GILLETTE LAKE

September 8, 2008

The Coon Family Hiking Club
Official 2008 Hike #1

LENGTH OF HIKE 5.0 miles - 5 hours 2 minutes

ELEVATION
Lowest: 100 feet
Highest: 400 feet
Total Change - 300 feet

2.5 miles to lake

Started: 12:04 PM
Arrived: 2:30 PM

Time up: 2 hours 26 minutes

2.5 miles return to parking lot

Started: 3:20 PM
Arrived: 5:06 PM

Time down: 1 hour 46 minutes

Total time Hiking to and from lake: 4 hours 12 minutes

Temperature at end of hike: 86 °F


Hiking books often mention this hike as simply the start of the one for Table Mountain. We are not going to be ready for Table Mountain this year, but we hope to do it next year in preparation for our goal in 2010.

About 40 years before Columbus came over to get things going in the New World, Table Mountain was the source of one of the major events of the Columbia River Gorge! A huge section of Table Mountain gave way and sent a landslide for the record books right out into the path of the Columbia River. Today the Columbia still flows a mile to the south of what its path was before the landslide. This terrain view from Google Maps shows Table Mountain on the upper left, and the debris path is very clearly visible pushing all the way into the river.

This Satellite photo, also from Google Maps , shows the very same area that was covered in the terrain view. Here you can see the vegetation covering the rock landslide. The mighty Columbia River veers off to the south, and Wauna Lake is sitting right in the middle of where the Columbia used to flow. Just below dead center of the picture you will see Gillette Lake, the goal of our hike today, and our entire hike was going to be across the rocks dropped by Table Mountain in the 15th century. The mountain still looks daunting, even from space.

At the very bottom of the picture part of the Bonneville Dam is visible, and it points right at the parking lot where we left our car to set off on our hike.

And speaking of the Bonneville Dam, here is a shot of the entire dam from Google Maps. Thanks to the the Table Mountain landslide, this location made building a dam easier than it would have been otherwise. It is built in three major pieces, with a lock visible on the southern end. Bonneville Lake has backed up behind the dam to the east. (This little lake is not to be confused with the great Lake Bonneville, who dumped flood water that ended up passing through this very area, after giving the Snake River a big workout. The Great Salt Lake is one of the few existing remnants of that ancient lake with a similar name. They do share the same origin of name, as they are both named for Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, a famous explorer of the 19th century. He moved to the USA from France at age 7, two years before Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark out on their famous mission of exploration with their Corps of Discovery, and the Corps camped three nights during their trip, within view of Table Mountain.)

This is another satellite view provided by those wonderful Google Maps, this time showing the entire route we would be hiking on this outing. Our hike would take us from the parking lot right across SR-14 from Bonneville Dam, off to the right, almost to the edge of this photo, where we got a really nice view of the Columbia River, and then in a nearly straight line to the northwest to Gillette Lake. You can see there are forested areas and some clear cut open areas as well. Those open areas really poured the heat onto our heads on the trip back. I would have really loved to have a few clouds on the trip back.

One final view provided by Google Maps, this one shows where we started our hike from, all the way from space. When I was born, our only satellite was the moon, and the Space Age all lay before us. Today we send satellites up like rice thrown at a wedding, by the handful. We usually don't even think about the near miracle it takes to do this, as we see images from space cameras, view relayed video from around the world, talk on phones routed through space vehicles, and take it all for granted.

If you look closely at the parking lot across from the end of the Bonneville Dam, you will see it is shaped in a "V", with a little feeder driveway coming in off the highway. Inside the "V" right near the junction point, trees are visible, and there is a restroom and information board there. We parked in the section of the "V" closest to the dam. We walked over to the part of the "V" and then straight to the right into the trees where the trailhead awaited us.

Dotti's brother Rip was with us on the hike and we enjoyed having his company. The temperature was up and it was 86° by the time we got back to the car. This really took a toll on me, and on much of the return trip from the lake, I felt very tired whenever we had to go uphill, especially in the direct sunlight.

Dotti has been going to the gym the last month, 4 or 5 times a week, and it really showed on this hike. While Rip and I got winded from time to time, and needed to take a rest break, Dotti was doing fine throughout the entire hike!



