Tag Archives: nature

Silver Falls

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Silver Falls State Park

Activity: Camping, Day Hike, Scenic Views, Chasing Waterfalls

7.2 miles, 1224’ elevation gain, 2.5 hour duration, rated Moderate

Date: May 25 & 26, 2022

Silver Falls was a stop we made on our Road Trip from SoCal to Washington. It is outside of the city of Silverton and not far from Salem. I had been there once or twice as a boy and never forgot it and I wanted my son Alec and daughter Marina to experience it’s magic.

We were short on time and made a push from one last outing at Yosemite all the way to Silver Falls not arriving at the Silver Falls State Park Campgrounds until well past quiet time. I think we woke up half the campground as we pulled my Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro into our reserved camp spot. I know that we woke our neighbor as it took us awhile to get situated and set up the tent. He asked, “Are you about done?” – Sorry…

About an hour or so after zipping up my sleeping bag I heard a noise just outside my tent. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and though maybe that guy is really mad because he is right outside the fly of my tent. I got the flashlight and unzipped the tent not sure what was going on to find myself eye to eye with a cute little raccoon. He was cute for about 5 seconds as he had eaten a hole in our food bag and was munching away. I tried to shoo him away and saw that there were two of them and they were right in my face and they were not backing off, but inching forward despite me waving the flashlight at them. They were not worried about me at all rather each other. I did not know that raccoons growled, but it started as a low guttural growl and grew into a loud hissing crazy thing. About another hour after that disturbance all hell broke loose a few camp spots away and it sounded like World War Raccoon had just broke out with a whole gang of raccoons going at each other.

After a long drive and lots of activities the only thing that was going to get my kids up was camp grill breakfast. After eating, getting cleaned up and packed up we headed for the falls.

Silver Falls is the largest State Park in Oregon. It has a couple dozen miles of hiking paths across it’s 9,000 plus acres. In addition to that there are horse and bike trails as well. Silver Falls is a waterfall lovers paradise. You can see 10 stunning falls in less than an 8 mile hike. The forest is lush and spectacular, the stream are flowing and fabulous, but the star of this show is the waterfalls and boy are they certainly don’t disappoint. One would be happy with some of the little side show waterfalls that we are not even counting, but the 10 waterfalls are lovely, enchanting, and whimsical.

If you happen to be ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ I cannot think of a better way than chasing waterfalls and at Silver Falls there are plenty to chase.

My son Alec summed it up like this: “If I could only go on one hike for the rest of my life it would be this one”.  Marina nodded in agreement to her brothers statement.

The only way to view a waterfall is in motion. Please CLICK THE PIC for the PBTA YouTube Channel Episode.
Life Like A Waterfall
Between the rocks of mountains
Emerged as the purest of spring
Gushing, whooshing and pushing
Over the rock by bashing and crushing
Ferocious water swash
Cold and strong making its own path
Tickling over pebbles
tumbling, whizzing and then swishing
Curving tight round the bend
Terrifying plunges wilder onto the rocks
Finally cascading down
Creating incredible splash
Loud with echoing sound
Leaving the waterfall starting to calm
Now flowing gently as a river
Leaving the trails of thrashing life behind.
Alec and Marina behind the looking glass.

Thanks for joining Alec, Marina and I as part of our Chasing Waterfalls Road Trip at Silver Falls, certainly one of the most enchanting places we have ever been. Stay with us on this Road Trip as well as many other adventures by doing some super easy things: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you like the hat and shirt that Alec has on in the pictures than I invite you to go to SHOP APPAREL for all of your Adventure Wear needs. PBTA travels extensively throughout the West if you go to the menu above you will see that the areas are categorized by area or activity. I am sure that this will fuel ideas when planning your next adventure.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

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Brookings, Oregon

Activity: Day Hike, Scenic View

Date: 10-12-21

I had Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor on my list, as I have seen the incredible pictures. Scenic doesn’t begin to describe it. Corridor however is a good word as this is not just one stop or one spot, but it is a lengthy passage.

