Читать книгу One Night Wilderness: Portland - Becky Ohlsen - Страница 8

Preface

Fortune has smiled on outdoors lovers in the Portland metropolitan area. Within a short drive of their homes, hikers face an almost unbelievable array of options. They can choose to walk through massive old-growth forests or to visit any of several hundred waterfalls. They can climb across massive glaciers or traipse through wildflower-covered mountain meadows. They can beachcomb on surf-pounded sand or explore semidesert canyonlands filled with the aroma of sagebrush. Only one or two other cities in the country can boast such a wide assortment of opportunities so close at hand.

Most of these wonders are accessible to day hikers. But as thousands of walkers have discovered over the years, to appreciate fully the charms and wonders of the wilderness, nothing compares to packing in your gear and spending the night. The outdoor experience is infinitely richer, more exhilarating, and certainly more memorable if you extend your stay, enjoying a place where the stars outshine the streetlights; where the hooting of owls and the howling of coyotes replace the honking of horns and the wail of sirens; and where crowded cityscapes, although closer than you’d think, seem to be a million miles away.

This book is designed for two groups of people: those who already know the pleasures and rejuvenating qualities of spending a night in the wilderness and those who hope to join that club. The goal is to provide a guide to the best one-night (and a few two-night) hikes within a 3-hour drive of Portland. There are trips here for all ability levels, from short and easy strolls suitable for backpackers of any age to extended trips of 20 miles or more that will test even the fittest hiker. What they all have in common is a proximity to Portland, terrific scenery, and inviting campsites.

As any hiker knows, nature and our pathways into it are ever-changing; wildfires reshape whole forests and open up views, floods and landslides obliterate long-established routes, and roads and trails constantly change as new routes are built and old trails are abandoned. Your comments on recent developments or changes for future editions are always welcome. Please write to Wilderness Press at info@wildernesspress.com or directly to me at bohlsen@gmail.com.

—B. O.