tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89303049529165052242024-03-15T18:10:24.019-07:00 Doris the ExploristJust a Californian turned Washingtonian taking photos and sharing her personal life adventures on the internetdorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-44251669189761333172022-10-19T21:54:00.002-07:002022-10-19T21:57:44.869-07:00I'm going to start writing again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsVIXeKU-ncRZBh7MwAogTD8RZG3ZDr__bvA1pFFfHurPG9TpG2toj6BafYE5_1JNOzkimHHuaWon8g5zhoyMuRdZtncOClFGH2yllBK32seelrzZontCWTh48EaTnzc2M9WNP6YgQaceGgXLsQHHI-CUPtCjnlN-tKJRbgkCQMq_VthtJa7kupP4/s1440/40AA78B5-B60C-4942-B58C-6CB1B08A9C0A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsVIXeKU-ncRZBh7MwAogTD8RZG3ZDr__bvA1pFFfHurPG9TpG2toj6BafYE5_1JNOzkimHHuaWon8g5zhoyMuRdZtncOClFGH2yllBK32seelrzZontCWTh48EaTnzc2M9WNP6YgQaceGgXLsQHHI-CUPtCjnlN-tKJRbgkCQMq_VthtJa7kupP4/w640-h480/40AA78B5-B60C-4942-B58C-6CB1B08A9C0A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">May 2022<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div>I have not written a blog post in 2.5 years. I religiously wrote a post after every adventure I went on for 4 years. Then I felt the burn out right before the pandemic hit. Then once the pandemic hit, I squeaked out one last post about my Enchantments proposal March of 2020, and I stopped writing. One month became, 2, 2 months became a year. My lil blog has sat on the back burner of my mind for too long. I want to start writing again, not just to share with my audience, but also to remember all the fun things I have done, before I forget it. This past summer alone (summer of 2022), I checked a few things off my bucket list (kayak camping Diablo Lake!), and also went on several fun trips I wasn't expecting (a sponsored trip to Vail, Colorado!). So let's dive into it. Let's start blogging again. If you've been following me for this long, thanks for your patience. I'm making a comeback.dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-65476896352304300662020-03-22T13:09:00.001-07:002020-03-22T13:09:24.742-07:00An Enchantments Proposal <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Proposal at Prusik Pass <3</div>
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With all that's going on in the world right now, and wanting to break my writing block, I am finally sitting down to write about last summer's epic trip to the Enchantments and getting proposed to after hiking up to Prusik Pass.<br />
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Cody and I have been dating for almost 4 years now. How did we meet? On Bumble:) We had a bunch of backpacking trips planned last summer, ending the epic summer backpacking plans with a 3 night/4 day trip to the Enchantments. Cody and I had talked about getting engaged for a few months by then, and we even went ring shopping in July, so I knew it was coming, but I just didn't know when! Was it going to be on our Canada backpacking trip to Berg Lake? Or how about our fire lookout stay at Red Top while we were volunteering with the Forest Service? But as each trip came and went... Cody never popped the question! Cody could totally tell I was getting annoyed lol. Then things got rough at my work, I was super stressed leading up to our Enchanments trip, and I actually even considered canceling on my friends because my work life was so stressful and I was super unhappy. But in the end, I opted to go unpaid (cuz I ran out of vacation days last year....) and just unplug from reality for a week and it was totally worth it! I had already also given up hope that Cody was going to propose to me on some epic backpacking trip lol.<br />
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<b>When did we go? </b>Tuesday-Friday September 3-6, 2019<br />
<b>Who went?</b> Katherine, Mateo, Amanda, Kaelee, Andrew, Cody, and me<br />
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That Tuesday morning, my friends and I met up at Stuart Lake Trailhead to hike to Colchuck that day. Our plans were to camp at Colchuck for a night, then continue into the Upper Enchantments the following day, and camp the following 2 nights in the Core, and then hike out on Friday.<br />
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Our conga line on Colchuck</div>
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Our day at Colchuck was spent swimming in the lake, making conga lines with our sleep pads while floating around the lake, and then ended the afternoon with some mountain yoga with Andrew and some night photography of the starry night.<br />
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Day 2 we all woke up bright and early knowing we had a hard day ahead, going up Aasgard Pass... per WTA, it's almost 2000 ft elevation gain in less than a mile. Katherine, Mateo, Cody, and I made up the caboose of our group but we eventually all made it up and reunited with the rest of our friends and found the perfect camp site for the rest of our trip. We all took another lake dip and just lounged around our campsite that day. I still had no idea that Cody was going to propose to me on this trip.<br />
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Proposal Day!</h2>
On day 3, Amanda, Kaelee, and Andrew decided to hike up Little Annapurna, while Mateo, Katherine, and I took our time making breakfast and told the group we would meet up with them a lil bit later down the trail to go hike to Gnome Tarn.<br />
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After spying our friends on the peak of Little Annapurna, our group hiked out. First in search of a toilet, then to hike on to explore the rest of the area and find Gnome Tarn. I didn't know this at the time, but while we were stopped at the toilet near Isolation Lake, that was when Cody slipped the ring into his pocket. From there we hiked on and our friends caught up to us. We were in search of that lil tarn still and decided we needed to go up to Prusik Pass so we could get a better view of the area and to see if we could spy it from higher grounds. While Kaelee, Amanda, and Andrew led the pack, we got to the top of the saddle and that's when our entire group split up... Amanda, Kaelee, and Andrew kept hiking up, while Mateo walked to the other side of the saddle to get a better view.<br />
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We found Gnome Tarn btw:)</div>
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That's when I asked Katherine to take a photo of Cody and me. Which was apparently what Cody had been waiting for since he had slipped the ring into his pocket... was for me to ask someone to take a photo of us! We got into position, then Cody asked me what pose he should do, then he dropped into a push up position (which is not abnormal), which I then proceed to lecture him about how he was wasting energy and that he really needed to just stand up and take a normal photo, Cody then also asked, "How about the pro-pose?"... then Katherine goes, "You know, it sure looks like he's about to propo...." In which I look over and Cody's on one knee with a ring out..... AHHHHH, I had not expected this! We don't even know if he actually said the words, "Will you marry me?" Cuz you know, you kinda just black out and go through the motions. Also, no one saw the proposal but Katherine, the rest of the group just heard me yelling, "CODY JUST PROPOSED". He put the ring on my dirty finger and I probably said yes! (Again we both apparently blacked out and just went through the movements, so who knows if I actually said yes)<br />
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Cody, stop wasting your energy, we still have to hike back!</div>
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Caught me off guard</div>
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We all eventually caught up with each other, found Gnome Tarn, and then proceeded to go swimming in Lake Perfection. But before I jumped into the lake, Cody did ask for the ring back lol. He didn't want me losing it in the lake....<br />
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We all caught an amazing sunset that night and talked about how this trip was probably the best trip of the summer. Which, looking back, even if the proposal didn't happen, it was pretty amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to be with, we went swimming every single day, and we made friends with a bunch of goats!<br />
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Definitely got lucky with all the clear nights we got on this trip!</div>
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Milky Way over Upper Enchantments</div>
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That Friday was a drag of a hike out, our group opted to go back down Aasgard Pass and exit the same way we came in. Katherine, Mateo, Cody, and I ended our day in Leavenworth with brats at Munchen Haus. Of course I made several phone calls to my family and friends when we got service.<br />
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What a trip to end the summer.<br />
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So yeah, there's my proposal story:)<br />
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Until next time Enchantments!<br />
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Thanks for these photos Andrew! (@<a href="https://www.instagram.com/fieldstoferries/" target="_blank">fieldstoferries</a>)</div>
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The perfect day at Perfection Lake</div>
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And here are some more photos from our trip just cuz....<br />
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Love Katherine's art! @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/arts_of_katherine/" target="_blank">arts_of_katherine</a></div>
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Thanks to Mateo for scoring the permits and thanks to Katherine for mapping out the trip!</div>
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com6The Enchantments, Leavenworth, WA 98826, USA47.4785403 -120.819244325.593174299999998 -162.1278378 69.3639063 -79.5106508tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-40310077275932567092019-09-12T22:35:00.000-07:002019-09-12T22:37:37.198-07:00Staying at Red Top Lookout near Cle Elum, WA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Milky Way looking super fine above Red Top Lookout</div>
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A few weekends ago, Cody and I got to stay at Red Top Lookout near Cle Elum, WA! The most asked question I got about staying at this fire lookout was, "Is it open to the public and first come, fist serve to be able to stay in it?" Red Top Lookout is not open for the public to stay at. Cody and I found a volunteer opportunity with the forest service and were fortunate enough to be able to snag a weekend slot volunteering with the them, and being able to stay in the lookout!<br />
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Last summer, Sarina and I got a chance to volunteer with the Darrington Ranger Station, and stayed in the Green Mountain Fire Lookout (you can read about that <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2018/07/staying-in-fire-lookout.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and I loved it so much, I wondered if there were other similar opportunities out there. After some research online, I came across the volunteer page on the forest service site and saw they were looking for volunteers to stay at Red Top Lookout, which was exactly what I was looking for! I emailed the ranger in January to see what it entailed, and was told they sent out an email in May to people who were interested and that you had to attend a 4 hour training class at the Cle Elum Ranger Station beginning of June and that was it. (Green Mountain Lookout I think requires at least a CPR certification, but Red Top does not FYI.)<br />
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Anyways, onto our stay and experience at the lookout!<br />
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Friday's Sunset</div>
<h4>
Stats</h4>
Dates Stayed: Friday August 23- Sunday August 25, 2019<br />
Location: Red Top Lookout near Cle Elum, WA<br />
