Coyote Wall 20 Mar 2015

First day of spring!  Headed out to Coyote Wall because I knew the flowers were showing up early this year.  I hiked the same hike on 4 April last year but saw a lot more variety of flowers this year.  It was a cloudy day  - great for photographing the flowers.  I had the wall to myself until lunchtime.  Beautiful!

For more flower photos:  Picasa link
Map of hike

I started the hike at the Labyrinth Trail about 0.8 miles down the road from the car. Joined the Hidden Creek trail then Atwood Road.  Headed over to the wall and hiked up for the view.  On the way down I took the Little Maui Trail then joined a regular wall trail to exit back to the road.  7 mi 1500 ft gain

Grass widows and cinquefoil?

oaks

larkspur

yellow filliary

oak forest

Columbia Desert Parsley

Balsamroot

Coyote Wall

Lunch spot

surprise pond

Multnomah to Wakeena Falls 1 March 2015

A quick hike to stretch body and legs weary from sitting for three days.  Beautiful day, lots of folks enjoying the trail...5.3 miles 1600 ft gain.

Multnomah to Wakeena map

Vista House

Sunday at the Falls

Falls on Multnomah Creek

afternoon light

reflections

Smith Rock 6 March 2015

What a beautiful day!  We arrived in time for the gorgeous morning light.  We hiked the loop clockwise without going up Misery Ridge.  All in all we still hike 7.3 miles and gained 2000ft.  This was the first time I had ever seen the Cascade volcanoes from this location - from Diamond Peak to Olalie Butte more than 10 snow covered peaks!

Map of hike

Crooked River and Smith Rock

Diamond Peak, Broken Top, Three Sisters, Black Crater, Belknap Crater, Washington, Black Butte

Monkey Face

pretty grasses

phlox - the only blooming flower

colorful lichens

Black Butte, Three Fingered Jack, Jefferson and the Crooked River

Bachelor and Coffin Mtn 21 Feb 2015

Ann, Kimberly and I headed up to Bachelor and Coffin Mtn  because the ranger said the road was clear.  It was a beautiful crisp day - rain in the distance but nothing on us.  It was cold though - the wind at the summits was particularly chilling!  We hiked about 7 miles total with about 2200 ft gain.  Beautiful, beautiful day!

Bachelor Map
Coffin Mtn Map

the trees with skirts in the forest on the way to Bachelor Mtn

ran in to some snow

all the mtns had their 'heads' in the clouds

Coffin Mtn

Bachelor in the distance

Cape Kiwanda 16 Feb 2015

I left Manzanita around 10:30a and headed for Cape Kiwanda.  I had stopped there once before but had not explored the enormous sandstone bluffs.  I suppose they are technically off limits but there were people and trails everywhere - a huge attraction to the locals.  They seemed to know what they were doing so I followed them.  The rocks were fabulous, wind and water eroded into cool patterns and shapes.  I only had time for one of the sections so I will have to go back for more one day.

Cape Kiwanda Map

Dory boat fishermen and Haystack Rock

from the top

looking over at another section of the cape

narrow trail

sandstone finger

three teen boys hopping and jumping everywhere!

people kept climbing up on this rock for photos, making me nervous as there is a drop off on the other side

I think you are supposed to stay on the other side of the fence

Haystack and Cape Kiwanda

Nehalem Beach 16 Feb 2015

I spent the night in Manzanita and awoke to a howling wind.  I checked the weather and NOAA predicted extreme gusts everywhere.  But, sometimes they are wrong and things change.  I left my room around 8a to walk on the beach for 2 hours.  I knew the end of the Nehalem Spit was about 5+ miles away and wouldn't reach it - but would save that for another time.  The beach is a pretty one.  In the north you have a view of Cape Falcon and Neahkahnie Mtn.  South it's Tillamook Head.   Once you leave the nice homes of Manzanita behind, it is all dunes and beach grass.  To vary the walk, on the way back I took a signed trail heading inland to a Horse Camp at Nehalem Bay State Park.  No one was camping with their horses, but right next door were lots of campers enjoying the lovely weekend.  Very nice campground, though spaces are tight.  I walked through to the end and saw they also have a campground for hikers and bikers where you must have to "hike in".  I followed the road in the neighborhood for a bit until I found a way back to the beach, then to the motel.  I ended up hiking about 6 miles in a little over 2 hours.  By the way, the wind was not an issue.
Map:  Nehalem Beach

Neahkahnie Mtn and Cape Falcon

coming back to the beach through the grass

horse camp