I'd like a recount, please

As this blog indicates, I enjoy hiking to waterfalls. It gets me outdoors and gives me a chance to take some pictures. The hikes also involve water -- sometimes providing a cool place to swim after a long and hot hike. In addition to the hiking and scenery, it's fun to study maps and see what else might be in the vicinity. The flowers and any wildlife along the way are a bonus.

I'm often asked how many waterfalls I've been to. I can only approximate because (and this might be surprising) the definition of a waterfall varies depending on who is doing the defining.

A lot of waterfalls are pretty well-defined, with a name and listing on a map.
Take, for instance, Multnomah Falls. Well known and defined. Underneath the bridge at Multnomah Falls there is another smaller waterfall, Lower Multnomah Falls. So when you take a photo of Multnomah Falls, you are taking a photo of two waterfalls. But most people don't know that and they probably don't care. I can certainly understand that.

Above both falls on Multnomah Creek is a series of three 10'-15' falls. Or is it just one long waterfall? One website lists this feature as one waterfall, Dutchman Falls. Another website lists this stretch of the creek as having three separate falls, Lower, Middle and Upper Dutchman. Which one is right? Further upstream are two nice 50 + foot falls, several hundred yards from each other. They used to be listed as one waterfall, Double Falls, but now each have been given name (Weisendanger and Ecola) by the government agency that manages the area. It is nice when the land management agency puts an end to the discussion.

I've also encountered falls that were not listed on maps but have a size and streamflow that made them as spectacular as falls that are listed on maps. Some authors make up names for these unnamed falls, based on nearby features. But are these really falls worthy of counting?

A couple of criteria to be considered when counting whether a drop in a creek is a waterfall or just a drop in a creek:

• Height
• Listed on any maps/publications
• Named, either officially or by locals
• How long of a season it runs

My list of visited falls does include a few unnamed falls but I try to be someone discriminating on what I count and what I don't. This is probably way more information that you care to know but it also makes waterfall visiting somewhat interesting. It's not a problem you're likely to encounter in any other hobby.