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| still life with self, pug and ornament |
It’s always a good day when you finally find what you were looking for.
December passed with no hiking trails logged. For most people, this isn’t
a big deal. For me? I start to feel practically unbalanced. Hiking is my reset
button.
On this particular day I just needed to be out, and I set out to hunt for a minor oddity in the Gorge-
a place I was fairly certain I’d circled around a few times but never actually
discovered. So, I decided to play a game of hide-and-seek, see what I could
find. And hopefully, not get lost.
Just when I had gotten to the point of determining I wouldn’t hit my
mark today- ding! A red and glittery glass stocking caught a ray of sunlight.
Found it: The Ornament Trail. [GRIN.]
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| ice skate? stocking? I dunno |
The Ornament
Trail is a well-known curiosity/secret located somewhere in the Multnomah
Basin area of the Columbia River Gorge. Although not exactly difficult to find,
if you aren’t familiar with the area, you will most likely get turned around.
As my hiking/blogging buddy Allison put
it, “I could tell you where to go, but not without my maps…Multnomah Basin is
like a vortex, though. It's easy to get confused on the myriad trails through
it.”
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| "found" Nesika Lodge too |
So I was well-pleased when I finally happened upon it, as I had been
prepared for a very, very long backtrack through trails I did know (which would
have made for a crummy and exhausting day).
I still wasn’t entirely sure where I was until I finally popped out on
the familiar Multnomah Creek/Larch Mountain trail, where it was all downhill to
the lodge.
LARCH-FRANKLIN-MULTNOMAH BASIN LOOP
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon
~10ish miles (includes a bunch of backtracking), ~2300’ EG (?)
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