This hike was in our home state of Washington, and so we were able to drive out SR-14 to our trailhead, rather than having to go over to Oregon and take I-84, as is the case for all the Oregon Columbia River Gorge hikes we do. It was round 34 miles from our house to the Bonneville Trailhead, and we visited all the way out, and the drive passed very quickly.

This is the little driveway that comes from the highway to the parking lot. Table Mountain is off in the distance, looking very peaceful and, except for the section of its face that is all rock, showing that something had happened, you would never know it has caused such a fuss by blocking the river and creating the Bridge of the Gods.



Off to the left of Table Mountain is the 2,488-foot Hamilton Mountain, that Dotti and I hiked to the top of in 2004.

To the left of that the end of Bonneville Dam is visible. If you look closely, you will spot some high power lines that are running away from the dam, carrying some of the tremendous amount of power the dam is generating. We would run across those lines again, right up at the lake.


Something that is always welcome at a trailhead: a restroom. Big Smile This was a later start than usual for one of our hikes, and you can see the shadows the rocks and other objects are throwing are very short, because it is high noon.



The facilities were not the best, because there was no running water, but it was enclosed and functional.

This map shows where our hike was taking place. It also shows the entire length of the 2,650 mile-Pacific Crest Trail, running from Canada to Mexico, through the 3 states between them on the Pacific coast. It is the big brother of the 2,175 mile-Appalachian National Scenic Trail, another awesome hiking opportunity. (So many trails, so little time!) We would be walking a section of the famous Pacific Crest Trail today, and along the way we discussed how cool it would be to hike the entire trail.



We buy a Northwest Forest Pass every year, and if we forget to bring it, we just put the required sum in an envelope provided at most of the trailheads, and buy a day pass. We like to support those hard working people who create and maintain these trails and who make hiking such a wonderful experience in our area of the country.

Looking back at the car from next to the information sign, we can see Rip getting his hiking sticks set for the correct height. Dotti is behind the car, getting her fanny pack all ready to go.

The shadow from the trash can is falling almost exactly due north. We are just a bit above 45° latitude north, and we are approaching the autumnal equinox, which is when the sun is directly over the equator. The highest the sun can ever get in the sky at this time of year is only 45° above the southern horizon, and that means at the sun's zenith, an object will cast a shadow to the north exactly as long as its own height. That looks pretty close to what we are seeing with the trash can.



Rip looks eager and ready to hike.

One final adjustment on the hiking stick strap, to get it just right. Bonneville Dam is peeking at us from the background.



Here it is: the trailhead! The sign says it is the start of the Tamanous Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail is 0.6 miles away. It was hot and dry as well, so fire restrictions were in effect too. If a fire got going right now, it could be ugly.

We have hiked trails that have sections open to mounted equestrians, but it has been an abstract concept for us, since we had never actually encountered one on the trail. But here we found horseshoe impressions on the trail. This one obviously gets used by horses. Later on, we met two gentlemen on horseback heading south, who were very cordial as they passed by.



Rip was saying that he thought this trail was very similar to the ones around the West Hills of Portland where he used to live. I had to agree that they remind me of the Wildwood Trail that has its start near where Rip used to live. He said at least one of the trails around his house connected up to the Wildwood Trail.

Dotti stopped to take a picture of something that had caught her eye. Rip spied something off the trail as I turned and took this picture.

The north side of the Columbia River Gorge naturally has a "southern exposure" and therefore is drier than the south side is. There are fewer waterfalls, and less moss growing on the trees on the north. On this side we spotted not only moss growing on the north face of trees, but tree branches growing only on the south side in some instances.



Dotti spotted these pods hanging from a branch, and thought they looked interesting, and I agree!

It was about here when I was hit with a concern that we may have missed a turn. We were supposed to be heading generally towards the northwest, which would lead us away from the Columbia River. But, here we are running in what appears to be a parallel direction with the Columbia River. I didn't want to have to go back and retrace our steps, but I would rather do that early than late, if need be.

A quick check of the map showed that we were supposed to run along the river's course for a bit, and there was even a viewpoint marked on one of my maps that corresponded to about this location. All was well, AND we got a nice view of the Columbia River, and SR-14 crossing the train tracks, as well as a view looking down on some tall trees…we had been climbing already!



