Silver Falls again, knitting update, and the last of the Halloween witches

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Silver Falls Loop Trail, November 1, 2019

Some fall colors still about, some frost in the canyon. Always lovely at Silver Fall State Park, Oregon. (Hike #51, 5 miles, 700 feet)

South Falls

Lower South Falls

View from behind Lower South Falls

Double Falls

Middle North Falls

Winter Falls

Frost

Knitting

I have knit past the joining on the Meris Cardigan, and the fit is good. The rows are long, so I will be at this for a while, knitting down the body.

I also finished a striped dish cloth,

and made progress on the Spiral Cowl.

The last witches of Halloween

Finally some knitting! And two new hikes…

August 24, 2019August 24, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Flyway Twist Shawl

This shawl has been delivered to it’s recipient, so I am happy to share the pictures! The solid yarn is Malabrigo Sock in the Reflecting Pool colorway. The real star of the show is the Fully Spun colorful gradient called ‘Voices in My Head’. It was fascinating to knit with the gradient, watching the colors emerge and play against the teal backdrop. The brioche section in the middle adds variety to both the look and the knitting experience. The pattern is by Veera Valimaki, and is easily obtained on Ravelry.

Salmon River Trail 8/12/2019

We hiked with friends on a flat easy trail where we could enjoy a shady beautiful setting with lots of time to chat. This was my first time hiking this trail, near Welches on Mt Hood, and I can see why it is often recommended.

Salmon River from the trail.

Hike #39 – 4 miles/200 feet

Cheater hike on the Timberline Trail, Mt Hood Meadows 8/15/2019

I would like to walk all of the 40 mile Timberline Trail around Mt Hood. This is a section I hadn’t done yet. We rode the Mt Hood Meadows chair lift up 700 feet of elevation (thus, cheating) then began walking north along the trail, as far as Clark Creek. Beautiful flowers, creek crossings and wildflower meadows along the way.

Our cheating enabler – the Stadium Lift

Looking back as we silently rise – Mt Jefferson and a hint of the Sisters.

Aster and goldenrod meadows along the Timberline Trail.

Several small, easily crossed creeks along the trail.

We eventually reached views of ‘Pea Gravel Ridge’, a glacial moraine just beyond Clark Creek.

Pea Gravel Ridge

Downstream view of a branch of Clark Creek.

Upstream view toward a waterfall on Clark Creek.

Mt Hood, summer view

Glaciers

We then retraced our steps and walked south along the Timberline Trail until it began to descend through the woods to the White River crossing – we’ll save that for another day. We passed through beautiful meadows, under ever-present ski infrastructure and views of the mountain. We walked the mile and a half and 700 feet down to the trailhead instead of going back to the chairlift, so we only ‘cheated’ one way.

Clark Creek

Asters, paintbrush, goldenrod, false hellebore, with ski lift.

Mt Jefferson, and a very hazy view of the Three Sisters from the trail.

Tall cotton grass, aptly named, in this moist meadow.

The Timberline Trail continues down through the forest to White River, but we turned back.

GPS track (with some wandering points). Hike #40, 6 miles/1000 feet.

New or notable flowers:

buckwheat

salsify?

wintergreen

gentian

goldenrod

mariposa lily

tall cotton grass

lupine, paintbrush, aster

pearly everlasting

A few days in Paradise…

August 18, 2019August 19, 2019 / margaretquilts / 3 Comments

Mt Rainier National Park, August 5 – 9, 2019

For my birthday my dear husband planned a visit to Paradise at the height of wildflower season. We stayed in the newly refurbished Paradise Inn, authentically both rustic and lavish, perched at 5420 feet above sea level, and 8990 feet below the top of Mt. Rainier. We hiked many trails in the area from Monday evening to Friday morning, alternately focusing on the incredible wildflower blooms at our feet, and the massive glaciers looming above us on the slopes of this active volcano. We had sunny days – it was almost too warm on the shadeless trails above timberline. On Thursday the clouds rolled in below us, and we watched their flowing patterns throughout the day. I took more than 700 photos on three long and four shorter hikes. My knees and toes held out admirably. We mostly ate out of our ice chest and suitcase pantry, but had one lovely meal at the restaurant. There are not enough superlatives to describe the wonder – but John Muir’s words, carved into the stairs leading to the mountain from the Visitor’s Center, come close.

Paradise Inn

We were lucky to have a room with a view of the Tatoosh Range, immediately to the south.

