Canyon Creek Meadows High Country

 I was craving high country so we headed out to a high meadow hike near Three Finger Jack.









We started up the trail with grand views through burned forests and found a nice lunch spot near a small lake. 









The wildflowers were spectacular and kept getting more beautiful as we neared the meadow.









The view of Three Finger Jack in the distance was grand.









We all enjoyed taking in the beautiful meadow in this high country.  









The air felt thinner and fresher and I felt very alive.  Unfortunately, I also had a somewhat whiney four year old to help motivate.









We continued to enjoy the meadow and then headed back down to meet the main trail.









I enjoyed all the paintbrush.  One of my favorite mountain flowers.









The stream was cloudy and glacier fed.









On the way down, we found a tree that looked pregnant and compared it to my belly.









We enjoyed a stunning view of Mt. Jefferson.

On the drive home we got to see a coyote cross the road.  What an amazing day in the high country!

Hand Lake backpacking at 32 weeks pregnant

 We set out on another very long drive to McKenzie Pass on a Friday afternoon.  We had not had the chance to go backpacking yet this summer since the first attempt ended with rustic car camping.  I was 32 weeks pregnant and feeling great.









We found the trailhead  and started the easy trek to Hand Lake shelter.  The bugs were out and some folks hiking back toward the trailhead said they were especially fierce at the shelter.









We got to the three sided shelter and the little lake view.  We covered ourselves in bug spray, put on as many clothes as possible, cooked some dinner and hung a bear bag.  You have never seen a four year old so eager to go to bed to get even more covered from bugs.  The two adults were quickly in sleeping bags as well to avoid being eaten alive at dusk!  Fortunately the bugs went to sleep as it cooled off.









Though Sarah was my mule, I was proud of myself for sleeping on the ground in my third trimester of pregnancy and actually had a pretty nice night in the shelter.  I got up early and got a fire and breakfast going.









After breakfast, we headed out for a day hike.  It was a gentle stroll around the lake and we enjoyed some mountain views as well as some fascinating terrain.









There was an old wagon road carved through the volcanic rock.  It was fun to see a bit more central/ eastern Oregon landscape.









We saw a family of ducks swimming in hand lake and arrived back at the shelter late morning, just as the bugs were waking up.  We decided to grab our food bag and hit the trail back to our car.  We had some other stops in the area to visit beautiful, hopefully less bugfull, waterfalls.  I proudly carried the backpack the half mile back to the car, feeling like a real pregnant backpacker!









We drove to two waterfalls- Sahalie and Kooska falls.  We parked at Kooska Falls and hiked the mile between the two falls.  Kooska Falls had an awesome rainbow in it.  The creek was amazingly blue, green, and raging.









It was wonderful to hike along such clear amazing water- a great day of hiking and a long drive back. No more backpacking until next summer.  We will stick to car camping with an air mattress and tent.  There will be a few weeks more adventures to come before this baby is born.

Sweet Creek Falls- Paradise to make the long drive worthwhile

 Amy, Sarah, and I set out on a rather long day for an adventure.  Amy is always asking for "a long drive with a short hike" and today she get her wish. 










We headed down to Eugene and were fortunate to find an amazing coop to stop at then continued driving West toward Florence.  The Country Fair was happening, making traffic pretty bad along the highway toward the coast.  We took a less traffic "short cut" route and eventually ended up at the trailhead.










We stepped into this amazing, enchanted forest with old growth and nurse logs everywhere.  It was so green and amazing.  I fell in love with this forest.










We hiked along the creek and there were small waterfalls all along the way.  The water was so clear and amazing.  We decided hiking to the largest falls came first and swimming would come on the way back.










We enjoyed taking in each of the falls and spent a lot of time just enjoying the water and the forest, noticing nurse logs and mushrooms and climbing on mossy rocks.










After a very pleasant hike through the woods, we arrived at Sweet Creek Falls.  The lower falls was the perfect place for lunch and a swim.










I was the only one brave enough to dive.  Amy and Sarah just wanted to dabble.  It was COLD though and I did not have the stamina to swim out to the falls, just jump in and hurry back to shore.










Then I had to show off my 31 week pregnant belly- 7 months along, and feeling awesome, especially after the swim.  Though I'm sure the baby was thinking, "What is mom doing to me?"  Maybe she'll be a water baby like her sister.










We took time to check out the upper falls and then started the trek back.  On the way back we found another swimming hole which also doubled as a dabbling spot.  Sarah used it to get wet and Amy used it for sun bathing.










When we got back to the car we had found ourselves so consumed by the hike that the afternoon had flown by!  It was already early evening and we had plan to drive up the coast, so we continued our drive as planned.













We stopped at Devil's Punchbowl to enjoy the swirling ocean view.  It was nice to end our day at the coast after such a special time hiking in a beautiful place!

We stopped again for dinner, hot cocoa, and delicious pie at a nice little place in Depot Bay, dropped Sarah in Salem, and did not end up getting home to Beaverton until after 10pm, but what a gorgeous day- so worth all the driving!