A gloomy Saturday morning greeted my sleepy eyes as I stumbled out of bed and into a pair of slippers.  Why was I awake at 4 a.m.? Did my nose catch a whiff of some sizzling bacon? Nope. Did Diesel (our lab/retriever mix) nut tap me again with his clumsy ass paws? Not even.

It was the morning of our very first official MTN Talk group adventure. My fellow MTN Talkers, Joshua Blakley, and his girl, Taylor Abrahamson, created a Valentine’s Day inspired social media event inviting our readers to join us on our journey to Palouse Falls in Washington. Our hope was to catch a stunning sunrise over the waterfall (hence why we all woke up at such an ungodly hour). 

With the thought of a badass waterfall in mind, I threw on some pants, stuffed a day pack with some tasty snacks, and headed out to meet my fellow adventurers. 

After rolling a curb on the way into the Riverstone parking lot (sorry, Trisha), I squeaked to a stop next to Joshua and another vehicle full of young, smiling faces. Another car-full of peeps pulled in next to me. What a turnout! 

So with eight MTN Talkers in tow, we b-lined it to The Great Palouse Falls. This incredible waterfall is just south of Ritzville. Just take I-90 west out of Coeur d’Alene, then head south on WA 261. The 2 hr. 20 min. drive is so worth it! Trust me. 

As we neared our destination, rain began to pour down from a dismal sky. The crew in my car understood there would be no visible sunrise on this day. But no bother! We vowed to find the beauty in the falls regardless of weather. 

Just after 7, our MTN Talk convoy made it to the Palouse Falls overlook parking lot. We scrambled out of the car and looked towards the direction of the waterfall. It was hidden behind a thick layer of fog and mist. Through the blanket of grey sky came the sound of gushing water. Powerful water.

After hooking our new friends up with chocolate Kind Bars, we ventured up the ridgeline trail to get a better look at the massive water-spewing cliff. A short 5 minute hike granted us a beautiful overlook of the 198-foot high waterfall. It was a breathtaking sight to behold. But we wanted to get closer to this natural beast. 

With hot chocolate in tow, we journeyed down a slippery trail just west of the parking lot. The narrow dirt trail skirted the rim of the cliff leading to the mouth of the falls. I would not recommend bringing children or pets on this hike. 

Once making it to the mouth of the chocolatey brown falls, we celebrated with some chocolate of our own.

We spent the next half hour admiring the incredible power of the waterfall and a few mountain goats (or double horned unicorns) on the side of the river. 

We then ventured back to our vehicles, stopping on the way to investigate some frozen ponds. I call them Inland tide pools. 

After a 30-minute hike back up to our vehicles, we decided to check out the famous PNW Bus. This hippie hotspot is located seven miles west of Washtunca (just 15 minutes away from Palouse Falls). As you can see in Joshua’s sweet photos, the abandoned bus is covered in graffiti and grime. It was a sight to behold. 

Before heading home for the day, our crew found an abandoned silo on the side of the road. We obviously needed to climb it. 

So to all those who adventured with us to Palouse Falls, thank you so much! We had a wicked rad time, and we will be sure to announce the next MTN Talk group adventure in the coming weeks. Let us know if you have a place in mind!