Our Little Find Of A Trail + Bushwhacking = Another Way Down

Pam and I headed to Tidewater, Or. to see her dad and uncle for Father's Day weekend. We took a route that meant we did not touch I-5 in Oregon at all. It was interesting and way off of the beaten path which work for us.

Saturday we got up and ate and headed to the trail we found the last time we were down. Armed with a GPS and accompanied by her dad and her uncle's 2 dogs - a Boxer and a Yorkie - we headed up the trail.

I guess it is not used much since it was fairly overgrown. The little Yorkie too to staying right on my heel so he knew which way we were going since the grass was too tall for him to see over. The trail is 2.25 miles to the top from her uncle's house so it didn't take us long.

When we arrived at the top Pam's dad explained that a little bushwhacking would us through to another route down. Since neither Pam nor I have any common sense when it comes to this stuff we followed him through the brush and over to the other side.

There were more foxgloves blooming on this hike than I have seen in the rest of my life! The hills were purple with them. The little Yorkie got entwined in berry vines a couple of times and had to be extricated, but was a surprisingly good little trail dog.

While there was plenty evidence of an elk herd, we saw only a brief glimpse of a deer hopping away on our way down. All in all we hiked 4.63 miles with maybe 1200 ft on elevation gain and had a great time.

The Yorkie required a bath and a lot of brushing to remove sticks and twigs and burrs, but was otherwise fine for his first foray into hiking. The Boxer was gassed and hit the floor as soon as we got back. All humans were fine and headed to Rogue Brewery in Newport for lunch and well deserved beers.