Tag Archives: Columbia River Gorge

Boolie the Brave

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A family enjoys the view of the Columbia River Gorge from the edge of a cliff at Angel's Rest

When I started my first hike to Angel’s Rest, I didn’t know if I’d make it to the end. I’m terrified of heights and while I knew the hike ended at an outcrop high above the Gorge, I didn’t know if there would be exposed bits along cliff walls on the way there, not an unusual occurrence in the Gorge. When I neared the end of the trail I was happy to see that although you do have to walk out onto a narrow section, it wasn’t so exposed as to trigger my vertigo to any great degree. Don’t misunderstand, there were a couple of sections I walked quickly past without looking down, but it wasn’t bad even for a coward like me.

When I got to the end of the trail, I settled in for some snacks in a nice safe spot. Angel’s Rest is a popular hiking destination so a number of families were there, including this nice couple and their dog who made lovely models until I worked up the courage to snuggle up to the edge.

The second picture is a look back from the end of the trail to the rocky ridge that leads back down into the Gorge. There’s a person in a white shirt to the left of the middle of the picture to give a sense of scale, unless you’re even more scared of heights than I am (which I find hard to believe) you should be able to handle this hike. I took the picture mainly to remind myself that its good to push yourself every once in a while, especially when the danger is in your head and not your feet.

A view of the trail that leads to Angel's Rest in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon

This Above All

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Townsend's chipmunk at Angel's Rest in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge

“This above all: to thine own self be true” — Polonius to his son Laertes in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

A couple of weeks ago brought some sad news out of the Columbia River Gorge. First a family was injured by falling rocks near Horsetail Falls, and then further up the trail a hiker fell off a cliff near Triple Falls and later died from his injuries. I had hiked this lovely trail for the first time a few weeks earlier, it was my last hike in the Gorge before leaving for my Washington trip.

I never made it all the way to Triple Falls, my fear of heights encouraged me to turn around when the trail got too exposed along the steep hillside. I’ve been pushing myself to work through this fear if the danger is mostly in my head, and while the trail was wide enough that I thought I’d be OK, a bit of vertigo started setting in. Since I was hiking alone and getting tired, I decided the risk was too high and turned back and hiked the Oneonta Gorge Trail to Multnomah Falls instead.

This picture is not from those trails but from a previous hike to Angel’s Rest further west in the Gorge. I had started off at Wahkeena Falls and hiked over to Angel’s Rest, I hadn’t been there before and wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it out on to the rocky outcrop where you get a beautiful view both east and west into the Gorge. I was able to do it without much trouble, there were spots that gave me pause but I didn’t look down and was fine.

Several Townsend’s chipmunks were actively feeding out on the rocks at the end of the trail, so after actively feeding myself I spent most of my time photographing them. I did take a few pictures of the Gorge but I long ago accepted the fact that I’ll never be a good at landscapes since I’m always distracted by animals large or small.

We are what we are.

Wahkeena Falls

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Wahkeena Falls in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge

Another view of Wahkeena Falls from the trail that passes right in front of the falls. Really wish I could have a wider angle of view, but this is as wide as I can go with my camera and lens. I’d like to return to see what the falls look like when the water levels are higher. I took this two weeks ago at the start of the day’s hike, it’s a pretty short hike from the view near the road (which is mostly blocked by trees).

From the West

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Upper Horsetail Falls in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge

My favorite picture from the weekend was this picture of Upper Horsetail Falls, looking back at the falls from the western side. I took some pictures of the full falls from the east side but this partial view was my favorite. As I rounded the corner towards the falls at the end of a full day of hiking, the cool air from the falls was a welcome respite on a hot day.