Ever make a spur-of-the-moment Friday night decision? Well, I did this last Friday and decided to do a solo hike in the Columbia Gorge, specifically the Wahkeena Loop trail and its 5-ish miles and 1600-foot elevation gain/loss. Oh, and I haven’t done a hike like this in years!
Love was not so happy that I was doing this hike alone. But it is a connector loop to other trails, so I wouldn’t be so out of the loop I took both phones (corp work Verizon and personal ATT) at his request and he had the trail map that I promised not to vary off of. He grumbled the entire morning and his last words as he headed to work were “Don’t Die”.. he loves me.
The morning of the hike I packed his daypack, his is better than mine.. Lol.., with water, snacks, extra socks, extra shirt, emergency kit, ankle and knee brace, extra phone battery, sunscreen, my copy of the hiking map, headlamp, flashlight, and Leatherman tool. No, this is not overkill for a day hike! Be a good hiker and go prepared. I also wore jeans, hiking boots, a tank top, and a lightweight sweater. I was ready to have fun!
I parked the car at about 8:30 am at the Wahkeena Loop Falls Trailhead, turned on my Garmin Livetrack for Love, and started up the cliff face. OMG, that cliff face was wanting to kill me! Beautiful views of the Gorge and the creek running right next to you most of the way, but the elevation gain being pretty straight up is trying. The payoff from the top is worth the effort every time! I also went to the springs of Wahkeena falls and can now say I have hiked/walked an entire creek from start to finish.
At the top, after taking in the views and some water, I turned East and headed towards Larch Mountain trail. This is where the trail got overgrown and I was happy to have long sleeves with me and save my arms from being scratched. It was fun and I only passed a few people on the trail at this point. Once I hit the Larch Mountain Trail I turned North on it and headed down the ravine towards Multnomah falls and the cliff face. I passed by several falls and I loved how close to
Wiesendanger Falls you can get if you don’t mind a little cold water. This is where I met the most people, and tourists, and wish I had done the trail the other way. Keep in mind this trail is barely 1 person wide at times and it’s on a cliff face so when they aren’t paying attention to their surroundings and others, and have dogs with them, it can get a little frustrating to stay safe. Honestly, having seen Multnomah Falls several times I rushed through that part and all the crowds as quickly and politely as I could.
It was an amazing 3-hour hike on the Wahkeena Loop Trail, and I felt safe doing it alone! I would totally recommend this loop to people that aren’t completely out of shape. Do make sure you have good hiking or trail running boots; you are walking on basalt. Also, cell phone service is worse than spotty and Verizon only did slightly better than nothing at all. So if you go alone, have a plan and make sure someone knows the route, and you stick to it!, and what time you leave the car. I would not recommend this loop for small kids or out-of-shape people; the elevation gain in the first mile is rough and the trail is rough at times.
I can’t wait to get back out there again!
