lots of rain...

...makes for a washed-out hiking trail.



Not complaining though -- it's always nice to get outside.

blur = grrrrrrrr

The Empty Nesters went hiking at Silver Falls State Park (in Oregon) today. It's a beautiful area and features a hiking trail that takes you to 10 waterfalls in 7 miles. We hiked a little over 5 miles, saw 8 waterfalls, and called it good.

Here's the first waterfall from the front:



And you can hike behind it too:



I took lots of pictures, but my rackin' frackin' camera was really acting up so the majority didn't turn out. (My Christmas list is growing!) So, sadly, you won't get to see Presbyterian Gal photoshopped going over one of the falls in a barrel.

empty nest adventure

Early Saturday morning was cool and rainy. But the blue sky made an appearance later in the morning, so the Empty Nest Hiking Club set off on a hike to the aptly named Gnat Creek.

You can see our hike (and share in our surprise) here:



OK, so I took some creative liberties.

the empty nest (& bare bottom) hiking club

Guess Hubby and I will have to rethink our next hiking destination... and/or attire. We just read in USA Today that voters in a region of the Swiss Alps recently passed legislation banning naked hiking. Apparently dozens of mostly German nudists had started sauntering through the Alps wearing nothing more than socks and boots, and this upset many Swiss citizens who called the back-to-nature activity both "disturbing" and "irritating".

I suppose we could still go if we've got the 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine money. But come to think of it, I'm supposed to be wearing sun protective clothing anyway.

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Click on picture to enlarge at your own risk. :) And no, it's not me in the photo. I got it from here

spirituality of place

I'm currently reading (and enjoying) Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia. I think this little blurb from Amazon describes the book quite well:

Envied by people around the world, Cascadia - which includes British Columbia, Washington and Oregon - is remarkable for its mountains, evergreens, eagles, beaches, and liveable cities. Cascadia is also home to the least institutionally religious people in the continent. Despite their unusual resistance to old ways of doing religion, this book argues that most of the 14 million residents of this rugged land are often deeply spiritual, gaining their sense of the sacred through the land. The contributors, who include leading historians, economists, poets and more from both sides of the border, explain how the Pacific Northwest is nurturing a unique 'spirituality of place', which could become a model for the planet.



I do like the idea of 'spirituality of place'. And last weekend, Hubby and I "got some churchin'" as we checked out Oxbow Regional Park in the Portland area. I think it would be fairly crowded in the summer months, but (since it was mid-February) we pretty much had the place to ourselves.



One of the trails takes you by the Sandy River...

Another trail takes you into a forest...


The book quotes John Mikes as saying: "We don't have the galleries and cathedrals of Europe here. We have wilderness..."

Actually I think these trees are rather cathedralesque:


(Hmm... they also look a bit Dr. Seuss-ish, but that's veering off topic...)

hiking the hills

I was reading in USA Today that Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in the process of taking public comments on the environmental impact of adding 10 miles of backcountry hiking trails in the Black Hills. These trails would include scenic overlooks, and the project would fit in with a National Park Service program in 2016 to celebrate 100 years of national parks.

Since I grew up in the Dakotas and have been to the Black Hills many, many (did I mention many?) times, I read this story with great interest. I think the addition of new, well-marked hiking trails would be great, because the last time Hubby and I went hiking around Mount Rushmore we used an unofficial trail. We had some problems.

First Hubby took a wrong turn:



Then I slipped on the rocks:



It just seemed to go from bad to worse...



So hopefully the plan for the new trails will be approved.


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googled the North by Northwest pictures
(Love that movie!)

and still more of the white stuff...

Yep, we had a little more snow today. The amount of snowfall so far this winter in our area is the most we've seen since we've lived here (22 plus years). There really wasn't enough snow for snowshoeing, so Hubby and I went 'shoe-snowing' -- i.e. we just put on our regular footwear and walked in the snow. But I do like the term 'shoe-snowing'. Wonder if I can submit it to Merriam Webster.

Anywhoo, we went to Hoyt Arboretum, a greenspace just a couple of miles from downtown Portland.

saturday at the refuge

The Empty Nest Hiking Club decided to check out the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge today. In spite of it being relatively close by, we'd never been there before. According to their brochure, the refuge is home to a variety of animals, including opossums, rabbits, chipmunks, coyotes, mink, deer, and elk. On our hike along the "Oaks to Wetlands Trail" we saw...

drum roll please...

garter snakes.

