On Monday, we decided on the Starvation Ridge Waterfalls Trail after reading about it in the "Curious Gorge" book by Scott Cook. He said "This moderate 2.5 mile loop packs in plenty of sights plus a decent workout for its short length. Highway noise is bothersome at first but the effect fades as you go. The hike features a very steep .5 mile climb, a terrific cliff-edge Columbia/Dog Mountain viewpoint, a rock-hop across both Cabin Creen and Warren Creek, and to top it off, three different waterfalls in the final .75 miles of trail." Doesn't sound that bad. I was not eager for the half mile steep climb - but it was only half a mile. I figured I could handle that if it leveled out after that.
We got to Starvation Creek and started with the trail to the creek. Lovely, goes along the old Columbia River Highway. I'll be posting that portion of our hike on Facebook but I'll spare my FB readers with the gruesome tale of the waterfalls trail. After we walked along the old highway for a while, we turned back to connect with the waterfalls trail. It was difficult to find as the labeling was not all that good but we managed to locate it and begin our upward trek. It wasn't much of a trail, just a dirt path that - for the most part - went straight up. We walked and walked, stopping to rest when I just couldn't go any farther. The path was narrow and there were no good spots to sit and rest. Finally, I just sat down in the dirt path and tried to catch my breath. The only thing driving me forward was the realization that if we turned back, we'd have to go down, down, down that steep incline. I was not at all sure that I would be able to manage that!
We pressed onward. According to my pedometer, we'd gone at least a mile. Still, we kept going upward. We came across a huge fallen tree and stopped to sit a while. We heard a dog coming up the trail behind us. Soon his owner and another dog appeared. Bill asked her if she had ever hiked this trail before. She said she had but she had never completed it, she turned back once she got to Warren Lake. Bill asked her if the trail leveled out soon and she replied "No, it just keeps on going up!" That was enough for me. I was heading back, even if I had to roll down the hill to get there.
We started back down and it was treacherous. It was very hard to get a foothold at all and once you got one, the next was far away. Bill and I went down almost the entire way hand-in-hand, helping each other to balance and stay upright when one of us had a foothold and the other did not. I was sure we were going to fall but we managed to make it all the way to the bottom with only one such incident.
I can't believe the author of "Curious Gorge" ever actually took this hike. The written description certainly did not match the reality. If that was a moderate hike, I've certainly become feeble. I spent most of Monday afternoon just resting; Tuesday I still had trouble walking without feeling like I was 90 years old!
When I got home on Tuesday after Clark Center, I found a copy of "Hiking the Columbia River Gorge" by Russ Schneider that Bill had left out for me. (Too bad we hadn't read this one before our hike!!) Here's what Russ had to say about the Starvation Ridge Trail:
"The Starvation Ridge Trail is not easy. It climbs more than 3,000 feet in less than 4 miles. The trail doesn't switchback much, climbing straight up the ridge. The Starvation Ridge Trail isn't as well known as the Mount Defiance Trail but is in my opinion the toughest hike in the Columbia Gorge, especially with a pack. This is a very strenuous day hike, but makes a good overnight trip for athletes and climbers trying to get in shape. After climbing to Warren Lake, you probably won't want to leave right away anyway, so stay a night." ... "After climbing this trail, you may need someone to pick you up, take you home, and put you to bed."
I think Russ Schneider actually DID hike this trail.
