Week 30 - Eagle Creek/Columbia - July 27 - July 31, 2022
Eagle Creek!!!! A quintessential hike that every hiker should do at least one in their life. I know for sure that I have done it four times. Once on 25 June 1986 with Ray, Jessica, Ivan, Bev, Travis, Greg and Sandy Wall....Warren stayed with Grandma Gray (Lorraine). The second was with Kyna and scouts, the third was with Ryan and Natalie and Evan, And this time with Olga and Camille. The temperature was HOT...really HOT....in the 98-100. We got a late start and nearly melted before we got to a campsite.
Maybe as impressive as the trail itself is the story of how it was built. It was begun in 1915 as part of the work on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The East Side Progressive Businessman's Club of Portland was behind some of the funding, with the total construction cost put at $18,600. In many sections, workers used dynamite to blast the trail out of cliff faces. The Forest Service's first full-service campground was established where the fish hatchery now is, and soon thousands of people could enjoy areas that were impossible to traverse otherwise. The original trail has remained nearly unchanged to this day although some work to widen the route was accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935.
A classic photo of the trail, carved into the side of a cliff, the cable attached to the cliff, the steep drop off, and the sun shinning hotly on the trail.
Punch Bowl Falls - I suggested we look at it on the way back (but we never did because...read this...
At the junction with the Lower Punch Bowl Trail #440B, you can go right to switchback down into the gorge, getting views below of little Lower Punch Bowl Falls above a logjam. The spur trail takes you down about 300 feet in a quarter of a mile. When you get to the creek, you'll notice a massive amount of debris across the water and a fresh scar on the cliffs opposite. This landslide occurred near the beginning of 2018 and initially blocked the creek. While hikers used to be able to work their way up the wide open, cobbled shoreline to a view of Punch Bowl Falls about a hundred yards upstream, this is now a rocky scramble. In the summer months, the shore at Lower Punch Bowl Falls can be a crowded area, but given the right weekday in the off-season, this is an enchanted, quaint setting as you contemplate the forces of nature.
So now I know why I couldn't find the trail to Punch Bowl Falls.
We continued up the the river and at High Bridge a phot took. Olga doesn't look too happy because she had just leaned up against the post which wasn't securely fastened in the ground and nearly toppled....she wouldn't have fallen into the river, but nevertheless, it was an intimidating incident.
The High Bridge - at about mile 4.
And the chasm below it.
I had intended to camp at Tenas Camp, but could never find the side trail - - probably because it was covered up by new growth occurring after the big fire in 2017. Fortunately Camille had see two blotches of color in the trees. Turned out they were hammocks from a couple who were camping a bit off the trail. We stopped there, found a crummy place to plop down and a barely flat place for out tent. We didn't care - it was hot and we were beat.
Typical burned forest photo
Typical tired backpacker
Tuesday morning we headed upstream with the goal of reaching Tunnel Falls by lunchtime. Crossed 4 1/2 Mile Bridge just a bit beyond our campsite
All along the trail there were gorgeous waterfalls - so many......that I didn't take photos of all.
Okay - here is one....a "lesser falls"
I was saving my film for Tunnel Falls. Enjoy them all.
You can barely see Olga at the entrance to the tunnel Her arms raised in Victory!
We were talking to a hiker who we met coming downstream. He said, "Are you going to Criss Cross Falls?" What??? I'd never heard of it, but after he showed us photos we decided the additional quarter of a mile was worth it. Forward!!
And there it was - as good as the hiker guy had said it would be.
And beyond were pools suitable for swimming by energetic young people.
We ended up at a pretty flat place and had lunch and dabbled our feet in the water.
We headed back to our campsite, ate dinner, and were in our bags by late dusk....so we cold get up early and hike out before the temps got in the upper 90's again.
We ended our excursion with an ice cream run to East Wind Drive-in in Cascade Locks.
The week ended with our ward campout at Oxbow Park, Considering everything (the upper 99's heat), it was a success. And unofficial head count from mental pictures of three people was at a bout 45 people. I counted ten tents and ten cars parked overnight.
Lots of games for kids
Whitney and Holland with water guns and no tears.
New people.
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