I was not sure what a foggy day in Hot Springs National Park would reveal. It was damp, drippy, and foggy almost a perfect Oregon winter day,  in Hot Springs they add humidity just as an extra bonus.  It was was a wondrous surreal world filled with unexpected beauty.  Beauty so captivating it was as if were in a medieval forest.  Ghost like squirrels and birds were moving all around me and a managed to capture them in a few photographs.

The morning was so wonder filled I decided to hike the Gulpha Gorge Trail for the first time.  The Gulpha Gorge Trail was different from the other trails I had been on in the park as it has large rock formations.  It descends rapidly to the Gorge via a winding path from the Rest Hut on the Hot Springs Mountain Trail and ends above the campground.  From this positions you can hike down into the gorge or return via the Dead Chief or Gulpha Trails.  I chose the Dead Chief Trail as I was not sure I was fit enough yet for the steep extended climb of the Gulpha Gorge Trail.

Each day I head into the Park I carry the Love of my Fiance’ Rick London.  He never asks how long I will be gone or when I expect to be back.  When I return he is there with a loving embrace and genuine interest in all that I experienced. That is true Love and I am blessed.

As my spirit is set free by Nature’s beauty my Love for You fills my soul.  ~ Lee Hiller ©2010