Living in the Pacific Northwest is not easy. It rains. It rains a lot! And when it is not raining, it is usually cloudy and grey. If you are going to do something outside, you need to be prepared for rain. If you are waiting for the rain to stop to do something, you may never do it.
We live in an urban area that adds to the grey. Not only do we have grey clouds but we have the addition of grey streets, grey sidewalks, and grey buildings. With so much bleakness, we find a trip to the forest the perfect way to boost our spirits and to help us feel more grounded. Even in winter, the forest has amazing colors, smells, and sounds that make you feel glad to be alive. So feeling overwhelmed with grey we rented one of the state owned cabins at Silver Falls State Park this past weekend to recharge. The weather forecast; rain. Was the weatherman right? Absolutely!
Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of rain. No surprise there. We ate our breakfast and got dressed for a hike in the rain. Silver Falls State Park has over 25 miles of hiking trails. We had hiked the South Falls loop several times in the past and so decided to try a different section. We drove down the road a couple of miles from the cabins and stopped at the Winter Falls Trailhead. I had brought our tripod along to get some long exposures on the waterfalls, but, long exposures are not very good when the lens is getting rained on. So, the tripod stayed in the trunk.
We enjoyed hiking the northern loop of the canyon and were wowed by the amount of water flowing over the waterfalls. Rain makes for a wet hike, but it fuels the waterfalls for an impressive sight. Sydney did really well on the long hike and we all felt much happier to be out of the city and enjoying nature.
Saturday evening found us cooped up inside the cabin. So, Sydney and I decided to get a little creative and make a movie, Zombie Barbie vs. The Zhu Zhu Pets. We took several camera stills and turned it into this:
On Sunday we awoke to… can you guess? That’s right, rain! So, after breakfast we once again dressed for rain and checked out of the cabin. We headed out to hike the South Falls loop this time, an area that is overwhelmed with visitors during the summer. But due to the rain we only saw a few other hikers along the trail and once again enjoyed being outside surrounded by amazing scenery.
The rain has continued all week since returning from our weekend getaway, and the forecast for this coming weekend is more rain. We are all feeling a little stir crazy and could use some tropical weather. We normally take a trip someplace warm this time of year, but our next trip (Costa Rica and Nicaragua) is not until May. So, I think we will need to do a hike this weekend as well to help keep our sanity.
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Jason,
I love that you guys get out there rain or shine and get some fresh air and sanity! We still recall fondly poking around up by Snoqualmie Falls, of course there was rain, but we got amazing pictures, saw wonderful flora and had a great time, our drive was great our wandering around the country side and subsequent soakings were just part of what are for us favorite memories. I’ll be doing some website housekeeping this weekend and plan on adding your blog to our aloha blog roll. Don’t know if you can join us next year but we’d love to connect! Have a great hike this weekend, that’s our plan too! Oh, did you guys ever do a hike down to a little know glass beach behind the airport here? Next time you guys make it we’ll have to take you there, alot of fun to poke around and see a little island history in action, almost like an archealogical dig there! 🙂
I am not sure what our travel plans are for next year. We will be going to Central America in May, but after that, we are not sure. I wish I would have known about the glass beach. It sounds like a great place. The next time we visit Kauai, we will need to have you guys show us where it’s at.
PS: Great pics!!!
Thanks! Always a challenge with rain and no tripod. 🙂
We escaped to Hood River this weekend hoping for some sunshine (didn’t happen) but we did, of course, get rain! Does this winter seem worse than normal or what? Anyway, on our way out there we drove by Multnomah Falls and the amount of water in the falls was INSANE. I hope the sun comes out soon… for my sake and yours!
That is too bad you did not find sun in Hood River. Hood River is usually the place where you can find sun somewhat close to Portland.
It’s funny that you mention this winter being worse than normal, as I hear people say that every year. Statistically, I have no idea. But I do know that this climate sucks, and I need some sun!!!! 🙂