Adventure in your town!

When you move to a new city, you explore. But then a few years past, you settle into your job, your friends, and your hangouts. Lucky for us in Portland, the Urban Adventure League reminds us to explore and learn about the place we live. Shawn Granton lead a small group of us on a walking tour from Goose Hollow to Council Crest (highest point in Portland) this Saturday.


The weather was on our side, as it was warm & clear - which means we had a great day to view all the nearby mountains: Mt Hood, Mount St. Helens, and a little bit of Mt. Rainier. Shawn leads both walking tours and bicycle tours -and I've tried out both. The walking tours are especially great because the slower pace allows for Shawn to talk more about the history of the area. And Shawn does his research for all his adventures, complete with an accompanying take-home zine and map. On this particular tour we winded our way up through some interesting SW hills neighborhoods - hidden stairways, and secret back paths we hiked as Shawn pointed out where the old Portland Heights Cable Car line used to be or the Elementary school Matt Groening went to (Ainsworth). At the top we enjoyed a picnic lunch, each with a sense of pride that we had hiked up and explored our way to the top.