Hiking Martha Falls
Aug. 16th, 2022 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerAs much as Friday a week ago was a packed day of hiking in Washington with 4 hikes, Saturday was no slouch. By the time we shouldered our packs to start hiking to Martha Falls in Mt. Rainier National Park it was already our fourth hike of the day, in addition to one or two hop-out-for-pictures places and at least two more hop-outs to come afterwards.
The Stevens Canyon pictures I posted in my previous blog were not just a matter of "Oh, look, Stevens Canyon." They were from near where we parked to hike Martha Falls. Martha Falls is another find in Professor Smedley Q. Boredom's Very Dull Book of Waterfalls— so it was par for the course that we had to drive back and forth several times before finding the trailhead. Ultimately it was unmarked where the trail crossed the road, and the nearest parking was a small, unmarked pullout 50m up the road.
Difficulty finding the trail crossing notwithstanding, the trail itself was beautiful. From the road it ducked immediately into dense forest. Mature trees towered overhead and the air smelled of firs. There were even patches of wildflowers in places where the big trees' canopies parted enough to let rays of sunshine reach ground level.
The trail itself, appropriately named the Wonderland Trail, was beautiful. The only problem was that it was down. Down, down, down.
What's wrong with down? It means that the return trip is up. Up, up, up, when we're more tired. And since this trail was from Smedley's book, there wasn't guidance on how much down/up we faced.
We grew concerned as we dropped seemingly 300', 400', 500'... where was Martha Falls? Would it be another Smedley wild goose chase? Hikers coming up the trail assured us that the falls was not much further. Indeed, as we rounded a bend we heard the crashing of water. But it was at least another 100' down into the canyon!
So, yes, Martha Falls is real. It's a 50' drop over a rock face with many small ledges. And it's not too far in from the road. Maybe a mile each way? Though it is a climb on the way out, probably about 600'. But the falls is worth the trek.
The Stevens Canyon pictures I posted in my previous blog were not just a matter of "Oh, look, Stevens Canyon." They were from near where we parked to hike Martha Falls. Martha Falls is another find in Professor Smedley Q. Boredom's Very Dull Book of Waterfalls— so it was par for the course that we had to drive back and forth several times before finding the trailhead. Ultimately it was unmarked where the trail crossed the road, and the nearest parking was a small, unmarked pullout 50m up the road.
Difficulty finding the trail crossing notwithstanding, the trail itself was beautiful. From the road it ducked immediately into dense forest. Mature trees towered overhead and the air smelled of firs. There were even patches of wildflowers in places where the big trees' canopies parted enough to let rays of sunshine reach ground level.
The trail itself, appropriately named the Wonderland Trail, was beautiful. The only problem was that it was down. Down, down, down.
What's wrong with down? It means that the return trip is up. Up, up, up, when we're more tired. And since this trail was from Smedley's book, there wasn't guidance on how much down/up we faced.
We grew concerned as we dropped seemingly 300', 400', 500'... where was Martha Falls? Would it be another Smedley wild goose chase? Hikers coming up the trail assured us that the falls was not much further. Indeed, as we rounded a bend we heard the crashing of water. But it was at least another 100' down into the canyon!
So, yes, Martha Falls is real. It's a 50' drop over a rock face with many small ledges. And it's not too far in from the road. Maybe a mile each way? Though it is a climb on the way out, probably about 600'. But the falls is worth the trek.
