Ollie and I last visited the waterfalls on McChord Creek – Elowah Falls and Upper McChord Falls – early in the spring. We live in the shadow of the Columbia River Gorge, a region of true natural magic. Within twenty minutes, we can be deep in the woods, hiking to an overlook or behind a waterfall. Many of the trails are short – 1-2 miles – translating to the ability to discover the magic again and again.
A HIKE REPEATED
I will let my first post on the McChord Creek falls speak for the mechanics and history of the two waterfalls encountered – Elowah and Upper McChord. The landslides that closed access to the bottom of Elowah Falls have still not been corrected. Of the three trails going out from the parking lot at Yeon State Park next to the I-84 on-ramp, like in the spring, the trail to Upper McChord Falls is still the only one open.
I have seen some talk that it may be a long time before the trail to Nesmith Point opens again, if ever. Nesmith Point is a hard hike probably damaged greatly by the 2017 fire and subsequent erosion. It never was a favorite of mine, a lot of work for views equaled by many other hikes requiring not as much effort. So that leaves Upper McChord Falls trail 1.1 miles after six switchbacks and a 445 feet of gain. This trail was repaired by local volunteers in 2018-2019 from the fire.
SPRING INTO FALL
Seasonal weather patterns in the Northwest can change abruptly. Summer-like sunshine can extend through the early part of autumn, then a switch can quickly bring an end turning everything wet and dark. Day after day of rains increase the thinning flows of the waterfalls.
On a fall day in mid-October, the sun shone brightly. With an empty couple of hours one afternoon, on a whim, I collected Ollie and off we went.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
Sunshine can be problematic for a would-be photographer deep in the forest in terms of proper exposure. It can be difficult to replicate the picture our eyes show us. The abilities of digital cameras with their viewscreens – or in this case, the cell phone – give instant feedback on differing exposures.
The waterfalls of the Gorge are mostly found on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. This further complicates capturing the waterfalls in their natural beauty. The sun rarely shines fully on them. Simple flatness of light can make some of the best pictures of the different falls occur on cloudy days.
We quickly pushed up the switchbacks through the brilliant afternoon sunshine, the trail slightly muddy from recent rains. The somewhat gloomy picture of a cloudy spring day replaced by uplifting color.
MAGIC REGAINED
In no time, we pushed up to the highpoint of the hike, the horizontal ledge at the bottom of a vertically composed basaltic layer used by Myron Kelly to lay his water penstock bringing water down from McChord Creek above the upper falls to his pulp mill on the banks of the Columbia back in the late 19th century. The trail here is always dripping. Railings along the airy edge seem somewhat inconsequential to a curious Mountain Corgi.
The sunshine simply makes everything much more vivid and exhilarating, Elowah Falls dropping dramatically within its theater of basalt. Shortly after the ledge section, comes the view of the Upper McChord Falls and the trail ends on the creek side just above the falls. You can easily cross the creek here with a long step or short jump, but that maneuver becomes more complicated if you have to carry a squirming corgi, not keen on having his fate not in his own paws.
So, it is time to turn around and enjoy the hike in reverse. Colors and views that may have been missed on the way up. Time to play with the photo exposures. Listen to the water cascading. The roar of the freeway soon drifts back.
MIND OF A MOUNTAIN CORGI
Time to outwit Ollie. He senses the end of a hike too accurately many times. For him that means time to play. He is on a leash, though most of the time I just let him drag the leash. When he sees the hike is almost over, he likes to drift back and play keep away. He hides in the bushes, but the leash makes him bigger than he is. Too soon for his liking, we are back in the car heading for home. I still have to mow the lawn.