I was unable to locate White Branch Falls on my first attempt. I returned today. The gate was closed, so I walked the short distance in. I found a path on the right side of the road shortly after the clearing. It first went alongside a small stream, but quickly became very overgrown. When it turned away from the creek, I started thinking that it probably lead to the camp, which it did. I returned back to the road, walked a very short distance further and found the real trail. I’m happy to report that I did not get skunked at White Branch for a second time.

The rest of the day was spent on the western portion of the McKenzie River Trail. Well first I spent a long time looking for my car keys. But that’s a long story. I was eventually able to start out. I really enjoyed the portion of the trail that was actually close to the river. When it turned away I figured it wouldn’t be for such a long distance. Oh did I mention that it was raining? And since I wasn’t near the river I had my tripod slung over my shoulder and I was hiking double time. I started thinking about what other options I had but decided that I liked hiking in the forest better than anything else I could think of. I eventually decided to turn around. I figured that I could hike the first section that Sullivan recommended skipping. It might not be the best part of the trail, but at least it’s close to the river.

I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures today. I considered uploading one of the shots of the McKenzie with vine maple on the far bank. I had several I like. Another obvious choice would be White Branch Falls. But what you’re going to get stuck with is the little creek I was hiking along on my wild goose chase before finding the correct trail to White Branch Falls. You see, it wasn’t wasted time after all. Keep your eyes open and sometimes the hunt is better than the destination.

I was extremely pleased that the narrow canyon kept much of French Pete Creek shaded for most of the day. I hadn’t even brought my tripod, but I turned around and went back to retrieve it right after I reached the creek and saw what was in store for me.

Speaking of stores and tripods, I had to stop at a home improvement store to buy Allen wrenches this morning. My tripod’s quick release clamp has been loose, which is why I haven’t been getting as sharp pictures as I would have hoped. I didn’t bring any tools, and I had just been trying to seat it as best I could. It became obvious that wasn’t working, so I asked the hotel’s desk clerk if they had tools I could borrow. He looked but couldn’t locate Allen wrenches, so he gave me directions to the store. What a difference the adjustment made.

I spent about half an hour just shooting that short spot where the trail first reached the creek. That was a good indication of how I would spend my day. It seemed as though every time there was creek access there were shots just waiting to be had. I don’t know that the average (or perhaps I should say “normal”) hiker would think that French Pete was particularly different than any other creek, but I thought that it was extremely photogenic. Heck, I thought that my very first shot was going to be my photo of the day. But as I moved on it became apparent that it would be a very difficult task choosing one shot. Of course if you know me, you’re well aware that I will eventually upload more photos than anyone in their right mind would want to view. That’s okay. As I told Jim on Monday, I don’t upload just my best shots as most photographers would do. Pbase serves a place where I store memories. So I shoot and upload the most pedestrian of scenes because I want to remember what it was like to be somewhere.

I only hiked to the first bridge-less crossing. That was my planned turn around point. One might wonder what beautiful scenes lay beyond. I’ll leave that for another day. I already slipped and fell once on those river rocks, so I’m not sure I would have attempted to find a spot to rock hop across. It’s a shame that they haven’t replaced the bridge. Somehow I doubt that they will. The interesting thing is that on my next hike I spotted the remains of the previous bridge close to another bridge that already looks old.

French Pete is my current favorite creek. That changes depending on where I happen to be each day. I was very pleased with the plethora of water scenes I was able to capture. I will be going to Sweet Creek and Brice Creek soon, so those in succession will become my favorite creek.

I finished the day at Rebel Creek, which was more deserted than French Pete. I had the place to myself. That’s not saying a whole lot since I only saw three other people on the French Pete trail. The trail at Rebel Creek stays on the banks above the creek except at the two crossings, so I didn’t end up with a lot of photos. Still, it was a very nice way to end the day. Sometimes it’s nice just to savor the experience without looking for where my next shot will be. After all, I’m sure you know that being in a place with so many beautiful scenes to shoot can be so very time consuming.

Tamolitch Pool is where the McKenzie River restarts. At one time the spot where I stood taking this picture would have been right in the middle of a waterfall. I've occasionally wished that someone would turn off the water at a particular fall so that I could see the underlying rock, but I always assumed that they would turn it right back on again. Perhaps since I can't, I've always wished that I could see Tamolitch Falls. I wonder if I would like it as much as the pool. I'm sure that it must have been beautiful, but that vivid blue pool is quite a sight in its own right.

I spend the remainder of the day limping along the Waterfalls Loop trail. I've been to the section between Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls several times, but this was the first opportunity I had to continue on the loop. It was worth seeing, but I don't know that I will hike it a second time. I do often return to places, but there are other locations that are higher up on my list. You know you're spoiled when you can say such a thing.