August 2020

Summer Fun with Naomi and Irene 2020 

WEEKEND CABIN RETREAT August 14-16, 2020

Trapper Creek, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA

Kimie and I have a very generous friend who offers her cabin to us around once a year in the summer when she can't use it.  I've been there with friends, with the kids, and even for just day visits to splash in the creek since the boys were young.  It is a magical place - no electricity, propane stove and fridge, and gas light fixtures.  It is so quiet and restful with no internet or phones. I love hearing the creek all day and night, only 10 steps away from the back door.  If I had enthusiastic hikers with me, I'd enjoy that, but I'm also OK with bringing a pile of books and reading in the dim light filtered through a shady tree canopy, enjoying how time moves more slowly.

Here are a few pics of our very enjoyable time there earlier this month.

RAMONA FALLS August 21, 2020

Mt Hood National Forest, OR

A hike I have always wanted to do, as long as I have lived here in Portland - 30 years, sheesh!  Finally.  I took the girls on Friday.  It was perfect, not too long, just 7 miles round trip, not too steep, mostly forested and shady for a warm summer day, and with a great reward of a gorgeous waterfall.  Here are the photos:

I got a little bit over excited and didn't read the map.  Instead of following the Sandy River for a ways and reaching the obvious marked crossing, I thought we had to cross as soon as the trail came to the river bank.  Uh, so we crossed on this not-so-easy fallen tree with lots of stubby broken branch ends to navigate over a pretty fast flowing and wide section.  Of course the next thing that happened after that was we found no trail on the other side, and the girls were doubting my leadership as we made our way through what I felt was a mostly pleasant open understory - no thorns, thickets, or stinging insects.  Of course we eventually met the trail after a mile or so, and the girls were relieved to see other human beings and to walk along a clear path.

Ramona Falls! The girls were just as impressed as I was.  I only had my not-fancy mobile phone camera, and as luck would have it, it was actually a pretty overcast and cool day, much to my liking -- it even sprinkled on us a bit!  But it was a little dark in the woods for photos.

Here's the real river crossing on the way back, very shallow, a narrow crossing on easy logs with hand-holds.  There used to be a bridge, but it was not replaced when it washed out some years ago.

That's it, my one hike for the summer, but it was a good one.  The girls did great, but they will likely decline the next offer.  I need a new hiking buddy!

-Julie 8/25/2020