Looking down from the trail at Paradise Inn and the Tatoosh Range.

Sunset view from our window.

Paradise Inn and Mt Rainier from Paradise Valley Road.

Hiking Highlights:

Hikes #34 -38, 28.8 miles, 4520 feet

August 5th – Alta Vista – An evening walk with picnic dinner at this amazing viewpoint:

Mt Rainier

Across Paradise Park, preview of the Golden Gate Trail.

August 6 – Pebble Creek and Panorama Point via Golden Gate and Skyline Trails

Edith Creek in Paradise Park

Tatoosh Range from the Golden Gate trail.

The lower humps in front of Mt Rainier are our destination.

Snow and pasque flowers along the Skyline trail.

Tiny people on the overlooks ahead.

A peek over the ridge to the barren, recently glaciated valley to the east, where the Paradise Glaciers have receded.

Lunch view, below us – Panorama Point, Paradise Park and Inn, Tatoosh Range.

Nisqually River and highway bridge.

Our high point – Pebble Creek. People planning to summit the mountain will camp at the Muir Snowfield on the high ridge above.

Mt Rainier from Pebble Creek crossing.

Looking down on the anastomosing trail system above Paradise Inn.

We walked to Myrtle Falls in the evening.

August 7 – Lakes Loop – We hiked downhill from Paradise Inn, past Reflection Lakes, then back up to the Skyline Trail. The ranger assured us the wildflowers along the return hike were incredible, and that was an understatement!

Another morning in Paradise!

Our reflections in a stream crossing.

Small waterfall along the way, in the shady forest.

Reflection Lake, a little too much breeze for the reflection today.

Hiking back up – lunch view of Reflection Lakes and Stevens Canyon from Faraway Rock.

Small reflective lake along the trail.

As we entered the meadows along the ridge, the wildflowers were stunning,

and continued to be so for a couple of miles!

I am out of words to describe amazing wildflowers at this point, but they do help to pull me along the trail when I get tired.

August 8 – Deadhorse, Glacier Moraine and Glacier Vista trails – This was a lower mileage, less elevation day. We found a bit of solitude on the Glacier Moraine trail, and more amazing flowers, including some marshy, wetland species we hadn’t seen yet.

The clouds rolled in overnight, and stayed all day at about 5000 feet, so we hiked above the clouds most of the day.

Mt Rainier had a few cloud caps coming and going.

Lush stream meadows along the Deadhorse Trail.

The Glacier Moraine trail leads to a viewpoint on the Nisqually Glacier Moraine.

Neon moss, monkey flowers, saxifrage, etc. along the damp slopes.

We are headed to the lip of the moraine.

Panorama of my view – can’t begin to take it all in!

I am sitting on the edge of the moraine, overlooking the Nisqually Glacier.

Dan taking the above photo of me as the fog creeps up the Nisqually Valley beyond him.

The fog stayed at about that level all day.

Zoomed view of Stevens Peak in the Tatoosh Range, and the Goat Rocks beyond.

After dinner we walked the Nisqually Vista trail.

August 9 – Christine Falls – On our way out of the park on Friday morning, we took the short hike to the bridge over Christine Falls.

Christine Falls

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Longmire.

Old gas pumps at the Longmire Visitor’s Center

Glacier Closeups:

Nisqually Glacier – a river of ice.

Waterfalls:

Top of the Mountain:

Muir Snowfield:

Wildlife

We saw several marmots, deer, and various birds as well as the usual marauding chipmunks.

Gray Jay

grouse posing near the trail

Marmot eating marsh marigolds near the top of the Gold Gate trail.

Marmot at a stream crossing on the Glacier Moraine trail, dwarfed by the Mountain above.

Marmot, Mt Rainier

New or notable Wildflowers

So many flowers! I tried to note all that I could identify – at least 65 different types, but I am no expert in discerning the many varieties of some of these:

pasqueflower, paintbrush, heather

arrowleaf groundsel

speedwell and heather

pasqueflower shedding petals

brief bloom of the pasqueflower

dwarf alpine gold

gentian

aster

leatherleaf saxifrage

heartleaf saxifrage

pink willowherb

lupine

paintbrush, lupine, bistort, arnica, valerian

pasqueflower seedhead

yellow willowherb

lovage

flower list

monkey flower, aster, paintbrush, saxifrage

bird beak lousewort

yellow penstemon

Mt Rainier lousewort

tolmie’s saxifrage

coiled and sickletop louseworts

fireweed

cinquefoil, paintbrush

paintbrush, rosy spirea

partridge foot, dwarf lupine

In all this was a fabulous trip! We had nearly clear views of Mt Rainier during our entire stay. We didn’t move our car all week. No internet or cell service away from the Visito’s Center. I am so appreciative of the National Park Service, and laws that preserve our national treasures such as Mt Rainier!

