This is Panther Creek Falls on the Washington side of the Columbia river gorge. This was one of those waterfalls that I had always seen images of, and had always wanted to see it with my own eyes. There are a few ways to get down to the base of the falls, both requiring some sketchy scrambling and climbing. It's evident that many people have made it down here because the routes are pretty worn out and easily noticable. I was a bit disappointed that the water levels were so low during my trip, but I wasn't going to let that ruin my plans. I had set my camera bag aside and went into the waters to find a few compositions. The water didn't feel too cold at first (I was only ankle deep at the time), but then I took two steps and was almost waist deep and the water at that time was pretty freaking cold. After grabbing a few shots from the water, I went back to my bag to find it soaking wet from the spray coming off the water. It had totally slipped my mind that my back had a built in rain cover, so after checking to make sure my gear wasn't soaked, I put the cover on, and moved it a little further away from the heavy spray. It's unfortunate that there is a tree blocking the beautiful falls here (I have a few shots focusing more on them), but it does add to the wild and primitive feel to this place. For those not willing to get a little dirty and scramble down to the bottom, there is a built in wooden viewing platform that stares these falls right in the face.
Primitive Waters
