Weekend Hiking

One of the reasons I moved to Oregon was the plentiful and beautiful nature here. I have thoroughly enjoyed my drives through both city and rural areas, but I know I can make the most of it by visiting state parks. This past weekend I went hiking in Champoeg State Park (north of Salem) and Silver Falls State Park (east of Salem). It was a great weekend of driving, hiking, and nature viewing.

Champoeg reminded me a lot of Garner State Park in Texas, one of my favorites. The park is actually historic as it's one of the first places settlers convened. The day I went was a record-setting day for heat in Oregon, with temperatures in the high nineties. But as a GRIT (Girl Raised in Texas), this only presented itself as a minor inconvenience as opposed to an insurmountable obstacle. Luna and hiked around and walked down to the river, although she was having nothing to do with the water. The Willamette river flows through the park, but people are not allowed to swim because of jet skis and ski boats. Several families were having reunions and gatherings, and the camping section was filled up. I let go of Luna's leash for most of the hike, and she surprisingly stayed close and followed my commands 90% of the time. That 10% she didn't ended with me stomping on her leash before she got too carried away, which caused her to bite her tongue and bleed. It was about that point that we turned around.



Sunday was a day for waterfalls, I decided. So I packed up and headed to Silver Falls State Park, the site of 10 waterfalls and many different hiking trails. I choose the Canyon Trail for most of the trip, and instead of doing the full 8.7 miles (after learning that was a 6 hour hike), I opted for the 5 mile trip. Luna could not come, as dogs are not allowed on some of the trails. It was truly an enjoyable day. The waterfalls were beautiful, the tranquility of the park was breathtaking, and the cool humidity of the canyon served as a surprisingly perfect climate for hiking. About halfway through the trip, low rumbles of thunder sounded through the park. Shortly thereafter a short and cool rain fell. As crazy as this sounds, I loved it. It was perfect. The last leg of the trip was the Rim Trail, and although this does not pass any waterfalls, it was my favorite part of the hike.




I ended up back at the South Lodge and civilization. I got a Tree Spirit and a State Park year pass in the gift shop. After walking around for about 45 more minutes, I FINALLY found my car and set back for the scenic drive home. I am looking forward to going back and doing the full Canyon Trail!

You can see all of my pictures from the hikes here. Below are some of my favorite shots.