Samammish River Trail 8/30

Today was my final day of hiking and, as mentioned in the post below, I stayed close to home and did my miles on the Samammish River Trail in Redmond. I didn't get out on the trail on Saturday, so I had to do all my miles today. I was able to do 12 miles before my feet got sore and my rumbling stomach compelled me to put an end to it. This means I'll fall short of my goal by about 3 miles, but I'm ok with this. I had some fantastic hikes this month and so not meeting my mileage goal isn't going to dampen the experiences I had on the trails.

Hiking/walking on urban trails has it's advantages and disadvantages. The advantages (as I see it) are 1) I can listen to my music while I walk. While I typically hike alone (I know a bad thing to do!) in the woods, I don't listen to music for safety reasons, but on a busy urban trail I feel I can listen as much as I like. I do keep the volume low so I can hear people and cyclists coming up behind me. 2) Urban trails are easily accessible for many people and offer a chance for a greater amount of people to get out and move. People who might not otherwise be able to get to a mountain trail head or don't feel comfortable in the woods can hike along an urban trail. 3) They can be a great resource for testing out new gear. Want to find out just how waterproof that new jacket is? Take it out on an urban trail some rainy day after work. Want to know if those new wool socks have enough cushion, but can't make it to a mountain trail? Walk a few miles on an urban trail. Wondering how that new pack will feel on your shoulders and back for this weekend's backpacking trip? Load it up and give a test run on an urban trail. Those are just a few advantages I thought of while hiking this morning. I'm sure others can think up dozens more reasons why these trails are a valuable asset to our communities.

Ok, so what are the disadvantages? 1) Urban trails can be crowded. Often they are used by walkers, joggers/runners, cyclists and sometimes even equestrian riders. With so many people using a relatively narrow strip of path, there are bound to be bumps and close calls. 2) I've discovered urban trails often lack the friendliness and sense of community found on a traditional hiking trail. When I hike, I greet nearly everyone I meet on the trail and sometimes end up in conversation with folks on the trail. I've met some really nice people hiking on Washington trails and view a simple "'Morning" or "Hello" as an important part of the hiking experience. You don't find that on most urban trails. Maybe this is because so many people are running past or cycling past, it's just plain difficult to make that simple connection with people. Whatever the reason, I had very few people return any "Hello's" or simple head nods this morning. 3) You won't likely find too much stunning scenery on urban trails. That's not to say there is nothing to look at, you just won't find stunning peaks or deep valleys. But sometimes, you're not looking for that on your hike and if that's the case, the urban trail is perfect.

Miles Hiked Today: 12
Miles Hiked this Month: 72.44
Total Falls this Month: 2 (This is really a small miracle! I feel so proud of myself)

Hiking Plans for Final Hike-a-Thon Weekend!

The final weekend of the WTA hike-a-thon is here and I've got 15 miles to do to make my goal. Will I be hitting the Iron Goat trail? Slogging along on the 17 mile stretch to the Carbon Glacier at Mt. Rainier? Sadly, no. I will be pounding out my final 15 miles mostly on the Sammamish River Trail in Redmond this weekend. The company I work for is offering double pay for us to do some work this weekend so we can get caught up on our back log of work. While this is fantastic news for my bank account, it means I need to stick pretty close to home this weekend in order to get both work and hiking done. And while the Sammamish River Trail certainly isn't new to me, it will still be an enjoyable time. I'll probably break up the miles I have left over both Saturday and Sunday (but who knows, maybe I'll just go for it all at once on Saturday. I'll just have to see how I'm feeling). I still have a couple more posts I want to get up here before the official end of the hike-a-thon on Monday, so look for those to be posted this weekend.

Olympic Peninsula Assorted Hikes 8/20-22

Ack! I'm a bit late on posting this re-cap, sorry about that!

