Please join us on Sunday, September 29, 2013 for our next hike to Trillium Lake on Mt. Hood.  We will meet at the church around 12:30 pm.  Please contact genevieve0524@gmail.com for details.

     ...Try taking a walk for ten minutes as you invoke His miracle-working name, and you will see spiritual profit. Begin in a simple, humble manner, "O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner."  You may even do this somewhat mechanically, knowing that this tradition has been sanctified by generations of saints, but as you walk and pray, try not to think of anything else. Just walk in the presence of God.

     In these ten minutes you will find that your fevered mind is soothed, that the noisy bazaar of your thoughts has become light, clear, and direct, and that your heart has begun to say other prayers in a manner that satisfies you. You pray, you breathe, you speak to God; you are not just repeating empty words. What does it mean to have your mind in your heart? It means that you are to control your feelings. You are not to admit invaders into your heart, but are to check your heart with your mind, to observe everything that takes place there. To have your mind in your heart is exactly what our Lord prescribes to us in His commandment: When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret.

     If you make progress in this humble prayer, you will begin to understand that this commandment is very complete. Your heart will be filled with a spiritual warmth that embraces the center of your feelings. You will come to understand what attentive prayer is, and that your heart has been created for ceaseless prayer. Ceaseless prayer is not a perpetual repetition of this or that word or phrase. The holy Fathers say that it is the feeling of your heart. Just as you view the objects of this world with open eyes, so your heart, warmed by prayer to God, will partake of the spiritual world. This will be due, not to your piety, but to God's grace. Unceasing prayer may have no words, but you will walk and sleep in the presence of God.

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov
from Orthodox Christian Parenting, "Guarding Against the Intruders"

Silver Falls - this is a hike that has something for everyone - you could spend 1 hour or 2 days depending on the trail(s) you choose.  We took the South Falls trail but plan to come back to do Lower South Falls.  Someday would like to do all 10 in one (long) shot!

There is also a lodge and a gift store and lots of picnic areas.  The shorter hike is paved most of the way.  Most interesting are the lava casts surrounding the falls.

Hiking Guy says these lava casts are 17 million years old.

vegan chocolate

Upper North Falls is a short hike on the way back, less populated and kinda fun.

Don't know about you, but I just can't get enough of the falls, especially in the summer.  Join us on Sunday, August 11, right after church, to Silver Falls State Park.  More details on this to come, but hope to see you there.  $5 per carload for the trails pass, so carpool if you like.

http://web.oregon.com/hiking/silver_falls.cfm 

http://web.oregon.com/hiking/silver_falls.cfm

Sacred ground...

Get me there -- FAST!!

Thank you for checking in!  I went on a long hike and am happy to report that I finally found the silver lining!  More to come, including details on our next hike in August.

"God's Will"

"If it is a quiet day, trust the stillness.  If it is a day of action, trust the activity.  If it is time to wait, trust the pause.  If it is time to receive that which we have been waiting for, trust that it will happen clearly and with power, and receive the gift in joy."

The Language of Letting Go, Melody Beattie

Anybody interested in a Sunday afternoon hike?  We would like to gauge level of interest.  Comment below, or email your thoughts to genevieve0524@gmail.com.

Mary's Peak...a bit of a drive but the views were well worth it.  At "base" there was a large area for parking and picnicking with several families, and an older crowd.  The path, as shown by the photos, was wide and mostly smooth and of light grade.  The length of the hike itself was relatively short and we had lunch at the top.  Coming down some of us took a path less traveled by folks, but full of lovely butterflies of varying colors...

Mary's Peak...the only point in Oregon where you can see the Cascades on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other...

New hiker, old hiker

I wish this were my view in the morning!  The drive was worth the views.

June 22 Hike Update:
We will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the church instead of 9 am. 

On Mary's Peak by Hiking Guy...

Mary's Peak is the highest summit in the Oregon Coast Range, at 4098 feet. On a clear, haze-free day, one may see the Olympics in the North along with the Cascades as far as the Canadian border. Straight East is the central High Cascades. To the South are the High Cascades clear down to California and the Klamath Range of SW Oregon. West is the Pacific. The trail to the summit is an old road, and an easy walk. We have seen powered wheelchairs up there; I suspect it's a bumpy ride. Wildflowers abound, on the rock walls and in the meadows. Huge Alpine meadows, adorned with colorful butterflies. Many trails meandering about the summit area. Great place for kids. Wear a sun hat or slather on the sunscreen. Lots of places to eat lunch. Not the place for wilderness solitude.

