the goose loves muddy hikes

Last weekend, our good friend Brad was in town from Washington D.C. We spent the weekend eating good food, drinking good beer, and going to bed later than normal. While he was here, he really wanted to go on a hike, so on Saturday morning, we packed sandwiches and M&Ms, layered up with warm clothes and rain gear, and drove 45 minutes east down the Columbia Gorge.

For awhile, Billy has wanted to hike the "Punchbowl Falls" trail, a 5 mile loop that leads you to a gorgeous waterfall. Ideally, we would have done this in the summer, when the water was lower and the falls are more easy to reach. But we chose February, when you have to wade out into the stony creek about 50+ feet to get a glimpse of the falls.

I had on my sturdy Hunter rainboots, so I gave it a go. I could only get so far before water got into the boots, but I got a small peek at the falls.

Then we scaled the side of the mountain (dog in tow) and braced ourselves up against skinny trees to get this view of the falls:

But once we got to the top of that mountainside and met back up with the original trail, we realized there was a lookout from the top that didn't involve wet boots or muddy butts. Oh well.

Although the hike was wet (over the course of the hike we were hit by rain, snow, and hail), we finished it and had a good time. The dog, although a little chilly, had a great time and came back SUPER muddy.

Check out that little black belly, and those wet ears!

Once we got home (after making a side trip for good beer on the way), we all took turns in the shower, including the dog, until we were all toasty warm and ready for a bratwurst BBQ. Yeah, another thing that's generally better in the summer, but we did just fine!

And here's another check off the 25 for 25 list - hike 25 miles. So far, I'm at 10 miles:

1) 3 miles at Washington Park on 10/16/11

2) 2 miles at Stella Olsen Park in Sherwood on 1/2/12

3) 5 miles at Punchbowl Falls Trail on 2/25/12

Only 15 more to go!