Dotti has a good eye for seeing things to shoot pictures of, and she is on the prowl here, looking up at the trees for anything interesting that might pop out at her. You can tell that the forest is not very thick right here, because the sun is shining down onto nearly everything you can see, and shadows are hard to come by. That was a recurring theme this day, as the temperature went up, the sun was unrelenting as was beating down.

Rip was taking the opporutinty to do some stretching when we stopped to let Dotti catch up from a photo stop she had made. I was explaining to Rip that my walking stick is also a monopod, and all I had to do was to unscrew the cap on top of it to exposed the threaded camera mounting, and if we were in a pinch to use the self-timer, "…I could lean it against a tree like so."



At different times during the hike, Rip would drift back to visit with Dotti for a while, and then move up to visit with me. We really enjoy his company on these hikes.

They thought they spotted some water off in the distance and we were trying to decide what body of water it might have been. In addition to Gillette Lake, there are a number of other lakes nearby. Kidney Lake appears to be slightly larger than Gillette Lake and lies almost directly due south from it. Wauna Lake is off to the east a bit, but it is many times larger than Gillette Lake. Small lakes include Hazel Lake, Spring Lake, Black Lake, Little Black Lake and Fern Lake. And those are the named ones on the map. Other puddles and ponds almost certainly exist as well. I don't know what the body of water was they saw, but it was not a mirage I am sure. Smile

On a hot hiking day, what is really nice is a forest that is thick with trees, whose branches are pushing up against each other, and causing the trail to be untouched by direct sunlight. We unfortunately didn't have enough of that on this hike, with widely spaced trees like this allowing the trail to be bathed in direct sunlight. In many areas the trees were completely gone and we were able to gather in every available photon per square inch, whether we wanted it or not.

I brought along a 24-ounce water bottle with me, but it wasn't enough. I went through that entirely on the way up to the lake. I could have used at least one more bottle like that. I had even discussed it with Dotti before the hike, and told her that I needed to bring along plenty of water for this one, and then I didn't do it. When the hike was over and we were back at the car, I was very thankful for the hot, but very wet water I had left in the car, just for such occasions as this!



They were widely spaced, but these trees were plenty tall, and beautiful to look at!

If you notice Rip's shadow, it is still about the same length as is his height, and so not a lot of time has gone by yet. Of course the trees are casting long shadows, but you can't judge by that, because they are really tall.



Here was our first real "milestone" of the hike. The sign looks like it is trying to play compass, or be a referee for the Civil War. However, it is indicating that this is the Pacific Crest Trail, and by turning left you can reach Canada in 500 miles and a right turn will put you on track for the 2150 mile-trek to Mexico.

On the other side of the Pacific Crest Trail was this sign marking the trail that we had just walked: the Tamanous Trail 27. It says our car is 1/2 mile away at the Bonneville Trailhead. The next time we would see this sign we would be ready to be at the car, and that half-mile hike seemed a lot longer than it did when I took this picture.



Dotti and Rip, with the North-South sign behind them, are all set to do the remaining 1.9 miles up to Gillette Lake.

Embedded in a tree we saw a few of these official PCT markers. When you see this, you know you are on THE Pacific Crest Trail.



Here I am with my America the Beautiful shirt on—a nice white light shirt for a warm afternoon hike. I am catching a bit of shade from the tree and that is why I am smiling. Smile

Rip enjoying a bit of shade and ready to move on up the path towards the lake.



You can tell it is still early in the hike, because I still had enough energy to be silly. That hair just keeps looking grayer and grayer. Frown I wonder what could be causing that?

Can you tell which direction is south? A number of trees had heavier growth on the south side, with branches sparsely populated on, or even missing from, the north, where they would be gathering very little sunlight.



Some of the blackberries were ripe and Rip had a few of them on the trail. You can see the thorns on the branches. The branches (and the thorns) are much bigger as you move in towards the heart of the bushes. These things are some of the most tenacious plants you will ever see.

When I was in high school, one of my jobs was hacking away at these things on the school grounds. They were tough, grew back in a hurry, and almost impossible to get rid of. And if they took hold, the bushes formed an impenetrable barrier; you would tear yourself to pieces before you could run through one of the blackberry growths. But those berries are good!

