Dana headed to the Gorge to do a hike that he has been wanting to do for a while: the loop behind Multnomah Falls. But when he got there he found out the trail was closed because a rock fall had damaged the bridge over Multnomah Falls (the one in the picture). So, he chose a more obscure destination. This was a trip through time.
The Gorge has been a difficult place to build roads through because of the steep cliffs and the river. The first road that made it through was a wagon road built in 1872. Before that people used steamboats. 1882 saw the first railroad which covered up most of the wagon road’s stretch, so not much of the original remains. To get to the trail to see this section, you have to park on the side of the freeway (finished in 1956), walk along an abandoned section of the Columbia River Hwy (1916), and up a talus slope.
The stone masonry for the wagon road looked like some old mossy ruin out of Lord of the Rings. The moss made a very nice carpet over the road.
Walking a little bit more down the freeway brought me to Summit Creek. The canyon doesn’t really have a trail, but a short scramble up the beautiful little stream led me to Camp Benson Falls.
I really liked this one:
After the waterfall, I took time to explore a little further down the abandoned, moss covered highway.
After getting back in the car I stopped at Mitchell point to scout out another trail I want to try. This was the location of another abandoned section of the 1916 highway. This was also the location of the Mitchell Point Tunnel, a tragic loss in the face of progress. Follow the link to see an awesome architectural feat that is gone.
A funny rock face: 
On the way home I made a quick stop at Dog Creek Falls, another place I had not been.
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