Silver Falls

Hike: South Falls
Date: April 26, 2008
Distance: .7 miles
Elevation: 177 ft

This hike is part of the Trail of Ten Falls that we want to eventually complete. This leg of the Ten Falls trail is a very easy hike but still really spectacular. The short little trail has 3 separate waterfalls on it, amazing geological features and we even got to walk behind South Falls.

Troy and I spontaneously (that's the word we use when we want to give our lack of foresight and planning a positive spin) decided to head out there this weekend but weren't necessarily planning on hiking at all. We wanted to see what the park was all about and find out more about the Ten Falls trail. We stopped at one of the ranger posts to grab a brochure and just couldn't go back home without wandering around in the park. It was perfect weather and the park was too pristine to leave so soon.

Our first stop was the lodge (it was an hour drive and we all had to go potty). The stalls in the women's room had two toilets in it which made Savannah, Scout and I giggle (which is why I took a picture...see the slideshow below).

We hiked around the loop, took tons of pictures and then stopped to eat our granola bars at a picnic table at the top of the falls. The kids chased "butterflies" (moths, flies, bees, whatever) and played with the fallen sticks scattered around while Troy and I marveled at the beauty and plotted our return trip.

We all loved it although we also wished we had brought charcoal and some hotdogs for a picnic dinner. The stale granola bars and warm temperature water was a little dissatisfying compared to the aroma of cooking burgers and s'mores. To make up for it we stopped at a tiny family operated burger joint in one of the tiny towns we passed to get back home.

Multnomah Falls

Hike: Multnomah Falls
Date: March 23, 2008
Distance: 2.4 miles (1.2 one way)
Elevation gain: 600 feet

Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States and is just up the road in the Columbia Gorge. For our first "real" hike of 2008 we thought we'd give it a try.

It was a gorgeous Easter Saturday but when we got out of the car and walked to the lodge and into the shadow of Larch Mountain we were a little concerned...it was COLD. We thought we'd start by walking the .2 miles up to the bridge that spans the river and leads to the trail. It was even COLDER as we were pelted with all the tiny droplets of spray from the falls. The kids were still excited though so Troy and I thought we'd give it a little longer before we headed back to the warmth of the car.

Once we got over the bridge and around the bend in the trail we warmed right up. That had a little to do with the lack of wetness, a little to do with the occasional sun burst through the trees and a whole lot to do with the switchbacks. We definitely learned that 600 feet in 1 mile isn't your average stroll through the park...especially for short little 4 year old legs.

The top of the falls had a lookout that extended over the falls and gave us a great view. We were all pretty impressed with ourselves when we saw how high we had climbed.

The way back was a lot faster but a little more nerve wracking with the kids and their apparent disregard for the CLIFF that they were careening so close to. I spent the whole way down saying "Don't run. Get away from the edge. Don't run." and Troy spent the whole way down saying "Breathe Amanda. Calm down Amanda. That vein in your forehead is gonna pop Amanda."

My personal favorite moment was after we were down and heading back to the car. The path leads under a train trestle and we happened to be going under at the same time a train was going over. The trestle was low enough that Troy and I could have reached up and touched the track. I've never been so close to the bottom of a moving train before. It was really scary and really really LOUD! Thinking back on it, it would have been smarter for us to wait for it to pass but it was just one of those things that you just gotta do.

Our Trip to the Pacific Ocean

Gomms Go Pacific

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Saturday morning Troy and I decided we probably ought to get out the ocean before it got too late in the year and the weather went south for the winter. It turned out to be a lot of fun and pretty memorable for our family.

The water was FREEZING cold but we had fun running from the waves, flying kites and finding smelly things on the beach.

One thing we realized as we plunged our feet into the water...aside from what an ice cream headache in your toes feels like...is that Random and Savannah are now Coast-to-Coast travelers!

Next time we'll try to remember our thermal wet suits and hot cocoa ^^