July 6, 2008 by annie.

Tyler and I are up early this morning. We are on our way adventuring again…back from Redwood National Park (which I shall post about soon) and onto John Day Fossil Beds National Monument for a few days of camping and hiking. I asked Tyler to pick a picture to go with this post from our Redwood NP trip and he picked one that he took of me.

When I asked why this picture? Tyler said that people should see all the hard work I’ve been doing. I was going to make him pick a different picture because this one feels to “out there” if you know what I mean.

Here’s where things feel exposed and quite vulnerable….Tyler is referring to the fact that I have lost about 130 pounds. It has taken years and lots of sweat (and I have about 4 pounds to go before I reach my goal) but I’m almost there. (Then I get another tattoo.)

Tyler is an awesome young man…always encouraging and celebrating my accomplishments.

Now…off to John Day NM! 

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June 21, 2008 by annie.

date hiked: June 19, 2008
distance: 5.8 miles
highest elevation: 1650 feet
elevation gain: 1650 feet
time: 1 hour 45 minutes

I think I have a new favorite quick hike. Angel’s Rest isn’t especially long in distance, nor is it especially difficult. It’s a great hike if you only have a few hours to spare, but still want more than an easy stroll. The most awesome thing is…once you are at the top…you climb this rocky ridge…and the Columbia River goes on for miles in both directions.

It was so sunny the day I was there. I fell asleep sunning on the rocks, listening to music while chipmunks played around me. I was there on a weekday and there were several people on the trail. From what I hear, the weekends are extremely busy.

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June 21, 2008 by annie.

date hiked: June 14, 2008
distance: @15 miles
highest elevation: @1400 feet
elevation gain: @1400 feet
time: 4.5 hours

I was back out at Eagle Creek today, but I had decided to hike further then I ever had before. I figured I’d hike to what’s named 7 1/2 mile camp then turn around. It was a gorgeous day. When I arrived at the trailhead there was a SAR (search and rescue) going on. I immediately realized I had no idea what the appropriate ettiquette is. Is the trail still open? Am I supposed to follow certain rules while on the trail? Of course, I had to ask. And I got a look…like, “Are you an idiot?” So…I plugged in my iPod and went about my way (on the obviously open trail, duh).

The hike was awesome. The picture above is just beyond Tunnel Falls. It’s sometimes called Twister Falls or Crisscross Falls. It was so cool. Oh…and the SAR was successful. They were coming out when I was at about the 3 mile mark. Woohoo! Safe backpackers and hikers!

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June 20, 2008 by annie.

date hiked: June 8, 2008
distance: @10 miles
highest elevation: @2000 feet
elevation gain: @2000 feet
time: 4 hours

Herman Creek Trail is somewhat of a misnomer. The trail doesn’t take you along a creek (although you can hear it down below). You occasionally see water. Usually, you are deep in the forest. I’m going to go back again for a longer hike once the snow has melted.

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June 20, 2008 by annie.

date hiked: June 1, 2008
distance: 8.5 miles
highest elevation: 2400 feet
elevation gain: 2400 feet
time: 3.5 hours

It was a classic Pacific Northwest day on this hike. Misty and cloudy…yet still beautiful. I had decided this year that I would hike no matter what the weather (within reason) because if I waited for it to stop raining I’d never get to head out. I have discovered some of my favorite hikes are on rainy days. For one, it rarely rains very hard, so a raincoat covers things well. Second, not many people hike in the rain so I usually have the trail to myself.

Devil’s Rest is a pile of boulders in the trees. Literally. Most books prepare you to be disappointed because you work really hard to get to the top, yet there’s not much to see once you’re there. Along the way, however, there are some great views…even on a rainy, cloud-covered day. I imagine on a clear day it’s even grander. 

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June 19, 2008 by annie.

dates hiked:

May 17, 2008
June 15, 2008

distance: 8 miles
highest elevation: 2400 feet
elevation gain: 2100 feet
time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Hamilton Mountain finally thawed out in May. It was great to hike up, albeit a bit muddy. Rodney Falls seems like an absolute menace there is so much water coming down. When I hiked up in May it was our first heat wave since September of 2007…we hit 95 degrees. It was so hot…but so awesome. Then we plunged back into wintery weather again with more snow in the mountains for another month.

By mid-June, it seemed we had finally left winter behind. The day I hiked up was not nearly as warm (high 70’s), but just as sunny (and sweaty). Someone kindly offered to take a picture of me with Mt. Adams in the background at the top.

