Had never been there but it was only a few minutes over the bridge to Clatskanie, Oregon. Parked the rig about 1,000 feet from the trailhead then walked to begin the hike. Pared down by wearing my water sneaks, phone in a waterproof container around my neck, and my water bottle. The hike down wasn't too bad although there were a few treacherous spots, including wet paths and slippery turns close to the edge of the path next to a fall to oblivion.
Made it to the bottom of the hike and the Beaver Creek waterfall. It was gorgeous! There were a few people there, some even swimming, but I could tell that water was chilly so no-go for me.
After hanging out in the falls area, we then crossed the creek using round, wood slabs set into the water. It was easy at first then ran into a conundrum. One section was too wide for me to step on the next slab. There was a secondary log that appeared to be a helper step but couldn't tell if it was secure. Started entering into anxiety - take the step, jump, or quit and turn around. Or tumble into the creek, ruin my phone, and injure myself, knocking out teeth.. Decided the best route to take was to let Marie go first! She took the log step, it was secure, and I followed.
Began an uphill hike on wet clay, gripping with white knuckles branches and roots to help maintain my grip and balance. Again anxiety reared its head and a bit of panic set in. Darn water bottle was leaving me with just one hand and the phone case was swinging. Solved both problems by tucking the phone case into my shirt and shoving the bottle into my bra. Voila - two hands to help me negotiate the path and get to the top. Whew!
After a few more turns we arrived at the top of the waterfall. We crossed the creek, took some pix, then continued on up the hill. Not so bad. At one point I heard cars so I knew we were close to the rig.
Made it to the top, climbed over the guardrail, and assessed our bearings. Do we walk to the right or to the left. Decided to walk right which ended up being wrong. We walked, and walked, and walked some more until we finally decided we should have gone left.
We made a U-turn and headed back the way we came - walking, walking, walking. And wouldn't you know it but the car was maybe 500 feet to the left from where we exited the forest path.
After almost three hours of hiking and walking, we headed for home. Once home, I whipped up some chicken enchiladas for dinner and they turned out perfect, especially when topped with fire salsa!
Relaxed creating a video of today's adventure while watching Hitchcock's "Suspicion." Now its past my bedtime because tomorrow is, once again, Monday!
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