As the title suggests I headed back to the Olympic Peninsula late last week accompanied by my dad for some hiking and camping. The plan was always changing, so that explains the lack of a earlier post outlining the hiking I would be doing. So with only a loose plan in place my dad and I headed for the Kingston ferry early Thursday morning. It was nice to have someone along to talk to on the long ride out to the coast for the first hike of the trip at Kalaloch. The weather was a bit foggy and windy when we got to the coast at about noon, and after a quick lunch in the parking lot of the day-use area at the Kalaloch campground, we started the first hike, which was an 8 mile round trip 'hike' (I feel guilty calling it a hike since it was entirely on the beach, but it is listed as a hike in my 'Day Hike Olympic Peninsula' book) south on the beach down to the South Beach Campground and back. We had a strong headwind to deal with heading down, but the sun came out and the wind diminished on the way back. Once back where we started my dad went to get some snacks at the Kalaloch store while I started the second hike of the day Kalaloch North, a 4.8 mile round trip trek on the beach up to Browns Point. Beach hiking I've decided has it's merits and drawbacks. The lack of elevation gain is one nice thing if your legs are tired from previous weeks of hiking, but on the other hand the scenery can get well...a bit boring. The ocean is wonderful and beautiful but after 12.8 miles of it, I was a bit tired of seeing it!

The hiking portion of the day done, we headed to the campsite we had claimed earlier up at the Hoh Rain forest Campground (advantage to arriving late morning on a Thursday is you pretty much can pick any spot you want!). Both my dad an I had been up very early that morning, so it was an early night with me in my tent by 6:30 or 7. After a less than restful night (I love camping, but have serious issues getting comfortable enough to sleep soundly) and a quick breakfast, we embarked on the next hike up to Happy Four Shelter on the Hoh Rain forest trail. Initially I had planned on going on up to the Olympus Guard Station (my dad was going to wait at Happy Four while I went up to the guard station), but my feet were sore/tired/in pain from the previous day's miles (and probably from the pounding I've put them through the past 6 months), so we both turned around at Happy Four making it a nice 11.6 mile round trip hike. I really liked this trail, you get to see the river, but you also get to see plenty of the forest and meadow areas as well. My dad and I spent the time on the trail pointing out really big trees, marveling at the huge blow-downs and speculating that the 'big spruce tree' advertised on the road to the campground might have some challengers lurking in the woods.

Initially the plan for Saturday was to do the Dungeness Spit hike on the way home. However, the thought of 10 miles of beach walking made me bored just thinking about it. Then the plan was to do the 8 mile Spruce Railroad Trail, but I really wanted to get more miles in. A flip through the hiking book, turned up 3.6 mile Third Beach. With the plan being to do Third Beach first and then stop at the Spruce Railroad, we packed up camp Saturday morning and headed off. Third Beach turned out to be a popular place! The parking area was nearly full, and as we found out later most of those cars belonged to campers on the beach. The walk through the woods was nice, a bit cool, but nice. My guide book talked about plank stairs leading down to the beach, but no such stairs exist. The short, less than one mile, beach walk portion of the hike was perfect. Just enough crashing waves and shore birds, but not too much. When we got to the end of Strawberry Bay we discovered dozens of orange and purple starfish along with turquoise sea anenomes clinging to the rocks. My dad took lots and lots of pictures of these (he was also snapping away at the crashing waves). As we headed back to the forest, my feet were starting to hurt and by the time we got back to the car, my feet were killing me making the possibility of any more miles that day an impossibility.

With the days hiking cut short we made our way back to Kingston and the ferry home. All in all a great trip. The weather was great, having the company of my dad was fantastic and even though the miles weren't as many as I had hoped for, the hiking was great (even the boring bits along the Kalaloch beaches). I'm down to about 15 more miles to go to meet my goal of 75...I guess this weekend will be a busy hiking one!

Total Miles for Trip: 28
Total Miles for Month: 60.44
Total Falls: 2 (miraculous this hasn't gone up yet!)

Ps. photos will be posted soon! My little old lap top has run out of space for any more pictures, so I need to shuffle things around a bit, then I'll be able to post photos from this trip)

Four-Pawing It and Assorted Dog Tales aka Please Leash Your Dogs

Hello!  Jaime typing - I'm honored to guest-post for Angella's second Hike-a-Thon season.  I'll quickly echo Angella's comments about Mt. Rainier on Saturday. . .it felt more like a fall hike than a summer one, but it was still beautiful! Now back to my regularly scheduled topic: Hiking With Your Dogs. Though I completely understand why, dogs aren't allowed on trails in Mt. Rainier and I'm sad I didn't get to take them last weekend.

I have two dogs that I love to take hiking and walking.  I love them.  I love all dogs.  I'd love your dog(s) too - if they were leashed. I do not love unleashed dogs when I'm hiking with leashed dogs in areas where dogs need to be leashed (this means you, Mom). 

 

You simply can't expect your domesticated pampered pal to behave appropriately in the wilderness. Also, it's the law.  Please don't ruin it for the rest of us.

