Multnomah Falls

wahclellaspirit - Jan 3, 2010 9:06 pm - Hasn't voted

Hello,
Yes, the falls did freeze during the cold spell, but during the late 80's was the real freeze when the temp's were well below 0 for nearly three weeks in the Gorge. I was really starting to capture images then, and had chosen to capture Wahcllela Falls first one day during that freeze, which I did. the entire bowl at Wahclella was frozen over to a height of about 8 feet above where the water normally rests in Tanner Creek. After vacating Wahclella I arrived at Multnomah where I found the Tunnel beneath the freeway a solid sheet of ice and closed to foot traffic. I had been using pebbles for stability while walking the entire day, now boot chains are recommended, and as I finally reached the main observation area fronting the footbridge after about 30 minutes of sliding and skating, I setup my tripod, focused my camera, looked up to see the wall of ice falling down below. Needless to say I was dumbfounded, and just a few seconds late. Channel 6 was sitting in their warm and cozy van and had their video cameras on, and as I left shaking my head I knew they were just smiling away as they got the shot.
The image you see here is about 20 years of waiting to return as Multnomah Falls and I were bitter enemies from that first day on.
Thanks for the visit.
Steve