365 Waterfalls Within A Year: February 20, 2013

It's a day trip and we are off to Clackamas area. The clouds were hovering, although we don't let that keep us at bay.

Along the road construction workers were clearing the road of rock debris. Thanks to local expert Brain Edwards we found the start of the bushwhack fairly easily.

We were able to find some game paths, but it was still difficult to traverse. Eventually we made our way to the river.

Unfortunately we ended up being at the top of the waterfall. The view was unique however we wanted to get a bottom shot, so down we went.

First we had to go up high enough to work our way around the cliff. Definitely not my preference because the ground was sliding out underneath me and it was fairly steep.

Once we got to the other side of the cliff, it was comparatively easy going down to the bottom. The view was quite beautiful. Despite having been up since 2am, Barrier Falls was worth the effort. Sadly this waterfall used to take up the whole bench, however a dam has only left a trickle of what it used to be.

#71 Barrier Falls (bushwhack ~ difficult access)

While we were down there we found some interesting things. There was this brick with American stamped into it. Also on a tree was a string tied across, apparently the difficult trek down doesn't keep everyone at bay (the tree next to me is the one with the string).

After absorbing the view a drizzle decided to pop out. Not wanting to get chilled we took that as our cue to leave. The path out is certainly not for the faint of heart. A couple of times I struggle with my fear of heights.

It took a bit, but eventually the way up got easier. Grateful of the fact I found myself taking a million pictures. It's funny the things you start to appreciate so much more when you push yourself past fear; very invigorating.