Flora

When we are hiking, I'm usually lagging behind looking at all the wildflowers and taking pictures.  
At  home I pull out my Pacific Northwest wildflower books and try to figure out what I saw.  Plants here are so different from my childhood meadows and woodlands in Indiana that I am learning so many new-to-me plants.

Above:  Bear Grass in bloom (xerophyllum tenax)
Below: Vanilla Leaf or Deer Foot (achlys triphylla)







Above:  Under the towering Douglas firs, I love the understory of vine maples (acer circinatum) and Pacific dogwoods (cornus nuttallii, not pictured).  The dappled light under these trees reminds me of my favorite Japanese gardens.




Above: Evergreen violet or redwood violet (viola sempervirens)--somewhat rare

Below: A bad picture of a fairyslipper (calypso bulbosa, but in this case I happen to love the common name more than the scientific name)

Fall Creek Falls

Sometimes, I feel a little guilty raising a child in the city. I have fond memories of growing up in small Midwestern towns where we were allowed to roam outside by ourselves.  Where our backyard butted up against woodland (or swampland, in my case).  Where we built fairy houses under the trees and pretended we were the Box Car Children or Swiss Family Robinson.

And then I take my child an hour out of the city and we are in the most enchanted forests in the world, and my guilt instantly dissipates.




This weekend our favorite William L. Sullivan hiking book pointed us to Falls Creek Falls in the Columbia River Gorge not far from the town of Carson, Washington.  At 3.4 miles round trip with gentle terrain, we thought the Sprout might be able to handle it.  She regularly runs the .8 mile to the park, plays, and runs back home again so we know she has some endurance.  But still hiking with a three year old is always a gamble.  Heck, hiking with a thirty-eight year old is a gamble!








This was our first time hiking this trail, and it's definitely one we'll be repeating. The trail follows the creek that has hollowed out a mossy canyon, and the pleasant sound of rushing water accompanies nearly the entire length of the hike.  Most of the trail is wide enough to keep my mom-panic from kicking in.  There were only a few places that I demanded the Sprout hold onto an adult hand because my over-active imagination could not help but see her slipping over the side of the trail and tumbling to the rocky river below.





The same strategies that keep a thirty-eight year old hiking also apply to a three year old:  comfortable shoes, frequent water and snack breaks, and some tomfoolery keep us all happy hikers.






These pictures do not do justice to the gorgeous, moss-covered punchbowl at the bottom of the falls.  I've taken to leaving my big camera at home and using my iPhone for quick photos, but next time I think I'll lug the camera along.



3.4 miles seems like a good distance for a three year old.  On the way back out, I did give her a piggyback ride for about .2 mile but other than that she hiked it all herself---and kept up a continuous patter of conversation and nonsensical songs.  We stopped to gather mini pine cones, Special Rocks and Sticks, and moss.  Our pace was slow, but we all had a great time.




So, no guilt for this mama. My city kid can out-hike your city kid any day.

Sisters, Oregon

I love living in Oregon. This past weekend we took a mini-vacation to Sisters. Nestled in the Cascade range, this faux-cowboy town doesn't have a whole lot going for it as a town, but the view (The View!) and the easy access to the pleasures of the back country make it a fabulous place to vacation.

We did a little hiking, some fish feeding and some photo taking. We celebrated my 38th birthday by going out to dinner one night. But mostly we took it easy, sleeping in each day and spending afternoon nap time at the cottage we'd rented from a friend. Oh, and we worked on potty training. The ice cream cones, they were a reward for...um...doing the business that needs to be done where it needs to be done.








Feeding the fish at Wizard Falls Hatchery on the Metolius River





Proxy Falls, on the rainy side of the mountains



The freakish landscape of the Belknap lava fields






Sunset over South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister and my two most beloved people.

A Little Breathing Space

It might be a little quiet here on my blog for a couple of weeks. I work for the director of special education in a nearby school district and the last few weeks of school are chock full of IEP meetings, wrapping up items from this year, and trying to plan ahead for the fall. I don't even realize how busy I am until about 8:00 in the evening when the Sprout is in bed, and I have time to make something or blog about making something. That's when I realize that I am absolutely exhausted.

It's a good time to take a deep breath and remember some of my favorite bits of nature found in the Columbia River Gorge:
--water falling (duh)
--basalt rock columns
--trees covered in fuzzy mosses
--maidenhair ferns with their purple-black spines
--the thousands of shades of misty, mossy greens

I love this place!

Hiking in the Gorge

Sunshine and blue skies are a welcome sight after months of grey and rain. Portlanders know how to exploit every minute of spring sunshine gobbling it up like a kid with a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies. We're afraid that if we look away even for a moment, the sun will disappear and we'll be back to the blah.

Last Saturday we decided it was time to get out into the Gorge and see how the Sprout will react as a hiker this year. We chose a short one-mile trail for starters, into Wahclella Falls and back. The Sprout has been a pretty good sport about walks around town--to the Library, the Taco Cart, and the grocery store--so we thought she would hike a portion of it on her own and then we were prepared to take turns carrying her the rest of the way. Since it was such a short hike we didn't bother with digging out the backpack for her to ride in. And, frankly, I'm not sure she'll tolerate riding in it much this year. One of her favorite phrases right now is "Me do it!"

And "Me do it!" she did. She hiked over 75% of the two-mile trip, including some elevation gain. I'll admit that my heart was in my throat at various points as she walked on the narrow trail hugging the side of a cliff. The Wise and Bearded One tried to stay between her and the drop off so she was always safe, but it was still a tiny bit scary. She did ask for a few piggyback rides but within 5 minutes or so she was ready to walk again.

She was less excited by the falls --"It bet (wet))!" "It bindy (windy)" were her complaints--than she was by the many sticks and rocks to be found on the trail and hucked into the nearby creek. She got lots of praise for being a good hiker and for going forward (instead of turning around and backtracking as she is prone to do). The last quarter mile back to the parking lot is a long wide flat trail. She was full of joy and still had vim and vigor left. She would crouch down and say "Ready! Set! Go!" and take off and run a few feet. Laugh with glee and repeat.

All in all, it was a lovely little hike and hopefully a precursor of many hikes to come this summer.











Some of these photos are thanks to the Wise and Bearded One (and can we say Handsome One, too!?). More photos exist over on Flickr if these aren't enough for you (Hi, Mom!).