Eagle Creek

Yesterday we made it out to Eagle Creek and did a six mile hike, turning back once we hit Punchbowl Falls. It's supposedly one of the most traveled trails in Oregon (I wonder if the outdoor gear company, Eagle Creek, is named after this area), but since it was pouring, it was pretty quiet and we only passed a few people along the way. High levels of rain the last few days caused some seasonal waterfalls to come back to life, and regulars to double or even triple in size. I would guess that we saw upwards of 20 waterfalls, and while some were far off in the distance, others were along the trail, and you had to walk through or behind them to continue on. A man we ran into at the trailhead said he's been doing this hike for 25 years, and this was the heaviest water he'd seen yet. Very fun in the rain and definitely the best hike we've done since moving here.



Some of the waterfalls over the trail early in the hike.

Although it's hard to see them, the reddish-brown things in the water near the bank are salmon. This was at the trailhead, where they were pushing against the current and trying to get over the dam that's pictured below. I would say they were all probably close to two feet in length. Our first wild salmon spotting!





Jason crossing one of the streams that was overflowing. Notice the steeping stones, which are probably normally dry.

This is Punchbowl Falls. You can see three other waterfalls emptying into the bowl in the center and right of the photo. Needless to say, it was really loud. During the summer (dry season), this is what it looks like: http://www.reardonww.com/Tanner-Eagle05/59-Punchbowl%20Falls.JPG


This was labeled as Lower Punchbowl Falls, so my guess is that this is where the "bowl" empties out into.