Lets Go Chasing Waterfalls!

 Really does it take much to be spontaneous? NO! Not really.... I was thinking Saturday at 11:45pm how lazy I was all day that I really needed to make Sunday active. I had gotten ready to eat breakfast with a friend at the Hawthorne Street Cafe, Saturday morning, then proceeded to take a 3 hour nap, cleaned my house and ate a huge burger with WAY too many fries at Five Guys Burger. Besides cleaning my house and enjoying the company of two of my best friends, it was not a productive day.

So how do you plan a random adventure in the PNW? Well.... luckily the whole outdoors is like a huge playground. Anytime of the year in Oregon. A few text messages and I had a small group convinced to go on a local hike. Search engines helped me pick up a few ideas, and definitely what was too far. To check out last minute hikes look at: http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Main_Page or Trails.com was helpful as well: http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=14659. I got a little frustrated and decided to drive a little further East to the Columbia Gorge. (I plan on buying a hiking book at Powells) There really is endless places to hike off  Hwy 84 and everything I have seen is breathtaking. Like waterfalls... I really need to start counting and labeling all of the falls I have now hiked to.

Our small group enjoyed Latourell Falls. Its about a short 2 mile loop that goes to the upper portion of the falls, which you can walk behind. Like everything in Oregon, it was breathtaking. And the mossy green on the trees is gorgeous. Easy hike, easy on the eyes and a great way to get out of the city.

GET INVOLVED! Working with the Street Youth of Portland

I first noticed the large amount of street teens in Portland, when I was invited to a dodge ball game somewhere in the parks in Southeast, in 2008. They gathered there every Tuesday during the summer to catch up, hangout and enjoy the game. It was one of my best memories from the summer. They had collected lost balls, balls that get thrown out, that are tattered and worn and its a rough game. Yet thrilling at the same time. Everyone I met was inviting, friendly and felt like we had all known each other for years. I have never discovered again where this little gem of a game was held and I regret not writing down the parks name. But the issues of this street family has not gone unnoticed.

I have been involved now for almost a year in Transitional Youth. Its a program that works to reduce youth homelessness in the Portland. I serve twice each month serving meals at an outreach center in downtown Portland. It has opened my eyes to the issues people living on the streets deal with each and every day and gives me new perspectives on my own life. Check out the video below, for more information:

Wishful Wednesday- Top PNW Destination

Photo via: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/crater-lakes-volcano-7162/

I want to pick top choice destination places, on my wish list. Crater Lake National Park is definitely one of them. But I think I will take this adventure during a weekend after the snow melts.....

Hurricane Ridge= Beautiful, Rope Tows…Never Again!

Hurricane Ridge is a gorgeous part of the Olympic National Park to visit on a clear sunny day. You get some great views of the Olympic mountains and its only about a 20min drive from Port Angeles. The last time I spent time in this part of the Olympics was in 8th grade and we enjoyed snow shoeing. I prefer this over snowboarding.

I am still regretting my decision to snowboard up the intermediate hill using a rope tow (the Poma side was closed). I will stick to chair lifts from now on thank you very much. As my left shoulder three days later still feels like it was ripped out every time I go to lift or pull something. Although, chair lifts are not an option at Hurricane Ridge. I really wouldn’t recommend Hurricane Ridge for skiing or boarding. I thought rope tows were only for the bunny hill….but oh no. Being “goofy” on my board I was recommended to hold on to the rope behind my back. So your left arms gets jerked with the first grasp on, and then you have to quickly grasp with your right.. and the first attempt ended with an immediate fall. They were kind enough to let me back on. Then as your gaining elevation, the rope moves up, then down and after I ran into a tree well, I realized you need to steer as well. WAY too many things to think about for the uncoordinated.

I was so annoyed at running into a tree that I undid my bindings and hiked my way to the top. After taking a much needed breather and taking in the view, I overheard these “ski jocks” laughing about the boarder who biffed it coming up the lift… yea they were referring to me. I thought to myself, “I board real mountains….with real lifts.”

But if you live out in the middle of nowhere, like my friends who live in Forks, WA, the $22-27 dollar lift tickets are quite appealing. Maybe I will return in the summer and take in the area without snow.