Hello, again! After a few weeks of bad weather, bad timing and general scheduling difficulties, my hiking buddy Theresa and I were finally able to get back on the trails.

We drove out to Cascade Head on the coast which is just outside Lincoln City. Cascade Head is not only the winter home of a local elk herd but is also a spot where extremely rare wildflowers can be found. Alas, it was a bit too early in the season to spot many flowers but we did interact with some wildlife! This was a 6.8 mile hike with 1300 ft elevation gain. Much of that gain occurred during a short stretch, fast enough that our ears popped on the way up and down.

Almost immediately we came across the elk herd in a field near the trailhead. We quietly peeked at the animals and took pictures but they all turned to stare at us.

"Um, yeah this is our turf."

A few moments later it was like a silent signal went out between them to be wary of us strangers. As if on cue, they all stood up to face the largest elk (I assume the male of the group.) It seemed as though they were waiting for instructions. We decided to leave them alone!


The trail climbed through an old growth forest with Sitka spruce lining the path. Early spring makes everything a vibrant, fluorescent green! The skunk cabbage was blooming and so the entire forest had a slight stinky odor mixed in with the sweeter smell of the wildflowers. Skunk cabbage look like alien plants!

Feed me, Seymour!!

The older spruce canopy gave way to smaller-branched trees that formed arches over the walkways. The path had some really lovely bridges spanning small streams and mini waterfalls.

Theresa crosses a stream.

We didn't see many of the famous wildflowers but we were just in time to greet the Trillium!

Playing with new filter effects and macro settings.

Eventually we came out of the forest to a breathtaking open expanse overlooking the ocean. I of course was inspired to spin like Maria in the hills.

The hills. They are alive with the sound of music.
Too much spinning...

Now, this is where the REAL hike began. The trail led through an open field atop an enormous cliff and climbed rapidly. Our ears popped every few minutes and we had to pause for breaks very frequently. This gave us a chance to grab some nice scenic shots though!

Taking a breather. Can you see the path where we started in this picture? Here, I'll zoom in and point to it for you:

Yeah. One heck of a climb!

Here's another part of the path behind us as we climb further up.

My turn for a breather!

That is quite a long way down!

Snail crossing! He reminded us to take it slow and steady.

Finally we reached the upper viewpoint and continued our climb ABOVE the cloud bank!

Just beyond the upper viewpoint the trail dove back into the woods for a spooky, misty trek that could inspire many ghost stories:

Nope, not a ghost this time. just Theresa.

Theresa thought this looked like a triceratops in the ground. Very interesting patterns in the forest!

The trail ended on an old logging road and we headed back down the path the way we came. For the record, it took us about 3 hours to climb to the top and only 1 hour to get back down!

Entering the lower forest again we came across a deer relaxing in the brush.

"What?"

It didn't seem to mind me taking its picture but eventually it got up and crossed to a higher and more hidden area.

"Geeze, can't I eat in peace? I'm going home."

As if that weren't enough wildlife for one day, on the way back to the trailhead we discovered that the elk herd had moved further inland, merely steps from the trail.

"I've got some elk, here..."

"Yeah, me too!"

"Sigh. Anges, they're back again."

To cap off a pleasant day, we took a detour home and stopped at a small public beach because you can't go to the coast without stepping onto the sand! Theresa, always prepared, happened to bring a kite. WIN!

There's something very Oregon about flying a kite in misty, rainy weather. The kite is a bit incongruous with the clouds but in a pleasing, mysterious way!

The End.

Coyote Wall

Last Wednesday my friend Theresa and I had an epic adventure into the woods!

We made plans to head out to Hood River, OR and do some hiking. I suggested Coyote Wall after poking through my hiking book (thanks, Mom & Dad!) and reading reviews online. So we went!

We took our time getting to the trail head and started out up the path around noon.

Let's make this #1 on the list of "Things to Bring/Remember/Do When Hiking" I'll leave you to guess which of these we did and did not follow on this particular hike:

• 1. Start earlier than noon if you expect to hike 9 miles on a new trail with 2200 ft. elevation gain.

We started on the path which quickly began to climb and became enveloped in odd boulders and rock formations. As we went on, one could not help but imagine ninjas leaping from behind their shadowy protection.

Theresa demonstrates potential ninja-hiding position.

• 2. Always be prepared for ninja attacks.

The trail ducked deeper into the forest and we began to edge along the base of Coyote Wall, the summit being our goal for the day. The entire base was ringed in a thick section of fallen rocks that shattered from the cliffs above.

The gray area below the cliff is a giant field of rocks.

The path kept climbing and climbing and we were soon peeling off our many layers of hiking clothes to cool off.

• 3. Always wear layers when hiking!

The boulders became more numerous and more ominous as we went deeper into the woods.

Sure, this little circle of moss-covered boulders looks innocent enough but is also a perfect hiding spot for faeries!

Look at me, I'm a freaking faerie. BOO!

Should I mention that we watched "The Blair Witch Project" after our last hike? Also, it was a Wednesday and we didn't see a single soul on the trail although there were some cars and SUVs w/ bike racks parked at the trail head.

• 4. Always let someone know where you will be hiking! (ok I'll cheat: we did do this)

Oh, what the heck, let's add a creepy decomposing cottage to the adventure, shall we?

That's better!

The trail got steeper. And darker. We began to see patches of unmelted snow on the moss which was perplexing at the time.

