Difficulty: Difficult (steep)Rating: 5 stars
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Length: 4.6 miles
It was a cool 40 degrees out that morning, but the sun was shining and we were excited to get out on the trail! We checked a forecast quickly, saw a report for some rain (60% chance), but were too excited about the current sunshine to pay much attention to it. The book described Angel's Rest as having a great view of the river and gorge on a clear day, so we packed a lunch for ourselves to enjoy the view from the top. Anxious to get out, we hit the road for the Columbia River Gorge.
The hike starts steep. A lung burner, and sad reminder of how much work we need to do before the ultimate season begins (this is a start, of course!). It winds past a waterfall early on (a big theme in the Columbia River Gorge area), that had a cool view of it near a tree with a big hole in it. It seemed possible to fit through the tree, but then again there wasn't much on the other side other than a little cliff, so no attempt was made.
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| Probably could have fit |
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| Coopey Falls |
The trail winds itself up, with numerous switch backs that alternated between giving us great views to the east of the gorge and great views to the west of the gorge. We continued up, eventually finding the source to Coopey Falls, and conquering it!
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| Treacherous! |
The hike mellowed out through the middle, then finishes steep again and features a rock scramble near the top. A debate ensued as we were nearing as to what exactly classifies a "rock scramble". I was envisioning big boulders that you must use all four limbs to traverse safely. We were also constantly questioning every large rock on the trail as to whether that was considered the "scramble", concerned about our next direction. We finally rounded a corner and the trail disappeared, replaced instead by a small field of rocks, some in very precarious positions. We both had a "ohhhhhh, this is the rock scramble" moment, and finally felt confident in our next direction.
The top was not far from the scramble, and though some clouds had started to set in a little, the view of the river was still great. The top was fun as well, with lot's of big rocks to "play" around on and explore.
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| Columbia River |
We were just about to settle into a spot to enjoy our lunch at when the exposed rocks we were on got wet, and windy, and cold. In a short instant, that 60% chance of rain that we glossed over earlier in the day became all too much of a reality to us. We quickly decided to postpone our lunch plans until we could seek shelter, and with just one piece of rain equipment between the two of us, realized we may have been just slightly unprepared for the weather. We made it back down the trail in double time, reaching the car damp and cold, but still smiling. Our overall trail time was almost a full hour less than what our book predicted it would be, so if there was a positive to come out of this it is that we were efficient.
The fact that our leisurely lunch plans were "washed" away that afternoon didn't upset us too much because this hike has a 3 mile "extension" route that will take us up to Devil's Rest. So, we already have plans to revisit this trail some time down the road, and take the advanced route. We will be sure to 1) Bring another lunch to make up for this hike and 2) bring better rain gear.
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| Me out on the point. Already looking a little cold... |
nice hat in these pics =)
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