A Day on the Mountain

Weather reports were conflicting so we took a chance based on a look at the radar that the weather was going to hold for a hike today on Mt Hood.  Since there was a good chance it would rain we went for a hike in the trees so we would at least have the canopy and not be in the open rain the whole time.

 



Things weren't starting out too great, we stopped at the ranger station to get a Wilderness pass and they gave us the news that the bridge still out from the winter - this stretch as you might be able to tell from the washout on the sides seems particularly prone to high water flows so it's removed each winter to prevent damage.  Apparently other hikers were using downed trees but they didn't recommend it... we took this as "you can get across if you are careful but we're not allowed to suggest it"

 

It took the help of a few more experienced hikers to find this spot, hop across a narrow spot of run off, climb over a few trees and then balance across the downed tree, yikes.  I made it and off we went to see Ramona falls.  The hike was rather uneventful, with all the clouds we had little chance of getting a good view of Mt Hood from the trail which was expected.  Just as I began to wonder if we were ever going to find the waterfall we started to hear the roar of falling water.  Another 1/4 mile before it finally came into view, a 120ft waterfall of water cascading over old basalt rock


This was the most beautiful waterfall we have found in Oregon and Washington and worth the rain and lack of a view of Mt Hood to see it without a crowd.
 

For a bit of scale, here is Jay at the base of the falls taking a photo.  From here the hike followed the Ramona Creek which is where all this water is headed through a moss-covered section of forest


Lots of exposed rock, from what I can tell from the trails that lead off this one we may be looking at the flank of Old Baldy but we didn't head up the trail to see how far it really is, save that for another day.

 

Mt Hood tried to come out but the clouds won, she's always here so we'll see her through the summer once this rain ends.


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