Forest Park

“Fall to the Side”

It’s so easy to forget that you are minutes from a large metropolis when you are in Forest Park. Yet the contrast is vast: rough and unruly, murky and disorganized—these things greatly differ to the sterility and sharp angles of the city. We hadn’t thought that a break from the city was necessary, but once we were amongst the trees and ferns, it felt like a huge relief to be away from all the buildings and people.

Portland is well-known for its parks and easily accessed outdoors. Forest Park is minutes from downtown Portland, and at 5,000 acres, it is the largest park within city boundaries in the U.S. It took us 10 minutes to drive to our trail head from our apartment in northwest Portland.

Until we stepped foot in the large canopy of pine and cedar, I hadn’t realized that this was our four-month-old Mayzie’s first hike. My wife, Jenna, had Mayzie in one of those front pack baby carrier things, and the first thing that I said to her was to “fall to the side.” I imagined Mayzie being impaled by a perfectly placed stump as Jenna trips over a gnarly root. Jenna tripped over air at an airport one time, head planted into carpet, as we ran for a plane, so I thought this warning was necessary. Mayzie’s jumpy eyes glossed over the array of fern and pine species, and she didn’t react when I placed moss and pine needles on top of her cantaloupe size head. She cried in hunger when we were near a murky pond, startling two lone ducks trying to enjoy a peaceful Saturday afternoon. Overall, though, I think she enjoyed the dark tranquility of the swaying trees in the forest canopy.

The path we trodden meandered around small hills and a twisty creek. We felt lucky that there was no rain or wind—natural elements that can easily ruin an otherwise beautiful hike. And no rain in Portland at this time of year is something you feel obligated to take advantage of. If the sun is shining in the windows in the morning, I would feel extremely guilty not getting out if our confined apartment for a walk. And on this day, Forest Park and it’s closeness to our typically dreary city, provided a hike that fulfilled our need for isolation and greenery.