Wahkeena Falls

Wahkeena Falls is located near many other waterfalls in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, including the most famous and most visited falls, Multnomah Falls.

Wahkeena Falls

I went hiking in the Columbia River Gorge for the second weekend in a row, this time starting out at Wahkeena Falls and hiking up to Fairy Falls and then over to Angel’s Rest. I had never hiked the trail before but will definitely visit again, it turned out to be one of my favorite hikes in Oregon. Since it was Labor Day, I arrived early in the morning to beat the crowds. The trail passes right in front of the upper part of Wahkeena Falls (shown here) and the wind was carrying the spray right onto the camera. I tried to dry off the lens before each picture but the spray was relentless. The blotches and blurry spots in the picture are the result of the drops on the front of the lens, so hopefully my next attempt will be a bit drier.

I photographed it from several angles and then just spent some time taking in the lovely scene and feeling fortunate and blessed. Nine hours later I stopped again on my way back to the car, this time the spray was a welcome relief to a tired but happy hiker.

The Trail to Fairy Falls

If you have the time, continue on up the trail past Wahkeena Falls to Fairy Falls and optionally on to Angel's Rest. I put pictures from Angel's Rest itself in their own gallery.

	Which Way North? In this section of the Columbia River Gorge, you can forget that old saw about finding north based on where the moss grows thickest. The moss grows thick everywhere but especially near the numerous mountain streams, such as this peaceful spot on the trail from Wahkeena Falls to Angel's Rest.
	A Little Quiet I took this picture of a mountain stream flowing over moss-covered rocks when I went hiking a couple of times in the Gorge in the weeks before a trip to Wyoming, trying to get myself back in hiking shape while lugging the camera gear around.