Family Hike

Where oh where is summer running off to?

It seems like it has just begun and we are now nearly halfway over!

For Father's Day this year my boys bought a Northwest Forest Pass and selected a day hike to do as a family. Of course my youngest had to throw in a bag of M&M's...can't leave out the chocolate! I think my husband really enjoyed his gift this year.

The boys and I selected Ramona Falls for our hike. A little ambitious of us since it is a 7 mile hike. I read that it is rated moderate to strenuous with kids. I was hoping that since my 5 year old NEVER stops moving that he'd be fine. Here is a photo of Mt. Hood as we crossed over the Sandy River.

The elevation gain was quite steep, more noticeable since we are so out of shape! It was a hot day out and we chose to stick to the right on this loop trail where it is up hill, hot and dusty. My thoughts were to get the harder part out first in the cooler part of the day. Making the way back more scenic and shady to enjoy. I am so thankful we did it this way...for many reasons.

You could tell when you are approaching the falls. The temperature drops significantly. There was a lot of late snowfalls this year so it was very cold glacier runoff coming over that hillside! It was like standing in the doorway of a walk-in freezer!

Here is a photo of the falls. It looks so much better in real life! It is amazing to see.

We packed in snacks, found a log to sit on and munch while viewing the falls. We were even joined by a very brave chickbunk (aka chipmunk) that was coming all the way to our feet hoping for a crumb...he wasn't disappointed!

The way down was beautiful, rock walls, mossy forest, rippling brook....almost story book like. It was so quiet and serene...then came our 5 year old! LOL. There is even a "buried forest" if you know to look for it.

This was a perfect family day together.