Switchbacks

Yesterday, I was climbing switchbacks in the Gorge. And I discovered something.

I'm not a fan of switchbacks.

It's not the steepness that bugs me. Nor the slipperiness. Nor the havoc they wreak on your knees and hips. Nope. It's the dishonesty that really gets under my skin.

For starters, you rarely know how many there are. There could be two... or six... or three-hundred and seventy-nine. This could be easily alleviated through the judicious use of "X of Y" markers, but these are rare. The trail past Multnomah Falls has them... for awhile... before they drop off the face of the earth.

Another problem is the change in direction. Honestly, when I'm hiking, I usually have a destination in mind. And--when heading for a specific destination, I like taking the most direct route (chalk it up to one too many miles on I-5). With switchbacks, you're stuck traipsing up an interminable incline, only to suddenly switch directions. Half the time, this direction is (or seems to be) exactly opposite the way you want to go.

The final point of contention, which--admittedly--isn't a problem for most non-runners, is that switchbacks mess with concepts of "fast" and "slow". Ordinarily, going up a steep hill is a grindingly slow ordeal, and--correspondingly--going down a steep hill is a terrifying fast trip.  When switchbacks are involved, they make it faster to hustle to the top, and slower to run to the bottom (unless you prefer to ignore them with your best mountain goat imitation).

/end rant

But, far be it from me to judge those who love switchbacks. Where was I? ...or, rather... Brian, Audrey, and I? Angel's Rest, by way of the Wahkeena Falls trail, just west of Multnomah Falls (the link goes by way of the Bridal Veil trailhead, which is about two miles shorter round trip). It's a 6.8 mile hike with about two thousand feet of elevation gain, hence the presence of the detested switchbacks.

Even then, I suppose a hike with friends (and switchbacks) is better than a hike without friends (or switchbacks).

Until next time,
- Daniel