Summer 2015: Lost Lake, OR!

Shortly after our trip to Vancouver, Burton & I went on a spontaneous overnight camping trip to Lost Lake, OR. We wanted to make sure all of our gear was up to snuff before we left for our Colorado camping trip (more on that later!). Our spontaneous idea wound up being an excellent one because the weather was absolutely perfect, the water was warm-ish, & we had crystal clear views of Mt. Hood! Burton & I visited the lake once before, but it had been so cloudy that we couldn't even see the mountain. Needless to say, Lost Lake was incredible this time around & I kinda sorta wished we had stayed longer than just the one night :]

adventures with Jess!

A couple months back, my beautiful Florida friend, Jessica, moved to Portland! What's even crazier is that her apartment is only 4 blocks from mine! Not only have we had lots of lovely brunch dates & pot luck dinners together, but we've also been going on lots of outdoorsy adventures as we show her her beautiful new state. A few weeks back, we all went to Cannon Beach (where "The Goonies" was filmed!) & hiked along the coast. We also had some reeaaaalllyyyy good ice cream :]

Needless to say, everyone was pretty tuckered out afterwards. But we rested up for another adventure the following weekend...hiking around the Columbia Gorge! 

We hiked for about 5 hours on the Indian Point Trail, which has a 2800ft. elevation gain, making it one of our most challenging hikes yet. But those views!!! It was worth every single step. I'm not afraid of heights, but it was a little dizzying being so high up & so close to a sheer drop off - it was so thrilling! The rest of the hike was pretty mellow, with a beautiful picnic stop & music playing on our portable speaker :] We were practically running on the way back down. Which was fitting because after the hike we visited not one, not two, but THREE breweries!! That pretty much sums up my perfect day :]

springtime in oregon!

I am LOVING the spring season in Oregon! The weather is amazing, the days are getting so long, & so many flowers are in bloom! Everyone always talks about foliage in the fall, but I hadn't really thought about how all the plants just "spring" back to life after winter ;] It felt like the saturation in the city was kicked up a notch practically overnight. Needless to say, we've been hiking ever single weekend this past month. Above are a couple photos from hiking around the Columbia Gorge with Burton's co-worker, Andrew, & his fiance, Lisa.

A couple weekends ago, we hiked the Silver Falls trail for the first time. 10 waterfalls in 10 miles! It was glorious. About half of the waterfalls were over 150 feet & the trail actually took you behind many of them. There's always something magical about getting that close to a waterfall.

This was our lunch time picnic spot. Not bad, right? ;] We did this hike with our friends, Maggie & Walker, who also moved here last summer. We were introduced to them by a mutual friend, Jody, who lives in Boston. I had met Jody on my trip to Israel & Maggie knew her from a study abroad program in Chile! It's crazy how small this world is.

Here was the final waterfall of our trip. We finished the day at Hair of the Dog brewing. If I could describe my perfect day, it would be really similar to this one :]

Last weekend, we hiked near Mt. Hood along the Old Salmon River trail. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have from that hike - sometimes you just get too caught up in the moment to snap a picture. We hiked with our friends, Lindsay & Ian, who we were also introduced to through Jody. Crazy, right?! Turns out Jody's boyfriend has been really great friends with Ian since high school. Thank goodness for Jody!

To be honest, I was nervous I'd get homesick in Oregon, considering we didn't know anybody prior to moving out here. All we had were just a few vague mentions of somebody who knows somebody who also lives in Portland. But we absolutely adore every single person we've met out here & I'm so grateful for these friendships that are being built. June 13th will be our first anniversary of being Oregonians & I can't believe a year has already flown by! I'm looking forward to many more years spent in this beautiful state with these wonderful people :]

Decemberists wall mural!

Somebody painted a giant mural of The Decemberists' newest album cover just a couple blocks away from our gym! I couldn't resist taking some photos with it after one of our workouts :] The day we took these pictures was extra special because we saw them in concert just a few hours later! Needless to say, they ROCKED IT. It was magical seeing them perform in their hometown - which is now our hometown! God, I love LOVE Portland :]

a new favorite hike!

Our first winter in Portland has been GORGEOUS. It barely rains & has been consistently in the 40s & 50s since November. I know it's uncommon weather, so Burton & I are enjoying it as much as we can! Future winters probably won't be as nice :] On a beautifully clear day, we discovered a new favorite hike! The trail starts with a loop around Mirror Lake, where we saw Mt. Hood peeking out. Myla wasted no time diving into the water!

Mt. Hood followed us as we trekked up up up for about 2.5 miles. The sunshine was so bright at about the halfway point that we could barely photograph us with the mountain.

At the top! We had 360 degree views that were absolutely BREATHTAKING! And because it was so clear, we were able to see three extra mountain peaks in the distance: Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, & Mt. St. Helens!!

Despite how windy it was at the top, we hung out for a good 20 minutes, taking it all in. Burton even surprised me, pulling a celebratory beer out of the CamelPak. This is the good life :]

surrounded by beauty

 

 

"Look deep into nature & you will understand everything better." -- Albert Einstein

Burton & I recently re-hiked Angel's Rest Trail. If you'd asked me 10 years ago if I was interested in hiking, I probably would've looked confused. Growing up in flat Florida, I'm not even sure if I fully understood what hiking entailed. But now, it is one of my absolutely favorite hobbies! As long as the weather's decent, I'd probably do it every weekend. It's free, stress-reducing, healthy, fun, & visually astounding. Plus, it makes my dog super happy & I share some of my best chats with Burton on our excursions :] Have you enjoyed nature lately?