#36 – Clackamas River Trail

The well-marked trailhead is at the Fish Creek Campground, about 45 minutes east of Portland traveling out Highway 224. The trail parallels the Clackamas River for most of the hike (hence the name), but also parallels the road and some unattractive power lines, so it’s not as remote as I like, but the sheer length of the trail (8.1 miles, each way) kept us away from other travelers except towards each end of the trail.


The rays of the sun create a cathedral effect through the pines. - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

We arrived at the trailhead by 11:30 am (late!) because we didn’t pack until after we got up (late), and we needed to get gas and sandwiches for lunch (with bonus coffee!).

The spring run-off from the above-average snowfall over the winter made for a water feature-filled hike (my favorite kind), so even though there were patches of washed out trail and a couple precarious creek crossings, there were several lovely waterfalls and plenty of opportunities to touch the water.



The trail had excellent views of the river. I took this picture near where we spotted a group of rafters on a white-water rafting tour.



We ate lunch in a clearing next to this large tree crossing the river (it can also be seen in the picture above). How it came to be there became a small topic of debate...



Him: How do you think that tree got there?
Me: I don't know...there's no other trees around it, so it seems weird for it to have just fallen that way.
Him: It was probably magic.
Me: Nah...somebody probably just put it there. It's freakin' huge though, they would have needed a crane or something...
Him: I'm tellin' ya... magic's the most plausible explanation.

Checking the map, there was a spot marked “cable crossing” at about the 6.5 mile point. Based on the time we’d been on the trail at that point (two and a half hours) and that there was indeed a cable crossing the river (about 500 feet east of the tree), we’d made a hasty assumption that’s where we were. Anxious to get to our turn-around point, we barreled along towards the Indian Henry Campground trailhead at a brisk pace.

We did that for 90 minutes. Aaargh. It was obvious that we couldn’t have possibly been as far along as we thought (looking at the map today, I think we were three miles from the trailhead at a place called “the Narrows”). We reached the trailhead tired and a little frustrated, emerging from under the thick canopy of trees to steady rainfall. The pace helped to worsen the blister developing on my sweetie’s left big toe, so we sat down and somberly drank our Fat Tire while we bandaged it up and rested.

I didn’t do much running along the way there. The topographical breakdown shows slight gradual uphill, with three solid climbs and descents during the last two miles. In actuality, I ran a few of the flat spots, but the trail was mostly all climb and descent. I didn’t run at all after we started heading back; it was better for us to stick out the rest of the hike together.

Getting back was tough, but we managed ok. This hike was much harder and more exhausting than either of us had anticipated. I think we’re too accustomed to the hard part being over when we reach the top and there being a quick, easy jaunt downhill to the end. This was just hard and long, plus the fact that because we’d misjudged our location, we didn’t pace ourselves well. Something to remember for next time…

Despite being totally wiped out, we went to Gustav’s for German food and some well-deserved drinks. Fondue cures everything.

On a side note, I used to hike all the time, but since ascending Half Dome in 2002, I haven’t hiked as much, and now three and a half years later, I’m relearning things I’d forgotten, such as…

Beanies vs. Caps – Beanies are essential on long hikes. I need something between the headlamp and my head, and headlamps don’t illuminate well when worn above the bill of a cap or visor. Plus they’re warmer.

Music – My play list was hit-and-miss on this hike. I forget that I need specific things from my music, so any ol’indie-pop or alt-punk is out, no matter how much I like it. I need stuff like the Dresden Dolls, KMFDM and other short, angst-driven songs for quick energy boosts. Grand swooping instrument-heavy bands (Radiohead, Voyager One, Kinski, Mogwai, etc) for endurance. Sigur Rós is perfect for resting and moving at the same time (sort of a smooth, rhythmic gliding movement that I also use for running); the Cure is also good for this.

Packing “smart” – a hiking fundamental; having everything you need in the least amount of weight. Keep extra supplies in the car (changes of clothing and shoes, extra water, etc.). Always bring headlamps, compass, matches and first aid kit. I remembered the headlamps, which was good because we traveled the last mile or so in the dark, but I forgot extra socks, so we had cold, wet feet all the way home. Not catastrophic, it just would have been a little more pleasant ride home.