Hood River hikes

Every year, Matt goes to Hood River for a week for a big paddle event. That week tends to include our anniversary, so this year I decided to join him. The plan was for me to work during the day and join him for hikes in the evenings. Unfortunately, we got hit with a crazy heat wave and I just couldn't bring myself to bring the dog out for long hikes in 100°F. Luckily, toward the end of the week it cooled down enough that we were able to do two little hikes before we went back home.

Falls Creek Falls Trail

The first hike we did was to Matt's favorite waterfall in all of the PNW. When we got there, I understood why.

The trail is only 700ft or so in elevation gain, but you pretty much tackle that all at once. It was shady and lovely along the trail, but with temperatures in the 90°s, it was still a tough trek. 

The payoff was well worth it. A double waterfall, complete with rainbow, turned the temperatures way down. The entire hike only took us about 90 minutes, and we spent quite a bit of time basking the cool mist of the waterfalls before hiking back down to the trailhead.

We started this hike late in the afternoon, so by the time we finished, we were the only ones left! That meant we got ample time to enjoy the falls without interruption or vying for a good place to sit. This hike and view were 10/10, would recommend.

Beacon Rock

This was a quick climb that we hit on our way out of town. Beacon Rock is literally a giant standalone rock—the core of a volcano, in fact—that was privately owned and then donated to be a state park upon the owner's death. A quote near the bottom of the trail says the owner (Henry J. Biddle) saw the rock and just wanted to get to the top, and he hired some workers to build switchbacks and bridges into it to do just that. Truly, a man after Matt's heart.

Anyway, this climb was easy, given that it consisted of low-grade switchbacks, but the heat of the day made it into a workout.

Zoe got a lot of oohs and aahs as we climbed, and at the top, a girl who had been following us asked if she could give her a pat. Zoe tends to be distracted and uninterested in pets while hiking, but I imagine the girl felt getting to pet a cute dog was a good reward for conquering 850ft of climbing.

After this quick jaunt, we made our way back to Seattle.

Two little hikes are better than none, and I'm very glad we fit them both in!

Ali