Nick Eaton Ridge Hike

Last Sunday I took a hike up to Nick Eaton Ridge, which is located near the town of Cascade Locks, in the Columbia River Gorge. My good friends Debbie and Barry accompanied me on the hike, as well as my dog Bear.



The first flowers we saw on the trail were these beautiful tiger lillies. I could not resist taking out my camera to capture their vivid orange colors.




Bear and I take a quick rest break from the endless climbing. This trail gains almost 1900' of elevation in two miles. A good cardio workout, especially if you're carrying a heavy backpack! Of course Bear scampered up the trail like it was nothing - having four legs helps, I think. I need to get Bear one of those doggy backpacks, so he can carry his own food and water (and poop bags!)




Debbie and Barry humor me and pose for a photo while taking a water and snack break.

This is the view we had from near the top of the ridge. We could see the Columbia River, the Bonneville Dam, and the Bridge of the Gods. And this is on a cloudy day. I'm sure the view is even better with clear skies and sunshine.

This is Bear, my super-cute doggy, striking a pose amidst the wildflowers. Bear loves to hike just as much as I do. He's a great trail companion.

The funny story from this hike - Debbie, Barry and I were at a trail junction, ready to head back down. Debbie had to answer the call of nature. She said "I'll go over down this trail, there's nobody around here, no one will see me." She walked away, and a minute later, Barry and I heard her talking to someone! After a couple of minutes of hearing a conversation, down the trail walks Cloudy - someone we know and have hiked with. After hardly seeing a soul all day, we run into someone we know! Cloudy joined us for the hike back down and then we all headed to McMenamin's Edgefield for some burgers and beer.

All in all, a great hike. Total elevation gain - about 3000 feet. Total mileage - about 10 miles. I was tired that evening, but it was a good kind of tired!