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June 19, 2008 by annie.

dates hiked:

April 2, 2008
May 4, 2008

distance: @6.5 miles
highest elevation: 1600 feet
elevation gain: 1000 feet
time: 2.5 hours

The beginning of April still revealed low elevation snow on most trails throughout the area. Many roads to trails were snowed in…so I found myself hanging out in the Gorge for much longer than I had anticipated. Lucky for me, no matter how many times I hiked this loop, I still enjoyed it.

Do you ever get sick of a great view?

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June 18, 2008 by annie.

date hiked: March 30, 2008
distance: 2 miles
time: 1.5 hours

Tyler and I took a friend out to the Ridgefield NWR. The refuge is in the same area where I’d like to buy a houseboat one day. In the meantime, we like to walk in the refuge. It has several different ‘units’, one having an auto tour and trail that’s open seasonally and the Carty unit with a 2-mile hiking trail in wetlands. It was quite cold the day we were there (even though it was our spring break and should have been spring). It was in the low 30’s, so we were bundled a bit.

The Carty Unit has a Cathlapotle Plankhouse, a full-scale Chinookan-style cedar plankhouse. It’s quite amazing, although I have yet to be inside. We followed deer tracks for quite a long while on this hike, but never saw the deer. There were lots of birds and it sounded like the ducks were everywhere. It’s a nice place to relax.

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June 13, 2008 by annie.

dates hiked:

February 17, 2008
February 23, 2008
March 16, 2008
March 22, 2008
April 12, 2008

distance: 12 miles
highest elevation: 1200 feet
elevation gain: 1200 feet
time: 3.5 hours

Once Eagle Creek opened again in January, I couldn’t wait to vary my winter hiking a bit. I had spent the winter in the Columbia Gorge, specifically around Multnomah Falls. I was looking forward to getting out to Tunnel Falls. The first two tries in February, I didn’t make it. There was too much snow for me. By March, I was able to make it to the falls with YakTrax on.

The interesting thing is…this year we have had record amounts of low elevation snow. It’s now mid-June (I’m really late posting) and you still hit snow around 3000 ft. up the trails. That has also meant there is a ton of water. Along the Eagle Creek trail, there’s a waterfall (below) that I don’t ever remember seeing before.

Many people say Eagle Creek Canyon is nerve-racking because of the steep drops and no-where-to-go cliffs. I find the trail beautiful.

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March 29, 2008 by annie.

dates hiked:

November 10, 2007
December 8, 2007
January 1, 2008
January 13, 2008
January 21, 2008

distance: @7.5 miles
highest elevation: 1600 feet
elevation gain: 1000 feet
time: 4 hours

I have spent all of fall and most of winter in the Columbia Gorge. Mostly on this trail. My other favorite low-elevation Gorge trail , Eagle Creek, was closed so I stayed here. My goal was to keep hiking throughout the winter season and so far…it’s working. It was amazing to watch the trail change with the season and the latest storm. I had to buy YakTrax (we’ve had a snowy season).

The Wahkeena - Multnomah Loop can be completed clockwise or counter-clockwise. I prefer to hike it counter-clockwise. However, I like to park at Multnomah Falls (and end there). So I always begin my hike by taking the return trail from Multnomah Falls to Wahkeena Falls. It’s funny, because no matter how busy Multnomah is…and it can be busy, within a moment the crowds drop away.

Beacon Rock from trail

The trail passes several waterfalls and provides a view of the Columbia River. There are are also many trails leading off of the Wahkeena Trail so you can spend  a lot of time exploring in the area (as I did). As New Year’s Day arrived, the snow levels were dropping and my trail had shown the first sign of winter.

Two weeks later, further along the trail…more snow (but totally hikable).

My last trip to the Wahkeena - Multnomah Trail was on January 21, 2008. I had set out that morning without watching the news or weather….which unfortunately is quite common for me. I had watched the weather reports earlier in the week and I knew it would be cold…in the 20’s. Being the native Floridian, I admit I do not have a good understanding of cold weather. I figured, okay…so I dress warmly. And I did…I headed out. I actually went to Eagle Creek Trail first because it was just reopened after being closed for months. I was excited. I got to the trail (at Eagle Creek) and started out. Within steps I realized the ground underneath me was solid ice. As I continued, chunks of ice and rocks came raining down from the wall above me. As a rock the size of a golf ball hit my pack and I stared as it fell into the canyon below me….I decided to turn around. None of this took very long and I didn’t want to forgo hiking for the day…so I headed to Wahkeena/Multnomah.

Here’s what I found…

I didn’t make it on the entire loop that day. I was able to hike about three miles. Afterwards, I spent some time at Multnomah drinking coffee and watching in amazement.

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