Wahkeena-Multnomah Loop

Aahhhh.....Early November.  It's when the lower elevation fall colors kick into high gear.  Time to head to the Gorge for my favorite fall hike - the Wahkeena Trail.

Old stone trail sign

In autumn, the changing leaves within the Columbia River Gorge put icing on what is already an astonishingly beautiful place.  And there's no prettier trail than the Wahkeena.  Starting at the Historic Columbia River Highway, this path switchbacks steeply up the side of the Gorge.  The trail itself is well-constructed - paved for almost the first mile with slopes retained by beautiful stone walls. A burbling stream is never far away, and the plethora of deciduous trees guarantees tons of colorful leaves.  On the way up, hikers pass Wahkeena and Fairy Falls, as well as several smaller unnamed cascades.

Wahkeena Creek

Chuck and I both had Friday off, and this time rain was not in the forecast!  Yahoo!  I had my heart set on a fall color hike, so off to Wahkeena we went.

Wahkeena Falls

The beauty began at the trailhead.  Trees of varying orange and yellow hues surrounded the parking area.  A lovely creek meandered through the lush green, leaf-scattered slope.  My photo session began as soon as I exited the car.  There were lots of great things to photograph!  I think Chuck was a little worried I wouldn't leave the trailhead.  But I did manage to tear myself away and follow him up the path.  More amazing sights awaited!

Chuck searches for coins embedded in the wall

From the trailhead, the paved Wahkeena path climbs steeply.  After a very short distance, Chuck and I reached Wahkeena Falls, a  fan-shaped cascade roaring mightily down the middle of a mossy grotto.  A grand stone bridge crossed the creek below the falls.  I soaked in the views and snapped a few images.  But the dim light of a cloudy day wasn't conducive to photo-taking.  I had to use such a slow shutter speed that most of my shots turned out blurry.  I was wishing I'd brought my tripod.

Chuck found a coin!

From Wahkeena Falls, the path continued its climb, switchbacking up the side of the Gorge.  Although the ascent was taxing, the paved trail and its scenery provided a nice distraction.  Lots of turning leaves added color to the scene.  The trail was lined with elegant stone retaining walls, covered in ferns and a layer of bright green moss.  Someone spent a lot of time and effort to construct such a wonderful trail.

Leaves decorate the path

Chuck told me the builders of the walls embedded some coins and a toy army man into the rock faces along the Wahkeena Trail.  While I was busy taking "Kodak moments," Chuck busied himself scanning the masonry in search of hidden artifacts.

Colorful leaf pile

Chuck managed to find three coins - two nickels and a penny.  But try as he might, the toy army man eluded his search.  Better luck next time!

Mossy old stone wall

After reaching a scenic overlook, with nice views up and down the Columbia River, the paved trail gave way to a nice dirt footpath covered in leaves.  Chuck and continued our upward trek, following a gushing stream.

Fairy Falls

After a mile and a half, we came upon Fairy Falls.  This delicate little waterfall is one of my favorites.

Fairy Falls close-up

Chuck sat down on a nearby wooden bench to have a snack.  I meanwhile prowled around the falls, trying to steady myself and my camera to capture some slow shutter images.  For the umpteenth time, I regretted not bringing my tripod.

Chuck and Bear share a moment

After our refreshment and photography break, Chuck and I resumed our climb.  We passed through another forested area ablaze with golden leaves.

Bright colors line the trail

We reached the junction with the Devil's Rest Trail.  It was decision time.  Should we continue our climb up to Devil's Rest?  Or should we level off and head towards Multnomah Falls?  Multnomah Falls, a very popular attraction, is usually overrun with tourists.  It's normally someplace I avoid.  As we weighed the pros and cons of each trail, I mentioned to Chuck that Multnomah Falls has a nice lodge with a restroom.  Bathrooms with warm running water and flushing toilets?  That sealed the deal - Multnomah Falls, here we come!