The most important thing to remember about hiking with your unleashed dog is that it's not about you or your dog.  It's about the other people on the trail and respect for the environment that you are out there to enjoy.   You will ruin a significant number of people's days with your furry friend off-leash. And they will complain about you and your off-leash ways. And dogs will subsequently be banned from those trails. I can't count the number of times that a strange dog has gotten far too close to me (with or without my dogs).  If I didn't love dogs and was afraid of them, a few of those encounters would have had me in tears.  So, in a nutshell: don't be a selfish jerk - leash your dogs as the law requires.  There are plenty of safe off-leash areas in the Seattle area where everyone's on the same page about how much they love watching their "canine co-habitators" go wild off-leash.

If you still think your dog is behaved enough to be off-leash, like the people in this picture from a recent hike, read this local article.

 

I'm thankful that it ended well for Arlo and his owner - because as the ranger says, for five in the last year, it didn't.

Please, keep your pets safe and show respect for others and the environment - leash them or leave them home. Thank you!

Happy, Healthy, and Leashed!

-- Jaime

Mount Rainier Assorted Trails 8/15/09

In planning for this days hiking, my friend Jaime and I referred to the day as "The Ambitious Day of Hiking". Indeed, it turned out to be very ambitious! I believe I wrote in an earlier post that I was looking forward to having someone to talk to on the long drive to the mountain, perhaps Jaime and I enjoyed the conversation a bit too much. We were headed to the Nisqually entrance and I had written down the directions to get us there, which would have worked out fine if we had been paying more attention to things like road signs instead of gabbing away (the way we were talking you wouldn't think we see each other nearly every day at work!). Needless to say we clued into our mistake somewhere around Buckley I believe. A quick stop a gas station to pick up a map, and with Jaime as navigator now, we headed south on a series of back roads towards the Nisqually entrance (remember my last post about part of the joy of hiking being the journey...this was a perfect example!).


Our main goal for the day was to do two hikes: Comet Falls/Van Trump Park and Pinnacle Saddle. We decided to do some shorter and easier hikes along the way as we felt up to it. To get us warmed up and stretch our legs after the long drive, we decided to start with the short 2mile round trip hike on Kautz Creek. It took us a bit to get everything organized at the trail head. There were boots to put on, signs to tape to my informing people about the hike-a-thon and finally, Jaime and I's bug spray videos to make. We had the grand idea to field test various bug sprays and video tape ourselves throughout the day reporting back on their effectiveness and then posting the videos here for you all to review. However, as it turns out Saturday was the one day the bugs were not out on Mount Rainier, making our reviews a bit null and void. Oh well it was a good idea.


We did Kautz Creek in about an hour and hopped back in the car and headed to the next trail, Comet Falls. The parking area for Comet Falls was packed, as were both sides of the road leading up to and just past the trail head. We ended up parking at the Christine Falls viewpoint, thereby adding a total of .6 more miles to our hiking for this trail. The trail was definitely busy (if the parking situation wasn't proof enough), but we never felt crowded by others on the trail. The weather can best be described as heavy fog and mist, which was nice as it kept us cool on the steep climb up. My legs were feeling the effect of the two previous weeks of hiking and I generally lagged several yards behind Jaime. There were still wildflowers blooming along the trail and the views of the smaller falls and the rushing creek in the canyon below were fantastic, despite the fog and mist (in my opinion, the fog made everything look a bit more mysterious and mystical). We finally broke out to Comet Falls. The view of the falls can only be described as amazing. Initially the fog was so heavy we only saw the lower part of the falls, then as we looked harder we could see more water falling through the fog. (Photo is of Comet Falls)

It really looked as though the water was just falling in a column from the sky. The fog was so thick you couldn't see the top of the cliffs, even standing right at the base of the falls. It was eerie, fantastic and amazing. We ate lunch at the falls (while our fingers froze) and made the decision to head back down instead of pressing on to Van Trump Park. Seeing as the fog was not lifting and in fact getting heavier there would be no views from the top. So we made our way carefully down the steep trail.


Back at the car, with tired legs and rumbling stomachs we decided to head up to Paradise and see what the weather was like up there and then make a decision on Pinnacle Saddle. We arrived at Paradise in even thicker fog than was at Comet Falls. After finding a spot to park(the park was very busy as it was the free weekend) we sat in the car consuming the homemade blueberry pie slices which had been brought and other pieces of lunch. The decision was made to forgo Pinnacle Saddle. The point of hiking up there was for the views and there would be no views today. Instead we decided to head over to the Visitor Center (neither of us had been to the new Jackson Visitor Center yet) and check out some of the trails in the area behind the center. We lucked out and were able to catch a shuttle to the visitor center (we were parked a good mile or so away).