Dotti is always looking for flowers to photograph. These purple ones were very interesting.



Rip was saying that these grapes were not edible for humans, but they looked like they would go good on a bowl of cereal.

They look like blueberries to me, but unfortunately they are not.



My beautiful Dotti getting ready to take her next picture.

Fall was in the leaves, if not in the air. We saw some leaves starting to turn a bit, even though we were up in the 80s during our hike. Some of the evenings are starting to get a bit cooler and the leaves are showing it.



I was taking a picture of Dotti while she was taking a picture of me. Rip was caught in the middle and ducking for fear of getting in the way.

This is the other side of that situation, after I convinced Rip that he really wasn't in the way, and he would make a fine addition to the shot. It is easy to see that Dotti is using her telephoto lens, while I am not. See how far away Dotti looks here, and how close I looked in the last photo.



We were approaching the end of a half-mile of clear-cut land, where the timber had been harvested in 2001. It felt warm on the way up, while crossing this stretch, but on the way back it was really uncomfortable, because the temperature had risen, we were much more tired, the sun was hot, and there was no shade. Pant, pant. As we approached the line of trees, we could see that it was straightly marking off the end of the clear-cut in one direction, and the end of the forest in the other. Fortunately, we were heading in the former direction and about to enter the forest again.

Down where the squirrels run around, the path is lined with short vegetation, and is bathed in sunlight. Where is that next patch of shade?



Our friend Vikki loves the color purple, and here is another purple flower that Dotti found.

If you were running through the woods, this would be one of those nightmares waiting to happen. You would probably not enjoy the reaction of these wasps if you should kick this nest by accident.



A couple of the wasps are visible on the outside, but I would guess that there are many more on the inside.

We saw a lot of these around the woods, especially where the trees thinned out.



More signs of autumn!

I wonder what he is thinking? Probably something like that old hamburger commercial: It's too big to eat!



Are we there yet?

My lovely wife walking through the tall trees.



Rip was probably thinking to himself that if a high voltage line is energized with 230 KV it would only take about 4.3 ma to power his 1 KW HF transmitter. Now that is efficient! I'm just guessing about what he is thinking, but it could be that was it. Big Smile

Another effort to spread seeds around for the next generation of puff balls.



Rip, searching the breaks between the trees for a glimpse of those power lines. There they are!

Good news! Since we had already spotted the power lines, which we knew would be crossing our path near the lake, the last landmark remaining was this road! We knew we were getting really close now.



Shortly after taking this picture we spotted a large dump truck barreling down this road. Rip said it really made him feel like he was way out in nature to see that. Big Smile This road is not open to public access, but the dump truck was on an "official" mission apparently.

The road continued off to the north under the power lines, but our path dropped off on the left, over the bank and down the hill.



With the power lines above, in the distance is Table Mountain, and visible is the under rock that was was exposed when that face gave way and sent the huge, river-blocking landslide off to the south, about the year that Christopher Columbus was born.

According to indian legend, the rock wall failed underneath at first, so the reservoir that had backed up behind the blockage began draining through the underpass, while a "bridge of the gods" was formed above to allow passage across the river. Today the rock "bridge of the gods" is no longer there, though the Columbia River still flows a mile to the south from where it did before the landslide. However, there is still a Bridge of the Gods, but it is made of metal and crosses the Columbia River just a little east of where this picture was taken.

Most hikers look at the power lines and think, "Man, those are ugly." But just think what they mean. Power, and machines are what made many of our civilized advances possible. Today, civilization uses machines, instead of slaves to do its menial jobs. Without power, machines couldn't do our work for us, and things would be far less civilized than they are. Power makes our modern lives possible, with communication, light, factories, workshops, and a thousand little things we take for granted every day. These lines carry that to homes and businesses far away, and to me, while they may be unsightly on a hike, they are beautiful in what they are doing.

The rule of thumb is that you need at least one inch of spacing between two wires, or wires and ground, for every 10,000 volts. These lines carry around 230,000 volts, which would make the minimum length of those insulators you see hanging down to be 23 inches. To deal with rain and humidity, which would increase the tendency towards arcing, the insulators are probably significantly longer than that.