Weisendanger Falls

It's been many years since I've hiked the trails above Multnomah Falls.  I found it to be a truly beautiful area.  We approached the famous falls from the very top, following the creek that feeds it downstream.  There were a couple of pretty waterfalls along the way, including lacy Weisendanger Falls.

Cute stone bridge

Just before the top of Multnomah Falls, Chuck and I came upon a cute little stone bridge spanning the creek.  It looked like something you'd see in a Grimm's fairy tale.  Golden leaves covered the trail and the creekside boulders.  I almost expected to see a gnome pop out from under the rocks.  What a magical place.

Top of Multnomah Falls

And then we came upon the side trail that led us to the top of Multnomah Falls.  Chuck and I followed the a path that led us to a fenced viewing platform on the brink of the famous waterfall.  We peered 542 feet down the dropoff to the forest and river.  It was a dizzying view of the lodge and viewing area far below.  Not for the faint of heart!

Gorge view from top of the falls

Looking down from the top of Multnomah Falls, I realized in order to reach the lodge, we'd have to lose all this elevation.  The trail to the parking lot and viewing area winds down a steep slope in a series of 11 switchbacks.  To make matters worse, each switchback is identified with a little sign.  So visitors know how much further they have to climb, or in our case, descend.

LOTS of switchbacks to reach the bottom!

Chuck and I trudged down the trail.  We met lots of red-faced people puffing their way up to the top.  Although the path wasn't nearly as crowded as a typical sunny, summer day, we were definitely not alone.

Photographers on viewing bridge

Multnomah Falls has a stunning stone footbridge that crosses the rocky chasm above the lower cascade.  It's very cool to stand on this bridge and look up at the falls, and then down the watery chute to the splash pool below.  Spray is blowing in the air and everything is a lush green.  Amazing!  After avoiding Multnomah Falls for so long, I was reminded why this place is so popular.

Multnomah Falls -  the grand waterfall of them all

We made our way down to the lower viewing area.  Again, I was really wishing for my tripod.  But I managed to fire off a few decent shots.  There were tons of people milling around the platform, and I had to wait awhile for the area to clear so I could get a waterfall shot void of people.  But it was so worth it.  What an incredibly beautiful waterfall!  And the fall colors provided the perfect accent.




The most spectacular of all the Gorge falls

Chuck and I reached the Multnomah Falls Lodge and our coveted restrooms.  After a brief potty stop, we headed back to our vehicle via a short connector trail paralleling the Historic Highway.

It was a wonderful day to be out with Mother Nature.  The autumn colors put on a show, and the waterfalls ran full and strong.  I completed my annual trek up the Wahkeena Trail, and explored the area above Multnomah Falls.  Even though Multnomah Falls can be crazy with people, it's truly worth visiting.  I'm lucky to live close to such an amazing place!


:)

Historic Highway

Last Sunday I reeaallllyy wanted to go hiking.  It'd been a couple of weeks since I'd done a local hike, and I was itching to get back to my "playground." 

But the weather decided to be uncooperative.  Rain was in Sunday's forecast.  Not just showers, but RAIN!  Soggy, nonstop moisture from the sky.  What's a hiker to do?

Trailhead marker

The answer?  Go east young lady!  East as in the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge.  The portion of the Gorge past Hood River puts you on the leeward side of the Cascade mountains.  And that generally means drier weather.  Even some sunshine, if you're lucky. 

View of the eastern Gorge

There is a portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway that's been reconstructed as a hiker/biker path near the eastern Gorge town of Mosier.  I'd heard about two abandoned highway tunnels that had been dug out, totally restored, and were now part of the trail.  The engineer in me loves tunnels, so I decided this was the day go and to check it out.  Plus, if it starts raining, I have someplace dry to escape!

Fall colors along the trail

The Historic Columbia River Highway was America's first scenic highway.  In its heyday, the road snaked through the Oregon side of  the Columbia River Gorge, between the towns of Troutdale and The Dalles, a distance of 73 miles. It was built between 1913 and 1922.  Samuel C. Lancaster, the engineer who designed the highway, purposely laid out the route so that it would access all the natural beauty spots in the Gorge.  He designed beautiful bridges, stone walls, viaducts, and several tunnels with windows built inside, so travelers would not miss any of the scenery.  It was an engineering challenge, to fit a road through the steep, rocky cliffs of the Gorge, but Lancaster found a way.