At the center we decided to head out on the Nisqually Vista trail and then possibly do the Alta Vista trail. With food in our stomachs and legs that had been rested for almost an hour we were in good spirits. When we came across a field of wildflowers with a bolder near the path we decided this was exactly the kind of set up that people use for their Senior Pictures in high school. The only logical thing to do would be for us to do our best 'Senior Picture' poses on the rock. (Photo: My "thoughtful" Senior Picture)This resulted in much laughter and at least one snort on my part. After the photo shoot we continued on our way, the fog and mist getting a bit heavier. As we turned onto the Nisqually Vista trail (we had been on the Avalanche Lily trail first), we were gabbing loudly when I suddenly looked up and was stunned. There not 20 feet in front of us about 6 feet off the trail was a large doe, just staring at us. I couldn't speak, I just put my arm out and stopped Jaime, who was still talking looking down at the trail. We both just stood there for a moment, amazed that the deer let us get so close and didn't seem concerned by our noise or our presence. Slowly the deer moved off into a small meadow by the trail and we moved a few steps up the trail. It was then that we saw the fawn, hanging out down by a small stream. Jaime and I stood there quietly snapping pictures. After a few minutes we heard voices coming through the fog. A little ways back we had passed a mother and her young daughter, guessing it was their voices we were hearing, Jaime quickly (and quietly) ran back up the trail to them to let them know about the doe and fawn and to tell them to come quickly (and quietly) if they wanted to see them. We stayed a couple minutes longer then left the mother and her daughter quietly watching the doe and fawn snacking in the meadow. (Photo: Doe and Fawn, checking out something in the bushes)
Upon completing the Nisqually Vista we returned to the visitor center. At this point the fog was even thicker. Seeing more than a dozen yards or so in front of you was difficult. Our legs tired (or at least mine were) we decided not to do the steep Alta Vista trail and headed back to the car. In consultation with the guidebook we decided we'd stop at Longmire on the way down and do the Trail of Shadows and Twin Firs loops. The Trail of Shadows was fun. We had done Rampart Ridge last year and walked a short portion of this trail, but didn't explore all of it. The bubbling 'soda' water was I think my favorite spot on the trail. When we finished the loop it was about 5pm and my stomach was rumbling. The decision was made to skip Twin Firs and head to Sidetrack Restaurant in Elbe (a restaurant we stumbled upon a few years ago on our way back from a from a snowshoeing trip). On the way to the restaurant we calmed our rumbling stomachs with some of the homemade zucchini chocolate spice cake that Jaime and brought along. (Photo: Somewhere out there is the "Nisqually Vista")
We finally made it back to Kirkland at about 9:30ish. A long but fun day. It was wonderful to see so many families with children out on the trails and exploring the mountain. I don't know if there were so many families because of the free day or not, but it was fun to see little toddlers navigating their way around roots and rocks on the trails. We joked that the mountain is plotting against us when it comes to weather. Last year when we went up in late July to see the wildflowers everything was still under snow, but the day was crystal clear and sunny and views of the mountain were fantastic. Saturday, the wildflowers were out, but if I hadn't known better I would never have guessed that there was a 14,000 foot peak right in front of me. But the fog didn't dampen our day. In fact I love the way my pictures turned out (I really think I like pictures with fog), even if the deer are a bit hard to spot amid the fog and mist. We've decided to come back on a clearer day and go up to Van Trump Park and do Pinnacle Saddle...as long as the mountain decides to go along with our plans and give us good weather!

Total Miles Hiked Today: 8.64
Total Miles Hiked this Month: 32.44
Total Falls: 2 (surprising considering the steep, rocky, rooty and wet Comet Falls Trail)

Why Do I Go Hiking?

Now that the bumps and bruises from last weekend's hikes are just about faded and healed, I've been finalizing plans for this coming weekend's adventures on the trail. I got to thinking the other day as I inspected my bruised knee to see how it was healing, why do I do this? Obviously this month I'm hiking for the Washington Trails Association to help them fund the fantastic and much needed work they do. But beyond that, why do I go hiking?

