Cascade Creek Trail...

Today we hiked part of the Cascade Creek Trail. Trevor and I had never considered it before, because it looked like a backpacker's trail where you could - literally - hike to Silverton over the course of a weekend. But, thanks to a trifold about local hikes near Purgatory that my mother picked up years ago, we discovered that you could make part of the trail into a nice day hike to a picturesque waterfall. Round trip the hike to Engine Creek Falls is about five miles, and took about two hours each way. Of course, hikers without a husband armed with a heart rate monitor attached to his pregnant wife can probably make it much faster.

Speaking of which, it is really effing difficult to do any descent hiking in the altitude without your heart rate climbing above 130. I've been really good about fudging the numbers (only slightly) until today when Trevor all of a sudden started demanding to see my heart rate on my watch for himself every five minutes. It is sort of amazing we ever made it to the bleeping waterfall. That said, I burned 2500 calories in just under four hours. Not bad for a pregnant lady with a heart rate cap, if I do say so myself!

The hike through Cascade Creek Valley is beautiful. The way up does have several switchbacks, but none of them are steep or very difficult. You go through two or three grassy meadows with loads of wildflowers and gorgeous panoramic views of the surrounding mountain peaks, which makes the hike a highly rewarding one. I would definitely recommend it, and look forward to hiking this trail again in the future. According to the pamphlet, there are other waterfalls further up the valley that I would love to explore. There is something spectacularly beautiful about waterfalls in the mountains to me. I could spend days up there next to the river if it weren't for all the bugs.

(Seriously. The bugs were BAD today. Swarms of big, black flies that were seemingly unaffected by bug spray. The only way to lose them was to keep moving. Otherwise you felt like Pigpen from the Peanuts cartoons.)

As for the Awesome Pawsome, this hike is very dog friendly. The path isn't too rocky and there are plenty of small streams and creeks along the way for them to cool off in and take a drink. It is pretty much a doggie paradise.

Now for the usual post hike photos:

Following the creek at the beginning of the hike.

Eventually, you leave the main creek and switchback up the mountain.

One of the first meadows encountered on the hike.

The view through the trees.

Names and dates carved into trees. The oldest we saw was from 1963.

Hiking through another meadow full of wild flowers.

Briefly above the tree line.

Wildflowers.

The trees opening up into a meadow.

The view of Engine Creek Falls from the Forest Service Bridge.

The view from the rock where I took off my shoes and almost lost one.
To quote Trevor, "That was close. And no. I would not have carried you back to the car".

Hasky, Me, Woo.

Trevor and Alley on the Forest Service Bridge.

Trevor overlooking the creek from up high.

Hiking back upstream to get a better view of the waterfall.

If we had more time, I would have loved to have gone up there.

Another photo op with Haskell and Gypsy.

Trevor and Alley.

Water break on the hike back to the car.

Wish these photos could do the meadows justice!
They are so much more beautiful in person!