We left Portland on Sunday morning and headed east to the Columbia River Gorge....it was a gorgeous drive with amazing views...
The Columbia River Gorge is known for it's waterfalls so we stopped at a few on a way.
The first was LaTourell Falls...a short hike and a great waterfall.
The first was LaTourell Falls...a short hike and a great waterfall.
Next was Bridal Veil Falls...
This hike was a longer and more uphill but the waterfall was beautiful and worth the work.
The funny thing was the random assortment of people we passed on the trails....
it ranged from what I called "hard core" hikers with real hiking shoes, walking sticks and backpacks....to people strolling along in flip flops....
As we were walking to our car a guy asked if we thought he could make it to the falls with his twins in the double stroller....
We politely said, "Yeah...there's no way dude."
The funny thing was the random assortment of people we passed on the trails....
it ranged from what I called "hard core" hikers with real hiking shoes, walking sticks and backpacks....to people strolling along in flip flops....
As we were walking to our car a guy asked if we thought he could make it to the falls with his twins in the double stroller....
We politely said, "Yeah...there's no way dude."
We recognized this rock from my friend Desiree's pictures from their visit....and Brian remembered that her husband had climbed this rock.
So you can guess what happened next....
So you can guess what happened next....
The day was hot, low 90s, so it was nice to reach the falls and be rewarded with the cool breeze.
And then....we almost died.
We reached the next to last waterfall stop and assumed that it was, like the others, a nice easy hike...the sign said 0.8 miles to the first waterfall. So we parked the car, I grabbed my camera and off we went. We hiked, and hiked, and hiked, and hiked, and hiked....
and we started to pass more and more of those "hard-core" hikers and not so many flip-flopped strollers....but we didn't want to give up so we pressed on....
We reached the next to last waterfall stop and assumed that it was, like the others, a nice easy hike...the sign said 0.8 miles to the first waterfall. So we parked the car, I grabbed my camera and off we went. We hiked, and hiked, and hiked, and hiked, and hiked....
and we started to pass more and more of those "hard-core" hikers and not so many flip-flopped strollers....but we didn't want to give up so we pressed on....
Finally we reached the first waterfall...
and it was lame.
We were tired, thirsty and annoyed.
We had come all that way for this?
and it was lame.
We were tired, thirsty and annoyed.
We had come all that way for this?
We were just about to turn around and head back when these two older ladies strolled passed us, coming down from the upper waterfall.
To which Brian said,
"If they can do it, we can do it!"
So on we went...
for another couple miles of uphill, rocky hiking.
Did I mention that we were sans water or snacks?
Our nice little hike was turning into quite the trek....
To which Brian said,
"If they can do it, we can do it!"
So on we went...
for another couple miles of uphill, rocky hiking.
Did I mention that we were sans water or snacks?
Our nice little hike was turning into quite the trek....
And then we turned a corner and caught a glimpse of Horsetail Falls...
It was beautiful....
We sat down and relaxed (caught our breath) in the rock cove just behind the waterfall...
it was nice and cool...
If only I could have drank the water...
it was nice and cool...
If only I could have drank the water...
When we finally got back to our car, our little stroll had turned into a 2 hour hike and we were exhausted...
We had a great weekend...
We miss our friends and family alot but we are trying to take in as many sights as we can while we are here.....and having lots of fun doing it!
We had a great weekend...
We miss our friends and family alot but we are trying to take in as many sights as we can while we are here.....and having lots of fun doing it!
2 comments:
Beautiful pictures! Way to go on the hike! I probably would have turned around!!! But your hard work paid off!
E:
I am so glad you like the blog. I just try to keep it real. Crazy, but real. And as for fabulous blogs, right back at you. I LOVE seeing your scenic photos. Such a great change from the heat waves coming off asphalt that we enjoy so often here in TX. Let me know if I can borrow your link so I can keep an eye on you. ;-)
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