 

Eastern portal of the Mosier Twin Tunnels

In the beginning, the highway was hailed as an engineering marvel.  Thousands of autos traveled the highway enjoying the vistas.  But as traffic increased through the 1930s, the tunnels became narrow and dangerous.  Construction of a new interstate highway at river level began after World War Two.  By the early 1950s, most of the traffic had been transferred to the new route, and many portions of the Old Historic Highway were abandoned or destroyed.

Inside between tunnel one and two

In the late 1980s, several people and organizations recognized this loss, and lobbied the State Highway Dept and State Legislature to preserve the portions of the Historic Highway that remained.  Since 1987, the State of Oregon has worked to restore the Historic Columbia River Highway, opening small sections at at time.  As of this year, 62 of the original 73 miles are now open to travel either by motor vehicle or foot and bicycle.  The driveable sections of the old road have been restored to their original 1920s appearance.



Columbia River view from the tunnel's window



One of these sections of restored Historic Highway lies between the towns of Hood River and Mosier, my destination for today.  This portion of the highway has been converted into a hiker/biker path.  As mentioned earlier, one of the highlights of this trail is the Mosier twin tunnels, two old highway tunnels that have been restored to near-original condition.  The tunnels feature two beautifully arched windows that allow visitors wonderful views of the Gorge.

Rock guard structure at the western end

After driving through torrential rain most of the way, and thinking several times "what the heck am I doing?", I arrived at the trailhead.  Minutes after stepping out of my car, the rain stopped.  Taking this as a sign, I shouldered my backpack and camera and headed out.

More trail scenery

I couldn't have picked a better time of the year to introduce myself to this trail.  The leaves were in full fall regalia, and the scenery was amazing.  The cloudy skies, which I'd cursed all the way to the trailhead, provided me with nice light for photos.  I moseyed my way down the nice wide asphalt path, making frequent "Kodak moment" stops.

Lovely fall colors

Some of the old highway features, such as white picket fences and rock walls, were restored along this portion of the path.  In a couple of places side paths split off from the path, leading to overlook areas.  The clouds lifted enough to provide me Gorge views in both directions.

Trail overlook

It didn't take very long and I came upon the famous tunnels.  Oh, and they were spectacular!  As amazing as they were to build, I was even more impressed that they were uncovered and restored for a second time.  There are two tunnels in line.  The first one is 288 feet long, followed almost immediately by a second, shorter tunnel.  A concrete roof now connects the tunnels.  The two windows in the first tunnel have been reopened.  And the view from those windows to the river down below was breathtaking.  For safety reasons, bars now cover the openings, but I stuck my camera through the narrow slots and got some images anyway.

Self portrait along the trail

While I was at the tunnel, the rain started up again.  So I just delayed my departure, and hung out inside taking more photos.  At the western end of the second tunnel there is a steep rock wall that has a reputation for being unstable.  As part of the tunnel reconstruction work, a concrete shed was built for 700 feet beyond the second tunnel.  This structure protects path users from falling rocks.  Because the I-84 freeway and a mainline railroad track is directly below this point, the structure had to be designed to catch and capture any large rocks that fall from the slope above.  So this thing is pretty beefy.  I felt very safe walking under it's massive concrete roof and beams.

A blaze of yellow

After the rainstorm let up, I continued my walk, exploring the path beyond the tunnels.  Thick trees dressed up in bright yellow leaves drooped over the trail creating a narrow corridor.

Patchwork quilt of color

After the second overlook beyond the tunnel (which was a particularly scenic view featuring a patchwork-quilt of oranges, yellows, and greens) I decided to head back to my car.  The day was getting late, and the sky looked ready to let loose again.

