Pushing the Limit - Hiking Mt. Hood and Other Bucket List Surprises

Oh! The Places You'll Go- Hiking Multanomah Falls

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

I don't think that either Shannon or I was ready for the alarm to go off so early, but we slowly got up and packed our stuff to head to start our Portland adventure. Armed with my Red Bull and Shannon with her large coffee, we set out to hike Multnomah Falls. Even though I had already seen this fall twice, it was only from the base. I saved climbing up to the bridge and hiking to the top of the falls until I was with her. The forecast said rain but we lucked out as the skies cleared and aside from the wind, it was going to be a beautiful day for a hike. So at the grocery store last night we bought all kinds of snacks to bring for the hike, filled a water bottle with water, packed some hats and gloves and we were ready. Prepared for anything. We stopped at the hotel we were spending the night in to drop off out luggage and put some warmer clothes on. And...while it seemed like a good idea at the time, it didn't turn into our shining moment. You see, while we were getting ready, we brought in the bag with all of our supplies and discovered after we drove for 40 minutes, that the bag was at the hotel. So...what to do? What to do? We had one water bottle with us and our common sense, so we figured we would go as far as we could safely and then turn back. This hike was also dependent on how well my leg was going to hold up. Even though I have the brace, I was very unsure as to how it was going to react to all the pressure from walking uphill. The climb to the top is on a switchback trail and is very steep. From the base to the top of the Falls is a 700 foot climb. It is an open trail with room for about two people side by side. The main part is paved but when you get to the top there are all kinds of opportunities to venture off onto other trails for exploring.

The base was pretty crowded today, but Shannon and I grabbed our solo bottle of water, a back pack with camera equipment and we started on our way. All the rain from yesterday colored the land beautiful shades of green. Even some local Oregonians that we met mentioned that they hadn't seen this area so green in awhile. Score, Good color for pictures. We were hoping that the trails off the path were in good shape so we could do some exploring, but time would tell. Standing at the top of a 700 foot waterfall is not a time to take risks.

The trail grew steep pretty quick and with the pack on my back, I was starting to feel, the weakness in my knee. We had originally wanted to do the full hike to Wahkeena Falls which was a total of 5.4 miles and an elevation climb of 1600 feet, but I knew that if I could make it to the top of these Falls, I should consider it a victory. I could always come back when my leg is stronger. I promised John that Shannon and I would be safe, so we decided we would stop when we got to the top, take some pics and then head back down. We took in all the beauty surrounding the climb and periodically chuckled as we watched people try and navigate strollers and dogs up this steep and narrow passageway.

As soon as we came to the last switchback, I could hear the sounds of water rushing and I knew we were at the start of the Falls. Suddenly, I got a burst of energy. My eyes darted around the area looking at all the spots to take pictures. I couldn't wait to take my camera out of the bag and begin capturing this beautiful area. Like I did at the other Falls, I lay on the ground, climbed over logs, and stood in the water so I could capture some unbelievable photos. Shannon and I were there for over an hour taking tons of pictures. The only drawback was we were soaking wet and dirty from laying in puddles and climbing over logs. As our adrenaline slowed down, we started to shiver from the cold and dampness of our clothes and started our trek back down. Wow! What an awesome hike. The rain stopped as we made our way back to the base but once we got to the car, it started to pour. It was good to be inside and sitting with the heat in the car.

We had plans to drive to Mt. Hood (1.5 hours from where we were at) to meet Jason (the brother of a friend of ours' from Chicago), but the area was getting blanketed with snow and the roads were being closed due to poor conditions. Our meeting will have to wait. Better safe than sorry.

After blasting the heat in our car to about 82 degrees, we made it back to the hotel and warmed up with a hot shower, some soup and the snacks we bought yesterday and forgot for our trip. Now, all clean, dry and warm, Shannon and I shared our photos from our hike with each other. This was an awesome day with my daughter. A day that I will never forget. The conversations we shared, the laughter we had and the beautiful smile on her face is something that I will carry with me forever.

Tomorrow is another day and another adventure for the Kwits. Who know where or what we will be doing tomorrow.