A Mid-Summer Hike

Sitting at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is a veritable hiker's dream. It is green, lush (my friend, Alex, makes fun of my use of that word), and solely within the confines of the city, a hiker can find many trails with which to distract himself/herself.

If, however, you tire of city hikes (as we did this weekend), you can drive 20 miles east to the scenic Columbia Gorge, which alone boasts of hundreds of magnificent day hikes. After you've completed the requisite visit to Multnomah Falls, do yourself a favor and try some of the more obscure trails.

This is our first hike this summer. Shame on us! We've been cooped up a bit and been fairly satisfied with traipsing around the city and trying new restaurants (more on that later).

A few pictures from the Wahclella Falls Trail, which is short, easy, and dog/family friendly: