March hikes offer challenge, splendor.

Byline: THE OUTSIDER By John Rezell The Register-Guard

Standing atop two and three layers of downed trees criss-crossed every which way, searching for remnants of the trail buried a few feet below us, we realized this was no ordinary Sunday walk in the woods.

Our black lab, Ridgely, spun around two or three times, paused and cocked her head, and offered a perplexed look, not thrilled with the prospect of climbing a huge downed trunk atop the entire mess blocking her path.

My younger daughter Taylor shrugged her shoulders, having led us through the wreckage to this point.

My wife, Debbie, proclaimed, "This isn't hiking, this is bush-whacking!"

You gotta love Oregon in March.

We headed out to Alsea Falls on Sunday, hoping to take advantage of an early season hike. In my mind, that meant fewer people to run into on the path, and more water pouring over the edge.

We parked at the campground, planning to make the hike to Alsea Falls and onward to Green Peak Falls, a little longer than a quickie two-mile affair.

Starting there was the downfall.

The connector trail from the campground to the picnic area on the south side of the river marched right through a battle zone of leftovers from a winter storm.

Taylor patted the huge tree in front of Ridgely, and she bounded to the top in a single leap. We followed, eventually getting back to the regular trail.

Ducking under a few more downed trees, we finally came upon a small bridge over a tiny creek. A tiny creek that must not have been too tiny rather recently.

The bridge had been knocked off its foundation, twisted a bit and turned.

We didn't notice that immediately, since we were drawn to a small bunch of skunk cabbage popping into bloom on the creek's edge. The large, bright yellow flowers that look like a candle in a lantern also graced the area with a sweet aroma, overtaking the pine scent.

A little farther down, walking through the picnic area, we saw another bridge beached on the north side of the South Fork Alsea River, along with a lot more downed trees.

With no apparent path to the bridge, it appeared it had washed down the river a ways before docking itself on the bank.

When we hit Alsea Falls, the benefits of not-so-mild winter weather became apparent with a healthy volume cascading down the gentle rocky slide. The falls take a six-foot leap down and skip down another small step, before taking a long roll along the smooth rock before a final plop to an area that is a popular swimming hole in the summer.

Crossing the river on the footbridge, we continued another hilly mile to Green Peak Falls, taking full advantage of the many viewpoint trails that trickle down the steep embankment to the river.

The lush moss hung from branches and glistened in the scattered sunlight, giving the trail a spooky "Mostly Ghostly" feel.

At least that's what Debbie said before she added a little haunting moan. What can I say, she had a "Mostly Ghostly" weekend reading fest underway.

This portion of the trail was very clean, aside from two downed trees.

Again, the heavy spring swollen creek turned Green Peak Falls into a pair of twins, showering down on either side of rocky center, almost giving it the appearance of a giant eyeball.

An eye that no doubt has seen some challenging weather this winter.

View video and slideshows of Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls at www.eugenemeraz.com.