Hike to Cross - February 27, 2014

This is our second hike this year to the Cross in Palm Desert, CA. Welcome Ed and Grace on their first hike with us!

Rancho San Clemente Ridgeline Trail

While visiting family in San Clemente we did a short hike at Rancho San Clemente Ridgeline Trail. The trail has views of the coastline from Dana Point to San Diego County beaches. It was an easy hike, mostly asphalt trails with some steep grades.

Granddaughter, Kate tried to take Pretty (her dog) up the hill, but Pretty was pretty much pooped out, LOL! Watch the above video.

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Mount St. Helens Hike - Lava Canyon Trail

August 18, 2012, we hiked the Lava Canyon trail on the south side of Mount St. Helens located in Skamania County, Washington. The south side was not directly effected by the volcanic eruption back in 1980. We had previously hiked the north side of Mount St. Helens here: The Desertnut Vlog: Mount St. Helens Hiking

The most exciting part of this hike was crossing a springy suspension bridge above the Lava Canyon Gorge. The trail winds along a steep and narrow trail, passing "The Ship" spur trail, which leads to scenic views of nearby waterfalls. We also climbed down a 30-foot ladder. The trail offers a unique perspective of the river cutting through the ancient lava. Watch the above video.

The Elevation Gain was 1600 feet. Normally it takes 5 miles round trip to complete, however we extended our hike to 7 miles.

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Botanical Beach Hike - Tide Pools

We went for a hike at the Botanical Beach trail in Vancouver Island on August 15, 2012 with Dan and Linda. The beach was pretty amazing! The rocks formed tide pools over the years by wave-tossed boulders grinding out pockets in the sandstone. We saw purple sea urchins, mussels, sea anemone, crabs and other tide pool life on our trek. People that were there earlier told us they saw a tiny purple octopus and a starfish in one of the tide pools. We enjoyed exploring the area. It was like a treasure hunt. Being from southern California, it's unique to see the forest coming right down to the beach.

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Mt. Douglas Hike - Victoria, BC, Canada

On August 13, 2012 we took a hike with our Woodhaven friends, Dan and Linda, to the summit of Mt. Douglas to get a 360-degree view of Victoria and Saanich Peninsula. Although we were fully equipped with a map and compass, we kept getting lost, lol! Even though Mt. Douglas is a small area, it had a number of crossing trails not well marked that made it confusing. Fortunately we made the summit and successfully found our way back to the car. The view from the top was really worth it!

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Penrose Point State Park Trail - WA

Leo invited us to go on a hike and meet his daughters, Sue and Chris on Monday, August 6th. We had a great time with Leo and his daughters hiking the Penrose Point State Park Trail . Ruckus, a golden retriever, also joined us (Chris's daughter's dog).



After our trek we enjoyed watching Jack, Sue's puppy golden retriever, and Ruckus play. Click on the following link for pictures: Penrose Point State Park Hike - Desertnut's Photos

Multnomah Top of Falls Hike

Multnomath Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon falling over 600 feet. After our first visit last week we could not wait to return and allow enough time to make the trek to the top.

The walk to the top of the falls is a breathtaking hike. This climb reminds me of the Palm Desert Bump & Grind. A trail that just keeps on going up.

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