Sixth Columbia River Gorge Biennial Classic Is Now History

Sixth Columbia River Gorge Biennial Classic Is Now History by Jerry Baugher

On June 21, 2006, I arrived back home from my 5th consecutive trip to the best multi-day event in the U.S. held 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon. The event has continued to grow this year attracting 691 walkers from 33 states, 4 provinces from Canada and one couple from Germany. Those attending experienced the great walking events planned by the Columbia River Volkssporting Club June 15-18. With 11 walking events and one bike event to choose from, even the most avid walkers were kept busy and out of trouble hiking the mostly natural trails being featured in the Columbia River Gorge over those four days.

Most of the walks were rated between 2 and 3+ and several of the walks were brand new for 2006. But one of the walks, always included, is the magnificent Eagle Creek canyon walk; which rises high above the creek below, past several waterfalls, through a tunnel underneath the falls to the headwaters of Eagle Creek. The grade is gradual but the scenery is spectacular. You could choose either the 12K or 25K option, but the 25K option through the tunnel to the headwaters is definitely worth the effort. Eagle Creek is my personal favorite although the 10K Multnomah/Wahkeena Falls walk is a close second because this 6-mile hike goes by 16 waterfalls, including the second highest year-round waterfall in the U.S. and most visited site in Oregon – Multnomah Falls, at 620 feet. The hike takes you to the top of Multnomah Falls on a paved asphalt path with an opportunity to view the falls not only from the bottom looking up but also from the top looking down and then continues on natural surface paths past 15 more waterfalls as you make your way back down to Wahkeena Springs and Wahkeena Falls where you started.

All walkers realize that when you go down, at some point on the walk, you always have to make up for that downward journey by hiking back up. Why can’t anyone design a walk that just goes down? New for 2006 was a walk that only goes down–the 15K Larch Mountain Descent which was only available on Saturday and required pre-registration so that buses could be arranged to get the participants to the top of Larch Mountain. It was a spectacular descent down the mountain past Triple Falls with only one significant hill to go up on the whole 9 mile trail.

Six of the 11 scheduled walks over this four-day event took you past breathtaking waterfalls. Besides the three already mentioned, there were three other great 10K walk events to Wahclella Fall, Starvation Creek, and Dry Creek Falls. The Gillette Lake walk was also new for 2006 which took you on parts of the famous Pacific Crest Trail. Other walks rounding out the schedule included a walk through Mosier Tunnels just recently reopened as a park after being closed more than a half century ago; Fort Cascade walk which was in use from 1856 to 1861; Cascade Locks to Bonneville walk along a paved forested trail; and a new Cascade Locks town walk.

With slightly cooler than average temperatures ranging in the 50s in the morning to the low 70s in the afternoon, it was perfect walking weather for this Marylander who escaped to the northwest from the heat wave back east. It was certainly nice to be able to go out and walk 25 to 40 kilometers each day and hardly break a sweat because of the cooler temperatures. The scenery was awesome, renewing friendships and making new friends was a great way to spend this long weekend and pick up a few event credits as well. This very special event only held every two years is about people. Of the 691 participants 453 were credit walkers and 238 were free walkers completing 2,244 walking events. Almost 5 percent (33 walkers) completed all 11 walking events offered. The 2-hour Saturday night dinner cruise which was completely sold out with 200 participants and the daily $2 lunch special offered by the Columbia River Volkssporting Club of a grilled polish hot dog, chips, 2-cookies and a soft drink provided the energy needed to go out for an afternoon walk. This year’s Friday night potluck was by far the biggest ever with over 240 walkers chowing down and consuming about 200 burgers furnished free by the club along with salads and a multitude of desserts and fruit, and drawings for free donated prizes.

While walking Friday morning with Klaus and Gale Waibel and an 80-year old friend, John Zuiker, from Canada at the Mosier tunnel walk I had the pleasure to explain volkssporting events to Louthea who just that very day was starting a walking program as part of her new diet program. She wound up walking the entire 13K to Mosier tunnel and back with our group. During our walk I suggested she stop by the start point pavilion in Cascade Locks to pick up additional brochures of upcoming events and also to purchase a new walker packet and use one of the coupons to get credit for her first event at Mosier Tunnel. On Sunday afternoon, around 2:00 o’clock, while relaxing at one of the picnic tables at the start point, someone called out my name and it was Louthea who had stopped by to pick up some brochures and her new walker packet and got stamped for her first volkswalk. She also plans to join the Columbia River Volkssporting Club. Now I hope the Columbia River club will reciprocate when they are participating at one of our Piedmont Pacers club events in Maryland and bring us some additional new members. This year five fellow Marylanders flew almost 3000 miles to join me and participate in these spectacular events: Klaus and Gale Waibel from Silver Spring, Tony and Marilynn Willoughby from Columbia, and Lorraine Weaver from St. Mary, Maryland.

I extended my vacation a couple of days to spend time with friends Joe and Karen Kelly, President and Treasurer respectively of the Columbia River Volkssporting Club and pick up some close by year round events.