• 5. Check the freaking weather report for the area you will be hiking - if it snowed above 1,000 feet and your hike has a 2,200 ft. elevation gain, do the math!

Snow! How quaint!

Is it getting more shadowy or is it me?

Around this time is when we started hearing noises.. like animal noises that were far off... we hoped! Also around this time we started to pontificate on the story behind the hike's name (Coyote Wall) which also excellently lined up with the discovery of animal prints on the path. Thankfully, Theresa has some tracking knowledge and we concluded that it was a pair of dogs and another hiker. This was confirmed at a later point in our hike as they never strayed from the path, however at the time is was UBER CREEPY OMG because we were about an hour and a half from the beginning of the trail.

• 6. Bring Theresa, who knows about animal tracks. Better yet, bring a knife.

We had been climbing for a good couple hours and it was getting colder. We took a short break to consult the trail directions and catch our breaths. Luckily, we followed rule number 3 and layered back on the warm clothing we had taken off. I used the chance to play with my macro settings.

Macro fungi!!

Macro mossy thing!


Theresa was not amused:

Dude. Snow!

Yeah so the snow transitioned from "cute" to "annoying" in short form. Suddenly the path was covered and hard to find which was great timing as this is also where it began to fork unexpectedly. Another map check, some GPS w/compass consultation, a false start on a trail that looked to end in a strange formation of concrete in the middle of the forest (we decided to back away from that direction, ya know?) and we continued.

Yeaaahhhh that's the "trail" up there.

• 7. Wear good hiking boots. This was my first hike w/ new boots and my feet were warm, comfortable and dry despite the rocky terrain and unexpected snow.

At this point I stopped taking pictures for awhile. The reality of the trail was not lining up with any of the trail directions or maps that we had and it was making us nervous. We again checked the GPS and decided on a trail that would point us in the direction of a parallel road marked on our map, which happened to also slope down the cliff and end at the trail head where we parked our car as an emergency "escape route" if we needed it. It had taken us longer than expected to reach that point and we were nervous about getting too deep into the woods w/o knowing where we were, exactly. We started marking the forks we'd take, checking the compass heading and gave ourselves a time limit - if we did not hit the main road in 45 minutes we would still have plenty of time to turn around and head back the way we came before sunset. If it turned out that we got to the main road and the trail to the summit looked clearer/better marked then perhaps we'd continue on our hike.

Oh, yeah and checking the map again we discovered the "moderate" hike we were on that was kicking our butts was actually a "difficult" hike w/ a 2200 elevation gain. LOL oohh not really.

• 8. Double check the rating on your hike so you know what you're getting into.

• 9. Bring rope or tape to mark your trail if needed. Twigs only go so far.

Narrowly approaching our 45 minute limit we finally hit the main road and the relief made us a bit delirious.


Considering the time of day and how thankful we were to see that fine, snow-covered macadam, we decided to err on the side of caution and bail on the hike, following the paved road down the slope and back to our car. The alternate would be to try an additional 5 mile hike up to the summit and down again.

• 10. Know your limits and only hike with people you would trust to make smart, safe decisions.

I took out the camera again as it was still a 3 mile walk down the road to the trail head. The icy road was a bit precarious even with boots.

Theresa's tired of walking and tries an alternate approach down the road (a joke!)

Oh hell, that's a long way down.

Theresa says: "See, that's where we SHOULD be by now." Next time!!

Nearly to the bottom.

So, as I'm sure you guessed, we made it safely back to the car and had a good laugh about our adventure into the woods. We'll tackle this one again after the snow melts. All told we hiked 5.8 miles with a total of 1700 feet elevation gain. And it only took us four hours!

Stay tuned for this week's upcoming adventure: Angel's Rest to Devil's Loop hike!

In which we explore waterfalls

I'm overdue for an update!

Two Tuesdays ago my friends Annie, Theresa and I traveled down to Silver Falls and hiked the 8.5 mile "Ten Falls Loop" If you have the stamina do NOT miss this hike! We had a wonderful time counting all the waterfalls, singing songs, taking silly pictures, etc. Amazing! Many of the falls we were able to walk behind.

My camera's batteries unfortunately died shortly into the hike but luckily Annie is a talented photographer and is allowing me to link to her photos of our hike. Click here to check out her fabulous shots! PS the scale of the falls is hard to convey - see if you can spot the little dots that are me and Theresa walking behind the falls!

Here are a few teasers that I salvaged from my camera:

I call this one the old man

Behind some falls

Yay, self-timer! This is Annie, Theresa and me.

As if I didn't get enough waterfalls for the month, today Theresa and I took a low-key hike around Lacamas Park in Camas, Washington. Despite the forecast for cold and rainy weather, it was actually quite pleasant with intermittent sunshine and no rain at all! When hiking in the Pacific Northwest you really can't count on the weather reports and just have to be prepared for anything.

We did a little off-trail hiking for a time and I amused myself by trying out the high speed shooting options on my camera. I was very pleased with the abstract results! I've posted some of my favorites at the bottom.

Theresa contemplates the meaning of life

Yes, I slipped on this log shortly after taking this photo but I caught myself on my knee and stayed on! Go go gadget balance!

The "pot holes"

View from the foot of the falls, one foot in the water!

My artsy shots. Best to click on them to view the full-sized images if you like any in particular! I like how the high shutter speed makes the water look like a glass sculpture.