Mary's Peak: trails from Hwy 20 and 34

Homemade pizza by Angie - great sustenance for hike!

Starvation Ridge - toughest hike in Oregon - coming from Mt. Defiance is the easier way down

Angie and Hiking Guy in front of Starvation Creek Falls

Easy going trail

We went back to hike Wahclella Falls...

Beginning of trail - smooth, wide...gorgeous day!

Crystal clear water - good for drinking, naturally filtered!

Ice cold and therapeutic for achy joints!

Few dropoffs but lots of families with kids (including babies in carriers) hiking that day.

Starvation Creek Falls from our picnic table!

June 1 - we had an excellent first hike to Starvation Creek and Wahclella Falls.  Photos to follow.  Our next hike is planned for June 22 - Mary's Peak.  We will meet at the church at 9 am.  Details coming in upcoming posts.

Aerial Map of Route

 "We have nothing to fear from Love.  But it does not depend on God. It depends entirely upon us, and this is the whole tragedy. God wants us to be in his image, eternally free. He respects us absolutely. This is love. Without respect, we cannot speak of love. We are men because we are free. If we were not free we would be clever animals, not men. God will never take back this gift of freedom which renders us what we are."

Dr. Alexandre Kalomiros, The River of Fire

First Hike Reminder:

Orthodox Hikers: please join us for our first hike on June 1, Wahclella Falls near Bonneville Dam.  We will meet at church at 9 am and expect to return by 3 pm.  Pack a lunch, appropriate hiking gear, and comboschini!  We would like to make carpooling available; there is also a $5 parking fee at the trailhead.  Please RSVP at genevieve0524@gmail.com so we can get a head count and indicate if you can help with carpooling.

USDA Forest Service - Trail Difficulty Ratings (Hiking Trails)

Easy:
Grade: 20%
Trail Width: 18-24"
Trail Surface: Spot Gravel

Moderate:
Grade: 30%
Trail Width: 12-18"
Trail Surface: Roots, imbedded rocks, some logs

Difficult:
Grade: 30% or more
Trail Width: 12"
Trail Surface: No graded tread

[fs.usda.gov]

A little about Wahclella Falls, Trail # 436...

This trail begins on an old, gated road alongside Tanner Creek. Pass a small intake dam for the Bonneville Fish Hatchery and continue into the narrowing canyon. A tributary stream creates a dramatic waterfall at the first bridge, and the trail forks after 0.7 mile. If you have small children it is advisable to stay on the lower trail and avoid the sheer-sided return loop. Wahclella Falls is one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the gorge-a 350-foot two-tiered plunge with the final 60-foot section providing a powerful horsetail fall into an enormous splash pool. The trail winds past house-sized boulders left behind by a 1973 landslide. Watch for water ouzels bobbing and diving on the side of the stream, and for spawning salmon at the base of the falls during late fall.

Fees: $5/vehicle/day, payable at the trailhead, or NW Forest Pass
Usage: Heavy
Restrictions: motor vehicles and bikes prohibited. Fires not allowed within 200 ft. of trail.
Closest Towns: Forest Service
Operated By: Cascade Locks, OR

Driving Directions [for those who wish to meet us at the trail]: Eastbound or westbound I-84 – Take Bonneville Dam exit #40. Turn south and find paved parking area.

Level: Easy

[text taken from fs.usda.gov]

"The world in which we now live, no matter how beautiful it may be, is like a veil that separates us from both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There are times, however, when the shadow of the kingdom of darkness is cast over us; sometimes, we receive the luminous rays of the kingdom of light, which console us and sustain us. We must simply keep the gift of God in our heart, so as to be able to stand in that day when the Lord will shake heaven and earth. Then all those things which are created will pass away, and only those things that are marked by the uncreated grace of His Cross and Resurrection will remain forever."

Archimandrite Zacharias
Homily given during the Divine Liturgy on the last day of the Clergy Brotherhood Retreat, Friday, February 9, 2007.

Orthodox Hikers: please join us for our first hike on June 1, Wahclella Falls near Bonneville Dam.  We will meet at church at 9 am and expect to return by 3 pm.  Pack a lunch, appropriate hiking gear, and comboschini!  Carpooling available but please be prepared to contribute for gas.