Late spring, prospects of sunny weather – – – it was time to complete the last two hikes for entering the Friends of the Gorge Histories & Mysteries Challenge. I had saved the Beacon Rock climb and Cape Horn hike to the end since they were both in the western end of the Columbia River Gorge.

After climbing Beacon Rock I drove the short distance to the Cape Horn Trailhead.

Due to the  7.5-mile loop trail being closed on its lower half, I did a five mile out-and-back to a nice overlook with beautiful rock work. It’s a tribute to Nancy Russell, the founder of the Friends of the Gorge.

Once a very rough hiking area, now the Cape Horn Trail is a gem. There are some nice viewpoints of the Columbia River stretching for miles in each direction and a flat stretch of the trail bordering some farmlands.

To those of you in the Portland vicinity, I highly recommend doing the Histories & Mysteries Challenge. I learned some new things and had lots of fun on the hikes.