SPORTS PULLOUT & CLASSIFIEDS INSIDE
• B SECTION • FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021
THE REGION’S HUB FOR
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Each week in this section, you will find the area’s
most complete guide of what’s open and closed;
outdoor activities and events; top picks of places to
explore; conditions of hiking and biking trails,
fishing holes, water flows, camping spots, parks
and more — as well as features from outdoor
writers and field experts.
Tony Barnes, left, and
Cindy Morical, both of
Vancouver, Washington,
hike along the Angel’s
Rest Trail in the Columbia
River Gorge on July 5.
Try trekking
the Gorge
Mark Morical/
The Bulletin
Angel’s Rest
is one of many hikes
with waterfalls and
stunning views in
the Columbia River
Gorge
H
BY MARK MORICAL
The Bulletin
iking in the Columbia River
Gorge is similar to hiking in
Central Oregon : So many op-
tions exist, it is hard to know where to
begin.
I find it’s best to rely on the locals.
On a recent visit to see my family in
Vancouver, Washington, I spent a day
hiking with my sister, Cindy Morical, and
her adventurous boyfriend, Tony Barnes.
Taking time off a sport is an
opportunity to build resilience
BY CRISTINA PETERSON
For The Bulletin
Anyone who is active out-
doors will likely need to take a
break from their favorite activ-
ity at some point.
It might be because of life
circumstances, injury or ill-
ness. And for many who en-
joy the outdoors, from serious
athletes to recreation enthu-
siasts, taking time away from
an activity can not only affect
physical health but also men-
tal well-being . It can be so hard
to change up a routine, to not
have usual outlets for energy
and to notice how time away
from an activity diminishes fit-
ness or skills that took time to
build.
Despite these breaks, it’s im-
portant to remain resilient,
which can be so helpful in
many life situations. Resilience
is the ability to withstand dis-
turbance events, and then to
return stronger. Look to the
natural world for evidence of
resilience. Evolution has built
systems to withstand distur-
bances of all kinds, from hu-
man-caused to natural events.
Forests regenerate. Populations
return stronger than before.
I’m currently taking a
break from running and rock
climbing since I’m about nine
months pregnant. Those ac-
tivities and just being outside,
away, in beautiful places keep
me present in the moment and
bring me clarity like few other
activities.
See Resilience / B9
with nearly 2,000 feet of el-
Barnes has spent lots of
evation gain. It is located
time on trails in the Gorge
on the Oregon side, but was
and southwest Washington.
just a 30-minute drive from
His first recommendation
Vancouver along Interstate 84
was Silver Star Mountain in
TRAILS
(about a three-hour drive from
the Gifford Pinchot National
Bend).
Forest east of Vancouver. But we
Angel’s Rest is an exposed bluff on
agreed that the 1.5-hour drive to get
the west end of the Gorge, offering
there was too long.
Other waterfall hikes in the Gorge we dramatic views of the Columbia all
the way back toward the Portland-
deemed too short to be worth a drive.
Eventually we settled on Angel’s Rest,
Vancouver area.
See Gorge / B10
a moderate 4.8-mile round-trip hike
At nine
months
pregnant,
outdoors
writer Cris-
tina Peter-
son is doing
more walk-
ing than
her usual
running
and rock
climbing.
Here, she
admires an
old-growth
Douglas
fir encoun-
tered out-
side Sisters.
Drew Peterson/
Submitted