Miles: less than 2 miles R/T, can turn hike into a loop<br />
Elevation Gained: 350 feet<br />
Parking Pass: Northwest Forest Pass or the America the Beautiful Pass<br />
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<h4>
Friday August 23, 2019</h4>
Cody and I wanted to avoid as much traffic as possible Friday, so we ended up working for a few hours at a McDonald's in North Bend before we made the rest of the drive out to Red Top Friday afternoon. Our start time on the itinerary was anytime after 5:00 PM. Our goal was to get out there before sunset, which was around 7:30 PM. As we headed out to the trailhead on the dirt road, we experienced a road block. We were about 1-2 miles away from the trailhead when we got stopped by a herd of sheep. There were 100s of them! We slowly maneuvered our way past them. We had Red Top typed into Google Maps btw, but those directions aren't 100% accurate, the directions take you close to the lookout, but keep going down the road past where Google takes you and follow the road signs and you will get to the parking lot that has a pit toilet.<br />
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We pulled in around 6:30 PM and were the only ones there. We quickly loaded up our packs, locked the car and were on our way to the lookout! This was both our first time to this lookout, so we didn't know what to expect. The hike was very short and we made it to the lookout within 30 minutes! Short hike with a big reward! Once at the lookout, we unlocked the doors and settled in. We had stopped at a Subway on the way and bought sandwiches for dinner that night, so we didn't have to cook. The views were amazing and we got the best sunset that night! We did get surprised by some late night hikers that sat at the bench near the lookout till almost 10:00 PM, but they were friendly enough. I think they ended up camping at the trailhead that night.<br />
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Road block!</div>
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Trail sign</div>
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Almost there!</div>
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One of the cleanest backcountry toilets I experience this summer!</div>
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Inside of the lookout</div>
<h4>
Saturday August 24, 2019</h4>
We woke up with the sun Saturday morning, it definitely gets very bright inside the lookout! Once awake, we checked in with the range station, walked over to the flag pole, put up the flag, and made breakfast. We got our first hikers around 9:00 AM, and there was a steady stream through out the day (we kept tally of all the hikers, and by the end of the day we counted 71 hikers!)<br />
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Red Top is definitely a kid friendly hike. We brought up a pack of cookies to share with visitors and it was hit amongst the kids.<br />
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Later in the afternoon, Cody and I locked up the lookout and wandered over to the agate beds. We noticed a good amount of people who skipped the lookout and were there for the agate beds mainly! Cody and I do not know how to rock hunt for geodes or agate, so we came up empty handed, but did talk to a few people who did find some cool geodes and agate! I definitely learned a lot about rocks this weekend.<br />
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Saturday night we saw wind was in the forecast, but didn't think too much into it until the winds hit 30 MPH and the whole lookout rattled lol. I attempted to take some astrophotos too, but after 15 minutes the wind got to me. The wind would pick up here and there, and Cody and I ended up not sleeping much that night, but we were in a fire lookout, so you can't complain too much.<br />
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Saturday Morning</div>
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Cody making breakfast</div>
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View of the fire lookout from the agate beds</div>
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<h4>
Sunday August 25, 2019</h4>
Another slow morning. We woke up in a cloud with no views, but it cleared pretty fast. We checked in with the ranger station and headed down to the rocks to make breakfast again. Our first visitor of the day ended up being our friend Amy! Who was also sweet enough to bring us a box of donuts! (Thank Amy!)<br />
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She hung out for an hour or two, then her and I decided to head over to the agate beds while Cody manned the lookout. We also came up empty handed, but have since gotten some tips from avid rock hunters, so maybe we will find something next summer:)<br />
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The next group of volunteers showed up early and relieved Cody and me of our lookout duties around 2:45 PM. Which was fine by us since we had a long drive home and also wanted to stop by our favorite BBQ spot.<br />
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Overall, it was such an amazing experience staying at Red Top and telling visitors about the area! Hopefully we will be lucky enough to do it again next summer.<br />
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Until next time Red Top!<br />
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(Here is my trip report on <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2019-08-26.5316468165" target="_blank">WTA</a>)<br />
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Views from the lookout</div>
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Red Top Lookout</div>
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The trail on the other side</div>
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Cody and me!<br />
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The end.</div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-16713728193453380622019-08-27T22:00:00.000-07:002019-08-27T22:00:59.296-07:00Backpacking Canada: Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mt Robson, Berg Glacier, and Berg Lake</div>
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I hadn't even heard of Berg Lake Trail until <a href="https://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a> told me about it. She mentioned it a few times in passing, but I didn't pay much attention to it until a couple days before the permits opened up to purchase online. <a href="https://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a> told me to mark my calendar for October 1st, so I put it in my iCalendar and didn't think much of it. Then Kaelee happened to be on an airplane the day the permits opened up, and she had me purchase 4 of them. I also had no idea what I was doing, so I picked random campgrounds along the trail. I also wouldn't commit to going on this trip, even though I knew I was roped in already lol. I mean we bought these permits on October 1st, 2018 and our permit dates were for August 2019.... but I am so glad Kaelee pushed for this trip because it was so worth it!<br />
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So first things first...<br />
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Step 1: go online on October 1st to buy permits (<a href="https://discovercamping.ca/" target="_blank">link to permits</a>) I personally didn't think buying the permits were as cutthroat as how permits go in America for, say National Park campsites, but the earlier you buy them, the better chance you have in getting the dates you want<br />
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Step 2: decide whether to fly or drive. If you followed along on my Instagram, you'd know we opted to drive to Mt Robson Provincial Park from Seattle, which was roughly 500 miles one way, 8.5 hr drive without stopping. We didn't dive too deep into flying, but from what we saw, the closest airports were still a 4+ hr drive to the park. Looks like Kamloops (airport code:YKA) and Edmonton (airport code: YEG), Canada both have airports if you are interested in flying.<br />
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Then you start planning!<br />
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View of Berg Lake from Toboggan Falls</div>
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Our Itinerary</h3>
Thursday Aug 1: leave Seattle at the butt crack of dawn and drive to park<br />
Friday Aug 2: Trailhead to Emperor Falls Campground<br />
Saturday Aug 3: Emperor Falls to Berg Lake Campground<br />
Sunday Aug 4: Berg Lake to Whitehorn Campground<br />
Monday Aug 5: Whitehorn back to trailhead, drive 4 hours to Kamloops Canada and stay at hotel<br />
Tuesday Aug 6: drive 5 hrs from Kamloops back to Seattle<br />
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Berg Lake Trail Stats</h4>
Berg Lake Trail: 26 miles R/T<br />
Elevation Gain: 2600 ft<br />
Permits Needed<br />
Dogs allowed: Yes but not overnight<br />
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Now for the more detailed write up....<br />
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<h4>
Thursday August 1, 2019</h4>
Seattle, WA to Mt Robson Provincial Park: 500 miles driven<br />
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We left the Seattle area bright and early, I think we hit the road around 6:45 AM, crossed the Canadian border in Sumas, WA, took a lunch break in Kamloops, and made it into the park around 5:00 PM. We booked a campsite at <a href="https://discovercamping.ca/MountRobson%2FRobsonMeadowsCampground%3FMap" target="_blank">Robson Meadows Campground</a> that night ($28/night). In hindsight, we could've totally hiked in that first day and made it to the 1st campground before dark.<br />
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The plans were to grab our permits Friday morning, but since we made it to the park before the visitor center closed (they close at 7 PM btw), we ended up grabbing our permits Thursday night, saving us some time Friday morning. The visitor center was informative, had a small shop, nice restrooms, and also had wifi. In order for you to obtain the permits, the rangers have you watch a short video about the trail before they give you your permits.<br />
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After setting up camp and grabbing permits, we opted not to cook dinner at camp that night and to grab dinner out. The locals recommended <a href="https://www.tetejaunelodge.com/" target="_blank">Tete Jaune Lodge</a> and that's where we ended up. Surprisingly they had a buffet and it was decent! Cody and I opted for the buffet while Kaelee and Rachel went with the fish and chips.<br />
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<h4>
Friday August 2, 2019</h4>
Trailhead to Emperor Falls Campground: 9.9 miles hiked, 2634 ft gained<br />
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We hit the trail around 9 AM, this was going to be our longest and toughest day, mileage wise. The parking lot wasn't overly full and we snagged a parking spot and didn't have to park on the road! The weather called for gloomy skies and rain that day, and I thought I was prepared for it, but my rain gear was no match for the rain that came down that day. Cody and I took breaks at the shelters at Kinney Lake and Whitehorn on our hike up, and the sun even came out while we were at Whitehorn! But as we hiked the last 3 miles from there to Emperor Falls, a thunderstorm rolled through, which dumped buckets on us. We opted to skip the side trip to the actual falls at Emperor Falls (it's slightly off the trail but totally worth it to see!), and opted to catch it on the hike back, and try to get to our camp spot as quickly as possible to set up our tent and hide from the rain. It took Cody and I roughly 6 hours to go from trailhead to Emperor.<br />
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Kaelee and Rachel got to Emperor Falls Campground first, we followed an hour later, and we ended up setting up our tents in a puddle of mud, but we had no other options. We hid in our tents for a lil bit until the weather let up. Once it let up, we quickly made dinner before the next storm rolled through. We ended up bunkering down in our tents for 12 hours that first night. But better weather was in the forecast for the following days so we didn't feel too defeated from being wet and soggy that day.<br />
