The many Falls hike (6/17)

Monday night Joe got in touch with a friend that we met at Usery Park in Mesa.  Mike lives in Portland and planned on taking us hiking while we are here.  It was set for 8:30 Tues. morning.
Of course we woke up to rain on Tues. morning.  But we got up and ready hoping it would stop.  Mike arrived at 8:30 and said the weather report said it should stop in about 1 hour.  So off we go.
We were going to the Eagle Creek park.  This is where the 14 mile (round trip) trail starts.

The only one we didn't to is Wahtum Lake.  We did add one that is not on the sign called the Cross Over.

All I can say as we start hiking is WOW!  This trail is spectacular.  The rain has stopped but it is still cloudy and dreary but it really adds to the beauty here.  We watch the clouds drift through the trees and are in awe.

We pass the punch bowl falls, it is small but still worth seeing.









Next we come to a falls that has no name, again worth seeing.

On we go to the half way point at High Bridge the view from this bridge will take your breath away.  I am not sure the pictures do it justice.  In the picture to the left you can see how narrow it is with high canyon walls that are covered with ferns and even have trees growing out of the walls.  Just beautiful.

Joe is fascinated with all the moss that grows on everything.

This is a close up of the canyon wall

Can you seen the falls in the background

Now comes the hard part for me I have to walk across the river on logs, I am still healing from my fall walking across the river in Lassen Park.  Luckily for me they had a rope strung across so you could keep your balance better, it was wet an slippery.

We were getting close to Ttunnel Falls, called this because there is a tunnel behind the falls.  It is really cool to walk behind the falls and come out to all the mist being blown at you.  Tunnel falls is quite big, we don't have anything that tells us how high it is, Joe thought about 225 ft.  It is much bigger than Reavis Falls that was 190 ft.  If you look closely you will see me getting ready to go behind the falls and the next pic I am coming out the other side.

 After Tunnel Falls we head to Cross Over falls.  The pictures will explain the name of the falls.  We stopped here and had lunch before heading back to the trail head a mere 7 miles away!!!!!  This trail continues on, I understand you can take it all the way to Mt. Hood!




 This was my favorite falls because it is so different.  I have never seen one that crosses over it's self like this one does.








The trip back to Mike's car was as beautiful as the trip in.  I was pretty tired by the time we were back at the car 7 hours from when we started.  What a great hike this was.  I think of all my hiking buddies when I do these hikes and wish you all were here to share them with us.