Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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Don’t let yourself and your hiking boots go into hibernation just because it’s winter. Despite all that famous rain, every wet season features at least some welcome sunshine and, if you are properly equipped, many trails are a joy to hike even in the rain. You can almost always rely on any trail below 1000 feet to be open all year.

Fall and spring weather is less predictable than winter and summer. There is a local joke that you can tell it’s spring in Portland when the rain starts to get warmer. By the time May and June roll around, the skies are still all too often covered with clouds, and people start to get frustrated. Statistically, there are a lot more sunny days at this time than we’ve had in the previous six or seven months. Taking advantage of these welcome brighter days is highly rewarding. Spring hikers will be treated to a natural world positively bursting with new life that has definitely noticed the increase in life-giving sunshine.

Autumn in the Portland/Vancouver area produces weather that is best described as variable. In some years, it starts raining in September and everyone knows that it won’t really let up until the following June. In at least one year in three, however, we enjoy a glorious Indian summer, with nice weather extending all the way into October. This is one of the best times to go hiking, because the temperatures are cool, the bugs are gone, and many areas feature wonderful fall colors. After Labor Day the trails are virtually deserted. On a day just after the first light dusting of snow in early October, be sure to make a trip to the high trails on Mt. Hood. The mountain really comes alive with this first covering of snow. You can also take some spectacular photographs of the snow-dusted peak, over the golden meadows framed by the red splashes of huckleberry bushes. Down in the valleys, and especially in the Columbia River Gorge, the fall colors remain excellent into mid-November. Be aware, however, that in the deep, shady canyons on the Oregon side of the Gorge, the sun goes down very early. In November, you should expect darkness by about 3 PM. Bring fast film and a tripod to take photographs in this low light, and carry plenty of warm clothing for the hike back out.