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Twinning at Emperor Falls Campground</div>
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The views at Emperor Falls Campground were amazing</div>
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Saturday August 3, 2019</h4>
Emperor Falls Campground to Berg Lake Campground: 3.1 miles hiked, 100 ft gain<br />
+ the extra side hikes we did once we got to Berg Lake<br />
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We woke up to rain and took our time to leave camp. We also knew the next camp wasn't that far away, so we were in no rush. Kaelee and Rachel hiked out first and found us the sweetest spot at Berg Lake! When Cody and I caught up to them, we were stoked on the giant tent pad they snagged at the lake! Plus the weather had gotten better and we were able to dry out all of our wet belongings.<br />
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We lounged around, set up camp, ate lunch, and opted to check out the lake and surrounding areas later in the afternoon. First we hiked up Toboggan Falls, which is a short side trail from the Berg Lake campground, then Cody and I wandered off to see the toe of Robson Glacier. Kaelee and Rachel wandered further up Toboggan, and then hiked to Robson Pass Campground and the ranger station that is out that way. We regrouped for dinner that night and all wished we had more time to explore the area.<br />
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View in between Robson Pass Campground and Berg Lake Campground</div>
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Robson Glacier</div>
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Sunday August 4, 2019</h4>
Berg Lake to Whitehorn Campground: 6.2 miles hiked<br />
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We left Berg Lake close to 11:00 AM that morning (which is "check out" time according to the rangers), and headed back down the trail. Weather was even better this day compared to the 1st 2 days. On our way down, Cody and I finally got a chance to stop at Emperor Falls and it was amazing to see! The fall is huge and powerful! Besides that, the hike to Whitehorn was uneventful, we got to camp, setup our tents, and had a lot of down time. This was our last night on trail so we tried to finish as much of the food we brought with us as possible, but Rachel was still left with a pound of trail mix lol.<br />
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Monday August 5, 2019</h4>
Whitehorn Campground to Trailhead: 6.8 miles hiked<br />
Berg Lake Trail to Kamloops, BC: 225 miles driven<br />
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Monday was the best weather out of all the days we were out on trail, blue sunny skies! The hike out was pretty easy, and the faster we hiked out, the closer we were to eating real food at the cafe next to the visitor center.<br />
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That day we opted to hike out, drive 4 hours to Kamloops, Canada and stay the night at a Hampton Inn. Which, it was nice to finally take a shower after camping for 4 nights! After our much needed showers, we went to Costco, then we grabbed dinner at a pub nearby, and stuffed our faces with more poutine. Once we got back to the hotel, Cody and I went to check out the indoor pool and water slide (Cody even went down the slide, didn't turn the water on though, and got stuck in the slide lolol).<br />
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Side note: the Costco's in Canada have poutine as an option in their food court! Mind blown!<br />
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<h4>
Tuesday August 6, 2019</h4>
Kamloops, Canada to Home:271 miles driven<br />
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We had another 5 hours to drive this day. The drive back always seems like it takes forever, especially when the Canadian border crossing was backed up! But we all made it home safely.<br />
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What a trip! And to think I almost didn't go. Even with the rain and thunderstorm, this hike was amazing and I would do it all over again.<br />
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We definitely want to go back next summer. We would do a couple of things differently though. We would want to leave home early and actually hike into the 1st campground that day (Kinney Lake Campground, which you can also bike to), then spend 2-3 nights at Berg Lake, and the last day, hike Berg Lake back to trailhead. This trail was fairly easy, most of the elevation gain was between Whitehorn and Emperor Falls, besides that the trail is pretty flat.<br />
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Until next time, Mt Robson Provincial Park!<br />
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Also, here's a link to the girl's blog we used, it is full of info, I can't even top how good this blog post is: <a href="https://happiestoutdoors.ca/hiking-the-berg-lake-trail/">https://happiestoutdoors.ca/hiking-the-berg-lake-trail/</a><br />
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Emperor Falls Campground</div>
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Cody made me put my feet in! Brrr</div>
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Take me back here please!</div>
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Cody scared me!</div>
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Mt Robson, Berg Glacier, and Berg Lake</div>
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The lil lake at the toe of Robson Glacier</div>
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Rachel and Kaelee taking photos at Berg Lake</div>
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Berg Glacier</div>
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The most amazing backcountry toilet I have ever used!</div>
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Berg Hut, as you can see everyone got soaked from the rain </div>
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Kaelee, me, and Rachel!</div>
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The most picturesque trail I have ever been on</div>
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Emperor Falls</div>
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So magnificent!</div>
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On my way to Whitehorn</div>
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The optional flatter trail you can take!</div>
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Whitehorn Campground</div>
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com3Berg Lake, Fraser-Fort George H, BC V0E, Canada53.144003 -119.1590527000000253.1249555 -119.19939320000002 53.1630505 -119.11871220000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-17124552792771387922019-07-11T22:11:00.000-07:002019-07-11T22:11:05.742-07:00Backpacking Canada: Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tent pads, mountain huts, toilets with TP, what more can you ask for in the backcountry?</div>
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Hiking to Wedgemount Lake landed on my to do list after we backpacked in Garibaldi Provincial Park area last summer with Kaelee and Brian (you can read about that <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2018/08/canada-backpacking-garibaldi-lake-to.html" target="_blank">trip here</a>). After experiencing the beauty of the park last summer, I knew I had to come back and see more of it.<br />
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As I researched what it took to overnight at Wedgemount Lake, I knew you needed to get permits in advance. So beginning of the year, I asked some of my friends if they wanted to join in on this weekend adventure, and I got a handful of yeses! I booked the permits online in March (<a href="https://discovercamping.ca/Home.aspx" target="_blank">here's the site to book permits in Canada</a>), and started planning away!<br />
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Since the trailhead is roughly 4 hours away from Seattle, I asked my friends if they wanted to spend the night at an Airbnb or hostel in Canada before driving to the trailhead Saturday morning. We all settled at staying in an Airbnb in Squamish Friday night (here's a <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/32115191?source_impression_id=p3_1562907902_efKQOTIKWq0ALLqQ" target="_blank">link</a> to the place we stayed at). (Staying in Squamish was more expensive than staying in Vancouver, but we opted to be closer to the trailhead, vs if we stayed in Vancouver, we would have still had a 2+ hr drive to get to the trailhead Saturday).<br />
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Onto the actual backpacking/hike...<br />
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Wedgemount Lake</div>
<h2>
Wedgemount Lake</h2>
<b><u>Trail Stats</u></b><br />
Distance: 8.7 miles R/T<br />
Elevation Gain: 4500 ft (give or take)<br />
Parking pass needed: none need for trailhead<br />
Permits needed to overnight: Yes ($9/person, reserved ahead online)<br />
No Dogs Allowed<br />
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The forecast called for rain Saturday, so I wasn't surprised when we got to the parking lot at the trailhead and it was half empty. We loaded up our packs, put on our rain gear, and hit the trail.<br />
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We started the hike around 11:15 AM. Kaelee split from the group and got to the lake first. Our group separated as the hike got steeper and wetter. I arrived at the lake around 4:40 PM. Even though the hike was just a little over 4 miles one way, it was really slow going, especially with the rain. By the time I got to the hut at the lake, I was completely soaked. I don't think my rain coat failed. More that I had taken it off in the middle of the hike, got wet, and put it back on. Anyways, all of us were pretty soaked by the end of the hike.<br />
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Wearing all our rain gear...</div>
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The first views of the hut and toilet you get, what a relief knowing you're almost there!</div>
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Svenja setting up her tent on a tent pad right outside of the hut</div>
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Up at the lake, there are several tent pads. Some are located up on the ridge, and I heard some were down by the lake. But because of the rain, we never wandered down to the lake this weekend. Besides tent pads, there is a small hut and a composting toilet (which are both luxuries in the backcountry in my eyes!) oh and a bear food hang outside!<br />
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Kaelee hung out in the hut with another backpacker (Svenja, a solo German backpacker), while she waited for our butts to get up the mountain. Once the rest of us got to the lake, only 2 more overnighters showed up. So a whopping 8 of us were crazy enough to brave the rain for some backcountry solitude. Our group of 5 took over the hut, while the others tented it. (Thank you so much for letting us take over the hut and sleeping in it!)<br />
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Do you spy Wedgemount Glacier?</div>
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Our refuge, the Wedge Hut</div>
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The rain came and went, and so did the views of the lake. Even though it was still bright out at 9:30 PM, we all crawled into our sleeping bags and called it a night. Kaelee, Katherine, and Maria slept in the loft up top, while Cody and I setup our pads and bags on the tables.<br />
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The following morning we awoke to the pitter patter of rain against the metal roof of the hut. All of us were dreading to go outside again. But Katherine had to pee, so she was the first one up and out of the hut. When she came back, she announced that the rain wasn't actually that bad! And that their was a view of the lake and glacier! All of us got up eventually, ate breakfast, packed up, wandered around the lake a bit for my photos, and started our hike out before 10:00 AM. Even though it took me over 5 hours to get to the lake the day before, Sunday's hike out took less than 3.5 hours. I blame the rain for my slowness the day before lol.<br />
