Columbia River Gorge Hikes

Portland Hikers provides this easy hikers guide breaking down the different trails by area. Check out this one example below to see how they describe the difficulty, distance, elevation and more about the hiking trails in the Columbia River Gorge area.

Horsetail Falls Trailhead
Hike	Difficulty	Distance	Elevation Change	Notes
Horsetail Falls Loop Hike	Easy	2.6	610	Nice lower elevation loop for beginners
Ponytail Falls Hike	Easy	0.8	360	Short steep hike to a walk-behind waterfall
Rock of Ages Loop Hike	Difficult	10.0	3000	Scramble up an unmaintained trail past unique rock features

SRC: View all of the hiking trail descriptions at Portland Hikers

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Wilderness First Aid Training

Photo by: Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Mark your calender for the Friends of the Columbia Gorge Wilderness First Aid Training Weekend. This occurs Saturday, March 29, 2014 through Sunday, March 30, 2014, and registration ends March 29th, 2014. Read about what this class offers below.

Learn how to treat an injury or illness in the backcountry where help is delayed. This 16-hr hands-on, interactive class has been customized over the years for our hike leaders & shepherds. The course is led by John Stubbs with NW Responder.

 SRC: Friends of the Columbia Gorge

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Seasonal Waterfalls

A SEASONAL WATERFALL, above, emerges along Highway 14 in Washington. Skip Tschanz

During this time of year we get the chance to view waterfalls that at other times would not exist. With the late winter rain and snow fall waterfalls present themselves for a short period of time, and if you don't take notice now you won't get the chance again until next year. Read more about the locations of these seasonal waterfalls below.

The Columbia River Gorge is home to 70 year-round waterfalls, but only 9 of them are visible from the highway, to see the rest of them will take some foot power. This week we were able to add 11 seasonal waterfalls to that total. By the way, some of the seasonal waterfalls are spectacular. On the way home I suggest you stop at Starvation Creek Trailhead and walk the short distance to the foot of Starvation Falls. Every time I do I wonder to myself why this parking lot isn’t as full as the one at Wahkeena Falls. Starvation Falls is one of the best kept secrets in the gorge.

SRC: Read full article at The Dalles Chronicle  

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Last Chace for 'ART' by Yasmina Reza

Columbia Center for the Arts

The next couple days are the last to view this Tony Award Winning Comedy 'ART' by Yasmina Reza. This comedy explores friendship and art and clashing values. The Columbia Center for the Arts is presenting this event, located in Hood River, OR. Read more below.

‘ART’ is the story of three different lives captured on canvas as it explores how fragile and yet durable friendship can be. It is a lively and intelligent black comedy, taking as its starting-point a break-up of long-time friends, and contributes to an ongoing debate. 

Tickets for the show are available at Columbia Center for the Arts and Waucoma Bookstore and online at www.columbiaarts.org.

SRC: Read full description at The Local Animal


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Columbia Cascades Trail Skills College

The 6th Annual Columbia Cascades Trail Skills College Event is April 25-27, 2014 and it is FREE! If you are interested in learning anything or everything about building and maintaining trails, then register tomorrow Friday, February 21, 2014. Read more about what this day has to offer below.

Trail Skills College is free to all participants! Camping and meals are provided throughout the weekend. Whether you are new to trail maintenance or a seasoned veteran, we have a class that will enhance your trail maintenance skills. Limited space is available and classes do fill up so register early! We look forward to seeing you at the Trail Skills College!

 
SRC: Learn more about the details at: Pacific Crest Trail Association

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Victor Wild former Mt. Hood Snowboarder

Jean-Yves Ahern/USA TODAY Sports

Victor Wild from White Salmon, WA. learned how to snowboard at our own Mt. Hood Meadows. He later became a Russian citizen to assist his ability to be successful in the Olympics. Now Victor Wild has won Gold for Russia parallel giant slalom. Read more about Wild below.

Wild started in his sport at age 7 when his snowboarding parents took him and his brother, Mike, from their small town of White Salmon, Wash., 40 minutes away to Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon. He immediately showed "a need for speed" and a preference for carving turns rather than jumping and tricks, his mother, Carol Wild-Delano, recalls. By seventh grade, his coach recommended he move to a racing program in Wenatchee, Wash. At 16, Victor packed up and moved to join the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club in Colorado just days after receiving his driver's license.

