Looking down at the mighty Willamette
In a shocking development, I went for a walk last Sunday. The weather was iffy, so I stayed close to home, and I was able to find another pleasant place to leg stretch close to the city. Canemah Bluff is located above the Willamette River at the south end of Oregon City. In the 19th century, pioneers settled there and established their own community, which predicated its economy on people who necessarily portaged around nearby Willamette Falls as they headed up or down the Willamette. The town was eventually annexed by Oregon City in the 1920s. It is still a lovely area, and the Children’s Park (no, I didn’t go down the slide) is a great place to start a walk. A small network of trails offers a few different options depending on your ambition and interest. Like Mount Talbert and Powell Butte, they have nice signage and mini maps on posts at junctions.
One of the things about this area is that, historically, Native Americans conducted annual controlled burns, and this affected biodiversity. Unlike many areas in Northwest Oregon, the bluffs here offer broad wildflower meadows lined lots of oaks and madrone trees, as well as alder and cedar forested areas further uphill.
The walking was easy, and I found myself marveling at the great colors all around. Bright wildflowers abounded in the open areas, but the most amazing hues of all (and this on a gray day) were on the madrone trunks. In a couple photos, they seemed to almost glow a rusty color. Eventually, I caught a glimpse of a pioneer cemetery, then headed uphill on the Old Slide Trail. They were very pleasant woods to amble about. On that segment of trail, I found myself falling into arty photography, noticing the symmetry in a certain fern’s fronds, a stand of deciduous trees, even the perfectly placed bee in the center of a flower. I have found that taking a great photo gives me a great deal of pleasure, but there is nothing like a good walk. Happy hiking, everyone.
My week of vacation was coming to a close. My visiting mother had left for the east coast, and I had to get back to the grind on Monday. One last hike. My target was a short hike to a waterfall southeast of the metro area. Abiqua Falls is near Silver Falls State Park, but more remote. Given the spotty weather and the below average access road, I was surprised to see as many people as I did. That seems to be a theme for me. I should probably stop being surprised. Recreating in the outdoors is more popular than ever, and in the Pacific Northwest, hiking to waterfalls is a great way to do that.
The trail is actually on private land, so don’t abuse the access privilege. Almost immediately, the path crosses over what looks like part of a motocross track. There is a nice viewpoint off to the right, but don’t get distracted. The route stays left. At times it is steep and muddy. People have attached ropes to trees as handlines in multiple spots, which speaks to the popularity of the spot as well as the nature of the trail. I found that trekking poles handy. In a quarter mile or so, the trail emerges on the rocky shore of a creek. The falls are out of sight, but the canyon is so gorgous, so lush and green, I wasn’t focused on that yet. I meandered upstream and turned a corner to find the falls in a rocky amphitheatre, like a jewel set in the forest. Truly spectacular.
Abiqua Falls is a good sized drop, and the pool below is large. Mossy cliffs curve away on either sides, making for a unique sight. I took my time, as others seemed to do, to absorb all those negative ions. Mist on the lens spoiled a number of my photos, but it was hard not to get some great shots of this verdant world. I loved the rusty hue of some of the exposed rock and the clarity of the water below. Like a great summit, this was a spot I didn’t want to leave.
Amazingly, after decades in the Portland area, I can still find new parks and trails. Not that I’ve hiked everything, but at least I know about most of the trails in the metro area. Not so in the case of River View Natural Area, located on Highway 43 south of the Sellwood Bridge. It’s a small oasis of green nestled into the hillside above the highway and below upscale neighborhoods. I saw the park sign recently and wondered about it. So it was that I decided to take stroll there with Jackie Chan.
Parking is on the skinny side beside the highway. The hillside looked relatively open, with no dense groundcover. There were numerous deciduous trees on the hillsides across which the rudimentary trails navigated. The trees showed off a touch of fall color. Interestingly, the majority of them close to the highway had vines stick to their trunks or draped from branches. I could also see where people had hacked at the vines to kill them, presumably in the hopes that the vines would not kill their host trees. The trail was bit muddy in spots, and there were few signs of other hiker or joggers. In fact, I saw nobody else as my pup and I completed a pleasant loop and returned to the car. And now I know about the River View Natural Area.
Moody skies over the Willamette
Sometimes when I go for a hike, I want exercise. Climbing Hunchback Mountain near Mount Hood is good for that. Other times, I want to have an epic adventure. Making the traverse from Matterhorn to Sacagawea in the Wallowa Mountains fills that bill nicely. The other day, I simply needed some small scale beauty on a cloudy day. I knew right where to find it on the banks of the Willamette River. Yet when I snapped this shot near River Villa Park, I was doubly pleased to get the sense of it as more than a pleasant scene. Instantly it struck me as a vista a 19th century master might have portrayed with oils. Moody, complex, and lovely. It was just what I needed.