I had one picture in my mind that was a must see, so I stopped multiple times and went on multiple little hikes. They were all short hikes and as I said numerous ones so I am going to break with my tradition of mapping out a hike in this instance, but I will say this- each hike, each stop, was amazing so you really cannot go wrong by stopping at each turn off and checking it out once you get to this Corridor. Of course the whole Highway 101 in this entire stretch is pretty extraordinary so it is all good, strike that it is all magnificent.

The pull outs have views of places with names like: Natural Bridges, Arch Rock, Thunder Rock Cove, Secret Beach, and Coast Trail. The Coast Trail and some of these trails do connect one stop to another, I know that I did that in at least one instance.

Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor displays immense beauty. The kind of beauty with your eyes peeled wide, you hold your breath or it will be taken away. All of your senses come alive, absorbing every minuscule detail. Time moves slower so that you can enjoy each and every minute, etching it into your mind, imprinting it on your soul. Breath in the splendor, capture the moment, take a picture with your heart, because no photo or video can record this, at least doing it any justice. The best that photos can do is serve as a reminder of this instance of how it felt. Feeling the damp air, smelling the fragrant firs mixed with the dank scent of the moist earth and the salt of the sea, hearing the crashing waves below, the cry of a lonely gull, sights of forest, ocean, cliff, tiny islands, delightful coves, rugged volcanic rock and formations that are simply divine are intoxicating. Drink in as much of Nature’s Goodness as you dare.

The colors are so strong, so vibrant, the green firs, the lush ferns, the blues and greens of the Pacific, the midday sky with its wisps of white clouds… Rambling along the perfectly forested trails that provide peek boo glimpses of the ocean beyond, the turbulent sea catches your attention, but take caution you will come across dizzying heights, so be mindful of your step. The glory that beholds can act as a Siren just as the myth of Mermaids luring seafaring men onto the rocks, but in this case the view beckoning you ever closer to the edge for that perfect view. Be warned that these cliff edges could be undercut and give way. Even some large trees have their roots eroded and exposed to air and space. This is a strange, mystical, magical and wonderful place and very powerful.

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure YouTube Channel. Click the pic and listen to the waves and see the power.
Gold Beach
This would be a gorgeous place for wedding pictures, but I will say around the time of this picture a wave cornered the bride and groom and soiled her beautiful gown.
“There is pleasure in the pathless words… There is rapture on the lonely shore… There is society where none intrudes… By the deep sea and music in it’s roar… I love not man the less, but nature more… From these our interviews, in which I steal… From all I may be, or have been before. To mingle with the universe and to feel… What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.” – Lord Byron

Thank you for joining me in a forest, on a cliff with a view of complete splendor. While I found myself ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ amongst the trees, nature provided “Natural Bridges” from the busy life of man to the sweet embrace of Mother Nature. Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor was a good one and I will be hard pressed to try and top this place, but try I must and try I will. To join me: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. The menu above has wonderful places throughout the West that PBTA explores check it out to spawn ideas of your next adventure. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. SHOP APPAREL as top quality adventure wear for you to adorn yourself for your journey.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Mount McLoughlin

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Winema National Forest / Sky Lakes Wilderness

Activity: Backpacking, Peak Bagging

Fish Lake to Mount McLouglin Summit: 9,495’ elevation, Distance: approximately 17 miles, over 5,000’ elevation gain, 12 hour duration, rated VERY HARD

Date: 10/6-8/21

Mount McLoughlin is located in Southern Oregon. It lies south of Crater Lake and well North of Mount Shasta in Northern California which can easily be seen from the summit. Mount McLoughlin is a steep sided dormant volcano, part of the High Cascades Volcanic Arc and dominates the Medford Oregon horizon.

The area is heavily forested, and the journey along the well kept trail is absolutely gorgeous. It is a steady incline which becomes steeper and rockier about a third of the way in, but let me assure you that is only the beginning. The last 20% of this adventure is rock scrambling up talus broken boulders and at the very top portion of this trek add scree, which at least made the climb something different.

The altitude was beginning to affect me making it more difficult for me to catch my breath, and tiring me out quicker, making it necessary for me to take frequent breaks for a moment or so. However, this provided an excellent chance to enjoy the breathtaking views. (Breathtaking… notice my choice of words there?) Once above the tree line a blanket of green lay out before us with multiple blue lakes dotting the landscape.

We made it to a view point that provided stunning views of wilderness far and near. We were filled with awe and delight of the bowl area with it’s hues of beige, tan, and brown. We then cast our eyes on high, above the bowl to the massive jagged peaks of Mount McLoughlin. At that point I found looking up at the lonely rugged peaks quite discouraging as it made it quite plain just how far we still had yet to go.

My Through Hiker buddy Ahmed fresh from a few weeks on the trail, plus much younger than I, was starting to realize that this pace was not what he was accustom to. I finally signaled him to just go on ahead, and take my iPhone mostly for picture opportunities, but also GPS Location and what normally would have been GPS Tracking.

You see in an effort to introduce me to the ulta-lite world of a Through Hiker, all well intended I might add, costly errors were made. One such mistake was my two battery packs were shed from my pack. Ahmed’s iPhone died and he did not have his ultra light battery as it turned out, so we were rationing the usage of my iPhone only turning it on and checking my GPS APP occasionally. To see the other hardships emptying my pack put us in go to my ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure Hiking and Backpacking 101’ post ”When a Through Hiker Repacks Your Pack”.

It seemed no matter how much climbing I did the peak was only getting further and further away. Disheartened I signaled Ahmed on the rocks up above that I was done. However… I hate quitting so I thought I might as well continue on at a more meager pace in the mean time as Ahmed kept climbing for the summit. After awhile I saw that the boulders changed to scree, while not optimal hiking it was different and I needed the break of at least different both mentally as well as physically.

Finally I came up over a rise hoping this wasn’t another false top with still further to trudge, but there was Ahmed setting up a summit photo shoot. We celebrated that we had both accomplished the mountain top goal! He made a point that because it was hard it felt like we had done something special. Of course, we were only half done with the adventure and since the footing was treacherous going down it would still be slow going until the path leveled out far below. (For the rest of the story and the difficulty we placed ourselves in see: “When a Through Hiker Repacks Your Pack.”)

The views from the summit of this rugged mountain were superb, shadows of mountains in the distance including Mount Shasta, multiple blue lakes, and wonderful wilderness, as far as the eye could see, filled the senses. We had indeed done something special.

The bowl area of McLoughlin
Summit Celebration
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” – Edward Abbey
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure YouTube Channel

Thanks for joining Ahmed and myself as we found ourselves ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ atop Mount McLoughlin. Ahmed purposely made our trek more of an adventure adding miles on, but when that was coupled with a few unforeseen errors, (See “When a Through Hiker Repacks Your Pack”), it fell just short of an Ordeal. I discovered that the difference between Ordeal and Adventure is Attitude. As I struggled up the mountain I did not always have the best attitude, but I never gave up and because of this I found some of that needed balance that we seek when stepping out of the anxiety of our everyday existence and into a world of wonder that profound experiences in Nature provides. For more journeys into the wilderness, and thus journeys into ourselves stay tuned by doing these simple tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. For other locations that PBTA travels to please see the menu above. Each is location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. For high quality adventure wear please see the PBTA Store SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Head of the Metolius

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Deschutes National Forest

Near Camp Sherman

Activity: Sight Seeing, Nature Walk

Distance half mile, elevation change 30’, rated EASY

This is not really a hike. It is more of a nice little outing in nature. Just a real pleasant walk through Ponderosa Pines, to a quiet and tranquil scene of a slow flowIng river that started at that spot. Along with the spectacular river scene, which is absolutely idyllic, you will take in picturesque green meadows, beautiful fir trees and Mt Jefferson perfectly framed.  What a zen like place.

What is unusual about the phenomenon that is the Head of the Metolius is that most of the time rivers are started by mountain snow run off, or a bunch of springs all which join together over a pretty good chunk of land to form a river, that is not the case here. The Head Waters of the Metolius River comes right out of the ground right at that spot, and not in a trickle by any means. We are talking 50,000 gallons a minute.

After checking out this peaceful setting we stopped by the quintessential General Store type of establishment that is a must do. Just outside the doors the river runs by and there is great fishing to be had.