And a brief Look Back…

In 1995, when our boys were two and six years old, we spent a long September weekend with my Mom at Paradise. She loved the mountains, and this was her first chance to visit Mt Rainier. She was 71 years old, and not in hiking shape of late, so was proud of herself to make the three mile hike to Glacier Vista overlook, helping to guide our two young ones more than 1000 feet up the trail. This was a couple of years before macular degeneration, and then later, ALS. I thank her for taking us hiking and camping in our youth, even after our father died and she was on her own with nine children. I remember her naming the flowers – paintbrush and lupine and aster, in Tuolumne Meadows. She was a wonder woman, and I wish she was here to wish her a Happy 95th Birthday today! I hope there is chocolate cake on the other side!

Someone turned on the waterfall! June Lake and Chocolate Falls, Mt St Helens, July 4th, 2019

July 8, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We went with good friends to the June Lake Trail northeast of Cougar, Washington, on the south side of Mt St Helens. The walk to the lake is easy, with flowers blooming along the way, and magical mirror reflections at the lake.

June Lake

Mirror reflections

View to the waterfall across the lake.

In February 2016 we snowshoed to this spot – a couple of comparison look back views:

June Lake and waterfall, July 4, 2019

June Lake and waterfall, February 20, 2016

July 2019

February 2016

Today we continued beyond June Lake, up a steep ridge, to the Loowit (around the mountain) Trail, and walked east for a ways.

Beargrass blooming at the edge of a lava flow along the trail.

Large trees

We turned back west to visit the elusive Chocolate Falls. Our well traveled companion had never ‘seen’ the waterfall, although he had been there a few times. We arrived at the horseshoe shaped cliff, but there was no waterfall.

Dry lip of Chocolate Falls, 2:44 pm.

The waterfall is now “on”, 2:46 pm.

Then some nearby hikers noticed water beginning to flow in the channel above the cliff, and lo and behold, a couple of minutes later, water was plunging over the cliff through a well-worn, polished slot in the cliff edge.

Looking upstream at the channel.

Narrow but steady stream of Chocolate Falls

Looking down at the polished slot at the lip of Chocolate Falls.

The snow fields on the mountain above had warmed enough to send fresh meltwater down the channel. Apparently this is a documented phenomenon here. To us it was a surprise, like a rainbow or a special wildlife sighting – a serendipitous moment of grace and beauty.

Mt St Helens remained slightly cloud covered, with partial views. The temperature was perfect. Our plan to take the loop trail back to June Lake for the return hike also offered a ‘surprise’. This connector trail is really only a good option in the winter, on snowshoes or skis, when the lava flow boulderfields are snow covered. It took us almost an hour to navigate the half mile connecting trail, and we were very happy not to have twisted an ankle or knee in the process.

Picking our way across the lava flow.

The unexpected elements, the waterfall and the boulder field, added to our adventures on a day suited to celebrating our nation’s commitment to protecting our wilderness areas! (Hike #30, 7.5 miles, 1500 feet)

Mt St Helens from the south.

New or notable wildflowers today:

heather

huckleberry

penstemon

rosy spirea

red lichen

beargrass

bead lily and bunch berry

harebell

pearly everlasting

sickletop lousewort

Knitting:

I have seamed and added the top edging to Le Petit Sac, and knit the icord strap.

Crater Lake Snowshoe, Rogue River Waterfalls, Table Rock Wildflowers, and Knitting

April 27, 2019 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Crater Lake – April 19, 2019

My husband has been eager to see Crater Lake with winter snow, so we waited for a promising weather weekend, and our friends found a cozy cabin in Prospect, Oregon. Friday morning we drove to the rim of Crater Lake where a small parking area provides access to the rim road, which is otherwise covered in several feet of snow. The views were stunning – the sky, the lake, the snow each so pure of color! We snowshoed about 2.5 miles clockwise along the road, nearly to the base of The Watchman.

First view of Crater Lake from Rim Village

Panorama shot

We were heading toward The Watchman for our destination.

Stopping for views along the way.