Yep, that was it. Several garter snakes. Although to be fair, we did see lots of cool birds -- including a pair of eagles. Plus the weather was beautiful (warm and sunny) and the trails were pleasant, winding around a couple of lakes.

Pictured above: The Hub by Really Big Tree. (I'm glad to know I didn't take botany for nuthin' -- see how I remembered the proper botanical name of the tree?)

Cape Disappointment

The Empty Nest Hiking Club had high hopes to try out the new webs (yeah, that's hip talk for snowshoes) today, but the weather was totally uncooperative -- including high avalanche risk, sno park closures, etc. The situation could be summed up in one word: disappointment.

So we decided to embrace that word and head to the coast to hike at Cape Disappointment. It was a nice hike which included visits to two lighthouses in the area. Two minute video below if anybody is interested...

when you come to the fork in the road... take it

As predicted, with Offsprings #1 and #2 back at college, the Empty Nest Hiking Club resumed their travels. Hubby & I went to Lacamas Lake (in SW Washington) yesterday.

The good news: In spite of threatening rain clouds, we did not get rained on.
The bad news: We got lost. And more than once!

It was the weirdest thing. We'd be hiking along and suddenly come to multiple forks in the trail -- with none of them marked. Which path should we choose?! (Oooh, now there's a metaphor for life!) Luckily there finally was one sign we encountered where it was abundantly clear that we needed to reverse course:



OK, I made that up.

Anyway, we eventually figured things out. And all in all it was a pretty good hike with nice woods, a lake, and even a couple of waterfalls thrown in for good measure. It was quite overcast, so I really didn't get any decent pictures. Here's a shot of one of the waterfalls though...

addendum to last post

If you're interested, an approximately 2 minute video of our snowshoeing can be found here. I'd highly recommend the smaller screen version when you get to youtube. (I'm not sure how to improve the resolution of these video slideshows, but the smaller screen is definitely better.)

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photo by Offspring #1

snow ho ho!

My family was dreaming of a White Christmas... but since we live in the Pacific Northwest, we had to drive to the "White" part.

The Full Nest -- yep, Offsprings #1 & #2, Hubby, and I -- went to Mt Hood to go snowshoeing today. We had lots o' fun, and it was an incredibly beautiful day, as the mountain was blanketed by freshly fallen snow.

Perhaps it's because my 'work day' is spent in somewhat dimly illuminated exam rooms (ah, the life of an eye doctor), but I have a special appreciation for being in the great outdoors.


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(picture of Offspring #2 and me taken by Offspring #1)

yep, another hike

Yesterday, The Empty Nest Hiking Club (that would be Hubby and me) went on another hike -- this one to Lewis River Falls near Mt St Helens. It was a 7 mile hike, so to borrow a phrase from one of the Joads (I think) in The Grapes of Wrath, "my dogs were tired" at the end of the day. (OK, they really weren't all that tired because it was easy terrain, but I like that expression...) Also, Hubby fell on the slippery rocks at one point and tweaked his shoulder. However, it really was a beautiful day and very nice hike. The trail goes through Douglas fir woods and there are three lovely waterfalls along the way. Pictured here are the Lower Falls at the very beginning of the hike. On the way home we drove by this great view of Mt St Helens so I had to get out and snap a picture.

If you want to see the photo slide show of yesterday's hike at youtube, click here. (I'd suggest using the small screen option -- it's more clear.) If you have had your fill of The Empty Nest Hiking Club, do not click on the link.

another empty nest hike!

Made some minestrone in my beloved crock pot (the perfect lazy person's cooking apparatus), then went on a rainy day Saturday hike at a wetlands not too far from here. When we got home, the minestrone was waiting for us.

Here's the hike!

a 1 minute, 44 second look at my day

So I'm in a new club: The Empty Nest Hiking Club. So far we've got two members. :) Here's our 'inaugural hike' at Battleground Lake. We had a nice day, and the weather cooperated -- skies were gray but no rain so no complaints!

(By the way, for those of you who saw this last night, I fixed the choppy problem! Woo hoo!)