Abiqua Falls

Matthew Alexander October 12, 2014

Chrissy and I recently when on a mission to find Abiqua Falls. It was quite difficult to locate as it was pretty far off of the beaten path. Our car couldn't even make it down the dirt "road" leading to the hike so we had to abandon it and head off on foot to find the trail. It was still a very scenic walk to find the trail though.

There also wasn't much of a trail leading to the falls... more so just a bunch of rocks that you have to climb over along side of a beautiful stream. The forest was so peaceful and green. Here is Chrissy forging ahead to the falls.

There were even some pretty steep slopes on the trail. Luckily there were ropes to help!

Here is Chrissy making her way down the rope!

The river along the trail was incredible and very serene. We were literally the only people there.

The view was breathtaking once we climbed over the final large rock to reveal the falls. We stopped for a while to sit on some rocks and eat some snacks, but we couldn't stay for very long since the sun was setting and we still had 3 miles of an uphill hike back to our car!

Here I am just enjoying the view.

This is definitely our new favorite spot in Oregon.

See you again soon Abiqua Falls!

mXa

Mountaineer Trail #798 at Mt. Hood

Matthew Alexander October 5, 2014

This trail follows the Magic Mile Ski Lift up the south side of Mt. Hood. It about 1.7 miles to the top of the trail an elevation of 7,000 feet at the top!

It was a pretty difficult journey, but well worth it to be so close to the summit of Mt. Hood!

The slopes of Mount Hood are pretty barren with just a few wind battered trees and some patches of snow once you get to the top.

Here we are at about 1.5 miles up the mountain when all of the trails turn to snow!

The view is just as amazing on the way back down the mountain side.

It was so clear this day, you could even see Mt. Jefferson and the 3 Sisters off to the South!

Check out my Landscape Portfolio for more images from Mt Hood!

mXa

Pizza Picnic at Forest Park

Matthew Alexander September 28, 2014

Chrissy and I picked up some Sizzle Pie and headed to Forest Park for a picnic and hike!

mXa

Image from Beacon Rock

Matthew Alexander September 28, 2014

Peering though at the sunset.

mXa

Eagle Creek to High Bridge Trail

Matthew Alexander September 16, 2014

This past weekend, we made another trip out to the Columbia River Gorge to hike along Eagle Creek! These trails are among our favorite in the Gorge! It's a good challenge, but doesn't leave you feeling too exhausted afterward.

Distance - 6.8 Miles
Elevation - 840 Feet

mXa

Mount Hood

Matthew Alexander September 2, 2014

Chrissy and I went exploring at Mount Hood this past weekend! We had planned on making the hike to Zig Zag Canyon, but when we arrived at Mt. Hood, it was only 45 degrees and I didn't even have a jacket! We decided to just go on a small hike around Timberline Lodge that was still quite beautiful!

Chrissy enjoying the view of Mount Hood.

Most of the snow is gone during the Summer months, but there will still tons of people skiing and snowboarding on trails way up the mountain!

Some heavy fog started to roll in, blocking out the sun and making it even colder!

We will definitely be back with warmer clothes to make it to Zig Zag Canyon!

mXa

Pittock Mansion

Matthew Alexander September 2, 2014

Visiting Pittock Mansion gives you a wonderful glimpse into Portland's amazing history. The French Renaissance-style château was built in 1909 by Henry Pittock, the founder of the Orgeonian Newspaper. It was saved from demolition by a grass roots campaign awhile back and has been beautifully preserved ever since!

Everything is so grand and elegant!

Large windows let in tons of natural light in the front room.

This is what showers looked like in 1909! The main bathroom even has an incredible naturopathic shower that looks space age for this time period!

The view from the backyard. Theres usually a giant mountain in the background, but it was a bit too hazy to see Mt. Hood today.

It's definitely worth visiting! There's so much to see and learn!

mXa

Oneonta Gorge

Matthew Alexander August 18, 2014

This past weekend, Chrissy and I went to Oneonta Gorge. It's a pretty hidden area near Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge!

There are 6 amazing waterfalls throughout the trails!

On the way to the next waterfall, there was a great lookout spot!

Another beautiful waterfall!

At one point, we found a path that leads to the top of one of the waterfalls! It was really steep to get down, but luckily there was a rope to help you.

Once we got down the hill, we realized that there was a giant dam blocking our path to the top of the waterfall, but we made our way over that too..

Me looking off the top of the waterfall.

After climbing back out of this area, we decided to head down into the crevasse of the gorge. This area also involved climbing over a massive dam of logs, but it was well worth it.

The only area we didn't make it to was Triple Falls. We spent a little too much time exploring hidden areas and the sun started to go down!

We did make it to the road in time to see a beautiful sunset though!

mXa

The Redwood Forests of Northern California

Matthew Alexander August 6, 2014

This past weekend, Chrissy and I met our friend Connor in Northern California! We camped in Jedidiah Smith Redwood Forest. The old growth areas of the forest are truly amazing. The trees are absolutely massive, and their bark is so tough, it makes them fireproof!

There always seems to be a patch of fog rolling through some part of the forest. It's very surreal to see massive tress hiding in the fog, only letting a few sunbeams reach the ground.

After a morning hike through the forest, we decided to head over to Smith River and go for a swim!

Saturday night, we found a clearing and watched the stars arrive.

This was the furthest we have made it down highway 101 and the California coast! We're already making plans to drive even further down 101 and visit Connor in San Francisco!

mXa