Walk in the Clouds

Winter’s arrival, with gray days, 30- to 40-degree weather and 4:30 p.m. sunsets, is no match for most Portlanders. Cyclists, runners and hikers constantly swarm the streets and trails with little regard for the elements. Jeff and I – well, we’re not quite in that boat, but we do enjoy a brisk walk with Cooper. With the amazing hills right at the city’s edge, we figured we’d conquer a hike last Saturday morning.

Statue at Council Crest

After poring through online lists of hikes in the Portland vicinity, we decided on Council Crest Hike: a 3.3-mile roundtrip with 820 feet of elevation gain. The Marquam trail zigzags up to the 1,073-foot-high Council Crest, the highest elevation within Portland city limits. Once the site of the Council Crest amusement park, it’s now a quiet, grassy space with views of the entire city and five snow-clad volcanoes. That is, on a clear day. Which it was not. In fact, most of the hike snaked through foggy forest until we reached the cloud-ensconced summit. Cooper got a good run around the park before we headed back to home base. As wimpy as hikes might sound, it was a decent workout for all!

I’m bypassing any talk of the Michigan State/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game that followed. 😦

On Sunday, our little family embraced the holiday season by putting up our little Christmas tree, stockings, nativity set and other decorations. With tunes from the Pandora Christmas channel playing in the background, Jeff and I made a point of enjoying the process, especially since we haven’t gotten to do it much with our recent moves. Welcome Christmas! Now it’s time to start our Christmas shopping…