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What an adventure! The rain definitely put a damper to our weekend but we made the best of it. We also made 3 new friends along the way, hope to run into you guys on trail again, Linda, Svenja, and Misuzu!<br />
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Until next time Canada!<br />
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Katherine, welcoming me to the hut!</div>
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The clouds came and went </div>
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Cody and me</div>
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Our cute home for the night</div>
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The inside of the hut, not pictured, the loft that sleeps 4</div>
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Thanks friends, I appreciate you guys!</div>
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Tent pads and mountain huts</div>
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I need to come back and see Wedgemount Mountain with blue skies!</div>
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Always so awkward lol</div>
dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com2Wedgemount Lake, Squamish-Lillooet C, BC V0N 0A0, Canada50.1593156 -122.8139302999999850.149143099999996 -122.83410029999997 50.1694881 -122.79376029999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-4461950024414732532019-06-10T20:38:00.000-07:002019-06-10T20:40:43.227-07:00Backpacking Washington: Pete Lake in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just 1/4 mile from Pete Lake trailhead, Cooper River</div>
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After spending most of May traveling abroad, I really missed the Washington trails and wanted to go backpacking the 1st chance I got. I squeezed in a short hike to Poo Poo Point last weekend 24 hours after I landed, but it just wasn't enough. So this weekend, Cody and I had to be at the Cle Elum Ranger Station Saturday morning, bright and early, for a mandatory info talk to be able to stay at a fire lookout this summer (more to come on that later), but afterwards, I figured since we were in the Cle Elum area, we might as well squeeze in an overnighter! </div>
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Because our meeting didn't end till 1:30 PM Saturday, we needed a hike in that was relatively easy and give us enough time to setup camp in the daylight and also time to relax. Pete Lake met all our criteria!<br />
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The start of our hike</div>
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Cooper River, beginning of the trail </div>
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I knew I had to come back here for a swim </div>
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Pete Lake at sunset</div>
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Dates Backpacked: Saturday - Sunday 6/8-6/9/2019<br />
Trail Hiked: Pete Lake Trail<br />
Miles Hiked: 9.5 miles R/T<br />
Elevation Gain: 400 ft<br />
Permits needed: Self-permitted at trailhead, parking Northwest Forest Pass<br />
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<h2>
Pete Lake Trail</h2>
<h4>
Saturday June 8, 2019</h4>
We got to a very full trailhead at around 2:30 PM, cars were parked along the side of the road. But we were able to snag a parking spot in the lot as some day hikers were about to leave. With so many cars in the lot, it had me worried that we weren't going to find a campsite hiking in this late! So as we loaded up and started hiking in, I started counting how many groups were hiking out (1 car, 2 car, 3 car...) lol. I ended up counting at least 15 groups who were hiking back to trailhead.<br />
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One of the many water crossings</div>
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It took us roughly 2 hours to get to the lake. The trail was easy and flat. There were several water crossings, nothing too hard to cross though. As we approached the lake, we opted to go right of the trail since there were quite a number of tents just to the left. Going right, also is the trail continuation to Spectacle Lake (on my to-do list, just didn't have time this weekend to add on another 6.5 miles Saturday). As we skirted along the lake, we past a few more occupied campsites, and after 45 minutes of bushwhacking and skirting the lake, we opted to backtrack and see what there was if you went left of the lake. So right when you see the lake, just to the left is a giant flat area where at least 10-13 tents if not more, can be pitched, and easy access to the lake. There was room for us here, but there were also a ton of kids. So Cody and I opted to go a lil further down to see if we could find something more secluded, and we did! Score! The spot we found also had an already made fire pit for us too (as long as there's no fire ban in the area, fires are allowed 200 ft away from the water).<br />
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Our secluded campsite for the night </div>
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Welcome to our crib</div>
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There was plenty of room for us to pitch our new REI Quarter Dome SL 2 Tent, set up 2 hammocks, and also put our 2 backpacking chairs around the fire pit. We had a view of the lake, but no water access from our spot. The walk to the water was not far though. We lounged in our hammocks, Cody collected fallen wood for our fire, we made dinner, and had a relaxing evening before heading to bed.<br />
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The night was clear so I set an alarm for 1:30 AM so I could get some night shots. But after dragging my butt out of the tent, I took 2 shots, and went back to bed cuz it was colder than I expected. Next time, astrophotography, next time.<br />
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My attempt at night photography </div>
<h4>
Sunday June 9, 2019</h4>
We packed up and hiked out around 10:00 AM, by then most of the tents by the lake were gone. The hike out was easy enough and a hot one. I kept telling Cody how I remembered a spot near trailhead that looked nice to swim in and once we came upon that spot, I put on my bathing suit and walked right in. I wanted to dunk my head but it was way too cold for me lol. Plus I was the only one swimming, Cody wouldn't get in. So I waded in the water waist deep for a little bit, and we headed to the car. It sure felt like summer.<br />
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After we hiked out, we swung by the Roslyn Farmers Market and then went to our favorite BBQ place in Cle Elum before heading home. Twas a great weekend.<br />
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Until next time Cle Elum!<br />
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Chicken & Dumplings, still my favorite Mountain House Meal!</div>
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View of Pete Lake if you go right of the lake</div>
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Pete Lake in the morning </div>
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All the trillium!</div>
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I lost count of how many we saw on trail this weekend!</div>
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Such big trees!</div>
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There were two toilets at Pete Lake</div>
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Fires allowed!<br />
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A dip before we head home<br />
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<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/smokeys-bar-b-que-south-cle-elum-2" target="_blank">Smokey's Bar-B-Que</a> in Cle Elum, WA</div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com8Pete Lake, Washington 98045, USA47.4761102 -121.2352793999999747.4707442 -121.24536439999997 47.4814762 -121.22519439999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-36816716771617672052019-04-16T18:48:00.000-07:002019-04-16T20:23:22.459-07:00Skagit Valley: Things to do besides the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival<!--Doris, leave this at the beginning of every blog post. To add a Pinterest "Save" button to an image add "data-pin-media" to the <img> tag of the image. -->
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Red tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival </div>
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I got inspired to write this blog post from this <a href="https://www.thenewstribune.com/entertainment/article143985159.html" target="_blank">article </a>I found online.<br />
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Cody and I had planned a trip to visit Bellingham, WA in April and I figured, on our way home from Bellingham we could swing by the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Even though this was my 4th year going, I always like to read up about the tulips before visiting. This year, I stumbled upon an article titled "<a href="https://www.thenewstribune.com/entertainment/article143985159.html" target="_blank">Five (other) ways to do the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival</a>". Which inspired me to swing by Bow and Edison, WA and it was definitely worth it!<br />
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So here is a rundown of the things we did on our way to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.<br />
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<h2>
Chuckanut Drive</h2>
If you are ever driving from Seattle to Bellingham, or Bellingham to Seattle, this drive is a must! It is only slightly out of the way, but the views are worth it. <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g58350-d146040-Reviews-Chuckanut_Drive-Bellingham_Washington.html" target="_blank">Chuckanut Drive</a> hugs the coast and has a view of Samish Bay and the islands, it is such a beautiful drive! I have been on this road here and there, Oyster Dome is off of it, but had never done the full drive till this past weekend. Even with gloomy/rainy weather, the drive was still gorgeous! Did you know there's a <a href="https://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/location/samish-oyster-bar-and-shellfish-market" target="_blank">Taylor's Shellfish</a> off of this road to? Definitely need to stop there next time. Just Google "Chuckanut Drive" and you will find more info on this road.<br />
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One of the many pull out viewpoints on Chuckanut Drive</div>
<h2>
Edison, WA</h2>
The only place we went to in this town was <a href="https://www.breadfarm.com/" target="_blank">Breadfarm</a>, a local bakery I read about in the article I linked above. But this lil town was so cute! I will have to go back next time to the other shops around Breadfarm. It looks like there's literally 6-8 shops, but they are all so rustic looking, I would love to take a peak in all of them when I have more time.<br />
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I wanted to buy all the breads and pastries in <a href="https://www.breadfarm.com/" target="_blank">Breadfarm</a>! We walked out of the shop with a French baguette, some dog treats for the pup, and 2 coconut macaroons. They even gave us a discount on the baguette because the baker noticed it was softer than usual. If you love bakeries, I'd highly recommend stopping by here!<br />
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Here's another interesting <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/united-states/edison-washington-best-restaurants-food" target="_blank">article </a>I found on Edison.<br />
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Baked goods from Breadfarm</div>
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Store front</div>
<h2>
Bow, WA</h2>
