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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Exploring the Dry Side: Washington's Columbia Gorge

We're settled for the week at Bridge RV Park in White Salmon, WA. Just across the Columbia River from bustling Hood River, OR; the pace is more relaxed, less traffic, the same wonderful scenery. Our park is small and pretty and conveniently located, with the only negative being the noise from hwy 14.

Right across the street from our RV park is a bald eagle nest.
There seems to be one juvenile and we regularly see an adult as well.

This is approximately the midpoint of the Columbia River Gorge, the point where the trees and green start thinning out and summers golden grasses cover the hillsides. It turns out the Washington side is also known as the dry side due to its Southern exposure. So far we've spent a couple of days exploring some lovely trails just East of White Salmon.

Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail

The big reward on this hike is the Columbia River Gorge Views. In the spring the flowers are supposed to be incredible on these hillsides, we were too late for that. Our destination, the ancient cherry orchard, was kind of anticlimactic, but the views and pretty meadows along the trail were the true highlights of this hike.

There are three things to watch out for on this trail: poison oak, rattlesnakes and ticks. There is no way to get around the poison oak because it is thick along this trail. We wore long pants and were very careful and neither of us were affected...perhaps we are just not susceptible. We did not pick up any ticks, perhaps because we sprayed ourselves well with a Picaridin spray. Lastly, we did see a rattlesnake...Hans stepped right over it and I about had a heart attack when seconds later I saw it on the trail in front of me!

Dramatic lava outcroppings rose above us.
These meadows are full of flowers in April and May.

Nearing the high point of the trail the views of the Columbia River Gorge were magnificent.

Labyrinth Loop

This was a wonderful 5.8 mile loop hike. We climbed gently through a mix of grasslands, oak forests, towering basalt rock outcroppings, even saw a couple of tiny water features. The views up and down the Columbia River were spectacular and Mt Hood was visible in all her glory too. Plenty of unmarked intersections on this trail, you'll need to follow the linked instructions closely, making judgement calls along the way.

The trail starts on an old highway that is now home for fallen boulders.

Towering columnar basalt formations made a dramatic backdrop along the trail.
 
A sternwheeler slowly makes its way East up the Columbia River.


As we ascended the trail Mt Hood was the prominent feature in our Western view.


Heading back to the truck we spotted this osprey pair hanging out on their nest.

We learned that Hector and Brenda of Island Girl Walkabout fame were staying nearby so we arranged to meet them at Everybody's Brewing, the local brewpub in White Salmon, with a fabulous Mt Hood view from their patio. We had a great time getting to know them and learned they started fulltiming on the SAME DAY we did...what a weird coincidence! Looks like our paths will cross again in the next year too, yay!

Good times with fellow full timers, Hector and Brenda.

It's hard to see Mt Hood in the photo above...this is your view from the patio...AWESOME!


23 comments:

  1. Yay, you guys stayed the same place we did. And all your pics are gorgeous. Its a small world, you also met Hector and Brenda! Cheers to all of you having fun out there. There is also a trail on the WA side called Klickticat Trail and the Dulles for biking.

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    1. Yes, it's thanks to you that we knew they were in the area! I figured we were in the same park you guys stayed at! Very pretty park...but the hwy noise is really annoying. I wish we had gotten one of the sites in the rear, they are sweet!

      I've been eyeing that Klickitat Trail...

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    2. Hmm, I think the Eagle Creek Trail is more challenging than Klickitat Trail :)

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    3. Yes indeed! I would love to hike the Eagle Creek trail, looks awesome, but it may be farther than we feel like driving...

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  2. Love the Gorge, always nice to see!

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  3. Absolutely beautiful Lisa! I am so longing to hit some trails...on foot!

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  4. Funny, Jim has stepped over and right beside a rattlesnake twice without knowing it, but then it was me who had to avoid it as it moved. I go first on the trails now!

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    1. OMG! The realization of what could have happened just freaked me out when I saw he missed it! It really could have been either one of us, I am always looking for photo opps...

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  5. I'm in the heart attack over rattlesnake club. I think that may be the one creature I really am terrified of. Too fast, too deadly. Your first picture of the Columbia Gorge is gorgeous. I think more roads with boulders over them and turned into hiking trails is a great idea. I love that you do so many hikes. It gives me great ideas for where we can go hiking. Thanks.

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    1. Yeah, this one was a little too close for comfort!

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  6. Oooooh, you guys are getting close! I am at the Columbia River RV Park in Portland "in real life" haha!! (a week behind on the blog.) Give me a shout if you are anywhere close by!

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    1. :-) We will be at your RV park on Monday for a week!

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  7. How cool that you met up with Hector and Brenda!! What a great view and company:)

    Looks like beautiful hiking except that first one:) We only did one long hike in the Columbia River Gorge area. We hiked up the main big falls there, can't remember the name but we kept going way beyond the crowds and did a loop. Very cool and most of it we were all alone.

    Looking forward to more adventures and brewery tours!

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    1. I forgot to mention that the second hike had lots of poison oak too! You know, we wore long hiking pants and I washed them in the shower with some soap right after we hiked, then dried them out on the picnic table. This has worked well for two hikes in a row...no poison oak rashes!

      We have a hiked a lot of the falls before, and many of them are a good long drive West of us. We'll see what the rest of the week brings!

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  8. I don't know that I've ever seen the golden end of the river, it looks like a different planet. Love that you can see so far - Mt Hood is always majestic. Snakes on the trail are startling but they are one of my favorite critters. Now ticks....insidious little creatures with the potential to do as much harm.....those guys I can't stand :-(.

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    1. Snakes, bears, moose...I love seeing all kinds of animals on the trail (even if they scare me)! I agree with you on the ticks...and I am really happy to say that we have not seen any ticks since we started spraying ourselves with Pecaridin.

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  9. Snakes! I hate snakes! And ticks - they just creep me out. I picked up a tick in the Czech Republic, it just weirded me out so bad. Sometimes, there is too much nature. Did the snake Hans stepped over rattle at all?

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    1. Nope, it was probably sleeping in the sun and he woke it up. Seconds later when I saw it, it was slithering off the trail...but no rattle.

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  10. We were in the Gorge last June for a week -- loved it and can't wait to get back! We crisscrossed back and forth across the Columbia for hiking and biking adventures -- next time we'll have to do the Labyrinth Loop. Did you go to Columbia River State Park? Fabulous petroglyphs.

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  11. Love the pics. It looks so green and cool. Could use some of that back her in Tucson it has been run between 103 to 107 to hot for any hiking.
    Leila

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