Eagle Creek with Youngsters

Eagle Creek with Youngsters

This weekend I did Eagle Creek with the Intel Hiking Club. Eagle creek is probably one of the top 5 beautiful hikes in Oregon (which means, top 3 in the Universe) and I like to do it a couple of times a year. This trail was cut during the same time as the building of the old gorge highway <link to Mosier twin tunnels hike> but there is some argument (between George, the hike leader, and I) as to whether this was for amusement of the workers or to spur tourism. Frankly I find both arguments pretty weak as this is a long and awesome and EXPENSIVE trail. As we shall see. (update: Chip says the trail was blasted out as a recreation destination to help draw people out and showcase all the work that had gone into making the old highway...which was also blasted out in many places.)

I do a few hikes a year with the Intel Hiking Club. Just enough to remind me that I really can't keep up with 20 year olds. Of course, George is my age, and I couldn't keep up with him either. But what I lack in speed I make up for in botanical knowledge. “look, there is poison Oak !!!” too bad you were 5 minutes ahead of me and already trailed your hands through the stuff. (reminder to future self, never shake an interns hand). Oh, because many of the summer hikers are Interns. Just at Intel for the summer seeing what real life is like. They all look scared shitless and walk VERY fast; as if they are trying to escape some horrible fate.

One of the nice things about Eagle Creek is that you go along way, and you are up pretty high, but you never have anything killer steep. So I can do the 7 miles out to the lunch spot pretty much with out a rest (which is good, because I burn the rest stops just catching up with the rest of the club).

We start off down by the water as we enter into the canyon.

 

The first part of the trail is in the forest. We will be in and out of forest on this entire hike. We will alterante that with hiking on the thin ledge blasted out of a basalt cliff. And I do mean blasted.

The cable is handy. The drop is 200 feet.

 

The main attraction of this hike (along with the cliffs) is the many waterfalls. Most of them have a little turn out where you can leave the trail and get off to a good overlook.

Melako (?) Falls

No One seems to know which way to look.

At punch Bowls, however, you can hike down and really get into the water. I am told that in the afternoon this is a favorite swimming hole for the locals. Beer and Nakedness can be found. I looked around really hard for some beer but saw none. Sigh. Perhaps if I come back later in the day.

 

 

The potential is certainly apparent, there are LOTS of people on the trail. Many of them that look capable of both nakedness and beer.

After we leave punch bowls we have some more forest and cliff. And we start to hit some bridges.

 

Naked People Even Take off Their Shoes.

 

 

 and then we get to some fun stuff.

High Bridge.

No idea why they call it that.

 

Cool Cliffs over High Bridge

What should we call this rock?

This is not High Bridge

 

High bridge is at the 3.3 mile point. Half way out. Look at the cool cliffs over our heads.

This is where the legal camping areas start. There are always tents out here, but I have never seen the campgrounds completely full. There were a lot of people with fishing poles on this trip. How did the fish get up here in the mountains?

A couple of final things to talk about.

Talus Slopes:

This is places where the rock side of the mountain has erroded away into little (relatively) rocks that have fallen down onto a 45 degree slope. (I bet they all have a mathematical exact slope, but I don't know what it is).

Talus Slope. That is the trail in the middle

Basalt Columns: These cliffs are Basalt, and Basalt likes to form octangonal crystal. Even ones that are 3 foot in radius.

<Where are my Basalt Column Pictures???? Must look at past hikes. Will fix this>

And just when you thought you had gone far enough: Tunnel Falls.

And yes, they blasted a tunnel under the falls.

From the Tunnel

This ledge isn't big

 

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This is the scariest cliff by far. With all of the people up here (must be over 100 a day on the weekend, not to mention the Damn Dogs) it is a wonder SOMEBODY doesn't go over. Hell, I have several old girlfriends that would have given me just that little push....

Just a half mile beyond that is criss cross falls. Also known as twister falls. Also known as “No Name Falls”. Also known as “How can it be no name falls when people have named it twister falls”. Or “Don't give me that crap, you know why it can be no name falls”.

And “Do Not”

or “Do too”

and finally, “No Officer, I never game him just that little push” falls.

I got some pictures:

 

This is actually a very high falls.

 

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Oh Look !!! Tunnel falls again on the way back !!

After a very pleasant lunch (thunder in the distance, but on a very few rain drops, and a nice cooling in the air) we headed back to the cars. All down hill. George (the hike leader) told everyone to go at their own pace. He told me he was tire of keeping up with the young kids. Hell, I was tired of NOT keeping up with them. I pulled out my trekking poles and I FLEW down that 6.5 miles back to the car. Did it in just at 3 hours. Pretty good for a multi ledge trail with the occasional bikini.

