Wednesday, December 23, 2015

12/23/15 - Federation Forest State Park


Today we returned to the Mount Rainier area near Federation State Park and went looking to play in the snow. The most recent storms had blown over some huge trees that were blocking the trail and this was less hiking and more just goofing around in the snow. We had a great time, the woods are such a wonderful, fun, relaxing place to be when there is snow all over the ground.  


Jessica with the kids, notice the huge fallen tree in the background.
Hwy. 410 from the parking area.

These were some huge, fallen trees.

Happy family.

The White River from the trails.



Levi

Claire

Goofing around in the snow.

About to throw a snowball.


Tiger Mountain Trail - 12/21/15



Today, despite the rain and cold temperatures, the kids and I went hiking on part of the Tiger Mountain Trail. The trailhead was just off Highway 18 on Tiger Mountain Road. The parking spots for the trailhead are across the street from the trailhead, but there is very little traffic on the road, so crossing was no big deal. The trail was wet and muddy, but not impossible. We decided to walk in (and up) for 30 minutes, rest and have a snack, and then hike back. This turned out to be a good plan with the kids, who did a great job. The woods were quiet and peaceful.



TMT, A trail marker for the Tiger Mountain Trail




The view from our parking spot, cross the road and at the bend to enter the trail.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

7/31/2015 - Mount Rainier - Sourdough Ridge to Frozen Lake Hike

Today we celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary, and we ventured out to Mt. Rainier for some serious mountain hiking. After the spectacular drive up to Sunrise, we started out on our hike with a 400+ foot elevation gain to the Sourdough Ridge. With incredible views in both directions, we walked along the ridge towards Frozen Lake. With serious cliff drop-offs and moderate trail conditions, this was a challenging but manageable hike for Claire and Levi. Much of the way, we held hands to assure they were on a safe spot on the trail. Frozen Lake is the water reservoir for the Sunrise Camp and Visitor center, and was 1/3rd full. There was even some snowy ice up at near 7000 ft. elevation, despite the mid-90's temperatures. A great hike and a great day. Thanks to Nana and Poppa Boye who watched the kids overnight so we could have a "mountain view" room on the 17th floor of the Bellevue Marriott.











Thursday, July 16, 2015

7/16/15 - Federation Forest State Park Hike

Today we hiked throughout Federation Forest State park, along the White River and at the base of Mount Rainier. A 35 minute drive from Maple Valley, this is a very accessible hike, and was a great hike for the kids. The trails were flat, wide, and well groomed for fun hiking with the kids. This is a great State Park in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, and a worthwhile visit. The interactive learning center is currently closed for renovation, and it appears the project is stalled, unfortunately. We hiked a total on about 2 miles, including a very narrow path down to the white river. A great day and a great hike, highly recommended to visit with children.

 
 








Wednesday, July 15, 2015

7/15/15 - Franklin Falls, Snoqualmie Alps

Today, Claire and Levi hiked with me to the Franklin Falls, located along I-90 towards Snoqualmie Pass. The parking area had signs informing about the $5 day use fee required. My National Park Pass did not work, as this is U.S. Forest Land, so the fee still had to be paid. The trail is travelled often, by many visitors. By the end of our trip, the parking lot and road was filled with cars, and there were many hikers starting out. I imagine this place feels as crowded as Disneyland on a weekend in the summer. The trail was built into many "boxes" out of logs and filled with gravel. These boxes created steps for us to use to climb our way up and down the trail. At the trails end, the falls are impressive, although the noise from the I-90 overpass takes away from the majestic scene. A very nice walk and a well maintained trail. After this hike, and a break for lunch, we went to the Pratt Lake Trailhead and hiked about a mile into the woods up the mountain before turning around and returning home.










 

Monday, July 6, 2015

Orcas Island Hikes - Fourth of July Weekend - 2015

Happy Birthday America! What better way to celebrate than a trip to the top of Mount Constitution on Orcas Island. We spent three days exploring and hiking around Orcas Island for the fourth of July weekend. We booked a lovely little place using AirBNB called Harper House. It turned out to be a great location for us to call home for a few days. We completed a number of hikes while on the island, including a 0.7 mile waterfall hike, a 4.0 mile hike around Mountain Lake, a 1.2 mile hike through limestone quarry along Judd Cove, a 1.8 mile hike to the shoreline at Obstruction Pass, not to mention walking all over beautiful downtown Eastsound. Our stay included a nice dinner out at West Sound CafĂ©, time around Cascade Lake in Moran State Park, and wandering through the Farmers Market. We also visited a small church built in the 1880's and were 4 of 12 attending the Sunday afternoon Lutheran church service. The kids loved wandering along the beach, looking for crabs, seashells, and anemones. We woke up to an unusual yellow sky on Sunday morning, which turned out to be smoke cover from the massive wildfires burning in British Columbia.
Luke - Jessica - Claire - Levi on top of Mt. Constitution on July 4th, Mount Baker in the background.


 
Mt. Constitution and Mountain Lake

 
Mountain Lake from the trail.

 
Levi and Claire drumming on a hollow log.

 
And a lovely hiker she is...

 

Claire hiking around Mountain Lake.

 
Mountain Lake


 
Jessica and the kids sharing a laugh near Mountain Lake.

 
View of an Island in the East Sound.

 
Mount Baker from the observation tower on the top of Mt. Constitution.

 
The Harper House, a very nice place to relax and call home base.

 
Arriving at Obstruction Pass water front.

 
Obstruction Pass Beach.

 
Obstruction Pass

 
Kids goofin near the beach.

 
Looking out over the Salish Sea from the Obstruction Pass trail.

 
One of the many picturesque farms all over the island.
 
 
 

 
Claire - Jessica - Levi

 
Luke - Levi - Claire in front of an old growth tree




 
Playing along the beach.

 
Searching for crabs; flipping over rocks.

 
Can't keep out of the water.

 
Family Photo
 
 
Salish Sea Selfie

 
Luke and Jessica in front of the Moran Mansion at the Rosario Resort,
 the location of our honeymoon 10 years ago this month.
 
Happy, happy, happy.