#16 Suzanne Arlie Park Eugene, OR

Hike 16 Suzanne Arlie Park Eugene, OR

#52HikeChallege

Date:  May 9, 2020

Distance: 4sh mile

Weather: Sunny and HOT!
Type: Old road to some home ruins
Company: Broke the rules today and met up with my friends for a socially distant hike and picnic! MUCH needed friend time was on the menu for this lovely spring day. 

Such a fun hike.  Thanks to our friend Melissa for the heads up. We started out the day by all meeting up at the trail head...in separate cars, of course. Traci and Sue brought their puppy pals to join in on the fun!  While Traci and I were waiting on the others, a gentleman from the neighborhood pulled up on his tractor and let us know that their had been some cougar sitings in the area so to be sure to make lots of noise on the trail. Sue pulled up a few minutes later, so it looks like the concerned neighbor was correct ! :)

For the first part of the hike we headed up the old road towards the home site. We should all know by now that I a bit of a wimp, so I was a touch skittish and on the lookout for cougar sightings!  The pups were all happy and content though so I took that as a good sign that we were safe.  The house ruins consist of an old chimney and a small room---maybe a storage room of sorts.  Some fun loving youths (or the local wiccan group) had decorated the chimney with an assortment of animal bones and some wood. Not sure what they were going for, but it looked kind of cool!  There was a little room tucked up in the trees behind the chimney that was simply delightful! Would have been the perfect place for a picnic....had we been forward thinking enough to bring out picnic stuff with us! 

Unfortunately, it was still at the cars! We hung out there for a bit to cool off and try to get some Insta-Worthy shots and then headed back to the cars for a quick bit to eat and some bevies.  While I am all about the hiking..this was by far the best part of the day. Hanging out with my friends, chatting laughing, and enjoying each other's company. It had been a minute since we were able to get together in person and we were soaking in all the time we could get!   

Eventually, we drug ourselves up and finished the rest of the hike. This time we headed up the hill and followed another abandoned road past a lovely clearing, through some fields and around to intersect with the road leading to the old house site.  We salvaged some plants, studied an animal corpse, discussed the characteristics of poison oak, talked, laughed, breathed.   Bliss.

In the end we had walked around 10,000 steps, spent 5 hours together, and made the most of a beautiful spring day!  Grateful for firends who are willing to waste away the days together.   

#everydayadventures #thingsthatmakemehappy #badasses #52hikechallenge

#15 North Umpqua Trail, Glide, Oregon

Hike 15 North Umpqua Trail, Portions of  Swiftwater, Tioga, and Wright Creek sections.

#52HikeChallege

Date:  April 28, 2020

Distance: 5ish mile

Weather: Gorgeous!
Type: Trail along the river
Company: Solo, of course! Along the way I an into a couple of cute pups and the people though. We made small talk and I took a pictures for one group from a respectable distance of course!

I was perusing some hiking pages on Facebook or Instagram when I noticed a  post about Wolf Creek Falls that seemed to be fairly recent. I started reading the comments and several people claimed the trails were open for hiking as long as users maintained social distancing and accepted that the restroom facilities were all closed.  WHAT?! What is this trickery!  Based on the news and press releases we have very much been led to believe that all outdoor spaces were OFF limits! Now, earlier this month I learned that the BLM land at the NorthBank Habitat was open and I enjoyed a lovely day exploring there. At the time I briefly considered heading out to the forest land to see if it was also open but ASSUMED based on the news reports that it wasn't. Well, you probably know what "they" say about assuming, right?  It makes an ass out of you and me...well in this case, definitely ME! I have been home for seven weeks now and I could have been hiking all that time! I truly feel robbed. BUT, the important thing is that I know now.

Now to the hike. I started out at the Swiftwater Trail Head of the North Umpqua Trail (sometimes referred to as the NUT). My initial plan was to hike to Fern Creek Falls which would have been about 3 miles (2.8 to be exact) round-trip.  Instead, I got distracted by a side trail and decided to follow it to see where it went. Turns out it makes a loop and takes you to an old parking area, down the road, and eventually back to the parking area. The whole things was just over a mile. I wanted to do a longer hike and it seemed silly to hike back out to where I had already been, so instead I hopped in the car and headed down to the next trail-head which is the Tioga Bridge. 

After stopping along the bridge to take some lovely pictures I headed towards the Wright Creek trail-head. It is 8 mile section, clearly I was not going to do the whole thing--since I was alone and didn't have a shuttle car-- but I explored parts of it for fun. I went out about a mile-and-a-half until it got too muddy. By the time I made it back to the Tioga section, I had walked just under four miles. I felt like I had a little more in me so I headed out towards the Swiftwater trail-head (from Tioga).   I didn't have any specific destination at that point, just thought I would see how far I could go. I was reluctant to leave the peace and tranquility of the forest. I loved being lost in the trees, feeling the breeze, hearing the river, and the crunch of the trail beneath my shoes. Bliss.

Until my stomach started growling! It was almost 5:00 by them so I turned around and headed back to the car.   In the end I had walked around 5 miles and soaked up lots of tree therapy! MUCH needed therapy!

#bliss #everydayadvdentures #thingsthatmakemehappy #52hikechallenge

#3 Row River Trail @Dorena Lake

#3 Row River Trail @ Dorena Lake, Cottage Grove, Oregon
#52HikeChallenge


Date: Sunday, February 9, 2020
Weather: Sunny and Crisp.
Distance: 5ish miles   Never sure how exact the Fitbit tracker is so we will go with the "ish" to be safe!
Type: Park-ish, Paved trail around the lake
Company: Sue, Melissa, Mali, and Jax

Reflections: On Sunday morning I had the opportunity to meet up with my friends Sue and Melissa and Sue's lovely pups Mali and Jax.  We started the day with a yummy breakfast burrito at Tiffanee's food court in Cottage Grove. If you get the chance, check them out! Serious!  I had the basic burrito (eggs, potatoes, pepper jack cheese, and verde sauce)! TASTY Goodness right there! They had vegan and carne options as well!  Something for everyone!

After the yumminess we headed out to Dorena Lake to tackle a small part of the Row River Trail.  The Row River Trail  totals around 14 miles and runs out of Cottage Grove, through fields, past a lovely covered bridge, around a portion of the lake and out into the wild.   We started our hike at a parking area next to the lake and headed out. We followed the lovely lake for awhile and then eventually headed away from the water and into the peaceful serenity of the area.  The water was low which really changed the landscape and created some beautiful views. 

While the location was beautiful---you wouldn't expect any less from Oregon-- the best part of this day was the company.  After being away home from six-weeks it was so nice to connect with friends, talk about everything and anything, and just relax for a minute.

If I were doing a gratitude list, I would say that first and foremost I am so grateful to have friends who are available on short notice and are willing to spend their mornings strolling around the lake with me.   Second, I would say that I am so grateful to live in this beautiful and amazing state.   I love you Oregon, my Oregon! Finally, I would say that I am grateful to have a body that allows me to get out and experience moments like this! I may not have a "perfect body" according to society's standards, but I accept and love that my body is perfectly made and able to support me every day!

Gratitude.  Beauty.  Friendship. Peace. Bliss....  #everydayadventures #thingsthatmakemehappy