After a full year of pandemic living, locked down and away from friends, families, favorite restaurants and bars, and our barbers and baristas, it’s been a time for reflection on what really matters. 2020 was a horrifying year by any standard, but things are slowly starting to turn for the better. One of my biggest hopes is that after a long year of isolation and introspection, we’ve acquired fresh perspectives about caring for ourselves and others in ways we never have before. For me, the connection to our natural world has been one of the constant sources of positive energy, inspiration, reflection and reset. And for that, as we know, Portland is blessed with riches in ways that very few major cities have. In less than 1.5 hours, you can be a few thousand feet from the summit of Mt. Hood, at the edge of the continent hiking dramatic cliffside trails and riding waves, you can be in the Columbia River Gorge exploring waterfalls and lush landscapes, or somewhere beautiful in-between. We have SO much to choose from, and I hope we never forget how fortunate we are to live in this Pacific Wonderland.
The Sandy River is one of the places where I’ve found myself several times this winter, floating down the current breathing in chilled damp morning air and soaking my face in warm afternoon sunshine. Casting for steelhead along the way, and even catching one — my first-ever! Fun fact: the Sandy River is the only major glacial river draining the western Cascades in Oregon. One of the important non-profit organizations working hard to improve the health of the watershed for fish, wildlife and people is the Sandy River Watershed Council. From their website description of the Sandy: “The Sandy and its tributaries provide essential habitat for salmon and steelhead trout, which are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Wild runs of Fall Chinook and Coho salmon are very important within the lower Columbia River area.” It’s a special place, and there are several major parks providing access to the river, less than 30 minutes from Portland, including Dodge Park Oxbow Regional Park Dabney State Recreation Area Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site and the Sandy River Delta. Summertime raft floats and swims, spring and fall hikes, and year-round bird-watching and fishing opportunities abound.
If you can, spend some time by a river…it’s powerful healing. Healing and fresh perspective is something we can use more of in the days ahead. May yours be bright and healthy.
