Getting There
The weather was amazing, the temp were in the upper 60s and blue skies for miles.
I took I-84 east and parked in the Multnomah Falls parking lot between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Plus, real or imagined, I'm guessing this parking lot is "safer" due to high turnover and cameras.
The lot was about 1/2 way full, plenty of open spots.
The Hike
Elev. gain: 2,293 ft
Moving time: 3:23:09
Avg pace: 25:21
Calories: 2,052
Total time: 3:51:28
Type: Out and Back
Now that the time changed to Daylight Savings in March, I can get a late start and not feel rushed to beat the sunset. I decided in the late morning that I wanted to go for a hike. I'm fortunate to have the time and resources for a midweek hike.
Last time I was out (Hamilton) I got a bloody nose early into the hike. I was weary of it happening again so I packed tissue and supplies to deal with it. I also made sure not to strain too much.
Even though I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, I was feeling a bit sluggish from the beginning. I was hiking faster that most other folks on the trail but it felt like I had weights on my feet. My heart felt good, not beating super fast or hard. I knew that I hadn't properly nourished my body. I pushed through the fatigue and continued past Lemmon's Viewpoint.
The trail damage is still an issue around Fairy Falls and above at one of the switchbacks: the entire hillside collapsed. There is a steep detour but it required care and caution.
I slogged up to the top where the Vista and Devil's Rest trails met. I stopped and had some trail mix and electrolyte water. It didn't work right away but I felt better. I decided to bail on hiking up to Devil's Rest. I was just going to hike to Multnomah Falls, back to the car.
When I reached the junction for the descent, I was feeling pretty good. I went up the Larch Mountain trail for awhile: I wanted to go to the spot I reached last March 2023. I didn't quite reach it but was close enough. I certainly wasn't going to have nearly enough time to reach Sherrard Point (some day).
On the way back to the Multnomah Creek junction, I decided to backtrack to the Wahkeena Falls trail. I had the time and energy and wanted to skip any crowds at Multnomah Falls.
I'd been seeing trail markers for a running race this past weekend. They
routed the race past Vista Point so I took that route. The views are amazing, as usual.
Somewhere along my travels, I ran across these gorgeous flowers.
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| Arctic butterbur Petasites frigidis (L.) Fr. |
I felt strong the rest of way down. I remember seeing a guy at the Wahkeena Falls parking lot. I arrived with my big pack and InReach. I zoomed past him and hopped on the Return Trail. I didn't look back but imagined him being mind blown. LOL.
