Recent Hikes (2010)That's the great thing about women hikers - they're eager to share recent hikes with anyone who will listen. It's just one way to lure new hikers into the outdoors. Take a peek (peak?) at some of my hikes in the Western United States, mostly Washington State. Hopefully, they will encourage you to get out and take a few pictures, too. NOTE: All of these photos are credited to David Midkiff, my photographer husband. Hold your mouse over each photo if you'd like to know what you're looking at. June 2010: Still waiting for spring weather to arrive.... but hikers can't just sit around and wish, they have to get out and find some adventure! Last week-end found us near Snoqualmie Pass, bushwacking up a remnant of an abandoned trail to Marten Lake. Route finding was made much easier by Marten Creek to our right, making it impossible to get lost (just follow the water downhill, right?). Here are a few of my favorite signs of spring time: fern fiddleheads and bunchberry (a.k.a. dogwood).
We saw lots of other flowers, too: yellow violets, vanilla leaf, trillium, spring beauty, flowering twisted stalk.... I forgot to make a list when I got home, so I'll just let it go at "lots". And we made it to the lake! We enjoyed a sun break sitting on the shore of the lake, watching water striders skim the surface and marveling at the reflections of clouds in the crystal clear water. There were patches of snow just waiting for the warmth of the sun, but the lake was completely ice free (elevation ~3000 feet).
The lake outlet was choked with logs and made a beautiful soft roaring sound as we ate our well-deserved lunch (elevation gain, crawling over gigantic blow-downs, stomping through mud holes...).
But the best part of the hike? The giant trees! This part of the state was never logged, and there are pockets of cedar trees that would blow your mind. Here's an example of one tree trunk - how ancient do you think this tree might be???
May 2010: Ah, spring time in the Pacific Northwest. Except that it isn't. At least nowhere except on the calendar. Cool, rainy weather. Day after day, week after week. Luckily, we have options here in Seattle. We can head East, over the mountain passes, and find some dry dirt for our boots. This week-end, we headed over to Manastash Ridge near Thorp, for the much anticipated annual spring flower show. It wasn't a gloriously sunny day, but it stayed dry (for the most part, overlooking a few showers) and we saw some beautiful examples of Mother Nature's handiwork. Here are a few photos of flowers that sprout seemingly out of the bare rock.
All told, we saw 24 different types of flowers in bloom! Not bad, when the west side of the mountains is still cold and soggy. And here's the Stuart range, off in the distance.
Late June. The weather is finally beginning to cooperate: sunshine, blue skies. The high country is still buried in snow, but if you head to eastern Washington, you just might find some flowers and some dry trails. Here's a few pictures of a Teanaway adventure we had on the last week-end in June 2010. Don't forget to hover your mouse over the picture to find out what it's about.
July 2010: Here's our first "big" hike of the summer season: West Cady Ridge. It was a clear day, giving us ample opportunities to see Glacier Peak. The glacier lilies were out in full force, looking absolutely perfect. It was a long hike, with lots of snow to navigate through, but once on the ridge, it was smooth sailing. Take a look!
The 2nd great hike of July 2010: heading over to Mt. Rainier National Park. We drove up a gnarly Forest Service Road to spare ourselves some elevation gain and lots of mileage, then headed through a lovely forest until we broke out into Grand Park. The flower show was just beginning here, with lots of Avalance (Fawn) lilies and not much else. We continued on to Lodi Falls, and had a great time soaking in views of Mt. Rainier.
Yet another great hike in July: Surprise Lake, up past Glacier Lake, through Surprise Gap onto Surprise Mountain summit. A LONG hike (15 miles), lots of elevation gain (4500 feet or so), and lots of hours in the sunshine. Days like these are what I live for!
August 2010: Hiking was hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest in August. The weather just would not cooperate. We had plans for a week long backpacking adventure, but got rained out. Then we were heading to Yellowstone for a week and we got word of heavy (and early!) snowfall, and turned around.Oddly enough, we had to head north to grab some sunshine! We stayed at Cathedral Lakes Lodge for a few days of hiking.
Then it was off to New Mexico for even warmer weather! I've never been to the Southwest, and was pleasantly surprised by the varied terrain, the endless sunshine, and the new flora and fauna. It was a land defined by water: the absence of water, and the raw power of water. Here are a few shots of the Gila Wilderness. Be sure to hover your mouse over the photo for exact details.
September 2010: Back home in Washington State, we had a few good outings. The weather was not very cooperative this summer continuing into the fall. We did get a good weather window to visit Mt. Rainier in all of her autumn splendor.
We also went to Mt. McCausland and had a great view of Lake Valhalla. The fall foliage made this a very pretty trip, and it was one of the last warm, clear days we're going to see this year.
October & November 2010: Forget about it! Floods, rain, rain, floods, soggy, wet, gray, grim..... this is the time of year when we hunker down and let Mother Nature settle into a more stable pattern. Usually October puts on a pretty nice face, but we weren't able to synchronize her sunny spells with our schedules. A cooped up hiker is an unhappy hiker. Ask me how I know :(December 2010: OK, nothing spectacular but at least we're outside and pumping the blood through our leg muscles. We like to hike every once and awhile along Puget Sound. Here's Deception Pass on a miraculously clear, warm late December day. We saw lots of birds, watched the tide rush into the pass and then get sucked out again, and contemplated how lucky we are to live so close to both sea water and mountains.
A quick jaunt up to Snoqualmie Pass on a sunny day proved to be a good move. The snow was powdery and we were able to get away from the swarms of skiers and sledders in the parking lot fairly quickly. Our objective: Commonwealth Basis. The further up the basin you go, the more solitude you achieve. We had an early start, so we had the entire upper basin to ourselves for our lunch break. Gorgeous rock formations, snow encrusted evergreens, and nothing but the sounds of our snowshoes carrying us further, until we reached the end of the line - now that's living.
And what could be more appropriate than spending the very first day of the new year (sunny, no less) snowshoeing at Mt. Rainier? We had to settle for a lower elevation hike, due to icy road conditions up to Paradise. We meandered along West Side Road, marveling at the number and diversity of animal tracks and these ice crystals. We also had a "backside" view of familiar Mt. Rainier. Sometimes these "easy" hikes give you surprising new glimpses of places you take for granted!
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