HANNIE HIKES

3.5 MILES – LINCOLN CITY, OR

Christmas Day arrived. The day had come to complete my twentieth hike for the year. We didn’t have the kids Christmas morning last year, and I always try to keep us busy when that falls on our year. It’s very hard not having them so we make the most of the day until we get to see them. The anticipation builds throughout the day and it is always so joyous when we see them, and get ready for our Christmas traditions with them.

Mark has been my biggest supporter and went on so many hikes last year. He gave so much time and many weekends out of the year to me. I could not have reached my goal without him. He is my best friend and I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband who shares my passion, simply because it is my passion. He shares constantly how proud he is of me, and that is my greatest motivation. To have Mark by my side throughout this journey has been a blessing I will always cherish.

It was a nice drive to Lincoln City so early in the morning. We were ready and excited for the day. It was a long drive, but we had all day to fill. The road to the trailhead off the highway was a little narrow, and at parts, we could tell we were climbing. I’m pretty adventurous but there’s something about a narrow road with a drop that really scares me. I’m not sure I will ever rest easy on those types of roads. We reached the trailhead (very easy to find), and it was dumping rain! Rain never bothered me, but Mark didn’t prefer it. The best adventures usually come out of the hikes we didn’t expect. This hike was no different.

We brought Lexi, despite the rain. She gets so muddy, and branches and needles get stuck in her fine hair, but I had to bring her along on my last hike of the year. She’d been on so many hikes, and after all, hiking is her happy place.

Trees are always a favorite on a hike. I find myself looking to the treetops on every hike I do. We were surrounded by so many, not unlike other hikes, however the rain made for a different look on this day. There were many curves, not knowing when we’d reach the fall, and bridge. All of a sudden, we were there! It was better than I imagined. The suspension bridge was so neat, and half way across the bridge as we looked to the right, you see the fall below. When visiting waterfalls during rainy seasons, we get to see much more water flowing, and it is such a treat!

We started our trek back to the car. It went by so fast, we were determined to get dry and cozy after spending over an hour in the rain. When we got back to the car we started talking to another young couple getting ready to hike down. They were so excited to share about another hike that they had done. Mark has this amazing ability to talk to complete strangers about experiences and is so sincere while doing it. he genuinely cares about making connections wherever he goes, and I admire him for that.

Mark, I love you for loving me so well. You completed this goal with me, and I am incredibly grateful to you. You are my best hiking partner, forever.

From Eugene, driving through Salem, it takes about two and a half hours.

Thank you for reading about all my hikes last year. Mark encouraged me to blog about them and I am so thankful he did. I have really enjoyed writing about my experiences and sharing them all with you. I hope I encouraged you to get out and hike, or inspired you in some way to go after something new and challenging. I have a new year full of new hikes I will continue to blog about, and I look forward to sharing them all with you.