Mt Shasta to the south, in California

Mt McLoughlin

Panorama view at our lunch stop

Perfect view of Wizard Island

Closer view of the crater on Wizard Island,

the trees,

and the curvy shoreline of the lake.

Looking back at The Watchman and Hilman Peak before we return.

Mt Scott and Garfield Peak ahead as we snowshoe back to Rim Village.

Rim Village buildings under snow.

(Hike#17/ 5.6 miles/ 600 feet)

Rogue River/Mill Creek Waterfalls – April 20, 2019

Saturday morning was rainy, but mostly dry by the afternoon. There are several waterfalls along the Rogue River near Prospect, Oregon. We followed a beautiful wooded trail along Mill Creek to Pearsony Falls, and then farther, to a view of The Avenue of Boulders, and then followed the canyon rim to the lip of Mill Creek Falls for a lunch stop.

Pearsony Falls

Avenue of the Boulders

Avenue of the Boulders highway bridge

Lip of Mill Creek Falls

Lip of Mill Creek Falls, lunch stop

Mill Creek Falls and Rogue River

Madrone trees along the trail

We also admired the views from the Highway bridge over The Avenue of the Boulders.

Looking down the Avenue of the Boulders from the bridge.

Perspective exercise

After lunch we went to the Mill Creek Falls Trailhead and followed the path to the viewpoint of Mill Creek and Barr Falls.

Mill Creek Falls

Closer view of Mill Creek Falls

Mill Creek Falls lunch stop was just to the left of the lip.

Barr Creek Falls

We saw many forest wildflowers, lungwort lichen, and moss:

Calypso Orchid

Trillium

Snow queen

Pioneer violet

Oregon grape

Manzanita

Lungwort lichen

Mosses

We then drove to the Natural Bridge area of the Rogue River near Union Creek. We had to walk in from the highway, as the access road is not yet open. Here the river is supposed to disappear from surface view into a lava tube, but there is so much spring runoff just now that the water is overflowing the top of the lava tube, and the natural bridge is not obvious.

Upstream view of the Rogue River

Downstream view of the Rogue River

Rogue River flowing over the top of the lava tube

Rogue River flowing over the top of the lava tube as well as through it.

The bridge to the Natural Bridge

Group shadow portrait

Lizard

(Hike #18/ 5.4 miles/ 500 feet – for the day)

Lower Table Rock – 4/21/2019

Sunday, we drove back toward Medford to Lower Table Rock, renowned for spring wildflowers. We saw at least thirty one different varieties that I could name. The wide, well maintained trail up the mesa passes through oak woodland that is completely permeated, entwined, carpeted and otherwise overgrown with shiny oily red and green poison oak.

Lower Table Rock – our destination

Swales of rosy plectritis and buttercup meadows

Oak tree

Buttercup meadows under the oak trees at the base of the mesa.

Another view of the Lower Table Rock about halfway up the trail, with fiddle neck and buckbrush in the foreground

Wildflowers in the lower meadows and along the trail to the top:

rosy plectritis, buttercup

blue dicks

Pacific hounds tongue

buckbrush

shooting stars

camas – just beginning to bloom

larkspur, lomatium

giant blue eyed Mary

narrow blue eyed Mary

monkey flower

ragwort

another lomatium

miner’s lettuce

arnica

woodland star

sitka valerian

wild celery

bleeding hearts

I was excited to see two new-to-me dramatic flowers:

Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily, also called cat ears –

Scarlet fritillary or red bells were right near the top of the trail, and were the only two stems of these I saw. I literally gasped when I looked over and saw them, they were so beautiful. And I could not get any closer due to the proximity of poison oak!

Beyond the red bells, we emerged onto the top of the mesa, which was nearly flat with a long trail, formerly a runway landing strip, across the top to viewpoints of the surrounding landscape. The flowering meadows on top were Sound of Music scenic, and lovely to walk through.

There was a different suite of flowers on the top of the mesa.

Large swales of goldfields

closer view of goldfields

goldfields and rosy plectritis

bicolored lupine, filaree, lomatium, popcorn flower

baby stars

gold stars and a white flower, possibly a sandwort

slender phlox

New to me – Cowbag clover

We had our lunch at the south edge of the mesa with views toward Medford, the Rogue River valley, and back east toward Crater Lake and Mt McLoughlin.

Crags at our lunch stop.

