Multnomah Falls
Today started out like too many days on this trip. The sky was filled with dark, gray clouds. And this was the day Carol and I set aside to shoot Multnomah Falls and then hike out to Wahclella Falls. But by afternoon, the sky was clearing and things were looking much more promising.
Because of overcrowding in previous years, the Forest Service has instituted a reservation system for Multnomah Falls and for driving the main highway between the waterfalls. Since we were visiting Multnomah Falls and then driving to the other end of the gorge to shoot Wahclella Falls, we needed two permits. We downloaded the permits online, and they were only $2.00 each. It was nice to have less crowding and fewer parking issues around the main waterfalls, but the drawback to all these timed permit systems is that it takes the spontaniety out of daily plans. You can't change your plans to match a change in weather or circumstances. You are locked in to your permit time and date.
We had a 4:00 permit to shoot at Multnomah Falls, and the conditions were excellent. It was pleasantly warm, and the sky was a deep, rich blue when we arrived. It would have been better with scattered clouds, but the lighting was pretty even, and we didn't have to worry much about bright areas that would be beyond the contrast tolerance that our cameras could handle. We started shooting the falls at about 4:30 and shot for nearly an hour. With such good conditions, we wanted to try every possibility of shutter speed, neutral density filter setting, and aperture. The area wasn't crowded, so we could take our time, enjoy the gorgeous waterfall, and get the shots we wanted.
Wahclella Falls
We wanted to do Wahclella Falls today in order to free up Friday for more time with Matt and the twins.
Our longer stay at Multnomah Falls meant we didn't reach the parking area at Wahclella until after 6:00. That was a pretty late start for the 2.5
mile round-trip hike to Wahclella. It was probably too late for good photographs today. From the trailhead,
we hiked up to the top of the ridge on a trail that paralleled the river. At every curve, we thought we were were going to look around the corner and see the basin
that holds the falls. But then there was another climb. The fires last year hit this area very hard, and the Forest Service closed the upper half (and more scenic half)
of the loop trail into the basin of the falls. We approached from the bottom, turned a corner, and finally saw the bridge across the river. The rest of the trail
to Wahclella Falls was something out of a movie. Immediately above the bridge, the river drops in a series of cascades, but you can only see about 40 feet up river
before it turns a corner out-of-sight. As we continued up the trail, we saw the river meandering between giant basaltic blocks 20 or 30 feet high. When we reached
second bridge, we got our first glimpse of Wahclella Falls dropping through a narrow gorge between the basaltic valley walls. The basin was lush and green
with Douglas firs, alders, and mountain hemlocks adding color and contrast. But today, we were late getting to the waterfall's "magic basin."
The lighting was very contrasty and the colors muted. Most guides recommend getting an early start to photograph Wahclella to beat the crowds and to shoot
before noon when the sun is above the falls. We should have heeded their advice.
Previous Day
Return to Trip Page