Right next to the city of Edison is Bow. We ate brunch at Rhododendron Cafe, which was delicious. I enjoyed a salmon benedict while Cody had the white truffle asparagus omelette. Right next door to the cafe (same owners) is another cute lil bakery, Farm to Market Bakery. I wanted to stop in, but was so full, we decided to surpass it and head to the next attraction off the beaten road...<br />
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Salmon Benedict from <a href="http://www.rhodycafe.com/" target="_blank">Rhody Cafe</a> in Bow, WA</div>
<h4>
<a href="http://samishbay.com/" target="_blank">Samish Bay Cheese</a></h4>
Next stop was the <a href="http://samishbay.com/" target="_blank">Samish Bay Cheese</a> Factory/Store/Farm! This was the stop Cody was looking forward to the most, probably because he is a huge cheese fan. The shop's sign is painted on a pallet and, not gonna lie, we almost drove past it! But Cody saw it and pointed me towards their gravel parking lot. First you have to drive by the cows, then once parked, Cody noticed a sign saying, pigs, go right. I was not expecting an actual farm! How awesome! We walked into the shop and were greeted by a welcoming/homey feel. They had 3 different kinds of cheese you could try,. along with anything you want to sample in the case. We even got to sample some cheesecake! Everything was delicious, and we walked out of the shop with a wedge of medium Gouda, some locally made Girl Meets Dirt Tomato Jam, a dog bone, and some bleu cheese. On our way to the car, I had to stop by and say hi to the cows of course.<br />
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(The following Sunday, we were at the Ballard Farmer's Market in Seattle and noticed Samish Bay Cheese had a stand there! So you don't have to go to Bow, WA for their cheese)<br />
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One of Samish Bay Cheese signs</div>
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Cheese tasting!</div>
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Calves!</div>
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Moooove over mister</div>
<h4>
My Favorite Nursery</h4>
After Bow, WA we finally made it into the city of Mt Vernon, where the tulips are. But I made us go by my favorite nursery first before we swung by the tulips, <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/christiansons-nursery-mount-vernon" target="_blank">Christianson's Nursery</a>! This nursery has it all, from vegetable seedlings, to magnolia trees, to air plants, and indoor houseplants! I always make it a point to stop in here. I only walked out with a Bird's Nest Fern this time.<br />
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Christianson's Nursery</div>
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<h2>
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival</h2>
So last stop on my list, the Skagit Valley tulips. Of course it was raining though, so Cody had no interest in stomping around in the mud while I ogled at the tulips. So we did the drive by-park on the side of the road-I get out of the car and take a photo- and I hop back in the car thing... not the most ideal, but it was really muddy and this was my 4th year in row visiting them, so this would do for this year.<br />
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In my books there's 4 ways of going about and seeing the tulip fields:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Most Expensive Way</b>: Park in the main <a href="https://www.tulips.com/bloommap" target="_blank">RoozenGaarde </a>parking lot (free parking), and join the hoards of people walking to the pay booth, where they charge you $8/person weekdays or $10/person on the weekends, and you get to enjoy the tulip fields fully. They also have flower booths and other shops that sell things. If you have never been, I highly recommend experiencing this way at least for your first time</li>
<li><b>The Expensive Parking Way</b>: There's actually a bunch of flower fields spread through out Mt Vernon. RoozenGaarde runs majority of them as well I feel, but if you go to one of the fields that's not part of the main fields, they charge you $10/car to park, and then your whole car load of people can walk around the one field. They also usually have one booth selling fresh cut tulips. </li>
<li><b>Drive By Way</b>: This is the route I went this year, where you follow the road signs that say "Tulip Route", and you ogle from your car. Then when you have an inkling to get out, you pull off the side of the road (hopefully there's no sign that says "no parking"), you take a few quick photos, then you go along your way to the next fields</li>
<li><b>Biking Way</b>: I have yet to go this way, but I think next year I want to bike the tulip route. My friend Katherine suggested parking in downtown Mt Vernon, then biking over to the flower beds! Love this idea!</li>
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Always check the bloom <a href="https://www.tulips.com/bloommap" target="_blank">map </a>before you go! Oh and another tip is wear rubber boots, the fields are usually pretty muddy.</div>
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After all these stops we were pretty tired but my heart was full and was happy to head on home after all these stops. </div>
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Until next time Skagit Valley!<br />
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0Skagit Valley, Washington 98284, USA48.4873296 -122.2471014000000226.6019086 -163.55569540000002 70.3727506 -80.93850740000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-88314671082953897862019-04-04T16:20:00.001-07:002019-04-04T16:20:59.590-07:00Spring Backpacking: Ancient Lakes Round 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being in eastern Washington makes you feel like you're not in WA anymore<br />
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This past weekend was my 4th year in a row backpacking to Ancient Lakes in the early spring. Because we go every year, I feel packing gets easier, I know what to bring and what not to bring, and once there, I kinda know what to expect from the trip. So this blog is going to be a rundown of what trailhead I like to start at, where to camp, and what not about the Ancient Lakes area!<br />
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If you would like to read my previous blog posts about backpacking Ancient Lakes, click <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2016/04/backpacking-ancient-lakes.html" target="_blank">here </a>(2016) and <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/04/repeat-ancient-lakes.html" target="_blank">here</a> (2017), apparently I skipped 2018.<br />
<h2>
Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead</h2>
There are multiple trailheads to access Ancient Lakes. For the past 4 years in a row, we have accessed Ancient Lakes by the Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead. I personally favor this one because the hike to the lake is relatively flat, along a maintained trail, and takes about 40 minutes to get to where we like to set up camp. About a 2 mile walk in.<br />
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The trailheads listed on the <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/ancient-lakes" target="_blank">WTA site</a> are: Upper Trailhead (Judith Pool), Upper Ancient Lakes Trailhead, and Lower Ancient Lakes Trailhead.<br />
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Personally, I plug "Ancient and Dusty Lake Trailhead" into my Google Maps and it gets me to the trailhead I want. We have walked by the Upper Ancient Lakes Trailhead before, and have seen people camped in the flat spots above the waterfall that goes down to Ancient Lakes, but camping next to the lakes is my preference and I think the scenery is nicer. If you come from the Upper Ancient Lakes Trailhead and are coming down to the lakes, you have to come down a pretty steep section next to the waterfall, and then scramble over rocks to get to the trail that leads around the lake to the camp spots. Doing that with a heavy pack doesn't sound fun to me, and also I saw people doing it, and it didn't look fun compared to the easy flat hike in from the Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead I prefer.<br />
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Fishing at Ancient Lakes, can you pick out Andrew in the photo?<br />
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Beginning of the hike in</div>
<h3>
Our Favorite Camp Spot</h3>
I guess it might be taboo to give away our favorite camping spot, but this area has so much space, you can find a spot for large groups pretty much anywhere around the lakes. One of the first times we headed out here, there was this massive Boy Scout group, I swear there were like 20 scouts running around.<br />
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There are 3 notable lakes when you get to them. We like to camp between the lakes, at the bottom of the basalt wall, if that makes sense. We also like to pick an area where there's been a fire pit made, so that we don't have to make a new one. (Campfires are allowed during certain times of year).<br />
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Do you see the waterfall?<br />
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Closer shot of our camp spot</div>
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Things To Bring and Not to Bring</h3>
The first year we headed out here, I packed a hammock in my bag. Well there's not much trees out here, so it was useless and extra weight in my pack. So I would not recommend bringing a hammock.<br />
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Things I would recommend bringing:</h4>
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<li>3-5 liters of water (dependent of how much water you normally consume and how many nights you plan on spending out here). The water in the lakes are farmland runoff, so not really safe to drink or swim in. Or if you do, do it at your own risk. Farmland runoff, as in farmers have used this water to water their crops (which probably have some kind of pesticide on them), or used the water to rinse/water their livestock, so maybe there's even poop in the water... who knows. I like to play it safe than be sorry. </li>
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<li>A bundle of wood. The first year we headed out here, we did not think to bring wood. There's not much you can scavenge around this area either since there's not much trees and is desert-y. The wood is a pain to carry out but having a campfire at night is worth it. Or if a bundle is too heavy, make everyone in the group strap 1-2 logs to their packs! (I do recommend buying local wood as not to bring outside bugs and plant diseases into the area)</li>
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One thing I did notice more this year was the amount of trash floating in the lake! We saw lots of upside down cans. So disappointing. I picked up the trash that was easily accessible but those cans I did not get too. Please pack all trash out. </div>
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Anyways, Ancient Lakes is such a great spot in the early spring to head too, with warmer weather and no snow. Happy camping!</div>
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Until next time Quincy, WA!<br />
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All the colorful tents!</div>
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Catherine and Kyle overlooking Ancient Lakes</div>
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#homeiswhereyoustakeit</div>
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11 humans + 2 canines</div>
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Someone walking through the photo with a headlamp on</div>
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Do you spy Cooper?</div>
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Wore my new Oboz Sapphire Low B-Dry Hiking shoes on trail this weekend!</div>
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Lil fam :)</div>
