Notes from the Gorge
This time I’m in Oregon - another one of my top favorite places to hike, right up there with Washington and Colorado. Oregon is beautiful in this quiet, earthy way. Everyday you walk outside and are hit with the smell of fresh soil, like the ground itself just woke up. It’s one of my favorite smells in the world.
My sister and I have a deep love for waterfalls and big, pointy, dramatic rocks, so this hike felt like it was made for us. My family is funny - early is not in their vocabulary - so we rolled out the door around 10:30 a.m. to make the trek to two different waterfall locations. My sister and I were already laughing at how hard the waterfall names were to pronounce. The first one, Multnomah Falls, somehow became “malt ball falls” in our heads. Kind of the same thing, right?
On the way, we made a pit stop at Vista House, which overlooks the Columbia River on the border of Oregon and Washington. When I tell you I have never felt winds that strong in my life … we stepped out of the car and were basically lifted off the ground. My sister was getting blown in every direction, my stepmom was holding onto the car mirror for stability, and all of us were trying to take photos without losing our balance. 65 mph winds and four people attempting to admire the river was absolute chaos - in the best way, funniest way.
Once we survived that portion of the day, we headed to the first waterfall: Bridal Veil Falls. It was a short trek down a mossy trail, with huge trees surrounding us the entire way. After about a quarter of a mile, we could hear the water rushing, signaling we were close. When we rounded the corner, we were greeted by a crisp, beautiful waterfall - medium in size, but powerful enough to make you stop and just stare. We snapped a few photos, stood in the quiet of the forest for a bit, and then headed back up to start the drive to the next (still mentally “malt ball”) waterfall.
We got back into the warm car and drove about 30 minutes east. Before we even parked, we could see Multnomah Falls towering over everything around it. Even from the street, it felt massive. At 260 feet tall, the water rained down onto the earth in long, dramatic streams. The tallest waterfall in the state, and somehow even more beautiful in person than in photos.
We made our way to the steps that lead up to the trail and the bridge that sits right beneath the falls. I wasted no time and started the walk up while my family stayed behind to take pictures. The hike was only about 0.2 miles, so it was a quick adventure, but once I reached the bridge, I could feel the mist begin to settle on my skin. Standing there, looking up, I felt so small compared to the vastness of the water above me.
I kept going a little higher and found a spot with an incredible view. The water hit harder up there, but I had my North Face rain jacket, so I was perfectly content to stand in it. I pulled out my camera and tried to capture what I was feeling. The falls were so tall they almost didn’t feel real. I focused on one stream of water at a time as it dropped, following its path from top to bottom, watching how it changed shape as it fell. There was something grounding about narrowing in on one small detail in something so massive - like letting the noise of everything else fade out for a moment.
After a long day of wind, hiking, and waterfalls, we were starving, so we stopped at a recommended pizza spot called Solstice. The pizza had some unique combinations and definitely lived up to the hype. My sister and I shared a pear and caramelized onion pizza that was unreal. We also tried a cherry and sausage pizza - interesting combo. Not my favorite, but still good.
On the ride home, we were met with the sunset spilling across the sky. The kind of soft, quiet ending that makes the whole day settle into your body. No big moment, no dramatic finale - just the road, tired legs, full stomachs, and that calm feeling you get after being outside all day. The kind of day that doesn’t need to be anything more than exactly what it was.