We had heard about an easy 3 mile hike to a waterfall a few miles north of our hotel. Having been warned that the road to the trailhead was winding and somewhat treacherous, we left the comfort of our lodging prepared to turn back if the road was too washed out for our little economy sedan rental. Thankfully, the 12 mile road was paved and it great shape and due to the rain, there was hardly anyone else out.
That morning, while having breakfast at the Inn, we had some discussion with a couple who had been staying there for a few days and had been guests in the area before. They had a LOT of advice to give about almost anything you could imagine (we all know those people). In particular, they advised us of friends of theirs who were "avid hikers" and got lost in the woods. They also told us about a wacky story in which a local (?) woman went missing in her "night dress and flip flops" in the middle of the night. As it seemed to be some sort of ghost story, I guess this was to make us worry for our lives, but it mostly made for some light fodder on our drive (I still haven't tried to look up to see if this is a real missing persons case. My apologies if it is).
Anyway, the rain fell consistently and intermittently hard, although mostly a drizzle. We bundled in our rain coats and in that the trail was short, well marked and very well traveled, didn't pack much else. We had no cell phone service but I opted to thrown mine in my jacket pocket anyway...you know, just in case we went missing or something, we could be located with CSI precision using my phone's GPS. I hiked almost the whole way with my hands in my jacket pocket. Over the 3 miles, my cell phone was drowned in water that had been running off my sleeve and into said pocket for the duration of the hike. No amount of drying out or smacking around was able to resuscitate it.
It was a great hike and a fantastic time talking and hanging out with Sarah. It always amazes me how much sharing and bonding happens on trail, while achieving a common goal. This hike did not disappoint in that area. We have a new great shared experience hiking in the rain on vacation and I had an excuse to get myself a new IPhone!
Bridge Creek Falls Trail (and uber cool suspension bridge)
Deschutes County, OR
