Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival & Dog Mountain

So, the tulip festival is not really a hike...and this is a hiking blog after all, but who cares! I'm taking a huge risk to the four family members who read this blog and I have decided to post about something unrelated to hiking. If you find yourself visiting Oregon in the months of March and April, you might want to stroll around the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn, Oregon if you are like me and love a good tulip. This past weekend, Val and I decided to join the throngs of young families and the elderly and see what all the hype was about. My expectations were exceeded, spring is my favorite time of year and seeing all the bulbs you planted months ago finally sprout is very rewarding. So visiting a farm of this magnitude and seeing flowers everywhere...well it was overwhelming in a good way.

We also decided after eating french fries for lunch, it was best to do an aggressive hike the next day. I've posted a few pictures from our Dog Mountain hike, more details and pictures on this hike can be found earlier in this blog. Dog Mountain is always a tough hike, but manageable in about 3 hours. The rain was a nice surprise to cut down on the sweat you proliferate along the way. I will say, due to the warm winter temperatures in 2014 & 2015, the lack of freezes has produced swarms of ticks. Lola was not so lucky and we found a few on her post hike. I've heard from several people that the Gorge and Cascade Range are tick meccas, so check your furball to avoid what happened to me...There I was, driving along aimlessly and suddenly I feel a tingle on my hand. I look down to see a tick crawling up my arm, to which my first reaction was to scream then flick the tick at my significant other...who then screamed at me, "WHY WOULD YOU THROW A TICK ON ME! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"I then spent my afternoon bathing two dogs and tirelessly cleaning the Prius...good times!

Cape Falcon Revisited - Oswald West State Park

When your childhood friend is in town, your hope is that Oregon is dressed to impress. And while this was not Lizzy's first trip to the PNW, we checked a few more hikes off of her list and Oregon did not disappoint. We revisited the Cape Falcon trail, in January we were unable to overcome the downed trees, however this round of hiking we were met with success.

We opted to start the hike at the gravel lot off of Highway 101, rather than the designated parking area a mile north. Your option is to cross Highway 101 and take the trail to the summit of Neahkahnie Mountain, which is detailed in another post on this blog. For this hike, we swiveled down to the right and made a quick stop at Devil's Cauldron. A beautiful view with the vertigo inducing cliffs which may give parents or dog owners the occasional panic attack as their loved one unassumingly runs toward the edge. I was unwilling to spend the next few months in therapy, so I chose to leash up Rita and Lola and stay a few feet behind the roped off ledge.

We headed back to the trail and followed the Elks Flat Trail for 1.3 miles until we emerged onto Short Sand Beach. A popular surfing alcove in the summer, Lizzy and I were able to witness firsthand what some may call diagnosed insanity in the form of a few people suited up and surfing in the freezing waters. After a short pause, we continued upward onto the Cape Falcon Trail. The trail is clear since the January wind storms, however the mud was is in full force, much to the joy of Rita and Lola who danced merrily along for 2.5 miles.

We relaxed at the top before venturing home the same way we came, overall this hike totaled around 8 miles and included several views of the Oregon coastline, a beach detour and a glimpse of the dense old growth Sitka spruce trees dominating the hillside. Enjoy!

Devil's Rest via Wahkeena Falls - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

A doozy of a hike, Devil's Rest is a 7.5 mile lollipop loop which we opted to start at Wahkeena Falls. This hike will test your quadriceps and hamstrings, the elevation gain is around 2,500 feet, accomplished within the first few miles of the hike. At times, you begin to wonder if there will ever come a point when the ground beneath your feet will level. You will also falsely convince yourself that with this type of incline, the views will be worth the pain and suffering. You will be wrong, the views are mediocre at best, but the waterfalls and glimpses of the gorge make it a great workout hike.

The trail is easy to find, from I-84 East, take the Bridal Veil exit to the Historic Highway and park at Wahkeena Falls trailhead. This spot gets very crowded due to its proximity to Multnomah Falls, the earlier you arrive the better. The good news is, due to the aggressiveness of this trail, most climbers stop at Fairy Falls, if you push forward you will find yourself virtually alone in the woods. This hike is recommended for those looking for something close to Portland that will burn some serious calories. You will get the occasional view and some waterfalls, but there is no grand finale at Devil's Rest. It's more or less a bunch of rocks hanging out at the top.

Cheers

Olympic National Park - Dungeness Spit, Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Lake & The Hoh Rainforest

Here is the hodgepodge summary of our trip to Olympic National Park. We drove around the entire peninsula in our sea-foam green Prius with two stinky dogs in the backseat. Overall, it was a great trip and I wish we had more time to explore and backpack, unfortunately we have these annoying things called jobs. 

Our first stop was at the Dungeness Spit, we arrived around 4:00PM and the park closes at 5:00, so we were unable to hike the 11 mile journey to the New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse. Maybe next year. (Side note, dogs are not allowed anywhere in the Olympic National Park, which we did not know, so Rita & Lola spent most of the time in the car.) Dungeness Spit is a sliver of sand that stretches out into the Strait of Juan De Fuca, definitely worth a visit. 

The following day we got up early and drove to Hurricane Ridge. Our goal was to hike Hurricane Hill, again...we were surprised to learn no dogs were allowed on the trail so Mike and I took some nice vista shots at the top and turned around and headed to Crescent Lake where we were told Rita & Lola would be welcomed. Hurricane Ridge is normally a ski resort in the winter and spring months, however the Pacific Northwest is experiencing another unusually dry and warm winter. As a result, the 8-12 feet of snow we should of encountered was more or less a parking lot filled with sunbathing tourists. 

We then ventured to Crescent Lake to tackle the Spruce Railroad Trail, a 4 mile trail that mimics the shoreline of the lake. We enjoyed the views, Lola got in a brief swim, Mike found an abandoned mine shaft and we hit our 10,000 steps-a-day goal. Hurricane Ridge was more our cup of tea, but living in the Northwest you get spoiled and it seems snobbish of me to complain that I did not get a mountain hike in and had to compromise with a lake view. (Boo hoo for you Tory.)

Our final day concluded at the Hoh Rainforest, it was about a 2.5 hour drive from Port Angeles, through everyone's favorite Twilight town, Forks, WA. The trees and moss are breathtaking, something out of a movie. We were on a tight schedule to get back to Portland, but we did squeeze in the Hall of the Mosses trail which is short (.8 miles) but a must see. The trees, the Hoh river...it's remarkable. Our goal is to come back in a year or so and backpack from the Hoh River Trail to Glacier Meadows. Enjoy!

And we had to make two last stops, one at a sign that said "largest cedar tree" and another at Beach # 3 off highway 101.