On Saturday, Dec. 6th, two of us went on a short hike to Hardy and Rodney Falls, on the path to Hamilton Mountain.
Hardy Falls
Rodney Falls
Columbia River Gorge
Sunset in the Gorge
The sunset displayed an amazing pinkish red color, then darkened near blood red. Sailors were delighted.
Raindrops shown on a window. The weather turned back to the normal Northwest rain the next day.
On Sept. 13th, 2008, I visited Brice Creek with my brother and his family. Despite my knee injury, I was able to hobble down the relatively flat trail. Brice Creek is Southeast of Cottage Grove, Oregon.
There were plenty of downed trees everywhere- ideal for balance beam walking.
A view of Trestle Falls and my niece on the bottom left for scale.
On Saturday, August 16th, two of us conquered Mount Mitchell, located south of Mt. St. Helens and Swift Reservoir in Washington. I decided not to take my bulky camera, so you and I will just have to imagine how neat the 4 mountain view was at the top. We only saw 1 other hiker the entire day and we filled out the logbook at the top. Unfortunately, the mosquitos and biting flies were out in full force, so it made the rest at the top a little less enjoyable than hoped. The temperature was also in the mid 90s.
Two of us hiked up to Indian Point on July 19th. The actual point was dramatic and very scenic, as it overlooks the Columbia Gorge from high above. However, a walk out to the end is quite intimidating. There is a cliff on either side that drops 1,000 feet or more to the forest below. Just one slip on those loose rocks could cause a fatal tumble. It was an uncomfortable thought as I walked along the side of the embankment. But once there, you can see markings of a steep and sketchy-looking climbing route to the very top. The actual point hardly looked like there was room to stand or sit, as visible in the picture. I can’t imagine people risking their life to climb up there, but I know people have done it.
The person I hiked with leaned over the cliff’s edge and took this picture. Those rocks didn’t seem all that stable.
After this little trip off the trail, we continued the hike to Deadwood camp- an area that lives up to its name, with fallen trees everywhere. Although at the camp itself, there were very large old growth trees that made a pleasant surrounding to the campsite.
The next day we hiked up to Nick Eaton ridge and followed it all the way back to the Herman Creek parking area. Along the way, there were some nice views down into the Herman Creek canyon and a couple views of Mount Hood.
On July 12, 2008, I rode the motorcycle to St. Helens for a little hiking and photography near Johnston Ridge Observatory. These photos were taken along the ridge trail.
Mount Adams was in clear view from the Devil’s Elbow part of the Johnston Ridge Trail.