Alsea Falls- 3 mile hiking 3 year old, Fishing, Lovely forest, and Waterfalls

 This past weekend we went to explore a new area near Corvalles, Alsea Falls.

 We immediately fell in love with the forest and a large "nurse stump".

 There was so much moss and beautiful creek views.

 We headed down for a better view of the waterfall and ended up at a dead end.

 We enjoyed the view of the sweet falls, listening to the rushing water, and soaking in the signs of spring.

 We headed back up to the picnic area and had a snack break since it was almost lunchtime.

 Analise grumbled about the bushwacking back to the main trail.

 Amy took lots of breaks to pose with trees.

 We enjoyed the lush green forest and stream bed.

 We found a few twin trees.

 Analise was very motivated to hike today with the promise of fishing!

 Amy continued to lead the way to waterfalls yet to be explored!

 We kept wandering through the moss covered woods.

 I spotted my first Trillium of the year!!! It made me very happy.

 I loved to look up and admire how the mossy branches intertwine.

 We continued to stay present to the gifts of the forest.

 I found a few wild roses.

 Then Gil said, "I smell skunk". I looked over the embankment and found this...

 Skunk cabbage!

 We found a group campsite to cook lunch and saw this guy.

 The girls enjoyed trying out their new fishing poles and learning to cast while I cooked us lunch.

 There were no fish involved in this fishing that were not plastic weighted fish. I did include some canned salmon in our rice curry lunch.

 Analise was enjoying the mud.

 When lunch was ready they reluctantly set down the fishing poles to eat.

 I convinced everyone to hike a bit farther to Green Creek Falls.

 This was a beautiful and powerful small waterfall.

 Amy said she did not remember being that close to a waterfall before.

 Analise explored an old stump on the way back.

 I found a Trillium Trio!

 Amy found an abandoned snail shell and I found this guy.

Analise ended up hiking a record three miles in pretty good spirits. We gave her high fives and carried the creeks, waterfalls, and mossy forest in our hearts as we headed home.

Surprised by September Snow- Unexpected Adventures

 We took a drive up toward Mt. Hood via Hood River and included our new international student friend, Abanezer for an adventure.  We wanted to stop at Multnomah Falls but the parking lot was full so we kept going.

After a stop at a fruit stand we headed toward the Lookout Mountain Trailhead. We took a wrong turn and ended up in the little farming town called Friend, OR.

We enjoyed this little historic schoolhouse in Friend.

We headed back and found a trailhead along Fret Creek. It had been warm and in the 60s in Hood River, but at higher elevations it was much cooler.

Though this hike was rated moderate, Kitt and Abenezer were both up to a challenge.

Analise was hiking with her broken arm and as determined as ever.

Thought it was somewhat dry, we enjoyed hiking along the little creek.

We took lots of breaks and had a bit of elevation gain.

As we climbed, we found fresh September snow! Analise decided that she needed to poke it.

The forest was very pretty.

Amy wanted to be a tree hugger and wore her Reed sweatshirt in honor of our special guest!

Despite the dry year, there was still some signs of growth and life in this forest.

We continued the slow climb toward the lake, taking lots of breaks for pictures and to catch our breath.

The girls really enjoyed the early snow.

Abenezer was very cold but was a good sport!

We made it up to the lake and ate some hot food to warm up a little.

I enjoyed assisting Kitt, sometimes step by step, down the steep hill.

Together everyone had a good time together and we made a fantastic team as always even though we never found the Lookout Mountain trail we set out to find.  It was fun to be surprised by September snow.

Siouxon Creek Grounded Old Growth Breath

We took the long drive through farmland into Washington to one of my favorite trails, Siouxon Creek.

It was mid October 2015 and the first really rainy day of fall. I braved the potholed filled road and thought it was so worth the drive as soon as I stepped into this beautiful old growth forest.

We saw lots of mushrooms and moss along the way.

The big trees made me feel at home and like I was in a sacred place.

We continued through the forest toward the creek.

Much of this forest feels like the Olympics and many other special Washington forests.

Analise was not so sure about the rain at first because she was tired and cold.

This forest is incredibly resilient despite the dry year.

The moss was lovely along the trail.

There were a few big leaves interspersed with the evergreen trees.

The creek raged below.

I love this "nurse stump" that another tree had wrapped around.

We had a yummy lunch at the waterfall.

On the way back, Analise had made peace with the rain and was determined to walk through every mudpuddle with her new boots.

I am glad to enjoy the fullness of fall in this lovely place with my girls.