Multnomah Falls: Take Three

A view from the top.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty convinced there would be some other natural force that would prevent us from getting to the top of Multnomah Falls yesterday. However, this time around we weren't impeded by snow and ice, or gale force winds. It was a beautiful day. Perfect for a hike. Graham and I would slow down to check out the cute pooches on our way up to the top (and young ladies would slow down to check out Graham in a similar fashion). Luckily, we had Jesse keeping us focused by leading the charge at break-neck speed. At some points, I felt that I was running up the hill rather than hiking. I don't think they were doing it on purpose, but my stride is a lot smaller, meaning that I had to go double-time to keep up.

After making it to the top and catching my breath, we continued on for the rest of the 5 mile loop. The hike was absolutely gorgeous. It rained pretty much all last week, so everything was lush, which made up for the paths being quite muddy. Green moss coated the trees and rocks and the sound of rushing falls felt kind of like a fairy tale. It would have been the perfect setting to take a cheesy nature photo for a poster featuring elves and pixies. I'm pretty sure Little Red Riding Hood walked through this forest to get to her Grandmother's cottage.

We actually saw quite a few animals: a snake, two chipmunks, a giant slug, a few woodpeckers. And a pair of striking bright red bugs. I didn't realize this until I took a close-up shot, but they appear to be mating. Score! Nature in action. I felt a little bad when my flash went off (and the red-eye reduction feature to boot), but they didn't seem to be bothered. Does anyone know know the type of bug?

It was a great afternoon. This morning, though, I woke up with incredibly sore legs. It's like I climbed a mountain or something. I think I'm going to have to walk it off and stretch a little so I'll be in tip top shape for the "Cheers to Belgian Beers" festival this afternoon.