Labor Day Hike to Punchbowl Falls and Tunnel Falls

Labor Day is not my favorite time of the year. It is a rather depressing weekend for me actually because I am dreading the end of summer and sending the kids back to school. I need an activity to distract myself from the impending doom of Tuesday and this year I decided we should go on a hike. I had no idea what I was getting us into but bright and early Monday morning we packed up plenty of food and water and headed east for the Columbia River Gorge and the Eagle Creek Trailhead.

Luke had gone on a backpacking trip last summer for High Adventure on this same trail so I was anxious to see it for myself. The trail cuts through some of the most beautiful area in the gorge with a gradual elevation that follows high above eagle creek and passes dozens of spectacular waterfalls. At times the path was narrow and the drop off is quite steep with cable lines built into the sides of the cliff to hold onto.

After about 2 miles we came to the overlook to Punchbowl Falls, probably the most popular destination along this trail. I couldn't get a good picture of it but found this one online. It is quite a stunning sight  and a side trail leads down a steep hill to lower Punchbowl Falls which is a popular place for hikers to wade in the cold stream and even the more adventurous can jump off rocks into a swimming hole. Here we had a quick rest but decided to save the side trail for later in the day.

Shortly after passing Punchbowl Falls we passed Loowit Falls, followed by High Bridge which crosses eagle creek some 100 feet above the narrow gorge below.  Our intent was to get to Punchbowl Falls and see how much farther we could go. The girls were a little tired by now but the boys were anxious to get to Tunnel Falls, some six miles from where we started.

The path gets a little rocky here but we trudged on and just when I thought the girls could not go any further, we turned a bend and were met with the breathtaking view of the 175 foot Tunnel Falls.

The trail itself passes through a tunnel behind the falls about halfway up and out the other side with a dizzying view from the bluffs to the creek bed below.

Again, the trail here is very narrow with cables built into the side of the cliff for security. From here hikers can continue on to Twister Falls along a part of the path known as "the vertigo mile" because of the steep 200 foot drop off.  Tempting as that sounds (and truthfully I would never take the girls on it, although Luke did it carrying a 30lb. pack on his back) we were ready to head back at this point. The girls had been troopers up to now but were getting tired.

Finally, we arrived back at the side trail to Lower Punchbowl Falls. We were relieved to sit down, shed our shoes and socks and soak our tired feet in the cold water. So cold! But it felt so good!

The view of Punchbowl Falls from below. It was hard to get a good picture as it is kind of dark down here.

In retrospect it was probably an overly ambitious hike to take the girls on, but they did great and did not complain. Not much anyway, there were no tears or tantrums but they did let us know when they were tired and their feet hurt. It was not until we got back to the car that Hannah finally broke down and said "I'm never doing that again!"

How I Spent My Summer Break

This summer has flown by and I have not done a very good job of documenting it. We had no big vacation plans this summer so I tried to find fun things to do close to home to keep us busy. We live in a great part of the country. There are no shortage of great things to do around here. And so, in no particular order, here are a few of the things we crossed off our list of things to do this summer.

1. Redmond

Early in August we had a break of sorts between swimming lessons and water polo practices, EFY and scout camp and we decided to take a few days to go visit my sister and her family in Redmond. The kids were anxious to spend some time with their cousins this summer, so off we went.

We had a nice couple of days. First we spent an evening hanging out at the lake.

We took in a parade while the boys went caving.

We also spent a few evenings at the county fair. The kids love the fair, despite the fact that we wouldn't give them any money for rides. There are plenty of free things to do at the fair too, like the rodeo, visiting the animals and the art displays. We also took advantage of some of the free family activities - like a pie eating contest.

 Sadly, she didn't win.

2. A Bike Ride
About 20 miles west of us lies the small town of Vernonia and the Banks to Vernonia Bike Trail. I have been wanting to get out on this trail for some time now but it is hard to talk a group of people who are used to riding dirt bikes into getting out on a bicycle again. The path is 20 miles of  beautiful, paved and relatively flat trail from the town of Banks to the town of Vernonia. We parked at the trail head 5 miles from Vernonia and rode into town. We had lunch there and then rode back to the car. A short trip, but we had gotten a late start and had other plans later in the day. It was a nice ride though and I think everyone would do it again. Eventually.
Actually, Danford took the scouts on it a week later so he must have liked it too.

I'll have you know that I took the above picture while riding a bike. I'm surprised it is in focus. I tried to stop and get a picture on solid ground but by the time I stopped and got my camera out, an empty trail was the only picture I got.

3. The Beach
We only made one trip to the beach this summer. It was early on in the summer and I was shocked the kids were brave enough to get in this frigid water, but they played in it for some time. I wish we had made more trips out there, but perhaps there is still time.

4. Camping
The only person in this family not to go camping this summer was me. Danford and the boys go so often with the scouts, it is hard to talk them into a family camping trip. Fortunately, Danford was able to take the girls on a little daddy daughter campout  this summer. They have been begging to go for a while now and they had a fun time with Dad, riding bikes and sitting around the campfire.

5. Dirt Biking
Everyone got some dirt biking in this summer. I even tagged along one day when Hannah learned to ride. I sat in my chair with a book while I wached her ride around in circles at the kids play area. She did a great job. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day - something which she still has not let me forget. We tried to recreate the moment in the backyard, but it is just not the same. Next time.