Getting Out: Tamanawas Falls Hike

What do you like to do that renews your spirit? For me, it's spending time outdoors. The more remote, the better. Having grown up in the woods, and having spent a fair amount of that time camping (either with girl scouts or youth camp), I have an innate need for fresh, pine-scented air. Hiking through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, where I live, is medicine for my body, my mind, and my soul.

Mt. Hood, from the highway heading out of Hood River

This Summer, one of my goals is to get out and hike as much as possible. I'm hoping to do one hike a week, but I know that sometimes other plans come up, so I'll let myself be flexible with that (meaning I'm not going to be so rigid with my goal as to stress myself out by over-filling my calendar). The point is to make like Thoreau and just head for the woods.

The forest.

The first bridge

This past Sunday, I kicked of hiking season with my dad, my sister, her husband, and their one-year-old son. We headed out to Hood River, then drove in toward Mt. Hood to find the trail head for Tamawanas Falls. Every time we drive through the Columbia River Gorge, my mind is blown by the beauty. It is one of my favorite views on the planet, and it never disappoints, rain or shine. The giant evergreen mountains interrupted by rocky ledges, the wide Columbia River, the occasional bald eagle, and let's not forget the waterfalls- all of these things make for a magnificent stretch of earth. And this is the view, though moodily filled with gray clouds, I enjoyed on our drive out to Hood River.

Once we got closer to Hood River, however, the skies opened and the sun beamed down on the landscape. The river was suddenly blue and the land all around was a vibrant green. Heading out of Hood River toward Mt. Hood showed us some spectacular views of crisp, white Mt. Hood. The volcano loomed over the fertile green valley, watching over the orchards and vineyards that pepper the land. I wanted to breathe it all in and let it soak my eyes with the vibrant greens and blues. We couldn't have picked better weather for this hike.

We eventually made it to the trail head and there were only a few other cars in the lot. We arrived around 10am, after having stopped at the Multnomah Falls gift shop to buy a Forest Service pass, which is required for parking at the Tamawanas Falls trail head. We prepped with some snacks (okay, I prepped with a snack- this girl needs her snacks), grabbed our gear, and loaded my nephew, Fox, into the pack on his dad, Danny's chest.

You can walk across this...

Or this.

The hike started out fairly flat, and most of the hike was wooded (it was in a forest, after all). Very early on, we crossed over a slightly questionable footbridge and then shortly we were taken on an incline path that overlooks the (not so busy) highway. About ten minutes in, the path led away from the highway and the sounds of nature took over. Birds sang, the creek chattered, the ground below protested our footfalls. Right away, I noticed all of the smells. The smells that were so familiar to me growing up. Pine and berries. A little bit like Christmas. To me, this smell is Heaven. I breathed in the air hoping to undo some of the damage city pollution has done to my lungs, savoring each drop of pine.

Magical tree tunnel.

I chose this waterfall as our hike destination because the pictures and description I saw on the Internet made it sounds really cool. It's a waterfall with a cavern behind it, and you're supposed to be able to walk behind the waterfall. When we finally made it to our destination, I was blown away by what we found. Since the snow is starting to thaw from the mountain, the falls were incredibly powerful. The spray caught us at about 100 yards away (don't quote me, I suck at guessing distances). The scenery was amazing. It was like a fairy tale, or Lord of the Rings. We had already trekked through Mordor on a later part of the trail (fallen rocks from what appeared to be a landslide), and here we had come to Rivendell. Huge rocks were covered in deep green moss. The waterfall overflowed over the cliff onto the rocky pond below. Given how powerful the falls were, we did not dare venture behind them. Heck, we didn't dare venture further forth for fear of getting absolutely drenched from the spray.

Welcome to Mordor.

I prayed for no earthquakes in Mordor.

And then I saw this.

And now to Rivendell!

Check out all that water!

Round trip, the hike is about 4 miles (every source we checked said something different, but the trail posts said 2 out, 2 back). We (I) stopped a lot on the way out to take pictures, but we picked up the pace on the way back (especially since I carried Fox on the way back- one-year-olds are heavy). I think we might have taken 2-2.5 hours to complete the trail. It is a trail worth savoring, with interesting little stops along the creek, and a safe, but crooked, log bridge. It was a wonderful morning with perfect weather, and I could not have asked for a better way to kick off hiking season.

Now my spirit is restored and I feel refreshed. I'm looking forward to a new hike this coming Sunday, so stay tuned next week for my report on that one. Until then, happy trails. :)

Question for my readers: what do you do that renews your spirit? Do you have a goal for this Summer- something you hope to do more of? Share with me in the comments below!

14 comments getting out, Portland

Share: