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

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The mountains and valleys surrounding the Portland/Vancouver area cause different wind and precipitation patterns that create localized climates. One of these so-called microclimates is the small, but noticeable, rain shadow just east of the Coast Range. The downsloping hills of Yamhill and western Washington counties get noticeably less annual rainfall than do the upsloping hills in eastern Clackamas, Multnomah, and Clark counties.

The most important microclimate in our region is the Columbia River Gorge. As those familiar with it already know, the Gorge is almost always windy. The violently twisted trees and the abundance of windsurfers attest to the strength of the winds here, so hikers must come prepared for often bitter wind chills. For most of the year, the prevailing wind is from west to east. But during the winter months, the Gorge often acts as a funnel for cold air from east of the Cascade Mountains. As a result, the almost-sea-level Gorge stays much colder than anywhere else in our region. Consequently, the Gorge gets a lot more snow and freezing rain than do neighboring Portland and Vancouver. An inch of cold rain in Portland may fall as a foot or more of snow in Cascade Locks, even though Cascade Locks is only about 20 feet higher in elevation. This means that the aforementioned elevation rules for snow-free hiking generally don’t apply in the Gorge. The much sunnier Washington side melts out a lot faster and, in fact, often provides the nicest early-spring hiking in our region. For photographers, and those who can stand bitterly cold temperatures, it’s also fun to visit the Gorge during a mid-winter cold spell. With luck, the waterfalls will be encased in a spectacular coating of ice.