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50@50 – Columbia Gorge, WA

The gorge of the Columbia River was formed by fire and ice. Past and present have no distinction.  Fire and ice still dominate this land; we are experiencing a mere blip of calm in the geological cycle.  In this land is some of the oldest archeological evidence of civilization on this continent. The river, its tributaries and surrounding land provided most of the resources for the Plateau people for over 10,000 years.

By the time British Captain Vancouver arrived in 1792, the people of the Columbia Plateau, split into geographic bands with villages flanking the river and beyond, had developed into master navigators with trade networks spanning as extensively an any in Europe. Their range of movements depended on the seasons and the availability of food and plant resources. By the time, Lewis and Clark arrived a few years later, the people of the Columbia had adapted their trading to new products, with new expectations and relationship styles.

With the ideals of the Enlightenment, and the pursuit of Manifest Destiny the settlers followed because of the fertile lands, the profusion of wildlife and the promise of opportunity and the freedom to BE.  In 1862, Thoreau declared that “I must walk toward Oregon, and not toward Europe”. [1] Even he recognized that Oregon represented the future, and Europe the past. The heart pumping artery to both Washington and Oregon is the Columbia.

This land is revered by the multitude of people who live here, farm here and simply enjoy its beauty.Many have tried to subdue the river, and for the time being, a series of dams are doing so.  However, the salmon and steelhead populations have plummeted putting the entire ecosystem out of balance.  Recently the Hemlock Dam along Trout Creek dam, built in 1935 was removed.  A restoration project is underway.The sport of windsurfing was born on the Columbia in its perfect vacuum of air and water. But as we saw in 1980 with the eruption of Mount St. Helens – not far from this gorge – fire still rules.

The gorge is over 80 miles in length. I’m splitting my hikes into two days divided by the Bridge of the Gods near the Cascade Locks. Just to note, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses from Oregon into Washington via the bridge. The U.S. Forest Service references over 50 hikes along the gorge. Because the slopes of many of the mountains are quite steep, many of the hikes are quite short. Thus, I sampled a few shorter hikes rather than select one longer on

Day 1:

I began my decent into the Gorge from the east at Highway 97.  My first stop was the Mary Hill Art Museum.[2]  Wine has been produced here for over one hundred years.  An amphitheater is built into the hillside where concerts are presented in the summer. Traveling west on Highway 14 (in Washington) I stopped at Horsethief Butte (between mm. 86 and 87) at the eastern, more arid part of the gorge. The Cascades to our west catch most of the rainfall.

This allegedly is a highly popular trail, but not today – maybe because it was 93 degrees and no shade – spring flowers are reputedly spectacular.   The sign up sheet indicated that the last person came here three days ago. The hike has many legs, either up the butte, or down by the river.  I chose to go up the butte via the western route.  This hike is short, but very rocky, so I was grateful for my sturdy boots.  Petroglyphs are visible on a few rocks.  The park service is good about letting you know where they are so you don’t touch.

Once on top, the quietness, except the wind astounded me.  NO ONE ELSE is here!  I was all by myself on this butte with petroglyphs. The top is not as flat as it appears.  It’s like looking at a fortress from the outside; you know it doesn’t have a flat roof, but you can’t tell what exists inside of the structure, or how it is configured. The surface is dry, rough and rocky with grasses and tiny plants. Erosion has created open spaces and passages almost like rooms. Or am I jumping to conclusions because of the ancient drawings?

My next hike is the antithesis of this one, located near the middle of the gorge at the eastern end of Home Valley. The beauty of climbing Wind Mountain is that the top affords great views of  Mount St. Helens and  Mount Adams with significantly less ascent than it’s more popular neighbor, Dog Mountain (one can also see Mount Hood from here).  Traveling west on Highway 14, pass the mountain, and turn right on Wind Mountain Road.  Follow it to Girl Scout Road – there’s a sign for the trailhead.  A parking lot is at the end of the pavement.  Walk down the unpaved road about ¼ mile or so.  The unmarked trail head is on the right; if you look up, it’s obvious.

Ferns grow like wildflowers. I felt like I’d stepped into a primordial forest, and half expected to see a Hobbit jump out from behind a tree. This trail climbs 1.8 rather steep miles up.  Taking it slowly with a lot of breaks, it isn’t hard.  Fortunately, the primary ascent of this trail is in the shade. The view from the top was equally magical and well worth the hour (or so) hike.  Looking northeast, one sees Mount Adams, south central Washington and the end of the gorge.  Crossing the top to look west, Mount St. Helens sits on the northern horizon and one can observe the Columbia flow halfway to Portland.  My descent only took about 45 minutes.  Now I was ready for some of the Maryhill wine I bought.