a dog of a mountain

Last week my boyfriend and I decided to go on a hike. He'd been talking about doing some hiking on the Washington side of the Gorge. I had only ever been on the Oregon side, so I was totally up for going somewhere new. What I didn't anticipate was how difficult the hike would be. I'm not entirely sure if he truly new this was a, as some sites call it, "strenuous" hike but had I learned of it's difficulty level, I probably wouldn't have done it. Maybe he did to, hmm. So off we went on our little adventure, took I-84 up through the Gorge, crossed over the Bridge of the Gods, and then up HWY 14 until we hit milepost 53- Dog Mountain. The ride up there alone is a beautiful one, with the abundance of beautiful trees and the big mountains, some peaks still covered in snow. I would have been content with the drive alone, but we were on a mission. At this point my running has been very little since my race in March. I still have issues with my right ankle from time to time. I wasn't really concerned that this 7.1 mile roundtrip hike would cause any problems. We get parked, situated, and start our way up. My boyfriend explains to me that the first mile up is the steepest, after that it shouldn't be so bad. I'm thinking this wasn't going to be so bad. The goal of Dog Mountain is to reach the top of this particular mountain. From the ground, it didn't look too big so I figured this would be like hiking up Multnomah Falls, except a little longer. What I failed to see on our way up was this...

Needless to say, the first mile was very steep. I stopped several times and had already tapped into my water. I swear the first mile alone felt like a million miles to me, my calves were so tight that I had to keep stopping and stretch them out. Nothing like an intense hike to tell you to get your ass into the gym more often! We finally reach a point in the hike where there is a fork and we have to decide which way we will go. Both paths ultimately lead to the top, and typically one is considered easy and the other hard. In this case, my options were "More Difficult" or "Less Difficult", either way it was going to be a difficult hike up. The "more" difficult path is shorter but steeper and the "less" difficult path is longer but a gradual climb. Naturally I opted for the lesser of two evils and gave my boyfriend a look. He smiled. Not even 5 minutes into my chosen path and I felt like I was dying, well my legs were anyway. Gradual my ass, it felt just as steep as the first mile in, I didn't even want to think about how difficult the "more" path was! Just as I'm starting to feel like I want to give up and go back to the car, we reach a clearing and  I get to see this...

Could you ever imagine such a view? I mean I've hiked up Multnomah Falls and thought that was an amazing view, and I've driven up to the Vista House on Crowne Point and thought that was a spectacular view, but this... there are no words. I assure you though, this wasn't the end of the hike. I was informed that we still had more to go, this was not the summit! What?! How could it ever get any better than this?! My boyfriend proceeded to point out where the summit was...

The summit is at the very top on the mountain in back.

So onward we went. By this point, I'm really feeling my calves and am constantly having to stretch my right calf. My quads are burning a tremendous amount, my feet are feeling a bit tired but overall I'm doing alright. Not even my right ankle is bothering me, so I muster through (with a bit of complaining and whining from time to time of course). We come to a point where there is another clearing and more outrageous views of the Gorge. I'm blown away by how high we've gone, that I managed to actually make it this far (and managed to drink all of my water up). This is what I saw...

No words I tell you, no words. The summit isn't too far off, but there is also a threat of rain now. Clouds are hovering over the mountains on the Oregon side of the Gorge and could very well be on there way to us. So we push forward to the summit. I almost can not believe that we actually made it. I'm so tired by this point that all I want to do is sit and breathe. We find a spot, rather I scout one out and plop myself down and we marvel at the view ahead of us as we snack on our grub. 

Eventually we begin to feel some of the rain drifting on over from the winds. The breeze up on the summit is a bit nippy and the clouds began to cover the sun up some. So it was time to say goodbye to the view and head our way back down. Back down the wide and narrow paths. The occasional passing of dogs, small and large. The moving aside for a runner on his or her way down. The mud that I was certain I'd slip and fall in but never did. Reaching the fork to decide whether we'd take the "Most Difficult" or "Less Difficult" route, I still chose the lesser of two evils. At some points we took off running down the path, and it felt good running. It actually felt better on my knees and right ankle to run then to just harshly walk down the steep paths. We made it out of the mountain without a scratch, and just as I can see the cars in the parking lot. Just as relief that I have made and am about to sit down in the comfort of my car, the inevitable happens! I slip and fall. Would we expect anything less from me? I did however, manage to go on this trek without hitting my head- yay me! The fall wasn't a bad one and my boyfriend actually caught my elbow and broke my fall pretty well. So no damage done. We laughed and headed our way out. 

The next day the soreness was quite obvious. My ankle was a bit sore but nothing like how I'd expected it to be. It was the following day that the soreness really kicked in. I started to feel parts of my body I hadn't felt in a very long time. And my ankle swelled up pretty bad as well. This hike was definitely a brutal one on my body, but it was a wondrous one to my spirit! I absolutely have every (insanely) desire to hike Dog Mountain again this summer. This time, I will be better prepared...

therapy hike

This morning I woke up and decided I have had enough! I'm so tired of not being able to do anything active because of my ankle! So I got dressed, quickly created an awesome playlist, gassed up my car, and took off. I had no specific destination, I just figured I'd head for the Gorge and figure it out from there. The drive out there alone is an enjoyable one, but I really love driving on the Historic Columbia River Hwy, so I headed there. I love how the roads wind and are shaded by big beautiful trees. My first stop was at the Vista House on Crowne Point, sat on a ledge, plugged in my iPod, and just stared out at the beautiful river and mountains.

My view...

As I sat there, I started to remember that all the times I'd driven from the Vista House to Multnomah Falls, I'd always see these other smaller falls and areas for hiking. I figured the weather was beautiful and I had nowhere else to go, so maybe I'd stop at one of these places and go for a nice hike, by myself (certainly a first for me). Now granted, I'm still dealing with an injured ankle and this may not be the wisest decision but as I stated earlier, I have had enough!! I can't run yet, and a friend did mention to me that maybe I should take up bike riding for the meantime. But for those of you who know me well enough, know that is a dangerous idea, that's an injury waiting to happen. So since I haven't had much issues walking, just the occasional tender spots when I turn my ankle funny or step down weird, I thought that maybe a good hike could do me some good. Not to mention some alone time away from everyone, the city, and the burbs could potentially be a healthy decision for me right now. And so I jumped back into my car and continued on my drive in search of a place to hike, I ended up stopping at the Latourell Falls. Mind you, I made this decision without reading up on how long this hike is, what it's elevation is, or what the terrain will be like (a non-wise decision on my part). But in the end, I had a wonderful experience and lived to tell about it!

Beginning of  hike...

The fall that can be seen from the hwy...

Same fall as photo above...

Art in nature...

Myself.

My little adventure came to an end a couple of hours later. Once I got home, I looked up the facts on Latourell Falls and this is what I learned:

• Distance: 2.1 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: 650 ft
• Hike Time: 1.5 hours
• Hike Type: Loop

My ankle did well, did turn it funny a few times but the terrain on this hike was not paved, it was quite rocky and plenty of dirt. The path in many areas were very narrow (even for one person), and there were times where I had to squat or sit just to work my way down. From time to time I'd catch up with someone else on the trail or cross paths with someone, but otherwise I was solo for the majority of the time. You could hear the water from the Falls the whole time and birds chirping. At one point something jumped on my left shoulder and then off, it happened so quickly that I didn't really get a chance to see what it was or get scared, but I think it was a small frog. I feel better, mentally and physically.  I will treat my ankle well with some elevation, icing, and ibuprofen tonight (thank you ankle for not giving out on me!). I think I will definitely check out another hiking spot next Sunday! Hiking is a great substitute for time being...