I have always enjoyed the Columbia Gorge. It is a dramatic place where the broad river courses through a majestic canyon with almost vertical walls of basalt, especially on the south side. That side, the Oregon sector of the gorge, is graced with many waterfalls. This is Wahkeena Falls, near Multnomah. Incidentially, the gorge was shaped to a considerable extent by our old friends, the Missoula floods, which scraped away the basalt, leaving hanging valleys which, of course, result in waterfalls.

The forests in the western end of the gorge are lush and cool, drenched with up to 80 inches of rain per year. Moss abounds and thrives, rendering a soft, dreamlike aura in the canyons. Hiking is fine...beautiful vistas of the gorge in open spots, and mellow, verdant peace in the woods. However, most of the trails are serious. The Wahkeena Falls trail ascends 1500 feet in its first two miles. The Old Sloat handles such ascents by going 100-200 steps at a time, then pausing to admire the scene and perhaps take a photo...while recovering for the next upward slog.