A Hike in the Columbia River Gorge

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Sunday, July 19th we were a week overdue. To give ourselves something fun to do, we headed into the Columbia River Gorge. We had fun remembering another similar situation three and a half years earlier when we climbed to the top of Multomah Falls three days after Joshua's due date. People told us that was kind of a foolish thing to do ("What if your water broke or you went into labor?") so we were looking for a shorter, less strenuous walk this time.

A picnic dinner: food always tastes better outside.

The Horsetail Falls.
The trails around here looked promising: not too long and with multiple waterfalls to see.

It's so fun to watch the kids experience an outing like this!

Is it just me or is he just about the cutest three year old ever?

Heading onto the trails. .4 miles didn't sound too far. After about .2 miles of climbing switchbacks we were wondering how this was any less foolish than the Multomah Falls hike. And we had two little kids with us this time!

Embracing a little craziness, we continued on until we came to this beautiful dell where the Ponytail Falls cascaded into this small pool. I loved how secretive and peaceful it felt.

Both the kids walked most of the way on their own two feet.

A few minutes of rest halfway through.

At last we reached the Oneonta Falls halfway through the loop and hiked down a very winding path to the viewpoint. At this point we had to decide whether to go back or continue on. We weren't sure how high and far the next leg of the trail went and a sketchy map that warned, "NOT TO SCALE" was not very helpful. In the end, we opted to continue on. Why go back through scenery you've already seen when the path ahead might be shorter?

A very open bridge over the Oneonta Gorge: a mother's nightmare.

At the end of the trail my water hadn't broken and labor hadn't started. We climbed safely into our car and arrived home with no mishaps and another great story to tell.