Angel's Rest

Hiking. (I went)

today.

Really.

I have every Wednesday off. Why? Juggling, of course.

This week, I decided to go on a hike with Nick, on the condition that I get back in time to go to juggling, of course. He took me to a place called Angel's Rest. Nick has been in Portland for like 20 years, so he knows his way around the trails. Lately, he's been taking me hiking now and again (you may remember a trip to Hamilton Mountain a little while back). So far he's two for two as far as cool places to hike.

The sign at the bottom says it's 2.3 miles to the top, and I think that's a reasonable estimate of the trail. Of course it's very uphill. Or not really 'of course.' After all, how would you know that. Anyway, it offers many amazing views of the Columbia River Gorge. My favorite is near the top where you look through a bunch of dead skeletal trees across the river. Several years ago, there was a fire, explaining all the dead trees, but it's amazing how much growth there is, and the contrast between the dead wood and living surroundings is really neat.

There were many cool wildflowers, including larkspur, columbine, and trillium. And on the way down, there were some ripe wild strawberries. Yum.

So yeah, it was a nice hike. Unfortunately, I was a little tired for juggling. But that was probably due to the hot weather.

Until next time.

Hamilton Mountain

I went hiking on Monday. My friend, Nick, called me after lunch and asked if I wanted to go to Hamilton Mountain, for a hike. I said that I would definitely be up for that, so off we went. Hamilton Mountain is in Beacon Rock State Park, in Washington. I wish I had brought my camera, because it was a nice hike. Maybe next time. But yeah, the hike was nice. We didn't go all the way to the top because Nick was just getting over a cold, but we went to the top of what I believe is known as "middle Hamilton," sort of a lower peak. From it, you had a nice view of Beacon Rock, and the Bonneville Dam. It was also the right time of year to see all sorts of wildflowers. To name a few, Indian Paintbrush, Upland Larkspur, and wild strawberries. Unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy the hike back down very much because my knee started to hurt, and I had to go to the bathroom, but enough said about that. I would definitely recommend it if you find yourself in the area with a few hours to kill. If you don't have time for the Hamilton hike, you can always just climb Beacon Rock.