ANGEL’S DEVIL’S REST – HEAVEN AND HELL ON THE SAME HIKE

One of the imaginative trail signs found along the maze of paths atop the Bridal Veil plateau between Angel's and Devil's Rest.
One of the imaginative trail signs found along the maze of paths atop the Bridal Veil plateau between Angel’s and Devil’s Rest.

The last couple of years, I have linked Heaven and Hell – Angel’s and Devil’s Rests on the same hike – together from the Wahkeena Falls trailhead.  This makes a very nice lollipop loop which my corgi Ollie appreciated as much as I did.  The Wahkeena Canyon path is quieter compared to the Angel’s Rest trail further to the west, the lack of parking probably has something to do with that.  But also, Angel’s Rest is probably the second or third most popular trail in the Columbia River Gorge after Multnomah Falls and maybe Dog Mountain (in wildflower season) and Hamilton Mountain.  Just from looking at the Angel’s Rest parking lot on a weekend, I would maybe push it into second spot.

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MYSTICISM ABOUNDS IN THE MAGICAL REALM OF ELOWAH FALLS

The majesty of Elowah Falls Basin - Mount Hamilton and Table Mountain soar across the Columbia River in Washington.
The majesty of Elowah Falls Basin – Mount Hamilton and Table Mountain soar across the Columbia River in Washington.

Recent posts have dealt with history for the most part – military history, mostly – World War 1 and the American Civil War. There are several more to come dealing with the later, so I thought to break it up a bit.

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CORGIS ON PARADE – MAGIC IN THE COAST AIR

Corgis mix it up in Ecola Creek at Cannon Beach Corgi Day.
Corgis mix it up in Ecola Creek at Cannon Beach Corgi Day.

My wife, our Corgi and I recently escaped the summer heat of the Willamette Valley for a day at the beach, Cannon Beach to be exact. Home of the annual Corgi Day at the Beach. It was an awesome day made more mystical by swirls of fog lying along the shore. Over 500 Corgis were running up and down through the sands.

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BREAKING IN A NEW MOUNTAIN CORGI – THREE CORNER ROCK

View south from the base of the former lookout atop Three Corner Rock.

One of my first posts covered the hike on Three Corner Rock with my last mountain corgi, Cuillin. Even at 12, Cuillin showed the style, stamina and simple good looks of the corgi in the heights of the Cascade Range of southern Washington State. He lived up to his Gaelic name. Three Corner Rock is high enough to be classified a Munro, even a metric Munro since the peak is 3,550 feet high (1082 meters). For those not familiar with the quaint system of mountain classification in Scotland, Munros are mountains over 3,000 feet (914 meters) and metric Munros are over 3,300 feet (1000 meters).

Of course, the mountains in the Pacific Northwest are higher and more numerous than Caledonia. We call Three Corner Rock, the perfect place for a fire lookout, at least until it moved north to the San Juan Islands.

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