East view toward Upper Table Rock, also covered with yellow flowers, and the shoulders of Mt Mazama (Crater Lake)

Rogue River valley

Rogue River below

The top of Mt McLoughlin emerging from the clouds

Location map

(Hike#19/ 5.1 miles/ 750 feet)

Weekend parting shots:

The Cabin

Nearby farm with grazing elk and Mt McLoughlin at sunset

Elk

Mt McLoughlin

The Knitting

I finished the Vintage Prim Hat, pattern by Andrea Mowry! Brioche can be tricky, and I fixed a lot of mistakes – both tinking and frogging.

Brioche pattern

close up of garter stitch and brioche rib

Center top

Garter stitch side

Reversible to the green side

Columbia Hills, WA, Tryon Creek, OR, and some Brioche Knitting

April 9, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Crawford Oaks 4/4/2019

We had to drive 75 miles east to the Columbia Hills to find a dry hike this weekend. We started up the road to Eight Mile Falls, then continued on the Vista Loop. It was a bit late for grass widows and yellow bells, and a bit early for full balsamroot display, so we had a bit of each, on a windless day. A lovely hike, and pretty easy, compared to when we hiked here about a year ago and I was less than two months post surgery. Next spring, we will attempt this hike a few weeks later to get the full balsamroot experience.

Bird welcoming us to the trail.

The graphic showing the depth of the Missoula Floods here always impresses me.

Eight Mile Falls

Looking back west toward the river and Horsethief Butte.

One of the scattered early blooming balsamroots.

View to the west, toward The Dalles

View to the east toward Biggs

Looking north to the Columbia Hills

One swale of shooting stars – first of the season

A blue jay near the trailhead

Last look at Horsethief Butte

Hike #15, 5 miles/1000 feet

The wildflower suite:

Shooting stars

Gold and woodland stars

yellow bell

biscuitroot

slender phlox

big head clover in bud

salt and pepper

saxifrage

grass widow and woodland stars

miner’s lettuce

smooth stem parsley

balsamroot

ballhead waterleaf

filaree and pungent parsley

Sunday dash around Tryon Creek to see the Trillium

4/7/2019 A rainy weekend in Portland, a weather window, so we went:

Trillium in swathes in the woodlands, and individually along the trail.

After a weekend of rain, some flowers were becoming transparent

Other flowers included skunk cabbage in the bogs near the creek.

Lots of water dripping, but we mostly avoided actual rain.

cedar

violets

Oregon grape

(Hike#16, 2.2 miles, 200 feet)

Knitting

Progress on the Vintage Prim hat, with brioche:

I will just say that there has been frogging, and use of lifelines. I have even learned to fix one or two stitches, but a big fix is still beyond me with this technique. I do love how it looks!

Lewis River Waterfalls, a hat finish, and snow in Pdx

February 8, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

January 31, 2019 Moulton Falls, Bells Mountain trail, and Lucia Falls, Washington

Our first time hiking here. We have passed through on our way to Silver Star Mountain in the summer, and noted the crowds enjoying the swimming holes along the Lewis River near Battleground, Washington. Today we stopped to see the waterfalls in the off season, and to hike up the nearby Bells Mountain trail for a view of Mt St Helens.

The rails to trails path along the Lewis River goes over this beautiful bridge, the East Fork High Bridge, which is apparently a popular jumping spot in summer.

Downstream from the bridge.

Upstream from the bridge.

Looking down…

My shadow self portrait.

Up the Bells Mountain trail – about 1000 feet up in 1.5 miles, so a good work out.

Uphill through ferns and second growth forest…

Until we cross a clear cut area, and the view to Mt St Helens opens up.

Ice on the trail

Lunch time view – across the Lewis River area to Mt St Helens.

Passing Moulton Falls on the return hike

Nearby Yacolt Falls

And Lucia Falls:

Total for the day: 6.7 miles, 1100 feet, hike #7.

Knitting

I finished my Brioche Watch Cap, after having to buy an extra skein of Berocco Millifiore yarn, just in time for snow in Portland.

Neighborhood, 2/5/2019

Snow…

And a view of Mt St Helens and the Ross Island and Tilikum Crossing Bridges from the OHSU eighth floor waiting room. Latest follow up results are all good!

1/29/2019

Silver Falls and Steigerwald

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

1/27/2019 Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

A short walk on a foggy day with one of our sons.

Ducks

Swans

Great Blue Heron near the bridge

Ephemeral reflections

Bald eagle pair watching over all.

2.3 miles, hike #5 for 2019.

