My short time in this stunning landscape opened my eyes to some stunning and sobering realities. Healthline.com says an adrenaline junkie are "people who enjoy intense and thrilling activities that generate an adrenaline rush".
On September 2, 2017, a 15-year-old teenager among a group of friends lit a firecracker during a burn ban and tossed it into the Eagle Creek Canyon, a narrow and stunning canyon in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This act ignited what became known as the Eagle Creek Fire. That fire burned 50,000 acres, trapped 153 hikers 6 miles up the trail trying to escape the Indian Creek Fire (the two fires merged together) on the other side (they were later rescued), lasted 3 months, required residents of the nearby town, Cascade Locks to evacuate, forced #salmon hatcheries to release 600,000 juvenile fish 6 months early, threatened significant historic structures, such as #Multnomah Lodge (at #Multnomah Falls), forced school closures in the #Portland metro area to the west due to unhealthy air quality and falling ash and caused significant damage to several trails and the #Historic Columbia River Highway. The remote nature of the fire, the narrow canyon and steep terrain made fighting the fire difficult. A judge ordered the teenager to pay $36 million in restitution.
The Eagle Creek trail is a cliff-side trail that runs through Eagle Creek Canyon. One of the more popular destinations is Punch Bowl Falls, aptly named because it resembles a ladle dipping into a punch bowl. The falls is 2 miles from the Eagle Creek trailhead. The terrain is rugged, and the spectacular canyon and numerous #waterfalls make it worth the hike, but one must be careful. The conditions can be treacherous.
Notwithstanding this, many #recreation enthusiasts do not pay attention to these conditions and enter the area unaware, unprepared, or knowingly aware and participating in risky activities. In this video, people filmed themselves jumping off a cliff into the pool below Punch Bowl Falls and then posted it to YouTube. Other people have been seen #slacklining across the falls. In both cases, off trail areas had to be accessed damaging environmentally sensitive areas. Posting the video on-line encourages others to try it for themselves further amplifying risk and environmental damage.
Nearby Cascade Locks Fire and #EMS is the closest emergency service, nearby as the crow flies but challenging when first responders access the rugged terrain in the area. A search and rescue for #accident victims is time consuming, difficult, and expensive. It limits first responder's capacity to respond to other emergencies in the area.
The town of Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is world famous for its wind conditions and large expanse of the Columbia River making it an ideal location for #windsurfing and #kiteboarding. These outdoor recreation activities have grown into a significant economic driver for the Hood River #economy and the #sailboarding community is a recognized subculture of the #community. Hotels, restaurants, vacation home rentals, equipment stores among other activities support the #windsurfer and #kiteboarder traveling into the area to #recreate. On a sunny day with good wind, the river quickly gets crowded quickly.
Inevitably when it gets 'too crowded', windsurfers and kiteboarders look for other places to launch and sail. Across the Columbia River from Hood River on the Washington State side of the river is the mouth of the White Salmon River. Sailboarders have been known to use its shallow delta as a place to launch, #trespassing across #railroad property, removing underwater logs, disturbing the riverbed, and destroying critical #salmon #habitat. Others #trespass across private property up and down the river and on the islands in the river, disturbing and harming #indigenous #cultural relics and unknowingly trampling native vegetation that is unique to the Gorge.
One author published a book (with periodic updates) on how to find unique, unusual, and little-known places within the Gorge. One story advocates hiking into a wilderness area in a pristine creek (not along it) to find what may be the area's largest and oldest tree. Another story showed readers how to climb a tall, environmentally sensitive #waterfall that was previously considered off limits.
Rock #climbers are prohibited from climbing during peregrine falcon nesting season, but it doesn't stop some of them. Hang gliders look for easy access to tall cliffs to make the jump often bringing motor vehicles onto land without a road. #Bouldering potentially threatens the Columbia River Gorge #pikas, a unique species to the area. People engaged in #geocaching can unwittingly accelerate the deterioration of historic buildings and the natural environment by designing a course that can take hundreds of people into little known areas not equipped to handle the vehicle and foot #traffic. Some #geocaching events are designed for 500 or more people to attend.
Most people #recreate responsibly but for others, the thrill of the adrenaline rush determines where they will go and what they will do, no matter the cost to the natural #environment, #cultural resources, private #property #rights or impacts to local residents.
Hood River is a 4-season outdoor #recreation #paradise. The town has so many #vacation rental homes, it contributes to a problem of finding #affordable #housing for the workers that support the vacationers. Dark streets, a condition where many of the houses on a street are dark at night because people do not live there permanently is a condition experienced in Hood River.
I lived in Hood River on a short cul-de-sac of 4 houses within walking distance of the #historic #downtown. I remember one summer weekend in particular. The onslaught of vacationers started arriving Thursday (many from #Portland, 60 miles to the west), many in expensive Mercedes Sprinter vans with sailboards on top, mountain bikes and road bikes strapped to the back. The #restaurants were full, the noise level in the town increased, the #waterfront packed with people heading to the river, throngs of #cyclists on the roads and trails. Periodically this din was punctuated by the high-pitched squeal of emergency vehicles attending to the latest accident and injury.
I woke up very early Monday morning to a noise that I thought was the #recycling workers, but it was too early for them. I ventured out of bed and looked out the window. A strange fellow was emptying something into my #recycling bin. Later I discovered it was over a dozen wine bottles. Unable or unwilling to pay the town fees for #garbage and #recycling collection, people simply offloaded it to the town's residents. I am grateful that they were recycling, but it was such an odd scene of wealth, sustainability and thrift.
Juxtaposed by this weekly influx of wealthy recreationists was another influx of poor ones. Typically young, driving a rusted out barely drivable (or broken down) car (often a very old #Subaru), you would often see them #panhandling at the side of the road. They were the #hippies, the drifters of a new generation and they too, were often outfitted with some type of #recreation equipment and sometimes a dog. (I did see one fellow panhandling at the entrance to the Safeway Grocery Store with his cat.) I sat in my car and watched a young couple positioned at different entrances to the #grocery store #panhandling. They were successful, where upon they went #grocery shopping and emerged a little later with a 6-pack of craft beer and snacks. Just enough to go another day to play and relax.
I encountered many younger people whose first #financial priority was to buy #recreation equipment. They lived to #recreate. Whether it be the new mountain #bike they must have, the new skis they had to get for the upcoming winter, or the replacement sails they needed for the #kiteboard, it was first and foremost in their minds to recreate. Working was only a means to provide for that. The #adrenaline laced thrill was their drug.
Perhaps the tongue in cheek observation of the #adrenaline junkie as a peculiar animal is more accurate than I once thought.
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Next week. Recreation Gone Wild - Part 4 of 4 - Bringing It Home
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