Ole Bolle and Lower Macleay Trail, Portland

Ole Bolle lives outside the Nordia House in Portland, Oregon. Dambo and his team of volunteers assembled Ole Bolle from recycled materials, and it took over 500 hours to complete him. Amazingly, Thomas Dambo constructed his face at a studio in Copenhagen and brought it to the states.

Part of the six “Northwest Trolls:Way of the Bird King”, Ole Bolle single-handedly represents Oregon. The rest of the series makes their home in and around Seattle, Washington. For those of you who are troll hunters, you might know the number of trolls in the “Way of the Bird King” display includes four more trolls throughout the U.S. Here is the map provided by Thomas Dambo himself. I’ve only visited the Pacific Northwest trolls thus far.

Ole Bolle’s origins include an old Danish troll song. He is one of the first trolls I’ve seen that interacts with another structure, a red house. Dambo’s trolls often have a recurring theme of curiosity that bring them into contact with the human species. In particular, Ole Bolle serves as a protector of nature.

From nwtrolls.com, this graphic appears:

I enjoyed my stay at the Nordia House and even went inside to see. A Nordic restaurant and a gift shop became the standouts. I did ask about troll shirts (I’m a collector), but the lady at the store told me Dambo didn’t allow it. I found that surprising as I own several, but when I looked it up, her information was accurate. As a recycle artist Dambo didn’t want new materials used for his art. There must be different agreements with botanical gardens though, as that’s been where I’ve purchased my shirts.

Macleay Trail

Anyway, I decided to find a hike. I’ve walked through Forest Park, but I’d never taken the Lower Macleay Park trail. Located near houses, parking was at a minimum. The trailhead had less than five designated parking spots, but I found side street parking.

As a solo hiker, I felt incredibly safe. This trail had dog walkers, families, other solo travelers, and even runners. The initial part of the trail was navigable by all, but eventually a more rustic path emerged. The trail hadn’t been taxing on my body by any means, but the handicap accessible nature of it disappeared.

The 140-acre area had been donated by Don Macleay in 1897 and became one of Portland’s first parks. Besides nature, the Stone House, aka Witch’s Castle, creates an interesting stop. Built in 1935, it served as a rest stop to visitors. Now, just the stone walls remain due to a storm in 1962 where the city decided to remove the roof and doors. Today, the building displays vivid colors left by many graffiti artists.

The trail follows Balch Creek and connects to the Wildwood Trail. I stayed within the confines of the Macleay Trail as I had a 175 mile drive to Seattle. However, the trails in Portland could keep you busy for days.

All in all, my first full day of exploring hit most of my favorite things—being outside and learning something new. I anxiously await my time in Seattle.