Beyond being ingrained in me at a very young age by my parents as a fun, healthy and relatively cheap form of entertainment, I've come to realize that for me an enjoyable hiking trip isn't solely about the hike at all. I believe the old saying goes "It's not the destination but the journey" and in a very literal sense part of what I love most about hiking is the journey to the trail head.

I love the fact that hiking takes you to places you might not otherwise visit, both on the trail and on the way to it. No matter the weather I can find joy in a mountain drive, passing through small towns some fallen on hard times others thriving. Some of the best food I've had has been found in restaurants and greasy spoons in these small towns (59er Diner on Hwy 2 is a fantastic example!) on my to or from a hike. Another example of this is my side trip to Forks last Saturday after my hike. Forks was not on my list of places to visit, but it was nearby and as I have several friends who are fans of the 'Twilight' series, I thought I'd stop in and check the place out (and buy a few souvenirs for my 'Twilight' loving friends at the Dazzled by Twilight shop. I myself have not read the books nor seen the movie, so it was all a bit lost on me).

Sometimes what makes the trip to the trail head enjoyable can be as simple as a sign that makes you chuckle. For example on Saturday I passed Kitchen Dick Rd., Jimmy Comelattely Creek and a sign warning me there would be no more warning signs for the next 21 miles, which as it turned out was a total lie. While doing the Coast to Coast hike in England three years ago, the people I met along the way were just as interesting and fascinating as any scenery I saw and then of course there was the food, full afternoon teas awaiting me at my B&B each afternoon upon my arrival from the trail. These treats often kept me going on the longer days. Mmm! The memory of Doreen Whitehead's -former hostess of the Butt House in Keld-chocolate cake makes my mouth water. (photo: Silly sign on the Coast to Coast hike in England. Just how slow is dead slow?)

So why do I go hiking? Yes, I go for the trails, the challenge of the hike the views and the flora and fauna to be found along the way. But I also go along for the ride, for all the stuff you see and the people you meet on your way to or from the trail head. So plan some time into your next hike to stop in that small town you'll pass through or treat yourself to a slice of cake at the wayside restaurant, you never know, it could end up being just as good as the hiking itself!

Upcoming Hikes for the Weekend of 8/15-16

This weekend will be one of contrasts. My friend Jaime and I are going to tackle not one, but two hikes down at Mount Rainier. This will mean a long day not just of hiking but also of driving. It will be nice to have someone to talk to on this drive though (last week on the trip to Ozette, I did a lot of talking to myself...horrible habit). Our hiking mileage for the Rainier trip should be around 10 miles or so, not too bad. It's the elevation gains that will be the tough part. Here's hoping for sunny skies and well rested legs come Saturday!

Sundays kid friendly hike will be the Asahel Curtis Interpretive Nature Walk just off of I-90. The trail is one mile long. Nice and easy. After Saturday this is going to be heavenly. Depending on how folks are feeling, after the Asahel Curtis trail, the Franklin Falls trail head is nearby. This is a 2 mile hike gaining 250ft. If you're interested let me know by Friday so we can coordinate meeting up at the trail head (probably around 11am).

Tonga Ridge 8/9/09

I woke up this morning sore and tired. The long drive yesterday and the banged up knee were the main culprits. However, I also discovered that walking on the beach works muscles that aren't normally worked on a typical mountain trail, like the inner thighs and outer hip muscles. All that balancing on rocks and walking in sand really gives you a workout! The plan for today was to head up to Tonga Ridge off of highway 2, outside of Skykomish for a ridge walk. I had serious second thoughts about going out today. However, my goal of 75 miles for the Hike-a-Thon would be nearly impossible to achieve if I skipped today. Knowing that I packed my bag and was out the door a bit after 8am.

A trip report I read on the WTA site for this hike noted the gravel roads leading to the trail head were in remarkably good shape, and I would have to wholeheartedly agree with that. I encountered fewer than 5 potholes on the nearly 8 miles of gravel road heading to the trail. A real treat for me and I'm sure my car loved it as well. I reached the trail head a little before 10am and found several cars parked already. As a lone hiker, I don't mind knowing that others are already on the trail. It makes me feel a little safer.

With the sand from yesterday still on my boots, I hit the mountain trail (I love that in Washington you can hike one day on the ocean beaches and the next day find yourself heading for a point 4,000+ feet above sea level). The first part of the trail heads steadily upwards through the forest. It was definitely a climb, but not so steep that I had to slow my pace. At a mile or so you hit the ridge and the trees start to become fewer and farther between and with this, the views across the valley begin to open up. The views on the way up were mist shrouded ones as the low clouds clung to valley hills. But that didn't matter as the trail offered plenty of things to look at itself, mainly the wildflowers still blooming. (Doesn't the picture look like it could be someones garden path?)

By 11:45 I had reached my destination, Sawyer Pass. I thought about stopping and eating a snack, but here as with everywhere else on the trail, as soon as I stopped all I heard was the sound of buzzing. Mosquitoes, flies and bees were plentiful and as annoying as the mosquitoes were when you were moving, they were ten times worse if you stopped. Not wanting to be eaten alive anymore than I already was, I turned around immediately and headed down.

The clouds had burned off on the way down so I was treated with fantastic views across the valley. I was also treated to several different kinds of birds, some of which I could identify, like a robin and hummingbird and some I couldn't. The trail could be a bird lovers paradise. I was especially surprised to find two pheasants sitting on the trail as I headed down. They spotted me and took off for some trees before I could snap a picture. With the sun out on the way down I was very warm in my fleece and waterproof pants (I had thought it was going to be cool and rainy. Just goes to show the weatherman doesn't always get it right), but even though I had packed lighter weight clothing just in case it warmed up, I decided to sweat it out to avoid exposing any more of my skin to the mosquitoes than was absolutely necessary.

This was a good hike for my sore and tired body and I'm glad I didn't talk myself out of going. For anyone else considering heading up the Tonga Ridge, watch out for the thistle. It's growing thick and heave along side the trail and if you're not careful you could easily brush and hand or leg up against it's thorns. I would also suggest taking trekking poles. The trail isn't particularly steep, but I found my pair quite helpful on the ridge portion. In some places you need to navigate around large rocks in the path or roots. With the narrowness of the trail, having the poles to help with balance while stepping over rocks was very helpful.

Miles Hiked Today: 6

Miles Hiked this Month: 23.8

Total Falls: 2 (holding steady...)

Cape Alava Loop (Lake Ozette) 8/8/09

In keeping with my goal to hike beyond my "home" area (anywhere between US2 and I-90), I woke up at 4am on Saturday morning and headed to Edmonds to catch the first ferry of the morning to Kingston.

Four hours later I arrived at the trail head by lake Ozette on the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. I hadn't ever hiked along the coast before and was looking forward to a nearly flat hike. I started the trail in a cool and persistent mist. Following my guidebook, I took the 3 mile Cape Alava trail out to the coast.

The trail is mostly boardwalk, with a few ups and downs via stairs. The boards on this trial looked pretty beat-up in areas and several were missing. Care needed to be taken so as not to slip on the wet boards or trip on the broken/missing ones. About 90 minutes later I broke out of the woods and was faced with the mist shrouded Pacific ocean. I headed south for the 3 mile beach portion of the loop. Hiking on the beach requires a sense of balance that I do not possess. The sandy bits were fine, but I slipped and slid on the rockier parts, despite wearing good hiking boots. I passed several groups on the beach, most headed north.

While rounding the second headland, about a 1/2 mile from the Sand Point trail head, my luck of walking on the rocks left me, and I found myself falling fast on a wet, slick boulder. I landed on my left knee (This knee has taken a beating this summer. It has a large scar on it from when I tripped while on a training run for a 1/2 marathon) and jambed my right thumb. Making the whole episode not only painful but also embarrassing was the fact it all happened in full view of another hiker. Thankfully I was perfectly fine and was able to make my way to the Sand Point trail head down the beach and complete the 9.3 mile loop.

When I got back to the trail head the rain was really coming down. I decided to eat my lunch in my dry car and headed to the restroom to wash my hands (they were pretty muddy from my fall). Leaving the restroom I headed down the ramp towards the parking lot. Half way down the ramp, I'm suddenly sliding and falling flat on my bum. After quickly looking around to see if anyone had seen (they had not), I limped off to my car. A quick inspection of my bumps and bruises back at the car revealed I had a large and protruding knob on my left knee, which made it look like I had a second knee. Other than that I was in good shape.

Despite the falls I really enjoyed this hike. It was something different from my usual mountain trails. If you wanted to just hike out to the coast and skip the loop, the Sand Point trail is in better condition than Cape Alava, but the scenery isn't as interesting, so depending on what you want from your hike, choose accordingly.