Really cool outing for the whole family.

“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.”
-Laura Gilpin

Thanks to my good friend Bruce for sharing this enchanting scene as we adventured across Central Oregon, and thank you for joining us ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. If you liked the post then take a second and COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you glance up at the menu you will see that PBTA goes to many different locations you might just find a few to put on your list. Please note that each locations is a separate site and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. For the very best quality adventure gear stop by PBTA’s SHOP APPAREL.

Checkout the Free Drawing for Free PBTA Merch which runs through 11-15-20.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Waldo Lake

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WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST

WALDO LAKE WILDERNESS

Activity: Kayaking, Scenic Views

Date: June 3, 2020

What a wonderful day to be experiencing Oregon at it’s best. I joined my good friend and Fraternity Brother Bruce for several days of journeying into incredible beauty, as he hosted these first days of Summer “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure“. Our days were filled with some of the bluest skies you’ll ever see, stunning views of the snow capped Cascade Mountains and on this day from a kayak, surrounded by deep sapphire blue water.

Waldo Lake is the second largest and second deepest natural lake in Oregon. It’s waters are some of the purest and cleanest on earth. On a calm day it is said that you can see over 100 feet deep. The lake is a little less than 6 miles long by 3 miles wide, and the nearest major city is Eugene about 70 miles south. Waldo Lake is surrounded by thick, green, lush forests of Douglas Firs and Western Hemlock, and it is a perfect spot for hiking, mountain biking, camping, swimming and kayaking.

It was early in the season, as we did hit a few patches of snow driving along our route, but it was crazy that we had this big beautiful lake all to ourselves. We launched from Shadow Bay and we only saw a few other people- some hikers and a mountain biker. There was a light, but building breeze as we paddled through the indigo water, and took in views of the mountains to include Broken Top, South Sister and Middle Sister. We headed across the lake against the wind thinking if it really came up strong that it would be at our back for our return trip. We also figured that once we got to the other shore the forest would provide a wind break as well. We put in some miles as we struck out for Rhododendron Island which wasn’t in bloom, but full of natural beauty just the same. We circumnavigated the small island taking pictures and video to recreate Bruce’s daughter‘s perfect day, which the two experienced last year together.

If timing is everything then it sounds like we hit the nail on the head. Not only was the weather perfect, but it sounded like we dodged a bullet. We kayaked Hosmer Lake earlier in the morning, and met a Stand Up Paddle Boarder that told us his favorite lake was Waldo Lake because of it’s vast beauty and it’s deep blue water, but that he would never go there again due to the mosquitos. Well, we seemed to have escaped that issue. We experienced none of that, although we did bring the insecticide and head nets. The hikers we encountered in the parking lot, who make this an annual pilgrimage, said that this is the perfect time to come. It is all timing when everything just opens up with the snow melt and before the mosquitos are out in force.

The water was amazing, the scenery was stunning, the exercise was perfect, recanting our college days was awesome, what a great time! When can we do it again?

The pictures you always hear don’t do the experience justice, nor does video clips, but video is a little closer because of the moment of water.
We launched into Waldo Lake out of Shadow Bay.
Shadow Bay at Waldo Lake
Bruce lands his kayak on Rhododendron Island.
Worry less, paddle more.

Thanks for joining Bruce and I as we paddled- “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure“, on this pristine and gorgeous lake in the Wilds of Central Oregon. It doesn’t matter the question a little wilderness is the answer. Good, friends, paddles, blue sky, blue water- “Ya’ Just Gotta Love It!“ Bruce and I still have adventures left to put to pen. So make sure that you COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE– you don’t want to miss a single moment to be inspired by nature. Hopefully this will get you out there in the wilderness taking it all in. It’s good for the soul. Need a hat like my PBTA logo cap? The answer is yes you do, lol. SHOP APPAREL. Need adventure? Again same answer- yes you do, so go to the menu- there are suggestions for adventures all over the West. Each of the locations has a separate website and you should check them out. They all need to be FOLLOWED independently.

See you in the great outdoors,

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure