hike | October 22nd 2013 | Punchbowl Falls

Punchbowl Falls is a (somewhat) famous Oregon hike... you might recognize one of the waterfalls below from a Styx album cover. I never would have...but I read about it in my guide book :) 

I have a confession,

I haatteeddd hiking as a child. My parents loved it, and made me and my brother go every weekend. I have these horrible memories of being pried out of bed at like 8 am every Saturday (I am not/still am not a morning person) and being drug up some mountain with my family. I hated every moment (and I am sure I complained so much that my parents did too). I am sure they were trying to instill a love of nature in me, but all it did was make me really, really, really hate hiking, for years and years. There was a phase where I complained so much we traded weekends (my Mom would pick what we did together one weekend, my Dad next, then brother, then me, etc) but I always felt like the bulk of my weekend mornings were spent hiking when I really would have rather been ANYWHERE else. Primarily, in bed.

So I think that I had to come back to hiking in my own time. I hiked the Atlas Mountains in Morocco,  and even hiked Mt. Vesuvius. This summer I went a few times with my friends, and even spent a whole week in Glacier National Park with one of my coolest friends (every time I talk to him he's doing something awesome and he gave me the Curious Gorge hiking book I've been obsessed with lately), and went on a few smaller hikes with my parents (though it was like a flashback to my horrible childhood hikes). 

But this autumn, when I started hiking and doing things ALONE, I think I really started to enjoy hiking. Sure I have moments where I think I am going to get eaten by a bear, break a leg and die, and there are a few moments where I think I am going to even be eaten by a cougar or some other mountain lion. But mostly, I really enjoy myself. So I think this is just a great example of I am extremely stubborn  and have to come to things in my own time. 

That said..... Tuesday there was amazing weather and I figured I could definitely fit in a little under 5 mile hike before it got dark (my other large fear when hiking alone).

^ I am in love with any hike that included handrails bolted into the rock!

I almost missed this little viewpoint I was so into my podcasts.

When I finally got to the falls I was pretty confused... even though it was pretty it wasn't what I expected at all.

but around the bend and walking on some rocks into the middle of the stream...

found it :)

The way back the sun was going down, which meant it was amazing and beautiful :)

Things I never thought I would say. I want to overnight hike this next summer. Maybe this will be a good one to try...but we'll see. 

It might be this one.