Fifteen hours, 355 miles and 3/4 of a tank of gas later, I made it home. I'm glad I ventured out to the Olympic Peninsula and National Park. I've already picked out a couple more hikes I'd like to do out there before the end of the month, so I will definitely be going back. Hopefully with slightly fewer slips and falls!

Miles Hiked Today: 9.3

Miles Hiked for the Month: 17.8

Number of Falls: 2

Upcoming Hikes for this Weekend 8/8-9

Well it looks like the weather will still be nice for the weekend, but thankfully about 10 degrees cooler than it was last week. I haven't decided on a hike for Saturday, but for those interested in going on a kid friendly hike on Sunday I think I'm going to give Tonga Ridge a try. It's located off of Hwy 2. There is some discrepenancy in terms of mileage between the hiking book and the Forest Service website, but roundtrip it looks to be between 6 and 8 miles. Yes, it's a long one, but the elevation gain/loss is listed as less than 1000ft. Since this is a longer hike, let's meet at the trailhead at 9am. If you're interested in going, let me know by Friday so we can coordinate meeting up and such.

Once I've picked out a hike for Saturday, I'll post that one too. There's just so many hikes to choose from!

Ps. Ok, I've finally selected a hike for Saturday. I'll be trekking out to the Olympic National Park and doing the Ozette Loop. It will be a very long day of driving, but I think I'll survive!

Denny Creek Water Slide

Looking up at the I-90 bridge


Water slide area of Denny Creek

After yesterdays climb, I am feeling a bit tired in the legs, so I was glad the plan for today called for a short hike to the Denny Creek Water Slide off of I-90. Knowing it would likely be crowded I tried to get there early. When I got to the trail head at 9:45ish, the parking for both Franklin Falls and Denny Creek were already overflowing. However, the trail up to Denny Creek had very few people on it and the water slide area itself had only one other family there when I arrived at 10:45. I picked out a spot on the rocks, took of my boots and socks and settled down for an hour or so of reading. That was the plan anyway...there were flies. Lot's of them. Thankfully today's flies were not the biting sort as yesterday's were, but they were still annoying and didn't seem to mind that I covered myself with Off, to no effect (although one unfortunate fly did happen to land on my arm at the same moment I was spraying there and he promptly fell to the ground, landing on his back with his little fly-legs flailing in the air, amusing in a morbid sort of way). I did manage to get in about 30min of relaxed reading before a steady stream of people started coming off the trail at about 11:30 or so. I headed back about this time leaving the flies behind for others to enjoy.

On my way back I started noticing in nearly all the couples hiking the trail together, the guy was the one carrying the pack. While the woman was unburdened. Thinking back to yesterday's hike, I recalled I also saw the same thing on the Excelsior trail. The independent part of me noted this and thought "I can carry my own stuff just fine, and not have any problems!". Meanwhile, the tired, sweaty, sore part of me thought "I would LOVE to have my own sherpa!" and made a mental not to move 'find boyfriend/sherpa' up a few notches on my list of things to do.

This trail is rated as 'easy' in two different guidebooks I have. It's certainly not long, but you do gain 500' in elevation in just over a mile, so it's by no means a stroll in the park. However, it is entirely doable for families with kids large and small (as evidenced by all the folks at the water slide). One of the more impressive parts of the trail is when it crosses under I-90. It is an amazing view of the bridge high above you.

As I was walking back from the trail head to my car (I ended up parking about 1/4 mile away), I noticed a lot of vehicles did not have trail passes. I counted 21, probably close to 1/3 of the total amount of vehicles parked. For most trail heads in the area a trail pass is required and rangers do check. I forgot to put mine out one time and luckily only received a warning, but it could easily have been a ticket. If you're planning a hike, make sure you check if the trail you are planning on hiking requires a trail pass and make sure you get one! Nothing would ruin a day of great hiking more than returning to your car only to find a ticket on your windshield.

Damfino Lakes/Excelsior Pass and Peak

Portland Hikers on Excelsior Peak

Mt. Baker from Excelsior Pass

Boots and Baker

Meadow of wildflowers on the way to the pass

Left Peak: Boundary Peak (Canada) Right Peak: Larrabee

Since one of my goals for this year's hike-a-thon was to get out beyond the Mountain Loop highway and 1-90 corridor hikes, I decided what better way to meet that goal on day one of the hike-a-thon than driving up to the Mt. Baker area and hiking up there?

