4.9.2000

    This morning, T. said, "Sweetheart, light of my life, let's get away from the apartment and get you away from work and go hiking straight up a hill for three miles until you think you might die." And so, that's what we did.

    Angel's Rest in the Columbia River Gorge (I-84 to Bridal Veil Falls Exit #28, take a right, take a left on the Scenic Highway and find a place to park directly across from the trailhead) is an outcropping looking over the Columbia River at an elevation of 1,640 feet. We found the trail in Hiking the Columbia River Gorge which is a nice, lightweight book with really good drawings of the trails. The trailhead starts at 100 feet so it was a mere 1,540 feet elevation climb in under 3 miles. The book calls it an "intermediate" trail. I need to get into the gym more.

T. was strangely opposed to the photographing of flowers on the way up: "We must hurry! We must run! Others might pass us! The top may not be there if we dally a moment longer!"

So, I only got two pictures on the way down before the battery died in my camera. I know nothing about flowers so I thought I might look up what these are someday:

Pretty and shy purple flowers.
Very small.

These were scattered all along the trail.
There was a pinkish variety, as well.
Reminded me of magnolia blossoms.

These trees were sort of striking. Looking up from below all the trunks and branches were very dark. There was something of a large forest fire a few years back in this area and we saw some that were extremely charred. When we got above these trees, though, the tops of the branches were stark white.
Very strange.

At one point, the trail sort of disappears and
you have to traverse these wiggley, ankle-buster rocks.

This is Angel's Rest
from the vantage point of our own picnic spot.
You can see a couple sitting on the rocks for
a little perspective.

C'est moi.

View West of the Columbia River
from atop Angel's Rest
at 1600 ft.