eagle creek

This past summer i took a three day pack trip through Oregon's beautiful Columbia Gorge, with my buddy David. I thought i would post some pictures of the hike. I will be revisiting the area in May, when my brother comes home, on a five day trip with ten of our friends.

From the trail-head, David and I started the loop opposite of what we will in May, heading up the ever so popular Eagle Creek Trail. Because it is so crowded on weekends we made sure to be on trail by 7am. As we started out we were the only hikers in sight. We passed several camps early on and found everyone to still be in their tents. The weather was perfect as was the forecast for the next few days. If you have never been up Eagle Creek, you are missing out. It is non stop beauty for over 11miles. Every corner you come around has a waterfall, viewpoint, or breathtaking scenery.

The first significant landmark you will come to, is Lower Punchbowl Falls. This is a short trail down to the creek where you meet a huge pool under a beautiful waterfall (guidebooks say this is a great place for a summer swim, it was much to cold at 7:30am). Further down the creek there is another series of smaller falls with places to camp along the shore. Back on the trail we passed a dozen more smaller waterfalls before coming to a suspension bridge that hangs nearly 80' over the creek. When you look up the canyon there are a handful of pretty waterfalls all in series. The view is certainly one to thank our creator for!

The grand-finally comes after a few more waterfalls and peaceful pools. As you come around the corner to Tunnel Falls, the trail gets very narrow. You have overhanging cliff to your left and a 80' drop to your ri nothing but a cable bolted to the ght. This leaves you standing on a rocky trail, no more then three feet wide, withrocks for comfort. The view is well worth any trail leads you into a horseshoe valley, right in the middle a huge waterfall pours over the trial and 80 feet down, into a vary large pool. The trail has been cut into the rock along the cliff and actually tunnels behind the waterfall. You get a little discomfort you may feel if you are not prone to enjoying heights. The now narrow wet from the mist as you pass under the falls, but on a warm day it feels great. On the far side of the horseshoe you get a great view of the falls and a chance to get some pictures.

Just on the other side of Tunnel Falls we stopped for lunch by a clear pool in the rocks. The pool looked so pleasant and inviting we decided to take a swim... the swim didn't last long but it sure woke us up! David got a picture of me horrified at the cold, and then gave a good smile and thumbs up when i took his picture. He called it "proof that hes tougher then I am".

After lunch the scenery slowed only a touch as we gained elevation. We had decided to stop at a campsite one of my guidebooks had recommended and get a good night sleep. The "recommended" campsite was about half a mile down the Eagle/Tanner Cut-off trail, and right beside Eagle Creek. It didn't prove to be a great campsite, but we made the best of it and got to bed early.

the opposite direction. Once back to Eagle creekWe woke up to a cool morning with clear skies. The half mile back to the trail seemed to be much longer in trail we made good time and a steady accent towards Benson flats and the Benson Plato. About a mile farther and we found a great campsite right off the side of the trail (live and learn).

The next great landmark was Wahtumtiful lake, a rich blue in color. As we passed by the lake, we watched as a girl pick up a violin and start playing amazing grace. We made lunch at a campsite, uphill from the lake, with pleasant music in the air. haha.

After lunch the trail climbed steeply for a mile and a half to junction with the Pacific Crest Trail and Chinidere Mt. trial. We dropped our pack, hid them in the brush, and set out for the view point atop Chinidere. The hike was short, and not too steep, we made the top in less then fifteen minuets. Despite the haze, the view from Chinidere Mt. is BEAUTIFUL! You have a clear s the cascades to the north and south, with Wahtum and Rainy lakeshot at below. There is also rock that looks like a scaled version of Pride Rock off of The Lion King. Below this rock the terrain drops incredibly steep to tree line a half mile below.

Coming down the trail we saw some people climbing trees near where we had hidden our packs. As we got closer we realized these guys weren't wearing any clothes. Just their briefs and boots. We stepped off trail, scooped up our packs and headed on... We were now hiking west on the PCT towards the Benson Plato where we planned to spend the night (in the only marked campsite on the map). The scenery was absolutely beautiful along the PCT and the trail condition was the best we had seen. We stopped often to enjoy view points off the side of the trail. We also found a HUGE ant mound. It was actually two mounds that had merged into one. They we consuming a large branch that had fallen from a tree above.

About the time we finished taking pictures of the ants, our streaking friends passed us on the trail. We caught up to them at the next junction and asked where they were going . They told us they planned to stay the night at Camp Benson.... which was the only camp in the area and happened to be where we were headed. So David and i took the opposite trial at a dead run. We made good time down the trail then cut across trough the forest and over to Benson Way, and Camp Benson. There was no one there so we set up camp and tried to look settled. That was the last we saw of them, and i must say we were glad of it. It was a pleasant evening so we started a small fire and sat in the dark talking and trowing sticks on the flames.

Once again we woke to a crisp morning with the promise of a nice day ahead of us. We only had about 6 miles to cover but it was going to be steep. We were somewhere around 4000' elevation and had to descend to the trail head at 100'. Then meant what we had climbed in two days and 32 miles, we were about to descend in a few hours and 6 miles. Ruckle Creek Trail proved to be a doozie! It wasn't long before my legs where trembling form holding me and my 35 lb pack from running down the mt. There were frequent view points and the weather was amazing. It was warm but not hot. We did however, find ourselves talking about Wendy's Frosties, and decided that was the first thing we would do when we got into town. By the time we reached the the Gorge Trail, we were more then ready to be done. A short hike back to the parking lot and we were set. We tossed our packs in the back of the truck and made good time to the nearest Wendy's.

SoliDeoGLoria

-Ry-