Urban Hiking in Downtown Portland - November 23, 2014

Portland, Oregon

 8 Miles

Wow, what a rainy day this was.  We were soaked even by the time we reached the Hawthorne Bridge.  

The bridge was going up just as we reached the east side so we waited under the cover of the freeway above us until the bridge started to lower.  

We had a wonderful break near the end with hot tea at Starbucks and relaxed for a bit before heading back out into the pouring rain to finish hiking to the car.  Even a day of hiking in the rain is wonderful though.  We managed to do a little over 8 miles.

Lower Salmonberry River - November 3, 2014

Lower Salmonberry  River Hike

10 Miles

This trail is located along the Lower Nehalem River about 50 miles west of Portland off highway 26.  

Hikng along the rails does provide a challenge.  Fall hiking was beautiful in this area with all of the colors and the beautiful river alongside most of the trail.  

There are a couple of spots where erosion and storm damage has caused the rails to be unstable and so you do leave the main trail for a bit but it is easy to follow.  A couple of river crossings also provided a little challenge but others have placed logs and rocks so that you can cross without getting too wet.  I do recommend waterproof boots though.  

All in all this was a beautiful but semi satisfying hike.  I think you could probably hike further than the water tower and see more of the river but we got a late start and didn't want to run out of daylight so we turned around at the water tower after Doug's climb up into it to see what was inside - just branches and leaves.

Opal Creek Wilderness Area - Jawbone Flats, Cedar Flats - October 6,2014

Cedar Flats  10.5 miles

This hike follows a gravel road for the majority of the hike.  Not my favorite surface for a long hike but the surrounding scenery is so amazingly beautiful you forget about the gravel.  I would consider this hike easy except for the distance.  It is flat all the way to Jawbone Flats.

You pass this old mine that is now boarded up.  Seems they were mining for gold but mostly found silver, copper and zinc.  

The water is so clear but deeper than it appears.  We sat and enjoyed our snack while watching some mushroom hunters trying to find a place to cross the creek.  Realizing it was too deep they gave up.  I'm not sure how they reached the other side to begin with but if they kept walking along the trail on that side they would have found the bridge that crosses over.  I hope that is what they decided to do.

Silver Falls State Park 10 Fall Loop - September 28, 2014

Trail of Ten Falls Loop Hike

8.7 Miles

This is an amazing hike that is a must see for everyone.  You can do smaller hikes to some of the more popular waterfalls but it is worth it to complete the ten falls loop.  The hike is moderate and has a few hills.  I had done the majority of this loop about 17 years ago but we weren't able to complete the loop because one of the bridges was out and we had to back track making it a much longer hike.  This time  we were able to hike the entire loop.

The trails is nice and soft for the most part.  There are a few areas with roots and a couple of switchbacks, making the climbing a bit easier.

You get to walk behind two of the falls.  It is a great experience to hear the rushing water above you and stand behind the waterfall, gives a great perspective.

There are also beautiful pools of water along the way.