Revisting Eagle Creek

I've hiked Eagle Creek trail to Tunnel Falls at least a dozen times.  It's an easily accessible hike on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge and I've had many opportunities to photograph the verdant landscapes and dramatic falls along the path.  This past Sunday, I revisited Eagle Creek with a group from Portland Hiking Meetup and it was my favorite trip yet, especially for photography.  Firstly, I had my DSLR with me on this hike for the first time, so I had a better chance to get good shots, but also, the sights were stunning this time around due to the weather conditions.  Hiking Eagle Creek in Winter means the falls are flowing fully and the creek is swollen and fast.  I've hiked this in Winter before, but on those occasions it was also raining, so photographing was difficult.  No rain fell on us Sunday.  We had perfect Winter conditions for an enjoyable hike and lots of opportunities for photographs!  Here are my favorite shots from the day.  As always, you can double click on the picture to see it full-frame.

Happiness is...an alpine hike!

I left home early last Sunday morning, with plans to hike up to McNeil Point on Mt. Hood.  I didn't get out the door as early as I wanted, because I was up a little too late the night before, but I got out and started hiking up by 8:30.  I parked at the Top Spur Trailhead, just as I did on my last hike, and I headed out in the same direction, determined this time to see more of the high country and wonderful vistas.  And DID I!  It was a strenous hike with 2,200 ft of elevation gain over 9.8 miles, and I'm itching like crazy this week, because the deer flies enjoyed my flesh while on the way up through the forested parts, but the sights along the way and the glorious destination were totally worth it!  What a great way to beat the heat - go higher! 

I was surprised to see that the pretty little pond I took photos of on my last hike 2 weeks before, was dry!  The vibrant Leopard Lillies were all gone, too, along with many of the other wildflowers I photographed along the way.  But the higher I got, the more new things I got to enjoy:  lots of Indian Paintbrush and another flowering shrub that reminds me of Heather.  Not sure what it is.  I also saw Pasque Flowers up at McNeil Point, which added interest to my photos of Hood there.  I could never articulate just how beautiful and rewarding that hike was, but I can share some pretty pictures.  I wanted to post this to have a memory of this special day.  If you really want to enjoy the photos, just click on them to see a larger version.  I wish I'd taken the advice about getting a graduated, polarizing filter for some of these shots of mountains with snow and bright sky, but some of these didn't come out too badly despite that missing tool. 

Alpine Cinquefoil - I think

Mt. Adams

The Path that leads to McNeil Point

A nice woman took a picture of Molly and me with Mt. Hood in background.

Magenta Paintbrush

Views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams - nice vista!

Alpine meadow full of Paintbrush and Mountain Heather

View of Mt. St. Helens, and  the ponds I passed on the way up.

Pasqueflower in foreground, Mt. Hood looming.

Glacial melt creek from Glisan Glacier

Mt. Hood with snowfield.  Molly loved sliding down this!

Molly cooling off in the Glisan Glacier meltwater creek.

Bleached deadwood and Mt. Hood

I think this is Ladd Creek.

The Mountains in Bloom

Went on a stunningly beautiful  hike near Mt. Hood on Sunday.  The flowers were lovely:

Mountain Daisies

Leopard Lillies

Leopard Lilly

More Leopard Lillies!

Indian Paintbrush

Glacier Lillies

More Glacier Lillies

More Glacier Lillies

Budding Bear Grass

Bear Grass in full bloom

Springtime Pilgrimage

Well, I made it out to Smith Rock afterall, and I'm so glad I rolled myself out of bed before dawn to get there early.  The drive was perfect, even through the snow on Mt. Hood.  And the light was still pretty when I arrived at Smith Rock.  One of the fun things about this trip was all the wildlife I saw:  lots of geese (must be mating season - they were very vocal!), a coyote, a little cotton tail bunny, which Molly wanted to go after soooo badly.  I also saw some eagles and one falcon.  I'm too tired to write much, but the pictures say it all, anyway.  It's kind of hard to take a bad picture in a place like this...

(click to see larger)

Mt. Jefferson through the gap.  Taken near the bivouac area.

The morning light brought out the reds quite well.

The Crooked River winding around the Rocks

Deep Shadows

Like a cathedral!  I love this place.

This lone goose looked kind of funny playing "King of the Hill" :o)

Prettier from this angle.

Stunning colors - I love the green wash in some areas.

Molly, wet from fetching sticks I threw in the Crooked River.

A coyote!  (severely cropped - my lense couldn't quite reach him.)

Molly heard the climbers talking waaaay up there!

Good ol' Monkey Face!

I'm calling this "Skull Rock" - but it kind of looks like Edvard Munch's "The Scream"

Even prettier with the vapor trail in the sky.

Nature's artwork.

Other side of Monkey Face.

Monkey Face with Mt. Jefferson in background.

Mt. Jefferson from atop Smith Rock.

My heart went into my throat when Molly walked into this shot, so close to the edge!

Dead wood and flowers - two of my favorite things!

The Desert Sage is very pungent and freshly green this time of year.

A big juniper.

On the way back...

Lots of climbers out today.  Wish I'd caught up with Connor, but I just hiked and didn't ring him up to rendevous.

Spider Woman.

UPDATE:  This is Connor's girlfriend, Allysa in the pic above!  Looks like I ran into them afterall - sort of!  She looked like her from a distance, and I wondered if it was her when I shot this. I was too far away to see if Connor was in the party and I considered just asking, but I was on my way out and would have had to hike up to where they were, so I took the photos and moved on.  Turns out they left shortly after, because the winds were really picking up.

Amazing!

Bottom's Up!

Such a lovely place in the late afternoon light, too.

Happy Hiker! (taken with cell phone camera)