For Val’s birthday weekend we rented a cabin in Camp Sherman right next to the Metolius River. Our original plan for the day was to drive up towards Black Butte and hike to the top. The morning didn’t look good but the forecast was announcing that it was going to clear so we thought there was potential for views. While trying to get to the trailhead, we got stuck in snow and had to spend a bit over an hour getting it unstuck and moving using braches and a shovel. Long story short, we drove back to the cabin and decided to hike along the Metolius River. We started from a trailhead located right across from the Camp Sherman General Store heading north. The first part of the hike goes right on the border of the river where numerous camps sit next to each other. In the summer these get full with fishermen that pretty much can get out of their cabins and cast from there. Not long after that we left the campgrounds behind and started hiking on pristine forests with the river right next to us. There was a bit of snow on the ground but not enough to impede our progress. AS we hiked, we noted the river sinking into the ground as the side walls started to grow. We were entering a small canyon. The trail took a turn to get on the high side. From it would could hear the rapids below us but almost no views of it. And then we found a fence with a no trespassing sign. So we followed what looked like a path following the fence around it. We found a dirt road and took it around the property and discovered it was the boundary of the Smiling River campground. Once we got to the other end we saw a path going back towards the river so we followed. We lost the trail at that point but knew we were on the right path. As we saw the terrain starting to go down to the river we veered a bit to the east and got back on the trail. We were still pretty high above the river and the only visible thing was a ridge on the other side. We found a junction without a sign but the trail going down over a switchback looked more traveled so we took that. It took us down to the river and continued on the river edge. I can say this part of the hike was the most interesting one. The river was not as wide but running pretty fast with clear blue waters. Along the trail the rocky sides covered in snow and moss looked amazing. It didn’t seem thee was a way to get out of the canyon but then the sides started getting lower. From the map I knew there was supposed to be a waterfall on the other side of the river. We kept looking for it and past the point in the map where it’s supposed to be but never saw it. By then we were a bit tired and the days was wearing thin. Once we saw the bridge that goes over to Wizard Falls we took a turn heading towards the road. From there we had the choice to head back retracing our steps or take the easier path on the paved road back to Camp Sherman. It was a long walk on a very hard surface but with great scenery. We finally got back to Camp Sherman with enough light to check the general store before heading back to the cabin. It ended being an excellent hike with much better weather than what the forecast was predicting.
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