Gifford Pinchot Wildeness trip with Darrel - 10/12-14, 2018

In mid-October, a co-worker, Darrel, and I found ourselves in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I had a presentation in Seattle and Darrel had a workshop in Portland. After the workshop, Darrel and I decided to spend the weekend in the wilderness. I haven't spent a lot of time in the Northwest, but had some ideas of places I wanted to visit. On the short list were Mount Rainier National Park, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mount Hood National Forest, and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Wilderness. The Gifford Pinchot is an area in southern Washington State, near Mt. St. Helens. I had never heard of it before this, but I was able to find a few good trails using the AllTrails app.

Day 1

 The plan we settled on was to drive from Portland to the Gifford Pinchot and set up camp in the Lower Falls Campground along the Lewis River. This would be about a 2+ hour drive. The drive from Portland is beautiful. We headed east out of Portland along the Columbia River, through the Columbia River Gorge.  Just past Bonneville, OR, you come to a turnoff for WA 14. This takes you over a memorable bridge called the Bridge of the Gods. If you've seen the Cheryl Strayed movie, Wild, you will recognize it as her stopping point along the Pacific Crest Trail at the border of Oregon and Washington. She didn't finish the PCT at the true northern terminus along the US-Canada border.

Driving up to the Bridge of the Gods

Looking out on the Columbia River from the Bridge of the Gods

Two and half hours after leaving the bustling city of Portland, we arrived at the quiet Lower Falls Campground and quickly set up camp so that we could go exploring. The weather was predicted to be perfect. Temperatures were supposed to be between 35 and 70 Fahrenheit, with not a drop of rain in the forecast. As usual, I brought my ENO SingleNest hammock, but for the first time ever, I opted to sleep in that instead of the tent I brought. I put my Big Agnes Insulated Air Core sleeping pad in the hammock and made myself a little cocoon. Darrel slept in the REI Half Dome tent I packed.

A gorgeous campsite in the Lower Falls Campground

After setting up camp, we set out to explore the area around the campground and found an amazing waterfall, Lower Falls, which is where the campground takes it's name.

The Lower Falls - namesake of the Campground

Darrel and I did some rock hopping, climbed down below the falls and then headed up river to find the Middle Falls and the Upper Falls. This would be about a 3.5 mile roundtrip trek. A great half day excursion.

The Lewis River trail is a gradual incline along the river. For most of the trip, you are about 50 feet above the river, with side trails that take you down to the river bank. The Lower Falls were a phenomenal sight to see, setting the bar pretty high for any upcoming scenery. The flora along the trail was amazing. So much greenery and colors with the fall change coming. You can see some of the plant life around the trail in the video above. While the trees and ferns along the trail were gorgeous, the Middle Falls were less than spectacular. On the other hand, the Upper Falls did not disappoint.

Darrel throwing rocks near the Upper Falls

The view from atop the Upper Falls

Looking down at the Upper Falls from the trail above them

The water around the Upper Falls is crystal clear

Back at camp, we started a fire to cook dinner. On the menu for the first night was ribeyes, potatoes and carrots. I carry a UCO Portable Grill to cook on in the wilderness. It's great for saving weight and it's always clean, unlike some of the campground grills. After dinner, Darrel and I noticed that between the moonless night and the dense canopy of the forest, the campground was pitch black. I have been in many places where there is little to no light pollution, but I don't believe I've been in a place that was this dark, besides the caves I've been in.

Since this was my first night ever to sleep in a hammock, I didn't get much sleep. Not because of discomfort, it was extremely comfortable. This was surprising to me. It was probably the most comfortable sleep I've had in the wilderness. No, I didn't sleep well the first night, for fear of falling out. This fear, I'm assuming, will dissipate with more experience, and possibly using the ENO DoubleNest vs the SingleNest. The second night was a much better sleep. And, even with the air temperature dipping close to the freezing mark, the insulated sleeping pad and my trusty REI Mojave 15 degree down bag kept me roasty toasty warm. My watch actually registered 72 degrees in my bag while it was 34 outside.

Day 2

In the morning, I got to introduce Darrel to the greatness of Mountain House Wraps Breakfast Skillet. This is a staple for me. I always pack some Cholula Hot Sauce or Tabasco or maybe even Texas Pete's from Chick-fil-A. The Breakfast Skillet is the perfect blend of eggs, hash browns, sausage, peppers and onions. Wrapped in a warm flour tortilla, you get a trail prep meal packed with protein and carbs.

Today, Darrel and I planned to take a drive from our campground over past views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams. This was at times, an easy drive along well maintained asphalt roads, at other times, we were driving along washboard gravel paths. So, what should have been about a 20-30 minute drive turned into an hour trip.

We eventually got to the trailhead for the Indian Heaven Trail within the Indian Heaven Wilderness. It's about a 6 mile loop hike past about a dozen or so lakes. A section of this hike even goes along the Pacific Crest Trail. A side note, this allowed me, within the calendar year 2018, to set foot on the PCT, AT and the CDT.

The trail begins and ends in the Cultus Creek Campground, but at two different trailheads. If you choose to start at the Indian Heaven Trail trailhead on the south end of the campground, you will have a more gradual start, but finish with a steep descent. Conversely, we started at the Cultus Creek Trail trailhead near the entrance of the campground. Starting here, the beginning of the hike was very steep, gaining around 1200 feet in a little over a mile. There are some spectacular vistas of Mt. Adams on the way up, so take your time and enjoy the views.

CanyonMan near one of the lakes

Mt. Adams with fresh powder

Mt. Adams across the valley

One of the many lakes along the trail

We finished the hike, after having a nice lunch by one of the lakes. Even though we were only at 5,000 feet, we found many patches of ice and snow and the temperatures were extremely cool, much cooler than back at camp. I'd highly recommend this hike, although I hear in the summer, the bugs can get pretty nasty. In the fall, however, it was pleasant, quiet and well worth the effort.

We stopped off at a vista of Mt. St. Helens on the way back to camp. It's amazing to think about the force created when Mt. St. Helens blew it's top. When I saw the size of the crater left and the amount of rock that has been removed from the top, I can't imagine what it would have been like here when it blew.

Imagine the force created to blow the top off Mt. St. Helens

After the brief stop to stare in awe, we got back to camp and whipped up some red beans, rice and chicken. Another staple of mine. Throw in some more hot sauce and you have a meal that will keep you warm and comfy all night long. Mix in a little Basil Hayden's bourbon and you will be sleeping right. Unlike the previous night, where I laid awake in fear of falling out, the second night was much better. I slept so sound. I'm looking forward to going with this setup again soon.

Day 3

This was bug out day. Simply got up, packed up, had some granola and a trail bar and got on the road back to Portland. We had flights to catch back to Dallas/Fort Worth. Thanks to my wife and Darrel's wife for giving us the weekend to enjoy nature, fellowship and fun. Thanks to Darrel for trusting me.

If you ever find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend the Gifford Pinchot. Darrel and I would have loved to explore some of the other areas, closer to Mt. St. Helens including the Lava Tubes. We'll save that for another trip.