My hike of choice was Excelsior Pass (this hike is also referred to as Damfino Lakes on the forest service website and on many of the trip reports on the WTA website). It had a moderate amount of mileage at 6 miles, a good amount of elevation gain certain to give you a good hard workout and promised fantastic views at the end. The trail did not disappoint in any of those categories.

It was a 3 hour drive to the trail head, including 15 miles on a forest service road with several places where the road on one side ended in a sheer drop-off into a valley far below. There are numerous family members and friends who can attest to my great fear of heights in cars (heights in any other situation do not bother me but put me in a car on a forest road with a drop off on one side and I'm reduced to clutching the seat in front of me in fear and hiding my head until we are 'safe'. Crazy? Yes. Can I help it? No, not really). Thankfully as the driver, I was able to focus all my attention on the road and avoid a total meltdown. And really as forest roads go, this one is really quite nice with much of the mileage smoothly paved.

I got to the trail head at about 9:30am and was on the trail by 9:45ish. True to the guide books and trip reports I had consulted the first bit of the trail is through the woods on a fairly typical forest trail. Damfino Lakes are passed early on. The trail was described as neither steep nor gentle in one book and I believe one trip report described it as easy and not at steep. Those of us that spend 50hrs a week sitting at a computer with only our scrolly finger getting a work out might disagree with those sentiments. I would say the trail up to the meadows is a steady climb that will have you sweating profusely (especially in the 80+ degree weather it was on Saturday). Your quads and glutes will definitely get a workout. After breaking out of the woods, the trail flattens for a bit as you cross the open meadows, full of wildflowers right now. It was beautiful! However, the hills weren't done yet, to make Excelsior pass requires another climb up the hillside, but somehow this hill didn't seem all that bad. At the pass, you are treated to a view of Mt. Baker that can only be described as 'Wow!'. You can certainly make the pass the final destination of the hike and have lunch in the meadows (there is a toilet at the pass too!). I had no intention of stopping at the pass. I had hiked that far, nothing was going to stop me from the final goal...the Peak of Excelsior itself. There are two options to get to the peak. One a meandering trail around the base of the peak OR the steep vertical climb straight up for a 1/4 mile or so. I of course did the straight up approach. We'll blame my huffing and puffing and profuse sweating on the blazing sun and the high altitude (5000+ feet). But the view from the very top was well worth it with 360 degree views of several peaks and views into Canada. The way down the trail I was immensely thankful for the trekking poles I had purchased the day before. One thing that was not pleasant about this trail is the bugs. Lot's of and lot's of bugs call this trail home, most of them seem to be biting flies and not mosquitoes. And worse of all, they don't appear to be phased at all by insect repellent of any sort (there is even a note about this on the Forest Service webpage for this hike, warning hikers the bugs aren't put-off by the spray, which I found hilarious). I've so far counted 5 bites from yesterday, including one on my face. All in all, a great hike with great views. I saw several kids making the hike with their parents most looked under 5 with the youngest being a baby so those of you with kids could definitely. And I can not forget to mention the wonderful group of people from the Portland Parks and Recreation department who were up on the peak of Excelsior with me and who after hearing I was doing the hike-a-thon promptly donated $10. To the Portland Hiking Group (the name they said they wanted on the donation form), I thank you and hope your last day of hiking in Washington ended well for you all!.

Hike-a-Thon Begins Saturday!

Saturday marks the first of August. It also marks the first day of the 2009 Washington Trails Association Hike-a-Thon. A fundraiser for an organization devoted to protecting, preserving, enhancing and promoting the trails of Washington State.

I sat down this past week and thumbed through my three hiking books (two of which are the 'Best Hikes with Children' books by Joan Burton. Excellent hiking books even though I am not a child and do not have any children) and started making a wish list of hikes I'd like to do this August. Last year I stayed close to home, hiking mostly off the Mountain Loop Highway with occasional forays to trails off of I-90 and Highway 2. This year I'm going to try and branch out and hit trails near Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and the North Cascades. We'll see how it goes.

This Saturday I think I've decided on giving Excelsoir Mountain a try. It'll be a bit of a drive, but it sounds like a good hike to start out with. Sunday I'll be sticking close to home and taking it easy with a hike up to the Denny Creek Water Slide.

If you'd like to sponsor me for the WTA Hike-a-Thon you can do so at: http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=800&PID=84225

Check back in a few days for pictures and reports on how the first hikes of the month went!