Mosier totem with Coyote Wall in the distance

I made it back to my car ahead of the next cloudburst.  I hadn't brought much of a lunch, and it being way past noon, I was mighty hungry.  Before heading home I stopped in the town of Mosier and loaded up on junk food from the tiny general store.  Coming out of the store, I spied this cool totem pole across the street.  The sun came out for a final blast and lit up the area.  You could see Coyote Wall, across the river on the Washington side, and it was dressed up nicely for fall.  A beautiful end to my hike.

So even though the weather was discouraging, I managed to find a calm place amongst the storm.  And learned a bit of history to boot.  So next time it's raining in Portland, I'm heading east!

:)

Happy Halloween!

No, I didn't carve these.  The pumpkins were from a Halloween party I attended last weekend in Bend.  But I thought the photo came out quite nice!

:)

Weekend in Bend

Last weekend I paid a visit to my brother Dale and his family in Bend, Oregon.  Bend is such a great town, situated on the east side of the Cascades.  The weather is almost always sunnier and drier than Portland.  And the mountains are practically outside your doorstep.

Golden meadow near Todd Lake

I wanted to do some hiking while I was there.  My nephew JJ suggested Todd Lake.  JJ loves catching frogs, and I think that's what he had in mind.

Todd Lake shoreline

Fall was in full swing around the Bend area.  When we arrived at Todd Lake, I was happy to see the grass and surrounding meadows were a nice shade of yellow-gold.

Nancy and JJ walking along the lake

But the weather wasn't as cooperative as I wished.  It was a little chilly.  And there was no sunshine that morning, only cloudy skies.  Oh well, better for photography.

A lone huckleberry

Dale brought his two dogs, and they had an absolute blast, running around.  The younger dog, Domino, loves to swim, and Dale wore her out throwing sticks in the lake to retrieve.

Bright red huckleberry bushes lined the shore

At the far end of the lake was the loveliest fall meadow colors I've seen yet this year.  The grass was golden brown, punctuated by yellow-colored leaves and bright red huckleberry bushes.

Approaching the opposite end of the lake

This kept me and my camera busy for awhile.  I lagged far behind everyone.

A palette of fall colors

I wasn't expecting a lot for fall colors, and was pleasantly surprised.  What a great display!

JJ found a tiny frog

According to Dale, the far end of the lake is shallow, and a great place to find tadpoles in the spring.  And later in the summer, a great place for frogs.  As late as it was in the season, we didn't expect to see any more frogs, but eagle-eye JJ spotted a tiny frog buried in the mud.

The north end of the lake was especially beautiful

The northeast corner of the lake was my favorite part of the hike.  There were lots of red huckleberry bushes contrasting with the golden grasses.  A couple of meandering streams wandered through the meadow zone.

A small meandering stream

I'm sure the view would be even grander, had it not been for the clouds.

Mt. Bachelor peeks out from the clouds

We were about 3/4 of the way around the lake, when the sun decided it was time to make an appearance.  The clouds began to lift, and we were treated to a partial view of Mt. Bachelor.

Dale finds a dead fish

Ahhh....sunshine!  It was most welcome!

Golden valley near Tumalo Falls

We returned to the car with time to spare.  Dale suggested we drive over and check out Tumalo Falls.  I'm always game to see a waterfall.  On the way, we passed by a wonderful valley with the best fall colors.  Dale offered to pull over so I could jump out and snap a couple of photos (thanks, Dale!).

Tumalo falls surrounded by fall colors

Tumalo Falls is located a short distance outside of Bend.  It is spectacular in any season, but in autumn it's amazing!  We hit the colors at just the right time.  And the mid-afternoon light illuminated the falls perfectly.





The view downstream


A path took visitors to the top of the cascade.  There, you could look downstream.  The forest was a mix of greens and yellows with a hint of rusty red thrown in.  By now, the sun was out in full force and highlighted the colorful scene. 

It was nice to get away and see fall someplace different than my hometown.  And you can't beat a wonderful place like Bend!

:)