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com4Quincy, WA 98848, USA47.2342997 -119.8525503999999847.1911672 -119.93323139999998 47.2774322 -119.77186939999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-32791680101780579932019-03-02T21:03:00.005-08:002019-03-02T21:04:27.397-08:00Skiing 101: How Much Does It Cost to Ski in WA vs. CA?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Me at Stevens 2019</div>
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I am not an avid skier. I am not a very good skier either, I teeter between the green runs being a little too easy for me, to the blue runs being a tiny bit too hard for me, but I still like going down the blue runs, just slowly. I am writing this piece because I am surprised at the cost of lift tickets, how much it varies, and just the total cost of it all.<br />
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I grew up skiing the resorts in Big Bear, California, where the slopes usually have more man made snow vs. actual real snow from Mother Nature. So moving up to Washington, it's a shock how much snow the mountains get here! (California did get more snow this year though)<br />
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<b><u>Annual Snowfall Comparison:</u></b><br />
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<b>Big Bear Lake, CA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Mammoth, CA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Tahoe, CA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Stevens Pass, WA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.8pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Mt Baker Ski Area<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
67 inches</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
400 inches</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
300-500 inches</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.75pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
460 inches</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 95.8pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
663 inches</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I tend to only ski once a year due to cost of skiing. Which, I don't own my own ski equipment either, so the cost of renting adds up over the years. I went skiing at Stevens Pass the other weekend, and the cost breakdown of my one day of skiing was : $80 for a lift ticket (discounted price too because I used a friend's buddy pass, I think normally it's around $100 during peak season), and around $70 for ski rentals (included ski boots, skis, helmet, and ski poles). Dropping that much for a day of skiing is a lot to me. But after talking to some of my California buddies, an $80 lift ticket was considered cheap to them!<br />
<br />
2 seasons ago, I skied for the day at Bluewood Ski Resort near Walla Walla, WA and thought the lift tickets their were reasonable, at $47 for a weekend lift ticket. I guess that's not just reasonable, but considerably cheap after I did my research for this post.<br />
<br />
My friends in California said Mammoth and Bear prices are around $110-180 for a day lift ticket. Which spiked my interest in doing a price comparison chart of lift ticket costs Washington vs California. So I did some research and came up with these charts (prices vary (i.e. buying them early online can make them cheaper, weekday prices are cheaper too, etc.))<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sUeMCR8xNVA/XHtdfsgHkgI/AAAAAAAADSI/EICSbBUY2QAdlGrJBaMg0E7uUO9SdbETwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_9166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sUeMCR8xNVA/XHtdfsgHkgI/AAAAAAAADSI/EICSbBUY2QAdlGrJBaMg0E7uUO9SdbETwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_9166.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo from Big Bear 2013</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bSUWFnzjKZc/XHtfEPa65WI/AAAAAAAADSw/VfWWwatTTkg3UN9ttQZvdqIxPgDosb9ygCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_9142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bSUWFnzjKZc/XHtfEPa65WI/AAAAAAAADSw/VfWWwatTTkg3UN9ttQZvdqIxPgDosb9ygCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_9142.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Big Bear 2013 (Yes I am still rocking the same jacket lol)</div>
<br />
<u><b>California Prices:</b></u><br />
<br />
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<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Big Bear Mountain<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mammoth Mountain<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tahoe – Squaw Valley<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lift Ticket<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$109</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$189</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$89-179</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rental (full package)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$55</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$64</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 119.7pt;" valign="top" width="160"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$80</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Washington State Prices:</b></u><br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crystal Mountain<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stevens Pass Ski<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summit at Snoqualmie<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mt. Baker Ski Area<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bluewood Ski (Dayton, WA)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lift Ticket<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$79-89<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$84-94<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$65<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$60.94<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$47<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rental (full package)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$47<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$70<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$45<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$60<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 79.8pt;" valign="top" width="106"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
$47<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>I always find seeing price comparisons interesting and if I am getting the best deal out there. These prices are for 1 day lift tickets and rentals. </o:p></div>
<h4>
Ski Budget Tips:</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Buying lift tickets ahead of time online usually can save you a few bucks</li>
<li>Look into renting equipment elsewhere</li>
<li>Check Costco and REI for lift ticket deals</li>
<li>Borrow gear from friends</li>
</ul>
<div>
I hope you found this helpful! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until next time Stevens!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dF3LXDogIa0/XHteyLJcplI/AAAAAAAADSc/VpoD6Sd_O_IZODVfbM2MMZlKWvTXO7LowCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dF3LXDogIa0/XHteyLJcplI/AAAAAAAADSc/VpoD6Sd_O_IZODVfbM2MMZlKWvTXO7LowCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0240.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bluewood Map</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgHTGz6QyFk/XHtexI9iPsI/AAAAAAAADSU/r1R3GfeGVDESztcMciznjxmESHjwQTKiQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgHTGz6QyFk/XHtexI9iPsI/AAAAAAAADSU/r1R3GfeGVDESztcMciznjxmESHjwQTKiQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0249.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cody's 1st time skiing Bluewood 2017</div>
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Stevens Pass</div>
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Night skiing at Stevens (they have lights!)</div>
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Resource Links:</div>
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<ul>
<li>https://www.skilaketahoe.com/resorts/squaw-valley-alpine-meadows/</li>
<li>https://www.mammothmountain.com/winter</li>
<li>http://www.bluewood.com/</li>
<li>https://www.stevenspass.com/site</li>
<li>https://summitatsnoqualmie.com/</li>
<li>https://www.bigbearmountainresort.com/</li>
<li>https://www.mtbaker.us/</li>
</ul>
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-25257991904456991132019-01-16T21:04:00.001-08:002019-01-16T21:04:47.612-08:00Snow Camping: Artist Point in North Cascades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j29oreI6UzM/XEAHOtWCv7I/AAAAAAAADMg/qcE99NiLX9Uc2ek5AdCS8aRGUvoeNbQqgCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC05503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j29oreI6UzM/XEAHOtWCv7I/AAAAAAAADMg/qcE99NiLX9Uc2ek5AdCS8aRGUvoeNbQqgCLcBGAs/s640/DSC05503.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mt Baker at Sunrise</div>
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This past weekend I went snow camping at Artist Point with some of my close girl friends + 11 other rad women who are all part of the PNW Outdoor Women's group and it was such a blast! <a href="https://www.sarinaclark.com/" target="_blank">Sarina</a> and I have talked about snow camping at Artist Point for the longest time, but the stars never aligned until this weekend and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! We almost snow camped at Artist Point last winter, but I got sick and wasn't feeling it so we did a day trip to snowshoe Artist Point, then car camped nearby. Which was equally as fun! (<a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/12/winter-car-camping-artist-point_17.html" target="_blank">You can read about that trip here</a>)<br />
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<h3>
Coordination & Planning</h3>
I originally had plans to hang out with my mom and wasn't going to be able to hang this weekend. But my mom ended up catching a bad cold and postponing her trip, so I joined the planning party a lil late. So I messaged the group of friends 5 days before the weekend to see what they had in mind and I got a "SNOW CAMPING!" response back. Well of course I was down for snow camping! But the question was where? With living in Washington comes the iffy winter weather, high avalanche dangers, and minimal sunny days. So in the Facebook chat I was in, a couple of locations got thrown out there, but we waited till Friday to make the final decision of where we were headed Saturday. Other ideas thrown out there had been Hex Mountain and a lake near Crystal Mountain. In the end, avy dangers lowered for the Mt. Baker area and Artist Point it was! (We use <a href="https://www.nwac.us/" target="_blank">NWAC</a> to check avy conditions)<br />
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Other things we coordinated during the week before the actual location was picked were: how many tents are we bringing and who's sharing with who? Who's down to drive and wants to carpool? Who has a snow shovel? Who's bringing a sled? (Jk jk, I was the only one who wanted a sled lol). What time do you all want to leave? After we hammered out all these details, we all had a lot of packing to do.<br />
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Mt Baker</div>
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Trip Details</h4>
<b>Location:</b> Mt Baker Ski Area<br />
<b>Dates camped: </b>January 12-13, 2019<br />
<b>Miles hiked:</b> 4+ miles R/T<br />
<b>Elevation Gain:</b> 1000 ft<br />
<b>Parking:</b> $10 for overnight parking, permit bought at ski lodge. Free day use parking<br />
<b>Dogs: </b>Allowed<br />
<b>Main Snow Gear Used:</b> Snowshoes<br />
<b>Driving Distance: </b>240 miles R/T from Lynnwood, WA<br />
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<h3>
Saturday January 12, 2019</h3>
<a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hiker_katherine/?hl=en" target="_blank">Katherine</a> carpooled to my house in Lynnwood and I drove us to Artist Point in Cody's Tacoma (4 Wheel/All Wheel drive recommended, but not necessary to get to Artist Point/Mt Baker Ski area parking lot, chains highly suggested though).<br />
