bluekat's Journeys

My plan for the day was to go for a hike/run in McDonald Forest, on my favorite trail. Then I pulled a muscle in my back and worried I wouldn't make it after all. Rested a bit, then decided to give it a go. I love this place  Smells like new bridge! Came around the corner, out of the bushes and this! This is why I love it. Careful! Lunch view This. This gravel is calling my bike. Love biking here in the fall! Down we go. McDonald Forest Peavy Arboretum Powderhouse & Section 36 trails

Morning in the forest is soooo wonderful. Good for the soul, or whatever. Did one of my regular routes. It's been over a month since I've been here. How did a whole month go by? That explains why my legs are so sore this afternoon. It would also explain why the trail looked so lush and overgrown with a new crop of wildflowers to distract me from my workout. Carpenteria californica, or so Google says. Heck you didn't think I'd come up with the latin name did you? It was the usual stuff. Hike up, run down until the legs are thrashed. Then hobble back to the car. The hike up was at a pretty good pace, I think. I jogged some of the lesser inclines. Ran from Peavy down to the lake, about a mile. Stopping to fuss after things in my pack and what have you, so I had some short breaks. Fern. (I figured that one out myself!) I fell once. The upside of trail running, if you're lucky you will face plant into a soft part of the trail. No harm done, and the lady I pa...

After the long, hard ride yesterday, we decided a hike might make a better recovery day activity. Cookie would like this choice as well. I've been told that the best way to explore the unofficial trails of Mac Forest is to do so on foot. Rumor has it that a new Alpha connector trail has been blazed around the landslide. We have never been to the lower trailhead to Alpha, so that was our first destination for the day. The 800 and 810 forest roads. We had a few bikers pass us on their way down the 810. Alpha Trail head It didn't take long to find the landslide, this time from the other side. Indeed there is a new connector trail that leads up to Ridgeline. Somebody has been busy! The trail is fresh and a little muddy with horse shoe tracks and mtn. bike treads imprinted in the mud. We hiked up to Ridgeline, and along Ridgeline until it began it's descent down to Patterson Road. From there we backtracked down to the 800 road for more explorations. Baker Creek? Dirty Trillium W...

Saturday: 20 miles on Saturday. A quick, easy ride with the club around Peterson's Butte. Came home early for Civil War. Sunday: 2 mile hike at McDowell Creek Monday: 2.3 mile run in Merrills pace gloves. Calves didn't start to bother me until a couple blocks from home. Things are looking up. Used the new headphones with the MP3. I like them, they do the job well enough. That's all I ask.

Bleeding Hearts |  f/5.6  •  1/125sec  •  ISO-200 We went for a hike in the Columbia River Gorge. More like we went for several short hikes along trails and past falls we hadn't explored before. We bypassed Multnomah falls in favor of lesser traveled trails. I hope to get a few image posted from the day, but we shall see. More from Latourell Falls