That's what I wrote on facebook as a status update. And seriously, it's true.
There is this place called Opal Creek Wilderness, and it's my favorite place. If I were to die and get cremated, and have my ashes spread somewhere, this would be a good place to spread them. It's seriously one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I love the scenery, the drive to get there, the quietness of the place, the clear water, the history, everything.
Surprising fact: even though it's about a 30-40 minute drive away, I've never heard of it until 2008ish. I saw pictures of it from an online photo album of my friend Emily, and what attracted me to this place was all the mining equipment left over from the 1930's time era. So I did a little research, and in 2010 made a journey there.
....it was AWESOME!
...and the first of many.
The place is located up the mountain...over the river...through the woods...ya know...that way <------. Here is a map of the place I found online.
One of the first places you'll see as you're driving toward Opal Creek is Salmon Falls.
Later, there is a fork in the road. If you turn right and continue you'll pass by a place called "Three Pools" it's one of my favorite places to see. Although there is a very short hiking area, there are picnic tables and lots of pretty views. Here are some awesome pics of the Three Pools Area.
I love this picture of me...I'm in my naturally habitat :D
And I love how clear the water is...you can count all the rocks.
Here is an epic shot of my dog Mattie.
Love the emerald green water.
Here's a pic of my friend Amanda hiking in the area.
Love the minty green river color :)
Here's the actual Three Pools area...you can see why they named it "Three Pools"
Once you leave the Three Pools area, you can either continue on the road or turn back. If you continue on the road, you'll pass by some beautiful scenery and a water fall called "Sullivan Falls"
Sullivan Falls:
Beautiful view from a bridge:
Some more pretty shots:
Love the green!
Don't you want to venture across it and explore?
I usually turn back around so I can head to Opal Creek.
Along the way there is a hiking trail to "Henline Falls." It is another pretty place to check out.
Here is the trail to Henline Falls...I love how it's surrounded by luscious green.
Henline Falls!
The water around it is so clear too.
Right next to the falls is a tiny cave :D
We didn't venture too far into it...it was very wet in there lol
Here is my sister-in-law right next to the creek at the bottom of Henline Falls.
Anyway, if you decide to skip the Henline Falls Trail, and continue on the road, you'll drive about 20 miles through thick forest on a gravel road...most of the time you'll be driving through the fog bank, but it makes the drive more enjoyable.
Here is a foggy shot...this is one of my favorite pics that I took.
I have to admit...there are a lot of trees.
At some point you'll come to a gate. And that's when the road ends and the hiking begins. It's about a 7-8 mile hike (I think) to "Jawbone Flats" but along the way you'll see some amazing stuff. Jawbone Flats is a depression-era mining camp. Back in the day, they used to mine and log in this area. There is old remnants of a logging lumber mill called "Merten Mill" that is still around. Apparently though, back in the day, several logging trucks would crash to their doom when the bridges under them couldn't handle the logging weight. Therefore the mill was shut down, and logging ceased in the area, which is a good thing, because it's a beautiful place and it wouldn't have been so beautiful if there were decades of logging involved. But there are still artifacts left over from the mill, and there they sit, just rusting away in the forest. They call this Opal Creek Wilderness an ancient forest because some of the trees are known to be over a thousand years old.
Anyway, here are some pics that you'll see along the way on the Opal Creek trailhead.
I thought this pic was pretty cool, if you look real close at the ground you'll see all the water running down the road.
Old school outhouse...anyone gotta go?
Amanda found herself a mine...
Along the main trail is a side road, I was once told "there's nothing exciting down there" but I decided to check it out anyway, and I found another pretty site, along with another mine.
I can't tell if that's cave or a mine over there...
Mattie exploring the river.
Mattie...after a long day's work lol.
Anyway...back up on the trail...at some point you'll find the Merten Mill area...behind Merten Mill is a waterfall called "Cascada de Los Ninos" or "Waterfall of the children".
Here is a picture of the boiler they used when the mill was in service.
Some mining/lumber equipment...aka tripping hazards.
An old shed.
Behind the old shed..."Cascada de Los Ninos"
Becca and me.
Jenny, enjoying "Cascada de Los Ninos"
Kate and Amanda checking out "Cascada de Los Ninos"
Even the water there is clear and beautiful...and deep!
Continuing on the hiking journey, you may come across an old camp site, bridge, clear pond, maybe even an old mining cart.
At some point you'll reach that little somethin' somethin' called Jawbone Flats!
Kate and her sister Emily taking a break.
To get to the old stuff you'll have to cross "Battle Axe Creek"
Beautiful place, with lots of old stuff to check out!
I like this little stove...such a happy little stove :]
So that's where I left my train set!
There's all these old cars just sitting along the trail...it's awesome.
I had to test drive one ;]
Further back you'll run into an old mining area. All the equipment just lying around...waiting for someone to get tatanus.
I know what you're thinking...weeeeee, I want to slide!
Tripping hazard of doom!
And surrounding this entire area is beautiful scenery.
And this is random...I found a wooden throne here...I claimed it in the name of me :]
Well there you have it...Opal Creek Wilderness. Sorry if the pics are too small, (had to get them small enough so I can fit them all on here) if you want, you can click on them to enlarge. I hope you enjoyed the pictures, I took all of them, except for the map, and the ones of me (obviously). There's still a lot more to explore, and I can't wait till the weather clears/warms up so I can go check out more of my newest playground :D
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