Sahalie and Koosah Falls - Oct 8, 2017

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justpeachy
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Portland, OR
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Sahalie and Koosah Falls - Oct 8, 2017

Post by justpeachy » November 9th, 2017, 8:48 am

Getting caught up on my backlog here. A month ago we went to Sahalie and Koosah Falls and did the loop hike. Very pretty! I haven't been there in a very long time and it was nice to see these two beautiful waterfalls again.

We started at Sahalie Falls:

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Then hiked downstream along the McKenzie River:

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Next stop, Koosah Falls:

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We crossed the road bridge at Carmen Reservoir:

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Then we picked up the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail and headed back upstream on the other side of the river.

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Sahalie Falls again:

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Man, I LOVE that blue!

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There was some fall color to be seen:

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Crossing the footbridge back across the river:

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As we were approaching the trailhead we could hear a voice over a loudspeaker. Turns out there was a wedding taking place at the Sahalie Falls viewpoint and they did indeed have a loudspeaker. They were also blocking the trail and the viewpoint. Several guests told the frustrated hikers gathered around to just sit tight and wait. When the guys were asked if the bride and groom had gotten permission from the Forest Service, they said they were sure the proper permits had been obtained. I contacted the Forest Service and they said weddings are allowed here but that Tyler and Isela, the couple in question, had not contacted the district office to obtain permission. If they had, they would have been given the policy which states "Public cannot be excluded from viewpoint or trail" and "The roar of the falls make it difficult to hear. No amplifiers or sound systems are allowed."

On the drive back we stopped to gawk at the beautiful vine maple in the lava field along Highway 22:

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A lovely day! It's a long drive from Portland, but with beautiful sunny skies and gorgeous color along 22 it helped distract from the many hours in the car.

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