hey guys, just back from a FANTASTIC (and wet) trip to portland - thanks for all the earlier tips, BTW. a quick question... punchbowl falls - HOW DO YOU GET DOWN TO SHOOT IT AT RIVER LEVEL?
the wife and i went on a great hike in eagle creek, and i was very pleased to see punchbowl falls on the map at the trailhead. however, when we got out there, we were on a high bluff looking down onto the falls. a little ways back up the trail, we descended a trail marked lower punchbowl, and this got us down to the river level, but not where the main fall comes down. do you just wade in all the way up stream to the main fall, or is there some trail we missed?
There is not a trail you missed. There is no way at all to get closer to the falls than the spot you found. Sometimes ankle-deep wading will get you a nice view of the falls, but no closer. There is a tiny, steep trail that takes you to a perch above the falls also, but no spot to get closer below it. Wading in won't get you too far either. It gets really deep!
hey marc, thanks for the clairification. i remember seeing somewhere many years ago a great b&w shot of punchbowl falls, from river level, looking straight down 'the corridor' to the falls. i guess the photographer took a swim to get that comp. brave guy... that water was REALLY cold!!
Sometimes the water level is low enough to walk right around the corner to see it all. It was very shallow when I was there Sunday, but just didn't take the wade to shoot it. The infamous log is still a deterrent for me!
I'm sorry, but I must disagree with you. You can get to a bar closer to the falls by wading through the water. Now I'm 5'11" and I had to go tippy toe with my camera back over my head with the water up to my ears. Now this was in October of 2001, a low snow year.
I was wearing a wetsuit (a shorty), but man it was cold! The sad part is, I didn't like any of the shots. Oh well.... I guess I'm just sick in what I'm willing to do in order just to attempt a shot.
I've been down there at least fifty times in my life and at 5' 7" I have made it around the bend and to the bar only once. I've even floated out in a raft before - seriously! It has to be late in the year to wade out. Much lower water than it is now. You made it at the driest part of the year and on a low snow year too. The time I did it was September of 05', also a low snow year. If you are talking about the same bar I am, it puts you right next to the log and it's still limits the compositions even if you do make it out there. The log fell sometime in the mid 90's if I remember correctly and there are plenty of pics still around that do not show it. David Muench has a particuarly famous one. So, the B&W you saw may have been taken during pre-log conditions.
Maybe you're all being more specific about "rounding the corner", but usually even when the creek is running high, wading 10 feet out from the gravel bar will yield clear views of the falls - the water usually isn't going to be more than knee deep. Late in the year you can do it without getting wet, but most of the time you'll have to wade. The shot I have posted on this page (http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/waterfall.php?num=1645&p=0) was taken standing in roughly shin deep water. I've NEVER had to get in water over my knees there.
Not that I would want to be involved BUT I'd really like it if that log somehow disappeared. It would either take an act of god or stealth and a saw and it would be most likely dangerous and probably illegal.
Rounding the corner from my description is gettin far enough up the stream to gain a clear view of the falls. Some days there is dry rocky shore along the edge to walk upon..
Yes, I'm refering to reaching a location where you can see the falls without the log. One of the "bars" can be seen at the lower-right of Bryan's picture.
lol Mark. Marc and I were talking about that the last time we were hiking in the gorge. We agreed that it's most likely very illegal and dangerous, but it sure would be nice to see it gone.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that tree falling over. Though maybe someone loops a very, very long and thick rope at the top and some biker types at the other end to pull it over. Just imagine the impact, IF that would work. A saw (or ax at the top) is just so very dangerous.
Since I'm 35, I'm hoping it rots enough to fall out during my lifetime. As Marc pointed out, using a raft/swimming/etc. is simply not practical.
Someone could put on crampons, be wearing some kind of harness and being belayed by someone anchored to a tree further up the hill side. They would go down there with a saw and cut away on the underside of the log. They wouldn't cut it all the way through but only a third or half way. They would leave and let mother nature do the rest over the course of the next couple years.
Discussion
16 repliesthe wife and i went on a great hike in eagle creek, and i was very pleased to see punchbowl falls on the map at the trailhead. however, when we got out there, we were on a high bluff looking down onto the falls. a little ways back up the trail, we descended a trail marked lower punchbowl, and this got us down to the river level, but not where the main fall comes down. do you just wade in all the way up stream to the main fall, or is there some trail we missed?
thanks!
scott
I'm sorry, but I must disagree with you. You can get to a bar closer to the falls by wading through the water. Now I'm 5'11" and I had to go tippy toe with my camera back over my head with the water up to my ears. Now this was in October of 2001, a low snow year.
I was wearing a wetsuit (a shorty), but man it was cold! The sad part is, I didn't like any of the shots. Oh well.... I guess I'm just sick in what I'm willing to do in order just to attempt a shot.
Kosta
Since I'm 35, I'm hoping it rots enough to fall out during my lifetime. As Marc pointed out, using a raft/swimming/etc. is simply not practical.
Kosta