A stroll(er) on the trail....

 

 

Distance: 2.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 498 ft
Hike Time: 1.3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail - Muddy!
Hike Type: Loop

Party: Isabel and Sebastian 

Another beautiful winter day in the northwest warrants another local hike. Living in Portland, Forest Park provides endless miles of trails, with a variety of difficulty levels, all within the boundaries of the city. Forest Park is a public municipal park in the Tualatin Mountains west of downtown Portland. Stretching for more than 8 miles on hillsides overlooking the Willamette River, it is one of the country's largest urban forest reserves. This means that a great hike is never too far away.

Since I would be alone with the kids, I figured that having the stroller would be a good option in case they got tired. Now, this stroller is better suited for a walk through the mall, rather than through a mud-covered, single track trail. If it hadnt been such an anti-environmentally friendly option, I swear I would have left the stroller in those mountains half the way through the trail!

The first part of the trail is through a firelane, which is ample and well maintained. Extensive recent precipitation has created large areas of mud. Due to the width of the trail, it is pretty easy to find a route through a less problematic area. This was not the case once we started down the single track trails, which were only wide enough for one person. If there was mud, you just step on it. That was not a problem for my Gore-Tex insulated shoes, but my kids had less than adequate shoes. In the end it didnt really matter as they ended up covered in mud from head to toe.

As we continued down the trail we could feel a slight but constant descent. As we entered the ridge trail, the surface was clean and compact, which made pushing the stroller easy and efficient. At this points the kids didnt wanna be in the stroller anymore. We continued down this trail until we met the east-west junction and started heading back towards the west. From here the trail was mostly flat. I started to notice a slight slope on the trail which made pushing the stroller a bit difficult: I had to constantly correct towards the left in order for it to not go down the slope. After a few minutes this became fairly annoying. The trail started a slight climb, and my son got tired and requested to get back in the stroller. This made the cross-correction required even harder, since he added a good 35 lbs to the front of the stroller! There were several sections where I had to use the stroller to create a rail system  through a particulalry bad area of mud. In one ocassion my shoe went deep into the mud and the suction made it stick to the gound. I took the step and shoe stayed behind! I almost my balance and had to put my foot down on the deep mud only wearing my sock! In the mean time, both of the kids slipped and fell onto the mud. It took Isabel 3 falls before she made it out of this spot...

Arriving at the junction with the Hardesty trail, I realize that we are about to gain the 220 ft we've lost throughout the trail in just 0.3 miles. The elevation contour lines are incredibly tight at the beginning of the Hardesty, and I have to get through it with a stroller and make sure that my children dont get hurt throughout the climb! I should have anticipated this! Oh well...we start up the trail and it is steep! Switchbacks, exposed roots, mud...My kids climbed this section like soldiers, even encouraging me at times! I was so proud of them...The last few minutes of the hike were pretty mild, as we hiked a long an older fellow with 5 dogs.

 

Angel's Rest - Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River from Angel's Rest

Distance: 4.6 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 1880 ft
Hike Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
Hike Type: Out and Back

Party: Yascha Noonberg, Ali Noonberg, Otis



 

A break in the recent rainy weather gave me an opportunity to go on my first hike in preparation for the John Muir Trail, 2014. The road to the fitness level I need to get to will be long and bumpy, but I have to start somewhere. Angel's Rest is an exposed bluff on the Western end of the Columbia River Gorge. This summit is characterized by a long, rocky spine surrounded on three sides by cliffs, boasting a striking 270 degree view! While you can't see any of the Cascade volcanoes from the top, you do get great vantages of Beacon Rock, Silver Star Mountain and many other landmarks.

The real draw, however, is the perspective of the river below - like you're on a balcony over a great auditorium. Its near-2000 foot prominence, and its proximity to the Columbia River give you the false sensation that you could dive from the summit to the water below! For an out of shape hiker, the climb can be challenging. There are several photo opportunities along the way that serve as handy umplanned rest stops.




Early in the climb





Coopey Falls from the trail

 



Great view to the west right before the summit

 

Otis
 

The trail