1/28/2019 Silver Falls, OR

Windy and cold in Portland, but warmer to the south. We drove to Silver Falls State Park in the Cascade foothills east of Salem, Oregon, where the North and South Forks of Silver Creek fall in steep drops or shorter cascades over ledges of volcanic rock. We hiked the Trail of Ten Falls, though we skipped one – so the Trail of Nine Falls. One or more waterfalls every mile of the seven mile loop keeps the trail interesting. Lots of water in the falls, compared to my last visit in August of 2017!

South Falls 177 ft

We started at South Falls, but skipped the path behind the falls as I didn’t want to start out the hike wet.

South Falls from the upper viewpoint

South Falls from the bridge.

Lower South Falls 93 ft

Stairs down the cliff.

Walking behind the falls.

Dan on the left, emerging from behind the falls.

The trail follows the river, with occasional bridge crossings.

Lower North Falls 30 ft

Double Falls 178 ft

Drake Falls 27 ft

Named for the man who created the park.

Middle North Falls 106 ft

Twin Falls 31 ft

North Falls 136 ft

The trail leads behind North Falls.

Behind the falls.

Looking back.

And now we have to climb up out of the canyon.

Looking back down at North Falls.

We did not walk the extra distance to Upper North Falls (65 ft), but followed the Rim Trail toward –

Winter Falls 134 ft

We only saw the upper lip of this one, though there is a trail down to the base.

Winter Falls rim.

This was the last waterfall of the hike (7.0 miles, 1200 feet, hike #6 for 2019).

Wildlife

There was a ladybug picnic on one of the fence posts:

Return to Angel’s Rest (18-53)

November 29, 2018December 2, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Angel’s Rest Trail, Oregon November 24, 2018

A few trails in the Columbia River Gorge that have been closed since the September 2017 Eagle Creek Fire were reopened for the first time this past weekend. We went to Angel’s Rest on Saturday morning, along with hundreds of other local hikers. It was with care, scrutiny, appreciation, and gratitude that we made our way up 1500 feet to the iconic views over the gorge. The trail was in great shape, thanks to the many trail keepers who have worked on recovery.

Into the woods

Views of Cape Horn, the Columbia River and Phoca Rock emerge on the lower trail.

Coopey Falls

Angel’s Rest – our destination.

The trail begins to switchback up the front of Angel’s Rest.

Burned tree trunks and open views line the trail.

First view west toward the trailhead.

Well repaired trail surface next to blackened trees.

Blackened stump.

Nearing the top, the views unfold:

To the west, from near the top.

The Hilary Step of Angel’s Rest – leads to the ridge crest. Sometimes there is a line of hikers waiting to go up or down.

From the top, looking toward the overlook where many rest.

Open view west – toward Portland, Cape Horn in Washington and Phoca Rock.

Open view east – toward Hamilton Mountain in Washington.

We wandered around on top for a while, admiring the view from various perspectives, and found a place to eat lunch.

Closer view of Cape Horn in Washington.

The bench is still there.

We saw a single blooming white yarrow near our lunch stop.

Yarrow

We headed down, stopping for a few more views along the way.

Looking back toward the top, where the first views are seen.

My shadow in the low November light.

My favorite sculpted shoreline of the Columbia River.

View through the rock piles.

Seasonal berries

Trees that are burned, dying, no longer evergreen.

Looking back as we hiked down:

Where we were – and much more visible with all the undergrowth burned away.

White berries lined this part of the trail – not sure what they are – possible snowberries, or the dreaded poison oak.

Golden Hike of the year, #62, 5.2 miles, 1500 feet.

Look back:

I found a couple of comparison photos from previous hikes – this one in January of 2013:

January 2013 – the white tree trunks are left from a fire in 1991.

November 2018 – the white trunks are blackened, and the green trees are now dying.

A closer view:

January 2013

November 2018

An image taken in 2017 from Cape Horn looking over to today’s hike to Angel’s Rest.

Angel’s Rest, October 2017, From Cape Horn, WA.

Pumpkin Pie

A lovely Thanksgiving dinner with a small gathering of family and friends.

Knitting

Another round cloth. Some new sock and hat yarn acquired from my LYS on Black Friday.

Jane Austen House Cross Stitch

I have been rather obsessively cross stitching in the evenings.

Neighborhood

Leaves fully gone from the flame ash tree.

Other Adventures

It has been about a year since I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor. I had another trip through the MRI this week to evaluate the tumor surgery site, accompanied by a Joni Mitchell soundtrack in my head this time. Fortunately, all appears well. And I could see all three mountains from the OHSU tram view patio.