EARTH DAY CONGREGATION ON CANYON TRAIL

 

 

 

 

Earth Day is what, another day?

Just another day? Or a day to join others in an earthy stroll?

This year it felt like a church was in session with a full choir singing an earth song to the heavens.

In other words, Earth Day 2023 was a commune with nature up close and personal, as it should be.

I’ve liked the idea of ‘Up Close And Personal’ from the first time I heard it, which was during an Olympic Games broadcast with Bob Costa on the deep dive.

Those interviews seemed too ‘up close,’ too ‘personal,’ which made for good television.

There were no interviews on the Trail of Ten Falls.

If there had been, if I’d been interviewed, it would have been ‘The Trail of Eleven Falls,’ but we’ll get to that later.

 

 

Absolutely spectacular!! Highly recommend doing the full loop, Absolutely spectacular views of the waterfalls at all angles. Was a tad muddy, but with the right footware it didn’t bother us at all!!

 

 

The right footwear?

Some wore the sort of sliders you might wear in a gym shower to avoid athlete’s foot; one person was barefooted, and it wasn’t at the beginning of the trail.

We passed a group who had paused to gather around who looked like a twelve year old getting first aide on her feet. They brought their kit and had plenty of bandaids.

New hiking boots should away come with a pack of bandaids.

 

 

 

The Trail Of Eleven Falls

 

 

 

 

This year’s Earth Day congregation gathered in Silver Falls State Park.

There were campers filling the camp grounds, hikers filling the parking lots, and three guys separating from their group for a different sort of hiking experience.

My wife doesn’t enjoy my idea of what a hike is. I wouldn’t say enjoyment is the point when I set off.

 

 

You don’t capture a red sweaty face on a relaxing stroll to stretch your legs.

Suit up in a dry-fit t-shirt under a zippered vest under a zippered hoodie under a raincoat if it looks wet outside.

Layer up at the beginning, unzipping each layer as you warm up, heat up. At the end you’ll be carrying it all under your arm.

 

 

2

 

When it’s possible I like to go as hard as I can, waterfalls or no waterfalls.

Most of the time I’m alone when I get cranking, which isn’t world record speed.

I got it going on Ten Falls because I had back-up in the form of big strong men, two of them, one I’ve known all of his life, the other I’ve known since he was in kindergarten.

Both of them were on the rec league teams I coached. Now they’re mid-thirties and kick ass.

So, naturally I felt motivated to kick my own ass on the Canyon Trail since they would pick me up and drag me out if the moment called.

My hiking joy is about gearing down and going hard on the uphills and letting gravity set the pace on the flats.

Take my word here as a baby boomer blogger, there’s little that’s more rewarding than dipping into endurance reserves and burning it all up on a beautiful loop trail.

This is my endurance reserve face after my one and only Hood To Coast:

 

 

 

 

One of the Earth Day grinders is at the top left. The other one skipped that day but showed up strong for Ten Falls.

He was right there when Ten Falls turned to Eleven Falls.

 

 

Wet, fun, muddy, and good for reconditioning!

 

 

Moderately difficult and not accessible to all hikers. Good spring hiking with lots of run off feeding the many falls. Slippery in spots, poles helped.

 

 

3

 

 

Was I busting ass getting up the muddy, slippery, parts?

It sure felt like it, but the reality was watching a few single hikers pass me and pull away while I worked to keep up. My group let me lead when they could have passed me and left me in the dirt.

So I kicked it in hard going uphills, talking about mud and trenches and how it must have felt living in a cold muddy trench in WWI.

We joked about the slippery trail, about falling down a cliff into the river. Pretty funny?

Then I drive off my left foot, feeling the traction in my mud encrusted shoe slip.

I hit the ground on the bank-side of the trail, not the cliff side, and tucked and rolled.

I sprung to my feet after the roll, looking like I’d been dipped in shit.

 

 

Hiker1: Are you okay?

Me: Yep, let’s go.

Hiker2: Are you sure.

Me: I’d tell you if I wasn’t.

Hiker2: No you wouldn’t.

Me: If I was hurt I couldn’t have popped up.

Hiker1: He did jump up fast.

Hiker2: Real fast.

Me: Okay. I’m off and running.

 

 

I focused on who I was going to pass next while the mud flaked off, who else I was going to leave in the dust.

Turns out it wasn’t that many, but the boys let me set the pace.

Was it fun nature walk on Earth Day? All things added up, it was the best.

And here’s why:

 

 

 

Non-Denominational Earth Day In Ten Falls Cathedral

 

 

 

 

I heard at least five different languages spoken on the Canyon Trail.

There were families, couples, and single people working the route.

From people in their traditional garb, overdressed REI shoppers, and a determined toddler cruising a three mile loop on the trot, Silver Falls State Park felt like a welcome mat.

All are invited, but they had one thing in common: a level of fitness that allowed them to get out and back without a life flight intervention.

If you’ve been to a dog park then you’ve been amazed at how well all of the dogs get along.

I got the same vibe with the people on the trail. They showed up for something other than promoting their views, their beliefs, their home nations, or anything other than reveling in the wonders of nature.

If so many people from diverse backgrounds can make it to a stone ledge and sit behind the pounding, acoustic, power of a waterfall at full volume, and agree it’s one of the best places on earth, why not harness the beauty that fills their hearts for the good of those who haven’t had the same experience?

 

 

This has to be one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve done. The waterfalls were absolutely stunning!! Some of the tallest ones I’ve seen and being able to go behind them was SO cool and felt like you were in a different world. 

 

 

Did it feel like a different world? Yes.

Have you been someplace with the same feeling?

Where was it?