I sincerely hope summer has been treating you well so far this year and that you've been able to get outside and explore, hike and enjoy the season. Today I wanted to share with you a few tips and tricks for hiking and also to talk about my recent waterfall hike in Bend Oregon called, Tumalo Falls. So for a bit of back story I'll just quickly mention that last month for my husband Grant's 30th birthday we decided to head 3 hours away to Bend Oregon from Portland for a little couples getaway weekend trip. We were able to stay at Campfire Hotel which may sounds familiar to you if your an avid follower and reader here because I actually had the pleasure of staying there last year with my best friend Vanessa which you can check out this blog post to read more on that: Staying At Campfire Hotel Bend Or.
Anyways it was a hot day but perfect for an adventure so after breakfast we as in me, my husband Grant and our dog Kiko (she's' an American Akita in case you were wondering) all went out of town a whole 15-20 min drive up to Tumalo Falls. Before we headed out of the downtown area in Bend Oregon we made sure to stop and pick up sandwiches for lunch to take with us from my favorite sandwich shop called, PLANKERS defiantly check that out if your ever passing through Bend! With our backpacks packed, water bottles filled and lathered up in sunscreen we headed up the hike north of Tumalo Falls.
What is Tumalo Falls:
Tumalo Falls is a 97-foot waterfall on Tumalo Creek, in the Cascade Range west of Bend in the U.S. state of Oregon. Additional waterfalls are upstream along Tumalo Creek and a tributary, Bridge Creek and its Bridge Creek Falls. All of these falls are within the Deschutes National Forest.
Here's Some Tips & Tricks For Hiking Tumalo Falls (Especially On A Hot Summer Day!):
*Eat a healthy big breakfast before heading out for the day, you'll need the calories trust me.
*Drink lots of water and be sure your water bottle is filled before you begin your hike.
*Wear your sunscreen and DON'T FORGET YOUR BUG SPRAY, I had to learn the hard way with my "natural" bug repellant that didn't work at all and got covered in lots of mosquito bites which I hate since I'm allergic and the bits swell up a ton..
*Bring something to eat like a granola bar, trail mix or beef jerky, we brought our sandwiches which we ate for lunch at the top of the trail before we hiked back down.
*Wear a hat and or sunglasses for sun protection and to help with the glare.
*Wear the correct hiking shoes and socks, I learned the hard way and wore loose ill fitting socks and clunky Dr. Martin boots so I ended up with major blisters, not fun.
*Pack a towel or bathing suit incase you want to cool off in a like or river. Once thing my husband pointed out was that when we were super hot from our hike back down the side of the falls we needed to lower our blood pressure and slow our heart rate so a refreshing dip did just the trick plus our dog really needed to cool off to keep from overheating.
*Take breaks when you need them and of course look at the maps, be aware of your surroundings, respect the wildlife and please stay on the designated trails.
That's it, that what I have for you so I hope you can remember some of these things and that it's helpful next time you decide to head out into nature. Hiking is so good for the mind body and soul but going unprepared can be unpleasant or even disastrous. Go prepared and you'll be sure to have a good time.This hike had lots of other dogs, families and just hiking enthusiast that loved to be out in nature and move their bodies. This was a pretty moderate hike and break taking views as you can see from the images above.
Here's some useful links for the hike and state park area:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=38526
https://www.visitbend.com/listing/tumalo-falls/
Till next time!
XOXO
Jordan Thomas
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