month’s sunshine provided multiple opportunities for hikes in #CRGNSA, including this improvised loop in the waterfall corridor. #MultnomahFalls gets lots of attention (& deservedly so), but two of my favorites that day were #WiesendangerFalls & #WahkeenaFalls, both less crowded w/ viewers. 1/3
The #camellia in my backyard has put on a stunning show this past month & is now dropping literal buckets of spent flowers daily (not that I’m complaining whatsoever). The small maroon shoots in front of it are the 'Cora Louise' Itoh #peony planted last spring that should bloom next month.
May 1, 2025 at 12:09 AM
The early evening light really brings out the pale blue flowers of this Pt Reyes California lilac (Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Pt. Reyes’) as it seeks to take over my adjacent driveway & neighboring sidewalk. A #nativeplant that requires no supplemental water but rather only pruning to keep it thriving.
April 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The early evening light really brings out the pale blue flowers of this Pt Reyes California lilac (Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Pt. Reyes’) as it seeks to take over my adjacent driveway & neighboring sidewalk. A #nativeplant that requires no supplemental water but rather only pruning to keep it thriving.
Eagle Creek in #CRGNSA was spectacular on a mild & sunny spring day during this past week’s hike, featuring gushing waterfalls & particularly stunning fawn lilies. The 2017 fire burnt many of the trees but did open up the views, and vegetation is recovering (including the flowering currants).
April 21, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Eagle Creek in #CRGNSA was spectacular on a mild & sunny spring day during this past week’s hike, featuring gushing waterfalls & particularly stunning fawn lilies. The 2017 fire burnt many of the trees but did open up the views, and vegetation is recovering (including the flowering currants).
Sights from this past week's hike along the lower Deschutes River, including the loop over Ferry Springs. A variety of flowers blooming along a set of quiet trails. Not pictured: a 2’ rattlesnake & some large beetles, moseying across the trail & minding their own business (so I observed from afar).
April 12, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Sights from this past week's hike along the lower Deschutes River, including the loop over Ferry Springs. A variety of flowers blooming along a set of quiet trails. Not pictured: a 2’ rattlesnake & some large beetles, moseying across the trail & minding their own business (so I observed from afar).
One of the daughter transplants from last fall’s 4-way division of an overgrown bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) graces us with its beauty this spring. Its siblings also look vibrant, & surprisingly a 5th plant has sprung up at the original site. With a plan & hope, rebirth can happen!
April 7, 2025 at 5:16 PM
One of the daughter transplants from last fall’s 4-way division of an overgrown bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) graces us with its beauty this spring. Its siblings also look vibrant, & surprisingly a 5th plant has sprung up at the original site. With a plan & hope, rebirth can happen!
Friday was picture-perfect to enjoy a hike to Dry Creek Falls, the Herman Creek Pinnacles, & Pacific Crest Falls on the #PCT in #CRNSA. Lots of birds (including a woodpecker & grouse) serenading hikers, & the trillium were particularly enchanting. Escaping the chaos to recharge always is rewarding.
April 6, 2025 at 6:10 PM
We each have one or more happy places to where we try & escape in times of turmoil. I’m blessed to have been able to visit some of mine, including this one (which I experienced in complete peace for 36 hrs) in a cirque far off maintained trails in #KingsCanyonNP in the #SierraNevada.
April 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
We each have one or more happy places to where we try & escape in times of turmoil. I’m blessed to have been able to visit some of mine, including this one (which I experienced in complete peace for 36 hrs) in a cirque far off maintained trails in #KingsCanyonNP in the #SierraNevada.
Something cheery to brighten a gray late-March day: after several years of pruning a shrub that had been butchered when I bought my house, I've now got a forsythia that has a graceful fountain shape. Neither a PNW native nor pollinator-attractive, birds do appreciate its cover & I its early bloom.
March 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Something cheery to brighten a gray late-March day: after several years of pruning a shrub that had been butchered when I bought my house, I've now got a forsythia that has a graceful fountain shape. Neither a PNW native nor pollinator-attractive, birds do appreciate its cover & I its early bloom.
Earlier in March I was pondering replacements for these sea thrifts, which looked ratty and demand well-draining soil (I planted them in my yard’s native clay, albeit amended). Now they look much better, with nascent flower buds, showing patience & persistence are worthy attributes to cultivate!
March 25, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Earlier in March I was pondering replacements for these sea thrifts, which looked ratty and demand well-draining soil (I planted them in my yard’s native clay, albeit amended). Now they look much better, with nascent flower buds, showing patience & persistence are worthy attributes to cultivate!
Doing his best Sgt Schultz impersonation
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March 21, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Doing his best Sgt Schultz impersonation
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Lower Salmon River #wintersquash (Cucurbita maxima, 90d) has been an incredible performer in my garden: the vines grow well during a PNW summer, the hard skins of the fruits allow six-plus months of storage, & roasting produces a scrumptious creamy soup with the addition of only water. Bon appetit!
March 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Lower Salmon River #wintersquash (Cucurbita maxima, 90d) has been an incredible performer in my garden: the vines grow well during a PNW summer, the hard skins of the fruits allow six-plus months of storage, & roasting produces a scrumptious creamy soup with the addition of only water. Bon appetit!