Adventure Blog: Cascade Locks, Oregon

I'm a strong believer that every adventure requires a mission.  To seek out, ravage through Mother Earth, and find a hidden gem.  The Earth is full of them, trailblazers discovered them, stacked rocks help us find them again.  It's taken centuries to create them, undisturbed by humans, and they are perfect the way they are.  Waterfalls are one of our favorite hidden gems to explore to because of their beauty, uniqueness, and positive aroma caused by negative ions.   Michelle, the genius that she is, found a hike with 3 gorgeous waterfalls, 2 brilliantly engineered bridges, and several breathe taking views of the Columbia River.  The hike was incredibly fun and didn't require too much energy; it was perfect because it was a nice stop/break from driving on our way to Portland from Smith's Rock State Park.  Parking was easy.  There's free parking at the Ridge Trail, located on the map below, click on it to get directions:

We packed 1 bottle of water each, some snacks, and set out on the trail.  I don't know why we didn't bring our hammock but it would have been very useful throughout the hike.  The massive Columbia River runs adjacent to the trail, allowing several beautiful viewpoints/hammock spots along the way. I don't want to give away too much of the adventure but it was incredibly refreshing, full of vibrant green and semi-foliage, and was my favorite hike of our Oregon trip.  The weather was somber and dreary, the clouds gathered above us threateningly, as if the Lord finally answered the prayers of a desperate farmer during a drought.  There was no sun and the mist was heavy; I was absolutely in love.  Because of this place, my heart will forever be camped out in Oregon.

The Horsetail Falls:

Ponytail Falls/Horsetail Creek:

Adventure Blog: Exploring San Diego: Ho Chi Minh Trail

This trail is pretty badass, it can also be extended to be even more badass by hiking to Gliderport as a detour.  This is what separates a hike from an adventure.  I don't want to give anything visual away because part of adventuring is exploring and it's way more fun when you get to see the scene for yourself for the first time.  But I added some pictures at the end for you folks that don't give a F.  The trail isn't that long but it is kind of difficult and semi-sketch.  It's not easy which makes it a pretty sweet date/adventure.  Here is the entrance to the trail and a link to for DIRECTIONS.

Here's a list of things I packed and would suggest for your badass adventure but don't litter your trash please:

• 1 Fjallraven Classic Backpack
• 1 Beach Towel
• 1 Canteen filled with ice cold water
• 1 bag of trail mix
• 1 bag of chips/other snack
• 1 Good Company Apparel Summer hoodie
• 1 beach toy ie: frisbee, football, hula hoop
• 1 bluetooth speaker
• 1 external battery charger
• 1 phone chord
• 1 mini tripod 
• 1 board shorts/bathing suit
• 0 shoes, you can do this barefoot if you're badass