You may remember 1 week ago I mentioned that I was finally going on a hike. Before leaving I packed up some necessities for the adventure. Klean Kanteen to keep me hydrated, apple and grape tomatoes for munching, hummus, spinach and chicken wrap for lunch and fruity-nutty granola bars to share.
My mom, dad, Aunt Arlene, Aunt Arneta and I took the longer than expected drive to Siouxon Horseshoe Falls.
Time to head out on the hike and let Arlene take over!
Hike: Siouxon Horseshoe Falls (WA)
By Arlene
Gifford Pinchot and his peers left an extraordinary legacy in the Pacific Northwest and helped create access to some great hikes as well as a continuing debate on the merits of conservation versus preservation. We hiked today in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and saw many people using the area for various forms of recreation (hiking, biking, and walking their dogs). As Pinchot advocated for the human right to actively (and responsibly) use the forest resources, he would have been impressed at so much human recreation in this forest that continues his name.
The hike is about 30 miles east of Woodland, Washington, in the Siouxon (pronounced sue-sawn) area. The directions we had said the hike was 4.5 miles round trip, but we think it may have been a bit less. The trail started with the biggest change in elevation dropping down to a beautiful river which was deep blue and white in places and emerald green around the next bend.
The trail was well maintained, mostly flat; it had a sturdy bridge to cross above the falls, and continued on for many more miles and many more waterfalls. As Heather and Lynda were going to be running a half marathon the next day, we opted for just one waterfall (Horseshoe Falls), and it was impressive.
Would the hike have been more impressive if there had been less access, less bikes, less dogs? Or would many of these people have never seen these falls if not for the access? The debate continues.
*****
I love how Arlene describes this hike along with history about it as well. Keep em coming!
Now for my very first giveaway!! I’m excited to give TWO winners some Designer Whey Protein Powder!
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Looks like a beautiful hike!
I love the snacks you brought on your hike. The location looks just gorgeous.
As for my HRM- its a Polar F6- it only does HR/calories not distance. I clock my distance on my own. I wish I had a Garmin, but since I teach group fitness classes and wanted to use my HRM for that as well, I ended up going with the Polar!