Rock of Ages is one of those hikes you hear about but can hardly find information on it. The main reason is because it’s a very difficult, unmaintained trail that is no longer on the maps. About two years ago, I attempted this hike without very good results. Despite the fact I was able to climb all the way to the plateau, at some point I lost the trail and ended up bushwhacking my way down. I recall it being a very long day were I thought I would be spending the night somewhere up there. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to re-visit this trail and do the loop I had intended back then. So better equipped with proper maps (not that I didn’t have them back then) and a GPS, I embarked on a mission to conquer the loop with a small group of brave hikers. Having hiked the Quartz Creek the day before, I opted for a later start considering the drive was quite short to his trailhead. We started up on the Horsetail trail and very soon, after passing a couple of switchbacks we got to the famous tree with roots that resemble a small staircase. We climbed those three or four steps and found the uphill trail just behind it. The climb was quick and steep with numerous switchbacks and going over loose grounds, exactly as I remembered it. Not long after we came to our first fork that most people ignore and just continue up. Knowing better, we turned left and followed a faint path to the Arch, one of the highlights of this hike. The Arch is just a rock outcrop with outstanding views of the Gorge. Right in the middle of it, there’s a small arch (big enough for two or three people to sit under it) that formed by years and years of wind erosion. From that vantage point, not only you can see the eastern side of the Columbia River Gorge but also the cliffs and peaks on the Oregon side. After a short brake, we climbed down and went back to the fork to resume our climb towards the Devil’s backbone. Although most of the trail is covered, it travels on a ridge where you can easily make the steep cliffs on both sides. After some more switchbacks, we came up next to a rock wall that can be climbed or walked around. That wall is actually the beginning of the Devil’s Backbone, a bare rocky ridge with steep drop offs on both sides. Definitely not for the faint of heart and not the best place to be in a storm. We found another group having lunch at that spot so we stopped for a couple of minutes before continuing on. From there, the trail dives into the forest but it doesn’t level or go down. By that point, we still had about 2/3 of the elevation to gain. From there to the plateau, the hike was pretty similar to other steep hikes in the gorge like Rudolph Spur or Ruckel Ridge. Then, all of a sudden, the trail level a bit and we got in a foggy forest. I started having some déjà-vu moments as I recognized some of the views I saw two years ago as I was getting lost. This time, without snow on the ground, the footpath was easy to follow until we got to the Horsetail trail. Shortly after the turn, we came up to our first creek crossing. It was not a big thing but we still had to find a good spot to walk on rocks and logs to make it. Being a bit after noon, we stopped on the other side of the creek for lunch while we watched the water rush thru rocks and logs. From there, we continued meandering thru a lush forest and crossed two or three more creeks on the way. We knew from several reports that the last creek, the Oneonta Creek, was running pretty high making that last crossing a bit of a challenge. A friend even sent me an email indicating they had flagged the best crossing point when they did it. As we continued traversing, we turned in towards a canyon and started descending a bit into wet lands. At that point we could already hear the rushing water but only saw the creek when we got to it. Yes, it was running much higher than usual. The strange thing about this trail is that, if you look at the map, the trail crosses the creek, then loops back and crossed again on a wood bridge about a quarter of a mile downstream. A good friend told me he was able to bushwhack down and find the trail after the second bridge eliminating the need to cross the creek. My idea was to try the same thing but what I was not counting on was having mature Devil’s club all around. After a couple hundred yards of bushwhacking we decided it was better to just get our feet wet. Interestingly enough, the point where we ended up crossing ended up being much easier than the marked path on the trail. As we crossed the frigid waters, we only found a single knee deep pool that was easy to manage. Although weather forecast was not indicating it, it started raining the moment we got to the other side, so we quickly dried our feet, put on the shoes and continued hiking along the Oneonta Creek. After that, sun came back just in time for us to make a quick stop at triple falls to take a couple of pictures and continue down to Horsetail falls. In the end, we were able to complete the loop with no issues. To me, it felt more of an accomplishment as I had my previous experience in mind.
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