Horsetail Falls TH and Elowah Falls TH hikes 24 May 2013

The weather forecast was for rain, but I needed to get outside so I decided to go ahead and hike in the Gorge.  I chose two trailheads that had sections that led to additional falls.  I arrived at Horsetail Falls TH at around 9:15a and there were two cars in the lot.  It was not raining but the clouds were low and fog was covering the hills.  It was beautiful!  The trees dripped on me the entire hike.  After visiting Horsetail Falls from the road, and Ponytail falls (.2 mi in) I hiked to Oneonta Falls and footbridge.  So pretty in the canyon.  The photos don't show the majestic size of it all.  At the junction, I headed left to Triple Falls another 300 ft and one mile up the gorge.  This was beautiful too, with a footbridge on which I could prop the camera to take some slow shutter speed water shots.  Headed back and finished up the loop, though you do have to walk along the road for .5 miles.  
From Horsetail Falls TH I headed east to the Elowah Falls TH.  I ate lunch on the way.  The trail to Elowah isn't remarkable, it is along the road, but the falls magnificent, dropping in a single stream into a basalt bowl.  There is a footbridge, however, in crossing it, I got soaking wet from the wind emanating from the spray.  But as I walked I managed to dry out a bit.  I backtracked .4 mi to the junction with Upper McCord Creek Falls and hiked up to it 1 mile.  The trail rims one of those huge basalt monoliths with a skinny carved out path lined with a rail (good thing) and the wall of rock covered in wildflowers. The view is across to Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mtn.  McCord Creek falls were double falls, very pretty, lush green surroundings.  The trail ended at the falls.

Horsetail Falls

Ponytail Falls

Oneonta Falls and Footbridge

Triple Falls

Above Triple Falls

View of the Columbia on the way down from Triple Falls

Elowah Falls

trail to Mc Cord Creek Falls

View from trail to McCord Creek falls

trail on the return

looking across to Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mtn

Hamilton Mountain 17 May 2013

On this cloudy spring day Jean and I headed up to Hamilton Mountain on the WA side of the Gorge around Mile Marker 35 and Beacon Rock.  It is a civilized 7.6 mile hike with 2000 ft altitude gain.  As you begin the hike you are confronted with a view of where you are headed.

It was a lovely day, cool and partly cloudy.  The falls were beautiful and the forest the fluorescent green that comes with new leaves.  We made good time, and didn't see a soul until we were well back on Hardy Falls trail leading to the parking lot.  The trail is a loop that goes to the top of the mountain, then north along the ridgecrest.  The summit's view is not great - the view is partly obscured by brush, but the Sullivan book said that if we traveled along the ridgecrest we would have more views.  We came out onto a nice rocky flat area where we had lunch while looking at Table Mountain and watching the swallows dive and twirl above and below us.  Heading back, we followed a road for a mile or so then picked up a path again following along Hardy Creek.   - A beautiful hike - my favorite in the Gorge to date.

Rodney Falls

Hardy Falls

Hardy Creek

footbridge between Rodney Falls and Hardy Falls

Delphinium

wild dandelion

phlox

the cliffs on the side of Hamilton Mtn

view of Table Mtn from the summit

lunch with the swallows

looking west

looking North

Table Mtn

Beacon Rock and the Columbia River

along the ridgecrest

Table Mtn

Beacon Rock and the Columbia River

lunch spot

looking back

Hardy Falls in the sun

Bridge of the Gods

Stacker Butte, Columbia Hills, WA 5 May 2013

I undertook this hike along a service road early on a Sunday morning.  It is quite a distance from home, about 2.5 hours, directly across from The Dalles.  The hike would be unremarkable at any time of year but now.  Now the lupine and balsamroot are blooming and yellow dotted with purple and red Indian Paintbrush dot the many hills.  The hike is about 2.5 miles to the top of the Butte where the view is of satellite dish towers and Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, the Tatoosh Range to the north, and Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson to the south.  The day was clear, warm, and breezy.  I had the hills to myself until I journeyed down...then I ran into the hordes!

Looking back the road I just drove up

the Columbia Hills covered in Balsamroot

and lupine

and paintbrush

view of Mt Hood

at the top of Stacker Butte, view of Mt Adams and Mt Rainier, Tatoosh range

on my way out