Looking at the swollen Sandy River
Sometimes I have to sneak in a nature fix. This was the case when I left a party in my old mountain town to take a walk with Jack. The Old Maid Flats area is one covered in ashy soil from a volcanic eruption dating to the late 18th century. I love the groundcover that results. Nearby, the Sandy River was noisy and frothing with brown water. There had been no rain, so this suggested that the glacier fed river was being inundated with snowmelt from high on Mount Hood. High temperatures in the area show no sign of easing. With the fire danger high across much of the Pacific Northwest, I hope people will minimize the use of fireworks tomorrow, but I fear a number of wildland fires will be triggered. It’s enough to make me blue, and as Eddie Cochran said, “there ain’t no cure” for that. Oh, for some rain!
Entry to the Three Creeks Natural Area.
Three Creeks Natural Area was a bit of an unknown quantity to me prior to today. There are no formal trails, but there is plenty of space to wander. I simply wandered the area and found some great spots. A giant meadow greets hikers once they descend from the parking area. In the middle a photographer was taking serious close up shots of daisies. I nodded and kept going toward the trees on the far side, unconcerned with where I was heading. The area is all hemmed in by roads, after all. Soon I encountered came upon the cattails, seemingly out of place in what seemed to be a dry area. Of course, precipitation is well below normal for much of Northwest Oregon.
The cattails under a blue sky
I made rough loop through the area. These photos only skim the surface. There were occasional reminders that it is essentially an urban hiking area, remnants of graffiti, homeless camps, and industrial buildings nearby. There is also evidence of rebirth in many planted trees–over 21,000 in the past decade according to the Three Creeks website. One group comes out to work on cleanup ever Sunday. Yes, every Sunday. That dedication helps make the Three Creeks Natural Area a small gem for outdoor lovers on the south side of the Portland metro area. Check it out.
Can you identify the lilac flower? There were not many of them.
On the drive. A classic view of the Columbia River Gorge
Sunday was a perfect day for a hike. It was warm but not hot, the skies were clear, and I didn’t have to work. I always try to go somewhere new, but it’s harder and harder to do that when I have lived in the same corner of the globe decades. Thus I found myself surfing through the wonderful Oregon Hiker’s Field Guide website where I checked out some obscure spots. Then it hit me like a ton of noble fir limbs dropping on my head in a windstorm Duh! Larch Mountain.
A road goes almost all the way up Larch Mountain, right below the summit crags of Sherrard Point. Many people were walking up the steps, including cyclists who had ridden up the 14 mile winding road east of Corbett. They really earned their views. The rest of us had but a five minute walk. are great, and little effort is required to get said views. The real hike lay below, in the old crater. descending one side to Multnomah Creek, and looping back up to the east. I spent little time on top, knowing I had miles to go.
The descent is steady, and the forest gradually changes. I had seen a great meadow from the top, but the trail only skirts it. While there were few views on the hike proper, and a few too many other hikers (cry me a river, I know), I found lots to observe. The crater loop hike is about six miles long, and while the end of the loop felt a little underwhelming, I was happy to have completed the trek. It is a very worthy hiking destination.
In the middle of Wilderness Park
I am always looking for green swaths of undeveloped land near me, and I tire of going to the same old places repeatedly. A photographer friend mentioned a nature park in West Linn, but I never caught the name. No problem. What I found was Wilderness Park, fifty-plus acres of pretty woods in the middle of upscale suburbia.
The trailhead, minutes from West Linn High
The trail system seemed relatively simple. I could make a loop from various points. In short order, I found myself climbing a rather steep set of stairs with rounded log steps. They seemed unique on the way up, but I had a different adjective for them on a wet descent.
Looking up the steps. Wait, I might have to huff and puff?
Once on the loop, the trail is at an easy grade, and the walking is pleasant. It is a good place to escape from the noise of the world, even for brief visit.
Cool greenery, and a fungus among us
I found myself looking at the subtleties of the greenery a lot. Leaves fascinate me at times as the perfect examples of the cycle of life. The tree might not die for centuries, but the leaves come and go annually. They are so green with youth in the spring, colorful in their maturity, and then they fall, wither, decompose, and vanish. I find it beautiful to note the way they add different notes to a landscape depending on the light.
Even on a wet gray day, Wilderness Park was great place to hike locally. I also found a second nature park on the way home, which I believe is the one to which my friend referred, but that’s for another post. Happy trails.
Jackie tested, Jackie approved.
Powell Butte is a true gem for Portland outdoor enthusiasts. I have blogged about it before, but it bears repeating. While there are more serious trails nearby for both hikers and mountain bikers, nowhere in the middle of Portland can you find a combination of different ecosystems, moderately challenging trails, and great views. As always, free time is at a premium for me, so Powell Butte was an easy choice for a quick hike on a nice day. It was breezy in the meadow, but as you can see, it was a great day for a walk.
Ah, memories. Here is a look toward Needle Point from the backside of Eagle Cap in the Wallowa Mountains from a trip a few years ago. While not a spectacular photo, it’s a spectacular location. The hike from my camp in the gorgeous Lakes Basin was not too challenging, although this would be a fairly difficult one day hike. I debated going off trail further toward Glacier Peak, but the weather was a bit iffy. I hope to revisit the Wallowas next summer. It is a prime hiking and scrambling area.
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