Soda Creek Falls

We went for a hike today! It was short and parts were pretty steep, but Soda Creek Falls was so worth it. I haven't even been on the treadmill in months, so this hike was a little brutal for me going up. I was breathing heavy after just a few minutes, and then my calves started to hurt. It sucked, and I almost said that I wanted to give up and just go back. I hate uphill. I can walk for a long time, but I just hate going uphill! I can't breathe and then I start to cough. I'm such a pansy!

The trip was an out and back, and it was 3/4 of a mile one way. It starts out with a gentle uphill with some flat sections. As you continue, the uphills get steeper and the flat sections are shorter. I had to stop a lot because I was breathing so heavy. My calves were on fire at one point too, but we kept going and took some pictures along the way.

It gets a bit steeper right before you're at the top. There are some rocks set up like stairs right near the top and also a big rock that you can sit on and look at the falls. The falls was so worth it! We saw a woman on the trail, and she said that there was less water than normal, but we were still impressed by it. 

I've yet to master the art of taking waterfall pictures, so the pictures don't do justice to the waterfall. The path was fairly wet for the entire trail, there were a couple spots where it was soft and a couple spots where it was muddy. There were some small rocks in the path as well. This not a place that you would want to try and use a stroller. We went in the afternoon in January, and on the way down, the sun was in our eyes quite a bit, so there were times when I couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of me. I would suggest bringing sunglasses. 

It's hard to rate a hike on difficulty because everyone's abilities are so different, but coming from a 315 pound chick who hasn't been physically active for several months, the hike was difficult for me and I'm sure I will hurt tomorrow, but I made it to the top, and I'm happier for having done it. Seeing the waterfall and knowing that I made it to the top was worth the effort it took to get there. The walk down was super easy. It took us at least 30 minutes to get to the top, and probably only 10 to get to the bottom. That's how slow I went and how many times I had to stop while getting to the top! I recommend visiting this waterfall if you are in the area. While you're at the park, you can also see the ruts from the Oregon Trail. 

The screen shot above is my BodyMedia calories per minute screen shot for the day of the hike. The little blips at the beginning of the day were me cleaning the kitchen, making breakfast and getting ready to head to the valley to drop off one of the kids. The big blob at the end is the hike. This hill went uphill first and then you go downhill at the end, so while it was much harder to go up, I actually burned more calories per minute going down. That part always amazes me when I see it. I've spent a lot of time killing myself walking on a 15% incline on the treadmill, but walking DOWN a hill burns me more calories. Madness I tell you, madness. 

Summary: 

Pros: The waterfall was beautiful. The hike was very short. 

Cons: The trail was muddy in places. The first half was mostly uphill. The sun might be in your eyes depending upon what time of day you visit. 

Bathrooms: They have a two room permanent outhouse available. On the day of our visit, it was pretty gross. Proper etiquette in these is to put the lid down after you are done. It does help reduce the smell by a small amount. The lid was up, and the humidity just made it worse. The whole room was wet. The floor was dirty, and the outer area of the "toilet" was also dirty.  

Rest Stops: There are no benches along this trail. At the top, there are large rocks that were the perfect size to sit on. I don't remember seeing anything along the trail that would be comfortable to sit on.