Ever wonder why they use high voltage, instead of safer low voltage to transmit electric power? By using high voltage, a lot of the power that is created at the dam is saved for actual use on the other end. Current uses up power, and power is what does the work for you.

Power equals Voltage times Current.

If you increase the voltage dramatically, you will dramatically lower the current required to transmit the power over the lines. (The flow of current generates heat in the wires and that is wasted energy. Less current means less waste.)




Behind my lovely smiling wife the trail runs back up to the road we just crossed. Rip is looking at the dump truck heading off into the distance.

We are by the lake. If you look just above Dotti and Rip there is a base of a tree that is right beside the trail we came down. We had to walk past this point and then do a switchback to reach the lake. There is a barbecue pit on the right.



Lake Gillette was at a low level on this warm day, which was visible by the waterline marks along the banks and on the bolder straight across from us. It appears that the lake is usually a couple of feet deeper than it was on this day.

Dotti said, "I'm going in!" The water was cold, she had no swimming suit, but there is no stopping my Dotti when she decides to do something. She ended up handing those glasses in her hand to me for safe keeping.



I guess she really means it! She still has her shoes on and everything, but she is going in.

This m4v movie is 2.5 megabytes in length.

Dotti is up to her knees in the water, and she turns around to face me and then falls backwards into the water, and then comes right back out, quite invigorated by the cold temperature of the water.

There were a couple of teenaged girls swimming down shore from us, and you can hear their voices in the video. I think they saw what Dotti did and thought it was cool. Big Smile They had brought their swimsuits, so seeing Dotti go in with all her clothes on impressed them.



While Dotti did come right back out after dunking herself, she went right back in again and was swimming around, fully dressed, including her shoes. You can see why I call her "my fun girl," because she doesn't like to play by the rules. She likes to have fun!

And with that smile, you can see she really is having fun!



Looking off to the right a bit, to the south of us, the lake is wider. The two girls who were swimming can just be seen in the middle of the lake. They claimed it was warmer out there, but I bet they just got numb on the way out. Big Smile Shore water is almost always warmer than water in the middle of a lake. And the deeper you go the colder it normally gets as well. It definitely was a day that was warm enough for a swim!

Dotti is trying to talk Rip and I into joining her in her madness. Rip is actually thinking about it. The main thing that is stopping him is taking off those boots. He was wearing shorts anyway, which would make a good swimsuit.

Dotti finally coaxed Rip into getting his suit on and coming in. So, I left them to the water and headed off around the lake to see if I could get some pictures of the rest of the lake, which curved around behind the bank to the south.



The first thing I came across after getting back to the path was a little stream that reminded me of a brook through a place called Barton Flats, in the San Bernardino Mountains where my folks took me to when I was young lad. Dad once built a little boat out of balsa wood and coated it with paraffin, and we floated it on that stream.

This stream ran into the lake just beyond the trees. The only other people at the lake had staked out that section of beach, and so I didn't go that way.

This area was very different from the rest of the hike we did that day. The water and shade made it feel much cooler, and seeing little falls like this was very pleasant.



Up ahead I spied a bridge across the little creek, and the path was angling around towards the lake. Perhaps I could get a good view of the hidden part.

The bridge was quite utilitarian: a log, and a few poles, all shaped from local trees. It was narrow, and only had one rail, but it was not a tall bridge and the risk from falling off was tiny.



If the trail was followed far enough, the top of Table Mountain could have been reached, but not by me—not on this day! (I was taxing my inner resources to their limit with the little bit we actually did.)

So, I cut off to the left, leaving Table Mountain for another day, and headed for what I hoped would be the lake shore. I first came to a campground with this makeshift shelter. There is a blue tarp hidden in there with the branches, so you could get some protection from the rain. There was also a place for a campfire, and a small clearing there.

This little pseudo-trail broke off from the campsite and headed in the general direction of the lake. So, I took it. I had to use my walking stick to get some thorny bushes out of the way and I was thankful I was wearing boots as I tramped through the high underbrush, but I broke through finally.



