An exploratory walk in Tualatin Hills Nature Park. With a combination of trails I walked 4.75 miles in about two and half hours. It was a cold morning.
Tualatin Hills Nature Park
LL Stub Stewart State Park
This was not the hike we were hoping for. The forecast was for heavy rain coming in about 2 pm so we were planning on getting a quick exploratory hike in at Stub Stewart State Park before the heavy rain arrive. Well the the heavy rain arrive about four and half hours early. I for one was not prepared for hiking for hours in heavy rain. We went ahead with the gear we had hoping this was just a shower. Mushrooms were out in force with a large variety of them popping up. As the trail got muddier and slippery we decide not to follow the old climber’s mantra “it does not have to be fun to be fun” and turned around. We got in a little under 4 miles with a little over 500 elevation gain in two and quarter hours. After peeling off soaked rain gear we headed for lunch Helvetia Tavern. We decide this was a good shake down hike to test our rain gear and prepare the wet season ahead. I found my fifteen year old rain coat was not up for the season ahead.
Herman Creek Trail
A hike of Herman Creek Trail. This was my peaceful walk in the woods trail until the fire of 2017. I started on this hike with mind set of doing a walk in the woods but it was another difficult trail going through burn area. I do have give a shoat out to the trails crews that got this trail open again. I could see place where their work turn a lost trail back to a trail with a tread to follow. I went as far up as Whisky Creek and turned around there. I got in 13.5 miles with 2300 ft gain in 7 hours. Biggest happing on this hike was seeing a Momma bear and her two cubs climbing up from top of a waterfall when they heard me coming. I have never seen a bear in the wild before.
Nick Eaton – Gordon Creek Loop
I had not done a long hike in a long while. I want one that would be a good conditioning hike take me back to a trail I had not been on in many years so I took on the Nick Eaton – Gordon Creek Trail Loop. I actual set off to do the Nick Eaton – Casey Creek – Herman Creek Trails Loop but found when I got to Casey Creek it was no more. Another trail a victims of the fire. Much of Nick Eaton Trail was burned over by the fire leaving it in very bad condition. Gordon Creek trail also had several areas burned over with one so bad I had to use my GPS to find may way through it. So a lot of bad trail and a longer then planned on route gave me a long hard day of hiking.
Hike was 14.25 miles, 4325 total Gain , Time 7:22 moving, 1:22 stop , Moving Average 2 mph
Nesmith Point
A hike to Nesmith Point in the Columbia Gorge
