Monday, October 19, 2009

Hiking In Oregon

Yeah, I know this goes against the whole theme of the blog. Oh well. I vacationed in Portland Oregon in late August, and they have lots of great trails I couldn't resist.

The first one I ran into was the Marquam trail, which is near the Japanese garden and the Rose Garden in Washington Park. It's a bit convoluted, and it's really more of a stroll through the park than a real hiking trail, but it was an enjoyable little stroll. Here are a few pictures from that:










A few days later we traveled back to Washington Park and took on the very challenging, but very rewarding Wildwood Trail, something I'd recommend to anyone visiting Portland.




Wildwood trail is packed with tons of giant sequoias. They're as massive as their name implies, they're beautiful, and they smell great.



Being among these giant trees feels a little magical.



The trail is long, narrow, winding, and steep. It was quite a challenge. But the view was amazing. what a beautiful place.


















At the end of this trail, at the top of this huge hill, you get 2 great rewards:

First, this view, which already makes the hike well worth it:



The other reward at the top of the hill is the Pittock Mansion, a large mansion built in the early 1900s that's been restored to its early glory and now serves as a museum. Hanging out on the grounds is free, touring the mansion I believe costs $7, and it was money well spent. Seeing how the ultra rich lived 100 years ago is very interesting.



I loved this trip and I loved this hike. I think it's fair to say the Wildwood trail is my favorite trail I've ever hiked. If you ever get the chance to visit Portland Oregon, its a must.

No comments:

Post a Comment