Wahkeena Falls

As usual, December rolls in and catches everyone by surprise. Where has the time gone? The days are shorter than ever with only eight to nine hours of daylight. The weather is cold, but still somewhat dry. I have noticed that the temperature hardly fluctuates throughout the day; it's common to stay in the 40s all day and night vs. dropping to the 20s overnight and rising to the 50s by midday. In general, the PNW climate seems to be fairly consistent throughout the day (and year). That being said, the temperature is often warmer than it feels. Still, the chilly Colorado air shocked my body into winter mode, so I am confident that I will at least survive the winter. My new favorite neighborhood coffee shop to escape my cold apartment? Sweetpea Baking Company--a vegan cafe offering light fare in an airy, industrial-chic space.

I am currently working the latter part of the week at NewEra Pharmacy, which leaves me plenty of time to explore. While ski season has officially begun on Mts. Hood and Bachelor, the hiking trails at lower elevations remain snow-free. Warm layers are still crucial, however. On Sunday, Kyle and I opted for an easy hike close to town. The Marquam Trail to Council Crest is a moderate out-and-back trek that gains 1,110' over 5.8 miles. Winding its way through a patchwork of city parks and green spaces, the Marquam Trail stretches over five miles through peaceful forests in the West Hills of southwest Portland. As part of the city's 40-Mile Loop trail system, it connects the Terwilliger Trail in the south with the Wildwood Trail to the north.

Starting from the Marquam Trailhead, the trail climbs through dense forest that feels secluded even though it's a stone's throw from OHSU. The majority of the route resides in the Marquam Nature Park, which snakes through gullies and gulches and crosses multiple streams and footbridges. The final switchbacks and road-crossings lead to the summit of Council Crest, once the site of a popular amusement park. The small viewing plaza looks out to the Tualatin Valley, the Chehalem Hills, and downtown Portland and Vancouver. On a clear day, the trek features an outstanding five-mountain view.

Date hiked: 12/2/18

Afterwards, Kyle and I refueled at another recently favorited cafe, Papa G's Vegan Organic Deli. This Southeast spot offers counter-service in cozy, low-key digs.

We finished off the weekend at A & L Sports Pub, a roomy but divey Steelers bar. Aunt Judy and her friends (and many other spirited fans) were also in attendance to support the Steelers against the LA Chargers.

On Wednesday, Aunt Judy introduced me to the Multnomah-Wahkeena Falls loop. Recently reopened by the Forest Service after the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire, the moderate 4.9-mile trek gains 1,600'. Completing the loop in a clockwise direction, the paved trail crosses the bridge between the lower and upper Multnomah Falls, then steeply ascends via 11 switchbacks to the top of the ridge.

 
 

After the turnoff to the viewpoint at the top of the impressive falls, the trail becomes unpaved and  crosses a large stone bridge over Multnomah Creek.

Date hiked: 12/5/18

The route climbs for almost a mile, passing several outstanding waterfalls.



From here, the trail network extends to Larch Mountain, Devil's Rest and Angel's Rest. The summit of Devil's Rest (~2,408') is a forest-covered knob, but the journey there is beautiful. The detour should have only added three miles, but the connecting Foxglove Trail was not maintained so we ended up backtracking.

 
 

Eventually, we found our way back to Trail #419, which descends to Wahkeena Falls. At the bottom, a short half-mile hike that parallels the Old Columbia River Highway leads back to Multnomah Falls.

 
 

Aunt Judy and I knocked out close to 10 miles in five hours (9:30am-2:30pm). It was dry but cold--likely my last proper hike before the winter rains set in.

That night, Kyle and I met Aunt Judy and her friends at McMenamins on the Columbia in Vancouver. The Christmas Ship Parade packs restaurants along the rivers for two weeks every December. This Portland tradition started in 1954 with one lone sailboat from Portland Yacht Club. Today, the Christmas Ship Fleet averages about 60 boats between the Columbia and Willamette River fleets.

 

Over the weekend, Aunt Judy and I made a date night at the downtown Keller Auditorium. Portland's Singing Christmas Tree has brought the joy of Christmas to all ages for 56 seasons. This lively musical production showcases both contemporary and traditional holiday music performed by adult and youth choir voices, dance numbers from the Jefferson Dancers and special numbers by local actors and musicians. 

The holiday theme continued with my work family's party at Brix Tavern, a Northwest venue offering American comfort food in a renovated warehouse. It was a very enjoyable evening, and fun to see everyone outside of "work mode." Overall, I am learning to appreciate several aspects of my job, but above all, the work culture is phenomenal.