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Hurricane Ridge, Washington

My first visit up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, Washington was absolutely amazing. The vast number of snow dusted peaks and the deep valleys in between was awesome. I am so used to the Cascade mountains where there is a lot of space in between each peak, it was cool seeing so many mountains so close together! We explored the beautiful ridge and walked through the winter wonderland of a forest. The trees and snow drifts made such unique shapes that it felt like we were in a Dr Seuss world. As we explored the area a storm was building in the valley below as well as above us. It was really cool seeing the storm keep building and growing below us before finally overtaking us.

I can’t wait to go back to Olympic National Park in the summer and explore the beautiful area further. There is a lot to see in the area and I only just scratched the surface!

Beautiful winter wonderland from atop Hurricane Ridge overlooking Olympic National Park, Washington

Storm building in the valley below Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Gemma on the top of the snow covered mountain at Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Deep powder and enjoying the view out towards the North from Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Hiking through the snow covered trees shaped by the strong wind frequently blowing over the ridge.

Amazing views of Olympic National Park along the trail

Hkiking along the snowy ledge with very snow covered trees

Panoramic of the beautiful view from along the trail we hiked near Hurricane Ridge, WA

Foggy and storm moving up from the valley below Hurricane Ridge while overlooking the beautiful Olympic National Park

Snowshoeing couple in front of a building storm in the valley below Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Hiking up to the lodge at Hurricane Ridge, Washington

Elowah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

On a damp autumn day, I made the short (1.4 Mile) hike out through the lush and mossy forest to the powerful 213 ft Elowah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge about 45 minutes from Portland. It can get pretty busy here, but luckily the rain kept some people away making the crowds manageable. The mix of many layers of volcanic rock combined and the changing colors of the leaves and ferns definitely makes for a beautiful area to explore!

213ft Elowah Falls and the colosseum of volcanic Basalt that surrounds it in the mossy forest

Hiker down stream in the mossy forest below the beautiful Elowah Falls, OR

Cascading falls below Elowah Falls with very mossy rocks littered throughout.

Rounding the lush trail to a view of Elowah Falls, OR

Logs submerged in the cold clear water below Elowah Falls

Autumn leaves next to the clear water below the Elowah Falls where it cascades through the canyon

Hiker below the 213 ft Elowah Falls as the ferns begin changing color with the changing seasons.

Mt Bachelor Dog Sledding

A couple months ago we went on a dog sled ride with the awesome Oregon Trail of Dreams on Mt Bachelor. It was awesome being so low to the ground with the dogs pulling surprisingly fast. You could tell that the dogs loved being out in the snow and on the trail working! It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to doing a longer ride soon.

http://www.mtbachelor.com/events-activities/sled-dog-rides/

https://www.facebook.com/OregonTrailofDreamsSledDogRides/

Flying snow from the sled dogs on the trail near Mt Bachelor, Oregon

Dogs pulling and jumping on the beginning of our ride

Selfie of Gemma and our awesome guide on the back of our sled with me on the inside.

Passing another dog sled along the trial

Clear blue skies on the trail with sled dog team near Mt Bachelor, Oregon

Happy sled dogs all harnessed up and ready to go

View from the top of the sled with Mt Bachelor, Oregon in the distance

Freemen's World Cover

My photo from Cape Horn, Washington looking good on the cover of German magazine Freemen's World. I definitely feel spoiled having so many awesome places close to Portland!

Perched on a tree at Cape Horn, Washington overlooking the Columbia River Gorge on the cover of German magazine Freemen's World.

Diamond Lake

On a failed attempt to try make it to snowy Crater Lake because of very bad weather, we decided to backpack in and camp around Diamond Lake instead. It was definitely not as beautiful as Crater Lake would have been, but it was still awesome to snowshoe in and explore the area in the deep snow. Our hike in was a very wet one, with about 6 inches of snow accumulating our first night and another 6 inches the following day. We had a great time still even with the snow and dug out a nice kitchen area to stay dry while cooking and eating. The heavy snowfall definitely built up quickly on the tent and had to be frequently hit off to keep it from getting too heavy.

On our last day there, we woke up to beautiful blue sky and great visibility of Mt Thielsen, Mt Bailey and even the rim of Crater Lake. Unfortunately the nice weather didn’t stick around too long though and by the time we had hiked the few miles around the snowy lake back to our car it was getting stormy again. It was nice to be able to get out and explore the area in the quiet beauty of the winter. Hopefully we can get down to Crater Lake again and actually be able to make in!

Walking through the snowy forest near Diamond Lake, Oregon

Camp site with our tent and kitchen fort with tarp to keep us dry

Hiking through the snowy forest near Diamond Lake, Oregon

Heavy snow falling at the creek on the north side of Diamond Lake, Oregon

Snow and very low visibility during an evening hike at Diamond Lake, Oregon

Heavy snow falling at our campsite near Diamond Lake coating our tent

Lots of snow accumulated overnight on our snowshoes!

Beautiful blue sky on our last day camping near Diamond Lake

Mount Bailey and a snow covered Diamond Lake with storm clouds starting to move in.

Mount Thielsen above Diamond Lake Resort in southern Oregon

Panoramic of snow covered Diamond Lake with Mt Thielsen, Mt Bailey and Crater Lake caldera in the middle

Backpacking out next to snowy Diamond Lake and Mt Thielsen in the distance

Oneonta Gorge

On a beautiful fall day, we made the hike out to Lower Oneonta Falls. The hike out the gorge was so awesome with the 25 million year old basalt walls towering above on both sides. The water got to just above our waist and was definitely a little chilly. The uniqueness and how beautiful it all was definitely made it worth it!

The awesome reward of hiking up Oneonta Gorge is going for a dip in the pool below the Lower Oneonta Falls, Oregon.

Hike up the river to Lower Oneonta Falls, Oregon

Hiking in the amazing Oneonta Gorge surrounded by 25 Million year old Basalt walls covered in moss.

Latourell Falls

This weekend I ventured out to explore Upper and Lower Latourell Falls, Oregon. It was amazing to see such an impressive display of columnar basalt. The tall cliffs of the lower falls are covered in a vibrant yellow lichen which towers overhead. The water pours off the ledge above crashing down to a small pool and creek below creating a large amount of mist. The mist made shooting from some angles difficult and in some cases impossible. The upper falls are smaller than the lower falls but still definitely cool to check out too. After an afternoon hiking around, and in one case after I slipped on a rock, in the creeks and falls, I left very wet and muddy. It's not a true Pacific Northwest hike if you don't at least get a little wet or muddy though!

Muddy and wet under a columnar basalt waterfall in the forest at Lower Latourell Falls, Oregon

Bridge and trail next to Upper Latourell Falls, Oregon

Creekside in an old growth forest

Some of the fall colors along a stream off the trail to Bagby Hot Springs in the Bull of the Woods Wilderness, Oregon. I love spending time out in this area. It is so lush and peaceful with lots of trails to explore. It is about a 70 minute drive from Portland, but it is definitely worth the trek.

Hot Springs Fork of the Collawash River, Oregon

Frozen Abiqua Falls

I decided to take advantage of the recent cold weather that we have been having and my first trip out to Abiqua Falls. I knew that it was going to be perfect conditions for some really cool shots. I was most definitely right, It was very cool and surreal having tons of huge icicles hanging all around this big waterfall.