Cape Horn, Jan 17th

Cape Horn is one of those hikes we hear about but we are not sure where it is or what does it offer. Luckily we had Ryan, a member of the group that wants to become an assistant organizer lead this hike. He works for the Washington Trails Association so not only he knows this trail very well but he also knows the history and all the debates going behind the scenes as they get ready to close a portion of it for work. The trail is located on the Washington side and offers great vistas of the Columbia Gorge. After a short drive to the trailhead, we started our hike on a very foggy day. The first portion doesn’t offer much as it climbs rather quickly passing thru some dense forests and bordering some private land. Soon after that, we got the ridge and veered back on a section that is privately held. At the moment there’s no trail, so doing the loop requires walking on a paved road for a while until you get back to the ridge overlooking the river. Once there, you find yourself walking at the edge of very steep drop-offs and very nice views. Unfortunately, with the foggy weather, we only got about half of those. From that point on, the hike becomes very interesting as it borders the ridge, and then descends the talus slope on some switchbacks before climbing back again. This section was incredibly green with rocks covered in moss. Almost near the end of the hike, you get to Cape Horn falls that is on the trail. As you approach it you get the real nice front view of it, but then you have to descend and actually cross under it to continue. Having rain gear and umbrellas helped a lot in this section. Having Ryan as our leader was a big plus as he explained how they decided where to put the trail and all the discussions going on as they plan for the future.