Eagle Creek Hike

We are enjoying another Perfect Portland Weekend. Not only is the weather perfect but what makes it even more perfect is that our whole family is home!

Logan arrived home Thursday night with Jim who had been in Salt Lake on business. Life around our house is always just a little louder and a little more exciting when Logan is home.

Friday the boys and I made a trip to the AAA store to get some maps, electric converters etc. for Clark and his European adventure. We also went to the Columbia Employee Store where Clark got a great new backpack for his two week backpacking through Europe adventure and a couple of pairs of lightweight, quick drying shorts.

Saturday we decided to head out to the Gorge again for another hike. This time we went to Eagle Creek which is a beautiful and MUCH easier hike than last week's hike to Dog Mountain!

Clark was working and Tessa had an all day ballet rehearsal so just Jim, Logan, Cali and I went.

The hike has incline but nothing compared to last week.

Quite a bit of the hike is narrow and along the edge of a cliff. Fortunately they have put in metal wire handrails to hold onto!

There are several beautiful waterfalls along the way.

And a few places where you actually cross over water.

The path got quite rocky in parts.

About 4.5 miles up we stopped for lunch. Logan had packed us a nice lunch.

We were tired and ready to turn around and head back down when talking to another hiker we realized Tunnel Falls was just about another 1.7 miles up a head. We figured we were so close we needed to go see it as we had never hiked this far up before.

Although it added almost 4 more miles to the hike round trip we were glad we went!

Tunnel Falls is aptly named because there is a tunnel that goes behind the falls.

We ran into a group of Scouts from our ward who were also hiking. They were a mile or two behind us. When we saw them at church today they told us they had seen a BEAR on the way down - yes a real live BEAR had crossed the path right in front of them!

So glad we weren't hiking with them!!

We were pretty hot and tired by the time we made it back to the car - it was a 12 mile round trip hike. We were ready for some cool refreshment so we headed down the road to Cascade Locks to a little drive in - Logan wanted ice cream.

He ordered a large cone - the thing was HUGE!! I am so glad I got a small!!

He ate the whole thing too!!