Indian Point

Another great hike in the Columbia River Gorge – Indian Point! Yes! It’s on the Oregon side of the river and comparable to Dog Mountain on the Washington side. In fact, at the “point” I sat there looking at Dog Mountain. I don’t know what my obsession is with the ol’ Dog but I do love it and get excited just seeing it! Anyway, this was my first time to hike up Indian Point. My adventure sister and I are trying to go on hikes I have not been on before. She has been on so many of them but I found a few in a book of hers that will be new to her too. I can't wait for us to discover those together! It's always great seeing something for the first time!

Indian Point has different routes to get up it, like many mountains do. We happened to go up the route Lidia meant for us to come down (a tad bit easier) but as I was taking breathing breaks along the way, I was happy we made that little error down below. I’m still packing too much weight around my middle (story of my life!!) and going up on such a steep slope is difficult at times because of it. The other route is much steeper than the one we took. We will eventually go back and take the tougher route (We definitely need the training to prepare for another climb up St. Helens next month! woohoo!) but today I was happy with the route we were on. It was work but I still enjoyed it.

To get to Indian Point you have to go through a burn area from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. The trees are charred black but the new growth on the forest floor is bright green with a beautiful assortment of colorful flowers everywhere you look. As usual, we took our time hiking up that mountain and stopped to take pictures at every turn. :) 

You reach a high point where you can see Indian Point down below through the trees. Not far from this point you leave the trail and scramble down the steep hillside to get to the rock saddle and Point. Getting out to the saddle is very narrow for a few feet (I only had one small heart attack moment) but then it opens up wider. Me, the often times timid one, was able to walk out there without panic. Of course I wasn't going to climb on the actual Point but Lidia climbed about half way up it (I had a hard time watching her!). When we were hiking out of there, we saw a man sitting on the very top of it! Yikes!!

After climbing back up to the trail, the hike down the mountain was painless and naturally a lot faster than going up. We talked a lot, took more pictures and soaked in the beauty surrounding us. I can never get enough of the mountains and would rather be out there than anywhere else.  Lidia and I hiked 9.06 miles today and had a total elevation gain of 2,988 feet. An awesome day! 

My entire weekend was awesome! Between the two hikes I hike 18.1 miles and had a total elevation gain of 4538 feet. Not too shabby for a weekend warrior! ;)

Photo Credit: L.M.

  

Indian Point from above

Mt. Adams

We were up at the top of that before having
to scramble down to Indian Point

Dog Mountain at top left :)

Photo Credit: L.M.

Lidia... the BRAVE one!

Mt. St. Helens

2019 Hike 13/52

9.06 Miles

Ramona Falls

Today’s hike was to Ramona Falls in the Mount Hood Wilderness area outside of Welches/Rhododendron, Oregon. I have viewed countless pictures of Ramona Falls online but for whatever reason have never gone to see it myself. My co-worker, Marissa, wanted me to take her hiking so after some research I decided this would be a good hike for her - someone that doesn’t own a backpack or hiking boots! She’s a runner so I wasn’t worried about the mileage - she could do long miles. I knew I could carry enough food and water for both of us and anything else we needed but I was concerned about the terrain. I didn’t want to take her on a hike that was too rocky or a trail that was still covered in snow so Ramona Falls seemed to be a good choice.

We got to the trailhead early and took off. I loved seeing Marissa’s excitement over the beauty of the forest. It turns out she’s a lot like me and would love to just drop everything and live in the woods! Tent life awaits us, my friend!

A mile into the hike we had to cross the Sandy River. River crossings are not my thing… I’m fearful, have crappy balance and don’t enjoy it at all. We walked up and down the bank of the river looking for an easy place to cross but no such luck. We went back to the logs that were somewhat secured in the area of the trail and decided there was no other way but this to get across.  I had to pull up my big girl panties and just go for it. I’m happy to report that I did not stall out, did not shake uncontrollably, and did not fall in! Go me! Marissa crossed like a pro!

It was a gradual climb up for another 3.5 miles to the falls. We were on the Pacific Crest Trail for awhile and talked about all of the thru hikers that had been and would eventually be in this same exact spot. Total admiration. I remember the first time I hiked on part of the Pacific Crest Trail... I was so excited and giddy! Marissa had the same reaction. There's just something special about it - feeling like you're in some way a part of something so grand.

Photo Credit: M.W.

Ramona Falls is GORGEOUS! Wow! It is magical... there is no other way to describe it. We sat at the falls in awe (all the shivering in the cold mist and shade was totally worth the view!), ate our lunch, took a gazillion pictures and talked about life. I really enjoyed getting to know Marissa a little more than just the co-worker I know in the office. She's such a good person and I definitely look forward to hiking with her again!

 

Photo Credit: M.W.

We eventually left the falls and found ourselves jumping across - okay... jumping half way across and splashing into - the Ramona Creek so we could explore areas on the other side of it. We saw huge mushrooms, a lush green forest floor, patches of snow and a very cool rock wall. We took a million more pictures and acted like kids on an adventure! It was great fun! 

Ramona Creek

 

Photo Credit: M.W.

Photo Credit: M.W.

There are always "friends" in the forest! Such a cutie! ;)

Of course we had to cross the Sandy River a second time on the return trip. Total success! ;)

Photo Credit: M.W.

It was another great day outside - lots of smiles, laughter and a newfound friendship. We hiked a total of 9.04 miles and had an elevation gain of 1550 feet.


2019 Hike 12/52
9.04 Miles