Intrepid adventurers

Last Saturday, my cousins (Jana, Jeremy, and Nathaniel) and I headed to the always impressive Columbia Gorge for a hiking expedition. I tried to be sporty in my new shorts (ew, I hate wearing shorts of any length), t-shirt, tank, and suede hiking boots. Well, no one bothered to mention that Oneota Falls, while exquisite, wasn't exactly a trail. Rather, it entailed splashing through a freezing cold stream, scaling rocks and a beaver dam, and then plunging into a waist deep pool. No problem, right?


Just starting out


Apparently Nathaniel is a character on Lost


Impersonating the "surprised" lady from SNL


Here we go!


We passed so many gorgeous scenes that looked like the were right out of the Lord of the Rings movies


Nathaniel and Jeremy, pointlessly scaling rocks in order to avoid getting wet, which ended up happening anyway ;)


Oneota Falls in all of its glory


Getting in touch with my inner Pocahontas


Jeremy found me a froggy friend!


Someone save Jana from the perilous waters!


After Oneota, we hit Horsetail Falls


Nathaniel and Jeremy in their "Ralph Lauren ad" pose

Despite being tiring and somewhat painful (we all came back with minor scrapes, bruises, welts, or blisters the sizes of quarters), we had a great time. The Columbia Gorge is one of those places that never ceases to amaze me with its beauty. It really is one Oregon's gems.