#5 Wolf Creek Falls, Glide, Oregon

Hike #5 Wolf Creek Falls, Glide Oregon
#52HikeChallenge

Date:  February 23, 2020
Distance:  3ish miles or so.  Map says one thing, Fitbit says another. Who to believe?  My legs say it was just enough!
Weather: RAINY
Type: Waterfall
Company: Sue Souza

Reflections:  WATERFALLS, baby!  I am so happy to be back in Oregon and able to take full advantage of the complete and total awesomeness that MoNa has blessed us with! I mean...come on!! WHAT? With views like this the rain doesn't matter at all!

Okay, let me back track!  First, kudos to Sue for taking up my challenge and being willing to hike in the rain with me!  Friendship means getting up early after a late night out and mucking through the rain together!  #badasses

When it came time for this week's hike I had one goal in mind...well, two goals in mind.

 #1 Get into the woods -- check!
 #2 End up a Waterfall-- check

This trail starts with a lovely bridge over Little River and heads off into the woods. Every time I start a hike I always, without fail, have two quotes run through my mind.  Both from John Muir.

1. And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.   Find my soul!  Bliss.
2.  Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are dirt!  Ahhhh.... Mr. Muir had all so right!

I think both of those quotes were entirely appropriate for this little jaunt.  But for this particular day there is one more quote that was even more fitting....

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me

Rain or shine....no worries, man!I am free and able to enjoy places like this!  Who could ask for more? And it was a perfect day for getting outside and exploring!  Shortly into the trail we were greeted by these towering moss covered trees and rocks that made me feel like we were stepping in to some sort of fairy tale!

A little freaky.  A lot awesome. Totally gorgeous.  I just want to pet the moss and maybe channel my inner Kota (my granddaughter) and give the tree a big ole' hug!!  And hope it is not secretly some sort of Guardian of the Forest looking to judge me for disturbing the tranquility! IT COULD HAPPEN!

And then we ran into this guy below!  Check him out...do you see a giant gnome too? Or is just me? Have I been sucked into some kind of weird forest trance?

In all fairness, I was watching a YouTube thing yesterday about some mysteries surrounding Crater Lake (which is also in Oregon--obviously not where these pictures were taken--but still OREGON, so there could be a connection!). Anyway, they said that the forest near Crater Lake calls to people and convinces them to do bizarre things and many people fall into trances and disappear or wander off to their deaths. I mean it all fairness, it's possible they just get lost and are not prepared for what they encounter OR is it? Maybe it's the forest trance!

And then there was something about an old man log that floats in the lake and if you try to restrain it any way a big storm comes up unexpectedly until you release it and let go back to its job of protecting the lake....look it up, it's a thing! I brought all that up to say, could these Guardians of the Forest and Giant Garden Gnomes hanging out by Wolf Creek Falls have some sort of job to do?  Are they stationed there to to lure wayward explorers deep into the Enchanted Forests of Oregon?  BTW Enchanted Forest is actually an amusement park in Oregon.  One to which I took my children when they were little and my daughter was traumatized by an Old Lady in the Shoe exhibit.  Mom of the year right here!

Back to THIS enchanted forest...their ploy worked! We hiked right on past them and deeper into the lovely forest towards the raging waters!  And boy were they raging.   Both falls were in full force this weekend. While the upper falls get all the glory, they are both worthy of praise!   Am I right?!

As an added bonus, here is a picture of me taking the picture above (or one similar)!  It's almost (buy really not even close) as cool as the Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake bit with the pics on Coffee Mugs!   But here you have waterfalls and a  transplanted Oregonian taking a picture of the waterfalls!  Nature at its best! Boom! 

Photo by Sue Souza and featuring yours truly!

Along the way we checked out some picnic areas, tried not to slip in the mud or fall through the rickety bridge, found some cool leaves..perhaps lichens (see Sue's pic below), ran into a couple of families and pups, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of being in the woods. Or more appropriately talked non-stop and completely disrupted the peace and quiet of the woods for the other poor souls on the trail who were actually trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods and potentially enraged the Guardians of the Forest of Giant Garden Gnomes. Bygones!

Photo Cred to Sue Souza

All joking aside, when you reach the end of the trail you are greeted by this awe inspiring, breathtaking, and completely humbling view.  I am always compelled to stop, take a moment of silence, and offer up my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the universe for allowing me to share in that moment. To be in this place. To have the ability to venture into the woods. And to be able to share the moment with good friends.   Namaste.

As a final bonus...here is a not so humbling or awe inspiring picture of Sue and I in front of the waterfall. I know you wanted to see it!  I am the one in the blue raincoat, with the twisted backpack strap, and the completely drenched, bad hair, don't care!  Sue is the one who looks semi-normal. We made it!

Note to Self: last week I made a note to myself to stop wearing my favorite cap in pictures. This week I change that note to...Buy a different cap/hat to wear in pictures!  All pictures. All the time!