After a long Covid related hiatus, it was nice to get back on the trail with a group of Chemeks.
On Sunday the 10th of July we hiked the Chehalem Ridge Nature Area just a few miles east of Gaston in Washington County.
Metro is justly proud of the recently opened park which features at least 12 miles of well groomed trails and exceptional bathrooms and free parking at the trailhead. Our group, Mary Liepins, Rick Cooper, Nancy Rockwell, Sandra Martin, Kathleen Hynes, Chris O'Brien and I were joined by John Henry Maurice, just back from crewing for RAAM - the bicycle race across America - and training for his August long trek on the Camino de Santiago.
We covered about nine miles of the trails in the park - several more are possible. The trails are gentle, smooth and for the most part shaded by timber and wide enough to walk two abreast.
There are several spots offering good views of the valley and to the west a spectacular view of the hills and the Coast Range. Looking far southwest it's possible to pick out Mary's Peak.
Great fun. Great new park that was surprisingly uncrowded on a perfect Sunday.