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We pulled into the parking lot around 9:40 AM and it was packed! Since we were parking overnight we were told to look for a spot on the rock wall. We did a drive by and there were no spots and by the time we looped back around to ask the parking attendant again where to park, the lot was a zoo! We eventually found parking on the outskirts of the lot. After we loaded up our packs, Amanda and I headed to the ski lodge office to buy overnight parking passes while everyone else headed to the trail head to wait for us (if I had known we needed to buy a pass at the office, I would probably have swung by there first with the car, then parked).<br />
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Katherine and <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a> scoping out the area </div>
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Nikki and Sarina's tent</div>
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Kaelee and my tent</div>
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Table Mountain in the background</div>
<h3>
Pulk Sled</h3>
I made a pulk sled for this trip (aka I bought a $10 sled, drilled some extra holes in it and added paracord, so I could drag my gear up, instead of carrying all of it on my back). I thought I was going to be super slow with it attached to me, but it wasn't too bad! For the most part on the way up, the sled just stayed right behind me and it never tipped. On the way down, we attached the back end of the sled to the front of Kaelee so that the sled wouldn't run into me while we went downhill. Overall, we gave this pulk sled a 10/10! It also turned into great entertainment after we setup camp, as we all took turns sledding down the hill with it.<br />
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Photo by: <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a> </div>
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Photo by: <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a> </div>
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Photo by: <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a></div>
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We got to the area where we all decided to setup camp around 1:00 PM and began digging holes in the snow to pitch our tents. For us, we wanted to create a small barrier so that if there were wind we wouldn't get pummeled. Also creating a nice flat spot to pitch your tent is key for you not to have a miserable night. Once our tent was pitched, we all hung out, ate some lunch, and sledded a bit before Teresa gave a crevasse demonstration with Nikki. Then some of us hiked towards Huntoon Point to check out the area and caught sunset.<br />
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We eventually all gathered together for dinner, hung out, took some night photos, and then Kaelee and I crawled into our shared tent around 7:30 PM and called it a night. (Yes, you spend a lot of time in your tent when snow camping in the winter)<br />
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Oh, if you're curious what I ate for dinner while snow camping: a $3 packet of ramen I bought from the Asian market. Hot soupy noodles sounded way more appealing to me than a Mountain House.<br />
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Just chillin'</div>
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How many people can say they went sledding under Shuksan?</div>
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Photo by: <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a> </div>
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Mt Shuksan</div>
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Amanda and Sarina</div>
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Practiced some long exposure shots</div>
<h3>
Sunday January 13, 2019</h3>
We all woke before sunrise (it was 7:55 AM that day), and my group of friends gathered around outside our tents with cameras in hand, ready for the sunrise show. Sunrise this trip was better than sunset. After sunrise, we ate breakfast with everyone, packed up our stuff, and headed back down to the parking lot. It took us 40 minutes to get back to the car. Artist Point is not a hard hike at all.<br />
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Overall, it was another amazing snow camping trip with great company and amazing views! This was my first snow camping trip using my new 0 degree sleeping bag and I never got cold! My Oboz hiking boots did soak through and woke up to some very stiff and frozen boots, but it wasn't a big deal for me.<br />
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Until next time North Cascades!<br />
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Sunrise was the best part!</div>
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Hi Amanda!</div>
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Our lil tent city</div>
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<a href="https://drawntohighplaces.com/" target="_blank">Nikki</a> in her element</div>
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That sunrise show</div>
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That group shot (edited and taken by: <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a>)</div>
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com18Artist Point, Deming, WA 98244, USA48.8466999 -121.6923239000000226.9612709 -163.00091790000002 70.732128899999992 -80.38372990000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-30257375234138867232019-01-02T14:24:00.001-08:002019-01-02T14:24:56.253-08:00Camping at Jumbo Rocks at Joshua Tree National Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jumbo Rocks Campground Site #121</div>
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Joshua Tree National Park - Hall of Horrors</div>
Dates Camped: December 22-23, 2018<br />
Campground: <a href="https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/jumbo-rocks-campground.htm" target="_blank">Jumbo Rocks Campground</a><br />
Campsite: #121<br />
Fee: $15/night<br />
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I had this trip to California to visit family and friends for Christmas booked for a while but didn't actually plan on going to Joshua Tree until the week before Cody and I flew out. I knew I wanted to squeeze in a small adventure while in town, I just didn't know when I had the time. Once I figured out when all my family holiday parties were, I was finally able to hammer out my itinerary!<br />
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Jumbo Rocks Campground </div>
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Jumbo Rocks Campground</h2>
So the week before our trip, I hopped onto <a href="http://recreation.gov/">Recreation.gov</a> to see if there were any available campsites to book in advance at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/jumbo-rocks-campground.htm" target="_blank">Jumbo Rocks </a>and there was 1 site left for the date I wanted! So I went ahead and booked it. I had stayed at Jumbo Rocks a few years ago and it had been first come basis, but I guess they changed the campground to reservations only now. Which I do like better since it guarantees you a spot.<br />
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That Saturday, my friend Sergio and his girlfriend Kelsey headed out early to enjoy the day at Joshua Tree and hike around before we got there. Cody and I picked up a rental car in Ontario and grabbed my cousin Andrea and hit the road later in the day. We got to Joshua Tree just in time to catch sunset. It was perfect.<br />
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Sunset at Jumbo Rocks Campground</div>
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Jumbo Rocks behind us </div>
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Kelsey and Sergio at sunset</div>
<h3>
Government Shutdown on National Parks</h3>
The weekend we were there was the first weekend of the "partial government shutdown". The only thing that we noticed that affected us was that there was no one at the entrance of the park collecting the $30 fee to get in or checking if you have a National Park Pass. Sergio had gotten to Jumbo Rocks super early and had already setup his tent at our campsite so we didn't have a problem with someone "squatting" at our campsite. The pit toilet next to our site was also decently clean and stocked with toilet paper. But as I write this, January 2, 2018, I have read that the government has closed all campgrounds at Joshua Tree due to overflowing toilets and trash.<br />
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My 2 cents with the government shutdown if you are visiting a National Park: pick up after yourselves and leave it better than you found it.<br />
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We got lucky with our camping trip at Joshua Tree recently. But now that the government has been partially shutdown for 11 days and a ton of people using facilities with no one to clean them regularly, it's getting messy. Bring a trash bag and pack your trash out. Pick up any trash you see. The little things help.<br />
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I hope the government comes to an agreement soon. It makes me sad that people can't enjoy national parks right now because no one is able to work them and keep them clean. From what i have read, Yosemite is shutdown too.<br />
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Site #121</div>
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Campsite Review</h4>
My review on campsite #121 at Jumbo Rocks: it was kind of small but we were able to fit 2 big tents and 1 small tent at the site. Rocks were in the way lol. It was decently close to a pit toilet though, so that was convenient!<br />
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Until next time Joshua Tree!<br />
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Sunrise with a full moon at Joshua Tree National Park </div>
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Sergio and Kelsey</div>
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Cody blends right in with the Joshua Tree </div>
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Always fun bringing out my little cousin Andrea</div>
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Our favorite road dawg, Sergio!</div>
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King of the Mountain!</div>
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Spiky </div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com8Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA33.873415 -115.900992299999988.3513805000000012 -157.20958629999998 59.3954495 -74.592398299999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-33902068495403832832018-12-04T12:37:00.002-08:002018-12-05T09:49:44.448-08:00Mount Tahoma Trails Association: The Yurt <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Yurt</div>
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Yurts, fire lookouts, state park run cabins... I want to experience them all! Growing up in Southern California my entire life, none of these things existed down there. Yurts and fire lookouts were mythical places to me in far away lands. Then I moved to Washington almost 3 years ago and there's no turning back. This amazing state offers yurts, fire lookouts, wooden cabins, and so much more! It is also very affordable to stay in these places and not break the bank. So when a friend booked a yurt for the weekend 5 miles deep in the woods, of course I couldn't turn down the opportunity to stay in another magical place!<br />
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So the planning got going...<br />
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<a href="https://skimtta.org/" target="_blank">Mount Tahoma Trails Association</a></h2>
Mount Tahoma Trails Association manages <a href="https://skimtta.org/reservations/" target="_blank">4 different huts</a> in the area and all are open to the public during the day and permits are needed if you plan to stay overnight in them:<br />
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<li><a href="https://skimtta.org/product/high-hut/" target="_blank">High Hut</a> (6-8 miles R/T)</li>
<li><a href="https://skimtta.org/product/the-yurt/" target="_blank">The Yurt</a> (10-12 miles R/T)</li>