"I still remember him driving out of the driveway in his brand-new truck with all his gear," his mother remembers wistfully. But "Vic has always known what he was about," and he was focused on his sport.

SRC: Read full article from ESPNW here.

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Registration Date Released For The Gorge Ride

Riding Rowena Loops through Columbia Gorge

Mark your calenders for June 14th, 2014 to register for the 8th annual Gorge Ride. Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway use this fundraiser for the support the restoration and reconnection of the historic highway through the Columbia River Gorge. Read more about this biking event below.

Bicyclists will again ride on the Historic Columbia River Highway from the Gorge Discovery Center to the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail in Mosier and continue on to the Senator Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead east of Hood River and return. This 38.5-mile trip includes the vista at Rowena Crest, travel through the Mosier Twin Tunnels and a rest stop (twice) at the historic Mayerdale Estate. 

More than 435 people participated in the 2013 Gorge Ride.

SRC: Read full article from The Dalles Chronicle here.

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Winter Olympic Conditions Fondly Compared to Mt. Hood

(Photo: Guy Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)

According to 2014 Winter Olympics snowboarders, Sochi is just like Mount Hood.

The pipe seemed to ride better during the second heat after several riders fell from the first heat.
"It's gonna be tricky, but it's going to really show the good actual snowboarder," said Great Britain's Dominic Harington, who did not advance out of the first qualification heat.
"If you're good at snowboarding, you should be able to get on your back foot and you should prepare for the bumps so you should know how to deal with it. It didn't work out for me, but that's how it goes."

 Read full article at: USA Today

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Spring Chinook Season

(By Allen Thomas, Columbian outdoors reporter)

Fishing is open downstream of the Interstate-5 and will be available March 1st through April 7th from Interstate-5 to Beacon Rock for boaters and upstream to Bonneville Dam for bank anglers, with the exception of March 25th and April 1st for commercial fishing only. Read more about the fish to come below.

The fishing seasons were set on Wednesday, but the waiting continues — another six weeks or so — until a projected 308,000 spring chinook salmon enter the Columbia River and head upstream to an angling armada.
The forecast is improved from last year and at this point it appears the river flow will be good for sport fishing in March and April,'' said Guy Norman, regional director the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Happy Fishing Very Soon!

SRC: The Columbian for entire article.


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Native-Owned Fish Shop Opens In Cascade Locks, Oregon

Credit Anna King

Cascade Locks, Oregon has a new place to enjoy fresh local fish straight from the Columbia River. Native-Owner, Brigham Campbell will be selling sturgeon, salmon, seafood chowder, smoked fish and more is her store, all coming from the river nearby. Learn more Brigham Campbell below.

Kim Brigham Campbell is from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and says the shop is a family affair.
“I just expect my aunts and uncles and cousins and all of them, they’ve all offered to step forward and help. I guess I don’t really feel on my own, I have a huge support. It’s going to work it’s going to happen," says Campbell.

SRC: http://nwpr.org/post/native-owned-fish-shop-opens-cascade-locks-oregon

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Columbia Gorge Winemakers celebrate Valentine's Day

Over 40 wineries along the Columbia Gorge are celebrating Valentines Day! Make an entire weekend getaway out of this special time of year, and indulge in fine wines and chocolates. Read more about this event below.

Treat your Sweet: It doesn't get much sweeter than indulging in chocolate paired with the world-class wine of the Columbia Gorge!

Join us for an unforgettable Valentine’s weekend experience hosted at over 30 wineries in the wild beauty of the Columbia Gorge featuring chocolate and other sweet pairings, special releases, great discounts and more.

SRC: Columbia Gorge Wine --see here for map and more details

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First Friday Art Walk in Troutdale

Troutdale First Friday Art Walk

The First Friday Art Walk of the year is coming February 7th, 2014. These will occur every first Friday of the month, with the exception of January. They are located in the Historic Downtown Troutdale area. Business host dozen of local artists exhibiting their work, and raffles to give away gift baskets and prizes from their stores. 

Visit Troutdale's First Friday Art Walk  Facebook page or
Visit the West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce to find more local events like this one.

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