Even though Portland was experiencing its hottest day of the year (one day of 100 degree temperatures with no relative humidity--big whoop), the mornings and evenings were still incredibly cool. We woke up early on Sunday morning and drove the 35 minutes it takes to get to the Columbia Gorge from Portland. Thirty-five minutes and unbelievable hikes. I chose the
Angel's Rest Hike.
The hike is 2 and 1/4 miles to the summit, an exposed rock face that overlooks the Columbia River. I admit that I didn't make it all the way to the top, but from the looks of this picture, I was getting close. I noticed that I'd been hiking up for about an hour and a half--from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00--and I didn't want to leave Paul in the parking lot for too long (although he was able to find coffee and some cool waterfalls in my absence.) Each time I thought I'd seen the greatest view, I would hike a little more and see something even more spectacular. This is a popular trail--and it started to get crowded on my descent, but since we arrived early enough, there were very few hikers other than me on the way up. One couple with an awesome two year old labradoodle, a solo young woman and a solo older man. These individuals passed me easily, which means that I need to hit the work outs even more.
Exposed rock face on the way up. . . .I admit that I am sooooo envious of people who live in Oregon. There weren't any bugs. No ticks!!!! No poison ivy!!!! Amazing hikes just thirty minutes from civilization. I'm pretty sure the story on the news about the scientists at the University of Oregon reporting that they have scientific evidence a terrible earthquake is going to occur in the Pacific Northwest in the next fifty years is just part of a conspiracy theory to prevent Midwesterners from moving to Oregon and overpopulating its pristine beaches and mountainsides.
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