This morning I woke up at around 8AM in rural Southern Idaho and began the 7-8 hour drive to Portland, OR. I was hoping to be able to complete one of the Columbia Gorge hikes today, so that tomorrow would be a more manageable hiking day. About an hour into the drive, I saw a sign along the freeway specifying an attraction off the freeway named Shoshone Falls. I decided to take the off-ramp and followed the signs which led to Shoshone Falls State Park. Shoshone Falls State Park is a beautiful picnic area including frontage on the Snake River, Shoshone Falls, and a lake. There are two trails, one of which follows the Snake River and another which circles the lake. There is also a large grassy area with picnic tables which is perfect for a break or lunch spot.
Upon first seeing the waterfall, I thought it was a man-made, artificial waterfall which was created for water diversion, flow control, or for creating a nice view/attraction. It just had the standard/generic look of a Disneyland landscaping job of a ride/attraction. It was probably the rounded, perfectly level grey rock formations that gave it that look. However, as the below photo from 1898 shows, Shoshone Falls is natural and has not been modified by man (at least during the past 120 years).
After continuing driving toward Portland, OR, I noticed that a couchsurfing host named Sandra responded to my post and invited me to join her and three other couchsurfers at McMenamins Edgefield, a Bohemian hotel in Troutdale, OR. At around 7 PM, they were planning on checking out a live Nashville band and spending time in the soak pool located on the hotel grounds. I told her I would meet with them at around 8PM, so that I would hopefully have enough time to hike Dog Mountain Trail (http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Dog_Mountain_Trailhead) before meeting up with them.
At around 5:30PM, I arrived at the Dog Mountain Trailhead located on the Washington side of the Columbia River. After researching the hike at Kim’s (from yesterday’s hike) suggestion, the hike seemed to be a short, difficult, scenic hike that is used by intense hikers for training. After a few minutes on the trail, I immediately understood why. The first 3/4 mile consists of continuous, steep switchbacks on compacted dirt. After 3/4 mile, hikers are provided with two options: a 2.2 mile “difficult” trail to the summit or a 2.6 mile (not as difficult) trail. Because of time constraints, I decided on the 2.2 mile trail which continued the steep terrain to the summit. About half a mile before the end of the trail, the trail opened up on all sides as the landscape became filled with blooming sunflowers.
The hike ended up taking until around 8:15PM, which meant I would be around 1 hour late to the hotel/soak pool to meet up with Sandra and Co. Because Troutdale, OR was near Multnomah Falls, I decided to drive there anyway and hang out in the soak pool. In the soak pool, I noticed a group of young people and approached them asking if either of them was Sandra. Sandra was there with about 5-6 people and we talked/chatted for about an hour. They had been drinking and were very laid back. Everyone was about 25 years old, except Sandra and her friend who were about 40 years old. However, they still acted and talked as if they were in their 20s. Bailey, a local guy in the group, suggested taking highway 101 to San Francisco rather than the Inland route. He had some good suggestions, so I’ll probably be driving to Astoria tomorrow after the hikes.
After leaving the soak pool, I walked over to the hotel, showered in the bathrooms on the first floor, and then head to the Main Road in town to park the RV and sleep.
