Pioneer Bridal Trail exhibits strength, tenacity and toughness of those who journeyed west

A portion of the Barlow Trail

After having travelled along and ignoring various sections of the Barlow Trail virtually all my life, I decided recently to finally be a little more proactive in the pursuit of Oregon’s earliest history. After researching the trail, I drove up Highway 26 toward Mt. Hood. There, I discovered firsthand the tenacious determination the folks traveling over the trail possessed. The desire to leave everything behind in pursuit of a new life is one thing. The hardship they must have suffered while traveling along the trail is entirely another. This is what you realize when you experience the trail for yourself – seeing the unyielding longing these people had to go west and start a new life.

Mt. Hood loop hike proves more of a challenge than promised

I have to pull one out from the past, a hike taken several years ago that felt like it swiped a few years from my life. If you do a lot of hiking, it is inevitable you will someday get into a pickle. This hike, the loop around Mt. Hood in Oregon, was one of those times.