This view is looking northwest. Dotti and Rip are swimming in water that would not be visible here even if the bank on the left were not in the way. The lake extends over to the left quite a ways.

The path we came down and the road we crossed are running up above those trees visible straight ahead in this shot. So, I managed to get around nearly all of the northern and southern sides of the lake, as well as all of the western side. I didn't go past this point, so I did not get around the eastern side of the lake at all. Still I did see pretty much all of the lake from the vantage points I found.

I just turned to the right about 120° and this is the view that greeted me. It reminds me of Spirit Lake with all the dead trees, knocked flat by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, floating down at one end of the lake. I am guessing that this is the outlet for the lake, and that is why all the debris is collected at this end. In that general direction the land falls off and there is a path all the way down to Kidney Lake for a stream to run. I am pretty sure that this lake feeds that lake. When the water level is up, there may be quite a strong flow for this stream. Right now, it looks uninviting. I didn't spend a lot of time gazing at it.



Having attained my goal, I headed back. Dotti and Rip were sitting on the shore still dripping from their swim. I moved along the shore towards the mouth of the stream. The swimmers had dressed and moved away from the beach it appeared, and I thought they were gone. But when I got over to where I could see the stream, I also saw a leather or plastic bag sitting there as well, and I realized they were not gone. So, I turned back without reaching the stream, because I didn't want to intrude.

You can see the tree line, and blue sky reflected in the lake's water, with just a bit of ripple distortion.

Looking back to where our little spot on the beach was located, Rip had his boots back on, and Dotti (not visible here) was over at her fanny pack getting a snack to munch on. You can make out the barbecue pit just in front of Rip, who is walking up the incline towards where Dotti was.



Looking almost exactly due south to the little stretch of shore where the stream empties into the lake, and where the other swimmers were at when we arrived. (My little excursion around the lake took me well beyond that point and farther to the right, back where the lake protrudes into the forest to the west.) This lake has a different feel to it from many of the other places we have been on hikes. Perhaps it was the hot day and bright unblocked sunshine, or maybe it is the power lines running over the top of the picture. Still, the lake was a pretty one, and we enjoyed our visit with it.

Dotti spotted this little bird house located across the lake, and she zoomed in to see what it looked like.



The birdhouse was located on a tree almost dead center in this picture, and located back in the shade of overhanging branches. Without knowing it was there, you probably never would have spotted it in this picture.

The water looked green, but that was mostly just a reflection of the tall green trees, and the shrubbery running down to the edge of the lake. The water itself, especially at this end of Gillette Lake was very clear.

Looking just slightly east of south across the length of the lake. When I went on my extended walk, I was looking at the same area but from the southwest corner of the lakeshore. The overall shape of the lake is similar to a "V" and we are are looking at the junction of the two sides of the "V" in this photo.



I spotted a dragonfly near my foot and got Dotti's attention. She zoomed right in with her long-lensed camera and got this shot. It is a really pretty blue one!

Dotti then saw a butterfly on a leaf right by us. It fluttered about and landed several times and she was able to zero in on it on this leaf. We were still at the lakeside, and were just getting ready to start heading out on the return trip.



Heading back from the lake, Dotti's clothes already are looking drier, though her shoes were still wet. (I know, because they were still wet when we got to the car. Big Smile) Those wet shoes didn't cause her any problems though. Rip didn't wear his shirt in the water and that is completely dry but even his shorts are starting to dry pretty well in the hot sun and dry air.

We had stopped for a brief rest, and Rip was stretching out his muscles and Dotti was dazzling me with her smile. We did have a good time on this little hike!



The sun had moved significantly since our walk up and things were brightly lit now that had been in shadow on the way up—this bit of cobweb for example, covering the branches of the tree.

Okay, I had to include another smiling picture of my lovely wife! How can you not have a good time when Dotti is smiling like that?



It was about here when I said to the sun, "Okay, this is the Pacific Northwest; why can't there be just one little cloud to slow you down a bit?" I was hot, and tired, and found that any upgrade at all really drained me. Walking on the level, or especially downhill was no strain at all, but even the slightest increase in positive grade and I was walking slow and panting a bit. I could tell that I need to be doing more hiking and less sitting in front of the computer!

