Hike Coordinator: Missy Kroeker
Narration by Missy Kroeker
What can be better than a hike on the North Umpqua Trail in the fall of the year? It was a Saturday in November, the 12th to be exact, that the Friends of the Umpqua hiked the Hot Springs segment of the NUT. This section never disappoints. Even though the sky was cloudy and threatened rain now and again it was a glorious fall hike. Autumn trees bring to mind this Psalm, “let all the trees of the forest sing for joy”. On this autumn Saturday the trees were definitely singing for joy!
We started our hike at Toketee Campground with our lunch spot at Columnar Falls, which is technically on the Dread and Terror segment of the NUT. Since the falls are so close to the Hot Springs parking lot, within a quarter mile, why not keep going and eat lunch enjoying the falls?
There’s a faint path through the bushes heading downstream where Surprise Falls can be seen tumbling over mossy rocks. The trail traverses over the top of the falls where the water springs out from the rocks below. From the trail, this “surprise” isn’t fully appreciated, but from below the tumbling water is beautiful.
I think most of the hikers that day had been on this segment multiple times, but this did not lessen everyone’s enjoyment of time spent with friends on a beautiful trail. It was time well spent, soaking in the beauty of creation on such a magnificent Autumn afternoon. I think I did hear the trees of the forest singing.
More pictures on Richard O’Neill’s Flickr page
Pictures below by Richard O’Neill