And how long had the other hikers been waiting for us (owners of cars) when we got back to the lot? “Oh, about an hour”.

That was 3 days ago. I wonder if they have made it back to Portland?

Mt. Hamilton in Summer

Mt Hamilton.

This is a well traveled hike on the Washington side of the gorge. You get there by driving up to Cascade locks and taking the bridge of the Gods (I kid you not) over to the little state road that runs down the north coast of the Columbia river. You drive back west past the Bonnevile dam and suddenly, there is Beacon rock sitting in front of you. Like 800 feet of very steep-to volcano core carved back to its essential hard essence by the glacial floods 10K years ago. It was originally name by Lewis and Clark. Actually, they called it Bacon rock, just as a joke, but later Cartographers with no sense of humor changed it to Beacon. The same thing happened to Rooster Rock. 

And just to your right, is the access road to the Trail Head for Mount Hamilton. Here is a picture of Beacon rock and Mt Hamilton as seen from Horsetail falls:

We will do Beacon rock another day. Today I am a little apprehensive about getting over Mount Hamilton. The last time I tried I just couldn't do it. Of course, I had done sentinel rock first. Today I am carrying light. Mainly just water. I have my trekking poles. But I didn't get a early enough start. It is the 4^th of July and people are EVERYWHERE. The traffic was backed up onto the interstate when I passed the Multnomah falls parking lot off of 84. But I guess the $1 charge for Bridge of the Gods and the (very strictly enforced) $10 fee for a Washington park has kept the Oregon natives at bay. I still had to park in the upper lot (another half hour and that would have been full).

The first part of the trail is through an established forest. Some huge downed trees and such. But the going is not too steep and the air is cool. You get a first view of Mt. Hamilton when you break into the sunshine and cross a power lines right of way. You can see down the lines to the generation plant at the Bonneville Dam.

No idea what this is called. But there it is.

Stump CAM

 

Power lines. But I am going to climb that puppy.

The trail still stays pretty flat and you weave in and out along some little valleys until you come to a very nice little falls on Hardy Creek. This particular falls has a really cool little down draft through a shaft that looks like it is completely enclosed (until you get into it). I think it is called the cave of winds.

Indian Pipe. Pretty Rare

wild Strawberry

 

Ah, Pool of the Winds !!

Some guy on the Bridge.

Down and up through the creek and you start your real ascent. 

This means things start to get hotter, you start to get some great view back down the river, and the Poison Oak starts to show itself.

Some trails in the gorge have the Poison Oak just at the trailhead, on this hike you have to stay alert pretty much the entire hike. Don't Wear Shorts !! It was tearing me apart to see all of the young women (ok, and men) in shorts and low socks. Please, Mr. Poison Oak, jump out and get me ! Please !!

But it doesn't seem quite right to run up to every person and grab them and yell, “What in the hell do you think you are doing? Are you out of your FRAKING MIND?”.

So..... I didn't do that.

There are actually 2 ways up to the summit. The back way (labeled Difficult) which goes up the hardy creek valley and then up a road a finally back to the summit down the ridgeline, and the front way (labeled More Difficult) which goes straight up the river side of the cliff. With lots of switch backs and big rock steps.

 

I took the more difficult way (on advice from another hiker, who I think went the other way). And you know what? It wasn't that hard. Either the hill isn't as big as I thought or there every weekend hikes are getting me in shape. AND, I got some killer views of the river and the gorge.

 

 

That is Beacon Rock from up high

 

I also saw to types of wild onion, a whole lot of tiger lily, and many other flowers that I am still working on.

 

 

Stone Crop

 

There were a LOT of good views from the Switch Backs:

Look at all of that cool broken rock. 

 

There were a lot of people on the trail and like 20 people at the little summit area. One of the things I like about people being around is that ANYONE will gladly take your picture for you. Such nice people, hikers are.

The snow is mount Adams.

Mt Hood was obscured.

I went back down the back way. It was the right thing to do. It was a bit longer, but had some additional views and I like walking along a mountain ridge. Not as much poison oak, either. But it was still there. Watching. Waiting.

This path is more overgrown. But with Thimble Berry

 

 

Hey, I took this picture back at the little picnic area right next to where I parked my car. There is a nice paved path all the way to the top of Beacon Rock. Perhaps next week.