Gorge Ice (1/3/11)

I had the day off work but Liz did not, so my friend Jacob and I planned to go for a hike.

I decided the Gorge might be a good place to go since it was so cold. The potential for frozen waterfalls in sheltered canyons seemed like a good possibility and unlike a lot of these cold snaps we have, this time the roads were clear.

I picked out two separate short trails near Bonneville Dam so we could return to the car in between, giving us a chance to warm up.

The first waterfall we hiked into was Wahclella Falls. Below are a few photos I snapped along the way.

Wahclella Falls

After a brief drive and eating sandwiches in the car for lunch we headed to Elowah Falls.

Elowah Falls

The mist coming off the waterfalls instantly froze on anything it came in contact with, including us. This made for a surreal landscape, and slippery trails. At times it felt as though we'd been magically transported into a fantasy novel.

Our next destination was Upper McCord Creek Falls, but it was not to be. We cut our trip short when we ran into this:

Time to turn around

A maze of icicles completely blocked the trail, and we were a bit fearful of the ones hanging overhead. The icy trail back down to the car provided some adventure, but we made it.

We ended up getting very little exercise, but the scenery was worth it.

-Brad