Another beautiful morning in the Willamette Valley; up around 5:30 AM to go meet Joe and get up into Opal Creek for one last major exploration of the Region. This time I had brought along my brother to show him what all the fuss was about here and why he must see it. The first stop was at a parking lot to meet up with Joe and then ride up with him to the Opal lot which is above the three pools swimming area which is always packed on the weekends and afternoons in the summer. Once there we set off at fast pace then stopped to do our first creek crossing since the bridge was out. This was a good photo op and then it was snack time. Though I greatly under calculate how many snacks to bring since we were going to be at it all day and between me and my brother we only had 3 muffins of which I brought them all. Then we were off again to go up Gold Creek and explore what it had to offer. This would include some frigid swimming and some scaling of small cliffs. This was fun and a new experience to add to what I had already done in the region. This though was still in the morning and Joe had an absolutely packed day planned as we then made our way back to the main trail all the way to its conclusion. Then back down, but to avoid another creek crossing we took a different and slightly longer loop to get to the other foot bridges in the region.  Once we had completed this hike we went on to go back to the regular spot to show my brother one of the best swimming spots in the state and since it is a one mile trek up a creek with no trails to it there are very people who ever go there. Once there we went swimming until the sun began to leave us. Then it was the several mile trek back to the vehicle. Now with now food and hunger setting in we couldn’t wait to get back to civilization. Once back in the city it was a stop by a fast food place to get our fix and go into a food coma after the days long and memorable trek.

Likability 9/10 you must do your research in this area to have a truly epic time. Although you can see a lot if just go here and are willing to hike a long way. 

Grizzly Ridge was a great hike. It starts at the Pamalia Lake trailhead but instead of going left at the lake you go right. This hike was done during a Friday over the summer after work. Since I was so hungry I pushed a 3 mile plus an hour pace uphill through the gorgeous forest of the Western Cascades. Once we completed the hike to the lake we began the even steeper uphill climb to the backbone of Grizzly Ridge which is the next high point east of Mount Jefferson. This part of the hike was very arduous but it was doable with just a few breaks. At this time of year there may be some snow melt so there were some small waterfalls along the way. Then once on the top there was still some snow. Then we trekked around for a while until we found a campsite worthy of staying the night at that also had close by views of Mount Jefferson. While views of Pamalia Lake are blocked by the tree cover the views of Jefferson are more than enough to merit this hike to the crest of Grizzly Ridge. Then we settled in with views of Jefferson for dinner. Then I set up to take photos of the sunset that turned out great. Then we built a fire swapped stories and headed to bed. The next morning we awoke to another great day. Went back to the edge of the ridge too see if Jefferson was still there. Once we all snacked on granola bars we were headed back down to the parking lot. The sights on this trail are amazing and the pace was phenomenal in that we covered the 4 miles of hiking in a little less than an hour. This was a great trip and I was thankful I got to share it with my brother and my best friend.

Likability 10/10 I highly recommend this hike, but you have to buy the hiking permit in advance online. (Though that is completely worth it.)