[at-l] Hiking in Oregon

[Papa Bear]

We made a visit to our daughter in Portland Oregon over the last weekend of October.  While there, we were blessed with 
uncharacteristically fine Fall weather. Every day would start out with fog in the morning which would burn off by noon, giving us 
cool, blue-ski, sunny afternoons. Perfect!.  Not only that, but the warm climate of western Oregon (compared to New England) 
meant that the Fall foliage was just about at its peak.

We did numerous (mostly outdoors) touristy things while in Portland (The Rose Garden, Powell Butte, Rice Museum, etc.) but on 
Saturday, my wife went off with some friends while my daughter took me hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.  I have hiked with her 
a number of times in the past, including an attempt at Mount Adams, a summiting of Mount Hood and some hiking in the Jefferson 
wilderness.  I had also run the Hood-to-Coast Relay many times, so I thought I knew the area.  But this hike was a spectacular 
surprise.

We hiked along the Eagle Creek Trail which is just west of Cascade Locks.  I had never heard of it, but a Google search (when I 
got back home) informed me that it is one of the most popular hikes in the area, but is relatively unknown to outsiders. But popular 
in Oregon is not the same as popular in New England.  The numbers for a busy summer season on this trail were around 4900 
hikers. Hell, you get that many on Manadnock in New Hampshire on a busy Fourth of July weekend. :)

Perhaps one reason that peak baggers like myself haven't heard about it is that it doesn't go to a peak.  For this trail, the journey 
is truly the destination.  The trail itself is very easy - flat with a very gradual  grade - but the terrain was something else.  The entire 
area consists of basalt from long ago volcanic eruptions which covered much of the eastern slopes of the Cascades with thick 
layers of lava.  The soft, but not too soft basalt makes a perfect medium for very steep sided canyons for all the tributaries flowing 
into the Columbia.  And for that matter it is the reason for the dramatic Columbia Gorge itself.

Basalt cliffs form the canyon walls:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_1210.jpg

The trail itself is a fantastic piece of work.  My daughter thought it was probably built in the 1930s by the CCC, but Google revealed 
otherwise.  It was built in the 1910s as part of the construction of the Columbia Highway (now called the "old road").  "The Eagle 
Creek Trail was blasted out of the cliffs with dynamite by Italian engineers." 
(http://www.oregon.com/hiking/eaglecreek.cfm)  
And boy was it ever blasted.  Instead of following the stream bed as you might expect, it traveled high up along 
the cliff side.  In many cases the cliff was nearly vertical and the trail was simply cut into the cliff face, with an 
occasional steel cable (on the inside) for the faint of heart to hold.  No guard rail anywhere, so don't bring your 
toddlers or frisky pets.

The trail cut into the cliff side:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_1354.jpg

Besides the terrain and trail construction, I was impressed by the vegetation.  it was really a rain forest, albeit a temperate one.  
There were moss and vines on every surface, and the contrast between the bright yellow of the hardwoods amidst the deep green 
of the Douglas-firs and cedars was stunning.  The canyon had never been logged, although it was fire ravaged about 100 years ago, 
so old growth Douglas-firs were to be found along the steep slopes.

Old growth Douglas-fir:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_1517.jpg

Although it was a clear and sunny day, most of the hiking was in the shadows caused by the steep canyon walls.  Looking up at 
the top of the canyon walls let us know that the sun was there after all.  

The trail starts very gradually and soon you find yourself 100 or more feet above the stream.  After about 3 miles, we came to 
Punch Bowl Falls http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_1541.jpg]
one of the most picturesque of the many falls along the route.  A short spur leads to a viewpoint, and a longer side trail (which we 
did not take) leads to a pool beneath the falls where you can take a dip on a hot summer day.  Most day hikers turn around here.

Past Punch Bowl, the trail climbs higher along the cliff side and there is a glimpse of the high Loowit Falls n the distance across 
the canyon.  The trail then crosses over the creek on High Bridge, about a hundred feet above the bottom where you can look down 
to an extremely narrow slot canyon formed by the stream.
http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_120151.jpg

The best is yet to come.  Just before the 6 mile point, the trail hugs the side of a sheer cliff (probably about 150' high) about half 
way up.  Along here I was staying close to the cable.  You did not want to slip along this portion; past the edge of the trail it was 
straight down.  The trail then takes an abrupt turn to the left and you see the most impressive falls yet, straight in front of you.  It 
was Tunnel Falls, which brings the east branch of the creek into the main branch in a short narrow side canyon.  But what 
happens to the trail? There was no bridge here.  Well, the trail marches right up to the falls and then tunnels through the rock 
behind the falls and comes out on the other side, about 30 feet away.  It was the most impressive piece of trail construction I had 
ever seen!

The trail passing behind Tunnel Falls:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/albums/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge/Columbia_Gorge_Eagle_Creek_Trail_Oct_28_132100.jpg

It was interesting: when I got into the tunnel, I felt a temporary sense of security since I was no longer inches away from a 
precipitous drop.  When my daughter got into the tunnel, she wanted to get through as fast as possible since she had a sense that 
the whole thing would come crashing down around her.  But we both got through safe and sound, and about 10 minutes later we 
were sitting on a flat area above another falls having a leisurely lunch.

We turned around and headed back, with everything just as impressive as before.  With the afternoon progressing and heading in 
the opposite direction, we got quite a different perspective on the trail.

We got back to the car, got back to Portland by 5:00 and met my wife and friends at a terrific Thai Restaurant.  It had been a great 
day to be in Oregon. 

Photos: http://gallery.backcountry.net/papabear_Oct_2006_Columbia_Gorge