Multnomah Falls to Wahkeena Falls-I DID IT FINALLY!

Before I tell you about this awesome hike, I need to give you a back story...

In the fall of 2009 my husband, step-daughter, and I journeyed to a little visitor stop called Multnomah Falls.  This massive waterfall is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the pacific northwest and its one of the longest waterfalls in Oregon.  My husband told me that the hike to the top of it was only "like a mile long" and free so we should go do it.  We got into our tennis shoes, put on our rain jackets, and headed for a quick stroll to the top of the falls. First of all, he didn't mention that the top of the falls, even though a mile hike, was straight UPHILL with 11 switchbacks! JERK! This was probably the worst day of my life when I realized along with being fat, I also had been a smoker way to long, and I was incredibly out of shape. I made it to switchback 6 before I cried, pouted, screamed, and marched my big ass down the paved path, back to our car and this was the start of my journey...

In December 2009 is when a group of my closest friends decided we should start an outdoor exploration group and thus the start of this amazing blog. (tell your friends!)

Fast forward to July 30th 2011.  After almost 2 years of saying "Oh, Hell No!" to this hike, my friend Erin decided that we needed to do it and by do it, she not only meant the 1 mile, uphill, breathless, and demon of a hike but, the entire loop to Wahkeena Falls. So, when deleting her from my phone and facebook didn't work and she still found me...I reluctantly had to go with her.

We got to the parking lot of Multnomah Falls off of I-84 around 10:30am. This was a perfect time to show up, as we were able to grab front row parking. On this hike, I wore my new Columbia Hiking boots, my Danskin cool pants (they are like leggings except they suck the sweat off your butt), and a few tank tops. Because the mornings are always cooler in the gorge, I brought a thermal sweatshirt that I could easily roll up and put into my pack or tie around my waist.

This hike is 5 miles....but, with seeing everything and walking from the parking lot, it was actually almost 7 miles.  I brought lots of Cliff Bars and Power Bars to keep me up on this hike.

I am going to tell you in three words what to expect in the first 1.1 miles of this hike...PAIN, PAIN, and I hate this *&^%%, piece of ^%#*,  *&^@) trail!!

The first 1.1 mile is all uphill (if you haven't guessed) and surrounded by tourists. This made Erin actually go slower than she wanted to go which was a plus for me! But, as you get up higher...some of the crowd clears and Erin actually wanted to run it...and this is when I contemplated pushing her over the cliff. But, I didn't. I MADE her stop at every switchback to let me catch my breath. I stretched my legs as they were already sore even though I had popped 3 ibuprofen. The entire way up this narrowed and paved path, I contemplated turning around or throwing a fit. I was OK with people thinking I was crazy at one point. When thoughts of anger were not filling my head, I thought about how this hike was the reason I wanted to hike. This hike was the reason for this stupid blog and my stupid boots and my stupid...well, you get the point.

On switchback 7....I realized I had made it farther than I ever had.
Then came switchback 8, and the people that we were following finally gave up.
Switchback 9, I was able to keep up with Erin and go for it! we were almost there...
And to prove I made it to the overlook...

The next 5 or so miles came easy, I had defeated my enemy. I am not saying this hike after the uphill struggle is easy, it was easy because nothing else could ever be as hard as fighting your enemy and winning!!

After you visit the overlook, go back to where you came from but, instead of turning left onto the paved path go straignt towards the water and a little bridge and you will be treated with several other waterfalls...Wisendanger, Ecola, Dutchman, Fairy and of course Wahkeena falls. 

I suggest you get a copy of the hiking trails map at the information center or download it to your phone or ipod from here: http://columbiariverhighway.com/multnomah_falls_hiking_loops.pdf

Once you get past the tourist trap called Multnomah Falls, the trail is dirt and rock. Please be prepared for this at even in 80 degree temps, the dirt is still wet and slippery. There are also plenty of rocks to trip on and the path is not very wide. Follow trail #441 and then at the junction with Larch Mountain Trail follow trail #420. Keep going on trail #420 for the remainder of your hike.

At this point in our hike, its pretty nice, there is a gradual uphill 1 mile or so but, my legs were numb to the pain at this point. We ran into some rangers, and after shooting the breeze with us for about 5 minutes about what is coming our way...they called us experienced hikers and told us to take care! LOL! They were just being nice but, Erin and I made sure that we wrote that down in our memories for future use!

At the end of the hike to Wahkeena Falls, there is a return trail to Multnomah Falls.  Take IT! Don't be dumb and walk along the highway...please!

FINAL THOUGHT
Fat girls, try this hike. It's OK to stop at every switchback and complain, scream, or yell. If all you can do is make it to switchback #6...at least you did it! You can always try again! Make sure to have a friend with you, who will help push you too! Erin was amazing at giving me encouragement and stopping with me even though she could have ran the whole thing without so much as smearing her make-up! This hike took us 3 and a half hours to complete and you can do it too!!