A Walk along the Klickitat
We often describe the rhythm of life here at Windward as being like a stroll through the woods with friends. Yes, there's work that needs to get done, and schedules that have to be kept, but for the most part the pace of life here is leisurely and mellow, with time for good conversation and many a chance to enjoy the beauty of this marvelous place we call home.
Highway 142 follows alongside the Klickitat for it's first twenty miles, but then it swings east to follow the Little Klickitat as it makes it's way up towards Goldendale. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Klickitat, there's an old logging road that continues on alongside the river for another seventeen miles of some of the prettiest wild river scenery around.
entrance to the logging road
 |
| |
The old logging road was used to haul logs from the slopes of Mount Adams to the sawmill in the town of Klickitat, and one result of that is that the road was very well made -- it had to be in order to handle the heavily loaded trucks that used it for so many years.
The mill shut down in 1993, and since then the road has become a peaceful path known only to hikers looking for something off the beaten track, an easy-going hard road into the edge of the Cascadian wilderness.
looking back at where 142 crosses the Klickitat
 |
| |
Since the road was so well made, there's no sign of weathering -- the pavement is smooth and almost begs for the caress of a pair on inline skates, or the swoosh of the tires of an off-road bike. But it's also a very fine place to just stretch your legs and stroll along beside a truly beautiful river as it carries its precious cargo of young salmon southward towards the mighty Columbia.
In order to help you see where the old logging road lies in relationship to Windward, check out this 3-D pic courtesy of Google Earth. To add a bit of scale, Windward is 1,200' above the Klickitat at this point.
a bird's eye view of Windward and this portion of the Klickitat
 |
| |
The two mile morning power walk has become a Windward tradition as we gather at 10:30 at the landing to take off on a circuit of the property before ending up at the cabin which is currently functioning as our weight and exercise room, but every now and then, when the day is golden, we'll hop in the truck and head down for another walk along the Klickitat.
|