These trees at the edge of the clear-cut area show how they work their branches up high into the air to get all the sun they can, but don't waste resources on branches down low where the sun never used to shine.



It was nearly 4:30 PM and the temperature was reaching its peak for the day. Direct sunlight was hitting the path consistently and I was feeling it draining my energy. But I knew some shade was not too far out into the future.

The sun has moved since we last passed this point. The shadows were falling almost directly towards the left side of the earlier picture, but now they are falling almost directly away from us. Like a sundial it has marked off the 3 hours and 20 minutes that have passed between the time when these two pictures were taken.



Moving through the half-mile of clear-cut, the path moves this way and that.

While Rip is set on taking his next step, Dotti is showing her desire to be back at the car already. We were all feeling a bit tired by this time.



The time was 4:40 PM when I took this picture. When last we saw this sign it had been 12:47. So, nearly 4 hours had passed, and the sign, which was completely in shadow on the way up was now completely in direct sunlight. I much preferred the former, but I was happy to know that we were now only 0.6 miles from our car!

Another movie, and this one is 3.6 MB.

It is Dotti and Rip discussing how they felt at this point of the hike.



Brother and sister at the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Tamanous Trail back to our car.

Whenever we paused for a moment, Rip did some stretching. He was feeling some tightness and pain as we were hiking and the stretching helped. Dotti is smiling because she knows we are less than a half-mile from our car! (The shade didn't hurt either! Big Smile)



Rip borrowed my camera for a moment and took this shot of my lovely Dotti and I. You can't see it, due to the lighting differences, but the Columbia River is off in the distance, because we had reached the scenic point that had made us wonder if we were heading in the right direction on the way up. We were getting really close now!

Okay, there was some sun breaking through the trees, but it was mostly shade still, and we were getting close, so it didn't matter!



A nice shady stretch of path, in the now 86° air. In the sun it was much hotter!

There it is! We made it! Thumbs Up! The trailhead had finally been reached, and the little sign at the end of this hill was a beautiful sight to my eyes.



Off ahead was the parking lot, and though not visible yet, our car!

Rip and Dotti caught up and posed by the trailhead sign for me. Dotti is smiling, and happy to be here at the end of the trail. Rip looks tired and ready to finish up. I could relate to that!

At the end of summer, we almost always are at the end of a long dry spell. It was a warm day, and it hadn't rained much in quite a while. So, everything was dry and if a fire got going it would have a field day. No campfires or charcoal grills would be allowed for now. But it won't be long before the rain comes and that will change.



We are looking, as it turns out, in the very same direction as we were when I took the picture of the trash can at the start of our hike. If the trees were not in the way you could see that trash can and our car. The rear of the restroom building is just visible. This is important only in comparing the shadows. When we started, the trash-can cast as shadow that was just about its own height in length and it was running off to the right. These posts are casting a shadow that is much longer then their height, and the shadow has moved around to where it points almost at us. This picture was taken at 5:03 PM, while the trash-can picture was taken at 12:03 PM, exactly 5 hours earlier.

We could tell that it was not only the sun that had moved during those 5 hours! We were tired and ready to call it a day.

Dotti and Rip just coming into the parking lot. You can just see the trailhead sign off in the distance behind them.



Beyond the restroom lies our car and we were ready to reaquaint ourselves with its cool interior. (At least, cool once we got the A/C fired up. Big Smile)

The car is in view and Dotti is clearly happy about that!



There he is, sitting patiently where we left him.

The parking lot is still fairly empty. If we were over at Multnomah Falls, there would be nowhere to park and the trail would be filled with people at this time of day. There is a wild difference between the traffic load seen by the various hiking trails in the area. In fact, even different sections of the same trail can be very different in the number of people it sees. At Multnomah Falls, the path to the top of the falls is usually quite busy, but if you go up beyond that, the trail is far less used, and if you go above the junction of the Wahkeena Falls Trail, on the path to the top of Larch Mountain you can almost have the trail to yourself, and that is even on a busy day!

Well, it's a wrap! Dotti is getting her fanny pack off and into the trunk, and Rip is collapsing his walking sticks down short to be put away. I was about to exchange my hiking boots for my nice comfortable tennis shoes, and we were heading home!


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