After SICB, we decided to take a trip to visit Meghan’s brother in Eugene. While we were there, we went on a hike to Sweet Creek Falls in the costal mountains, in the Siuslaw National Forest.

This was a beautiful hike in a temperate rainforest. Yes, not all rainforests are tropical. The rainforests of the US and Canadian Northwest can get up to 10 feet of rain a year! The forests where we hiked get around 80 inches of rainfall a year. Because of all the rain, these forests are rich in moss and lichen, which covered so many trees, especially the deciduous trees.

And, all the rain creates a myriad of streams and waterfalls throughout the area, which was quite spectacular to see.

There was not much in terms of wildlife, but we were there during the middle of the winter, and it was quite cold out. We also were hiking in a time where all the broad-leaf trees had dropped all of their leaves. I definitely want to re-visit these places in the spring and see how green, colorful, and full of life they are!