Rainy Morning in the Labyrinth

Spring is the time to hike the Eastern Columbia River Gorge.  The trails here are snow-free by early spring, wildflowers are blooming, and the sunny, dry skies offer a great escape from the gloomy, wet Portland area.  

Well....it usually doesn't rain out here.

Labyrinth Falls

In late March, hiking friends Debbie and Barry were able to tear me away from skiing once again with the promise of visiting one of my favorite Gorge trails - the mysterious Labyrinth.  This path winds uphill through pillars of columnar basalt, past wildflower meadows, and twisted oak groves.  It boasts sweeping views of the Columbia River and Oregon side of the Gorge.

Raindrop-spangled grass widow

Sunny, dry weather was forecast for our chosen hike day.  So imagine my friends and I's surprise when raindrops greeted our arrival at the trailhead.  What the what?

The rain made the wildflower blooms pretty!

Good thing my friends and I are prepared hikers.  Living in the PNW, we know to always bring our rain jackets and pack covers, even when precip isn't in the forecast.  So no big deal, we suited up for the wet stuff and soldiered on down the trail.

More water-kissed foliage

The trail began on an old road that used to be the main highway on the Washington side of the Gorge.  We passed a lovely waterfall, flowing mightily thanks to the current rainfall.

Looking across a foggy Columbia River

After a half mile on the old road, we left the asphalt for a dirt trail the led us uphill through rocky passages.  Purple grass widows were still blooming, and I discovered an unexpected benefit to the day's precip - the raindrops on their petals were most striking.  Made for some excellent photo ops!

Our trail wound through an oak grove

As my friends and I climbed higher, the gentle rain gave way to a light mist.  We passed through the first of many oak forests, this one below a large basalt formation popular with local rock climbers.

Climbing through the rocks

Cloudy skies and fog hugging the Columbia River didn't allow for many great views.  But I was happy for the cool temperatures that made our climb much more tolerable.  The mist eventually stopped, and although still cloudy, at least things were starting to dry up.

Gnarly oak branches

From the Labyrinth, we took a connector trail that led us across a ridge towards Catherine Creek's towering stone cliffs.  We'd have to traverse a talus slope to reach the top.  Just before beginning this climb, I spotted the first balsamroot flower of the season.  Yeah!  That meant it wouldn't be long before the Gorge meadows were filled with their cheery yellow blossoms (and more camera fodder for me!)

First balsamroot bloom of the season!

From the cliff rim, it was a mile-long uphill slog through an open, grassy meadow to our next junction with abandoned Atwood Road.  From previous trips, I remembered lots of huffing and puffing to reach the top.  But today I discovered all the skiing I've been doing this winter really strengthened my legs, and I powered up to the road no problem.

Lots of desert parsley 

Atwood Road contoured along a high ridge, providing nice views of the Gorge and Columbia River, far below.  The clouds were beginning to clear, and we could see much further distances now.  After a mile of generally easy hiking, my friends and I returned to the Upper Labyrinth Trail.  From here it was all downhill.

Huge field of grass widows

Heading downhill to dry conditions and partly cloudy skies, our return loop felt like a totally different hike from the morning's wet, foggy trip.  No more raindrops on the flowers, but with better light I had fun photographing some of the larger fields of grass widow blooms.

Heading back down to dry skies

Speaking of wildflowers, spiky, yellow desert parsley bloomed profusely at several points along the trail.  It was especially thick right before one of the tall basalt formations.

Nice river views

About a mile before our junction with the old highway, I spied a bit of blue sky starting to peek out from the clouds.  It was actually warm enough to finally remove a layer of clothing.  I took advantage of these great conditions to capture a few panoramic Gorge views from one of the lower viewpoints.

Finally some clearing skies

Despite the unexpected rain, it was still great to revisit a favorite trail and enjoy the spring wildflowers.  Remember, there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear!