A few months ago I got to put a "Catherine Day" on the calendar. Saturday was that day. Jesse watched to boys so I could go on a solo outing of my choice. The lovely weather led me to select one of my all-time favorite hikes: Observation Peak.
I was hoping to be at the trail head by 6am, but I misremembered how far I needed to drive on Forest Service Roads and overshot my target time by almost an hour. That might have been because I stopped to take some photos along the way. Maybe.
It occurred to me with this pre-hike photo that there would be no photography of children on this trip....just lots of landscapes and self portraits.
Starting the hike at 7am ended up being just fine. The forest was blanketed in fog, which slowly lifted during the course of my ascent.
It was quiet in the beginning---even the birds were still sleeping.
I was in my happy place. Marveling in the beauty of nature. Enjoying feeling small.
There was a lot of stopping to appreciate the natural artwork.
The light and colors changed so dramatically over the course of 30 minutes.
How beautiful!
The veil of fog lifted and you could see glimpses of the clear, bright day that lay ahead.
The people who choose to live here in the Pacific Northwest (in general) and in the Columbia River Gorge (specifically) share a love for wilderness. And so, I find it striking that I can adventure to such a breathtaking place and not run into another person.
This is the first overlook view once you come out of the forest. The silhouette there is Mt. Adams.
All those bushes in foreground are huckleberries.
Yum! Jesse keeps ziplock bags in our packs for random occasions such as this. The whole family is happy he's such a good planner.
Golden light.
This site is a memorable one. When Jonah was a baby we did the world's most picturesque diaper change in this location.
Sleepy little bee.
It's hard to take a bad photo up here.
The summit is a rocky outcrop with views of the surrounding volcanoes.
From left to right: Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier (by the tree), Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.
Definitely worth hiking through beautiful woods for this!
It might be easier to see Mt. Rainier in this photo. Straight ahead above the cloud line.
Not a bad place to have lunch.
One last peak of Mt. St. Helens and then it was time to hike back down.
Total trip was 5.6 miles.
Many thanks to Jesse. I had a wonderful time.
xoxo