<li><a href="https://skimtta.org/product/brunis-snow-bowl-hut/" target="_blank">Bruni's Snow Bowl Hut</a> (6-8 miles R/T)</li>
<li><a href="https://skimtta.org/product/copper-creek-hut/" target="_blank">Copper Creek Hut</a> (11 miles R/T)</li>
<li>Permits are $15/person per night</li>
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Permits</h4>
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Because the winter weekend dates are in such high demand, Mt Tahoma Trails Association holds a raffle event at REI before the snow season starts to raffle off the most sought after weekend dates (late December - March seem to be the most popular weekend dates). After the event, they open up the online reservations to the public to book. Most weekday dates are left open and not in high demand, so if you have weekdays off, it's a great opportunity to snag a permit!</div>
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We were surprised when we logged on that there were still weekend dates available, so Sarina snagged the 1st weekend of December. We were shocked at how easy it was to get permits. But then realized those dates were not in high demand because there wasn't really much snow, and people enjoy going to these huts when there is a ton of snow. Oh well, we still had an awesome time!</div>
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Permit needed for parking: <a href="https://parks.state.wa.us/147/Sno-Park-Permit-vendors" target="_blank">Sno-Park Permit</a>. Since we were parking at trailhead for 2 days, we had to get the annual permit. It's either $20/day for a Sno-Park Day Pass or $40 for a Sno-Park Season Pass. Cody and I picked our permit up from the Alderwood REI. </div>
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Our Yurt Adventure</h3>
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As the dates soon approached, our group of friends were getting excited for the weekend getaway. The week before, the group started planning out our meals, going through our gear list, seeing what was needed and what was not (no tent or sleeping pad needed, less weight! Score!)</div>
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We decided on a group pasta dinner for Saturday night and a pancake breakfast. We coordinated who was bringing what. To say the least, we decided to luxury camp this weekend and brought a whole loaf of garlic bread and 2 jars of pasta sauce lol. </div>
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Sarina and Amanda </div>
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Approaching The Yurt</div>
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Saturday December 1, 2018</h4>
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Cody and I left Lynnwood around 6:45 AM Saturday morning, stopped at a Subway in Tacoma to pick up sandwiches for lunch, and met our friends at the Upper Sno-Park parking lot by 9:30-10 AM. </div>
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We geared up, and started our 5 mile road walk by 10:15 AM. We noticed a sign for Lower Yurt Trail but didn't take it and walked the entirety of the road to The Yurt. Cody and I later found out that the Lower Yurt Trail is actually a pretty flat hiking trail that leads you to the same place as the road, just less hilly. Noted for next time. Road walking was kinda boring with minimal snow on the ground. We reach The Yurt around 12:45 PM and all settled down at the table with our lunches. </div>
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After lunch and a nap, we all lazed around The Yurt, coloring, taking photos, eating the bin of candy that was there, and just enjoying the warmth of being inside. </div>
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The Yurt came fully equipped! More equipped than we expected. It had 2 bunk beds and 2 futons that sleep up to a total of 6 people. The kitchen came stocked with every sized pan and pot you can imagine, plates, bowls, cups, and utensils too! The stove ran on gas so we didn't have to bring our own pocket stoves. The oven doesn't work though, only the stove top. There was collected rain water and snow water reserved for us to use by the keepers of the hut. There were dominoes, coloring books, puzzles, all sorts of things for entertaining! They even had spare rain boots of all sizes and slippers for us to wear around the yurt. Also, the pit toilet was the cleanest pit toilet I had ever experienced! </div>
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Cody is so happy to have made it to The Yurt!</div>
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The fully equipped kitchen!</div>
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The bunk beds </div>
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As darkness fell upon us, and after a round of dominoes, we made dinner and relaxed for the night. The garlic bread was probably the biggest hit of the night. Since we didn't have an oven to toast it in, we toasted the loaf on a pan and it came out perfectly! </div>
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Sarina and I tried to get some night shots of the yurt, but they weren't turning out due to the clouds in the sky so we called it a night. </div>
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<h4>
Sunday December 2, 2018</h4>
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We all woke up around 7:30 AM, made some pancakes and hash browns, packed up, and hit the trail back to our cars by 9:45 AM. The hike back was uneventful. We past about 4 people hiking to Bruni's Snow Bowl. We ran into some of the volunteers who maintain the huts at the trailhead. They were heading up for the day in their trucks to do a lil more work before more snow fell. </div>
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Overall, it was a blast staying at The Yurt for a night! Now I want to stay at the other 3 huts and see which one I like the most! </div>
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Until next time Mount Tahoma Trails Association!</div>
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Cody and me!</div>
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Inside of the Yurt</div>
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Different angle of the yurt</div>
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Cody with Griffin Mountain behind him </div>
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Group pic!</div>
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Homeward bound</div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com229815 WA-706, Ashford, WA 98304, USA46.7605464 -122.0380999000000221.238511900000002 -163.34669390000002 72.2825809 -80.729505900000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-27915043311450329102018-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:002018-12-05T09:49:55.682-08:00Mexico Wine Country: Valle de Guadalupe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfdgrtJuUDk/XAGFrpDu5fI/AAAAAAAAC8M/JhxqTN059tg2xEPv2RMPdVHWenP22Le9ACLcBGAs/s1600/ORG_DSC04607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfdgrtJuUDk/XAGFrpDu5fI/AAAAAAAAC8M/JhxqTN059tg2xEPv2RMPdVHWenP22Le9ACLcBGAs/s640/ORG_DSC04607.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The group for our Mexico trip!</div>
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This was my second time visiting this area of Mexico. (If you want to read about my first experience, click <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2015/06/valle-de-guadalupe.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) I did not plan either of the trips and left the planning in the hands of my friends, and have had a blast both times! We hit up a handful of the same spots I hit up 3+ years ago, and also experienced some new places.<br />
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<h2>
About Valle de Guadalupe</h2>
Valle de Guadalupe is located about 2 hours south of San Diego and about 40 minutes northeast of Ensenada, on the Baja peninsula. It is the wine country of Mexico, a lot of times compared to Napa (but for 1/2 the price of going to Napa I feel). There are over 150 wineries in this area of Mexico! It seems that this area has been producing wine for over 100 years, but has grown more popular in recent years. (All this info and more can be found <a href="http://www.discoverbaja.com/baja-california-information/cityregion-guide/valle-de-guadalupe/" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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Here is my personal experience visiting Valle de Guadalupe...<br />
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<h3>
Transportation</h3>
The first time I went down, we drove from San Diego, crossed at Tecate and took 3 personal cars across the border. Our friends who drove their cars did purchase extra car insurance just in case and that can be done through a third party car insurance group, or call your own car insurance to see if they offer any kind of insurance driving into Mexico.<br />
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This time around our group decided to walk across the border through Tijuana. We got dropped off at the border, all of us making sure we had our passports, and just walked across. On the other side we hired a driver to pick us up and take us to our house rental in Ensenada.<br />
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Both times we did hire a van and a driver to cart the group around wine country. On my first trip, we only hired a driver for one day. This trip we did all 4 days so that we didn't have to worry about transportation, drinking while driving, and figuring out directions. The vans we have gotten seat about 9 people and the driver is local to the area, so they are a great resource if you are looking for anything in particular nearby, they know their way around.<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://www.bajawinesun.com/en/index.php" target="_blank">link </a>to one of the van company's we used.<br />
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We paid around $200/day this trip for transportation.<br />
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You can cross at Tijuana or Tecate to get to Valle de Guadalupe.<br />
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<h3>
Where we Stayed</h3>
Both times we stayed in large houses since it has always been a large group of people I have gone with. The first time we stayed in a house on the outskirts of Valle de Guadalupe and this time we stayed in Ensenada and did the 30-40 minute drive into the valley. Both places I think were booked off Airbnb or VRBO.<br />
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Here is the <a href="https://www.vrbo.com/969020?_branch_match_id=595711033658974953" target="_blank">link </a>to the place we stayed at in Ensenada. Great spot that sleeps up to 13 people!<br />
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Places to Eat</h3>
After visiting these restaurant on both trips, I would recommend visiting these spots! But, of course, there are many other restaurants out there that are just as wonderful.<br />
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<h4>
<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/boules-ensenada" target="_blank">Boules </a>in Ensenada, Mexico</h4>
Both times the service has been great and the food has been amazing. We did family style both times and left stuffed. This time around, for 7 people, we ordered ceviche, a dozen raw oysters, duck risotto, steak & fries, sashimi, and 2 bottles of wine, and our bill with tip came out to around $170. That's less than $25/person for seafood, steak, and wine! That's a steal in my books.<br />
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Dinner at Boules</div>
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I can't remember the price but I think it was under $20 for this ribeye and fries</div>
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<h4>
<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-esperanza-asufre" target="_blank">La Esperanza BajaMed</a> in Valle de Guadalupe</h4>
I have been here twice as well and both times have been great. They have a display of their aged steaks right when you walk in, and the restaurant itself is a great location surrounded by vineyards. For an 18 day dry-aged steak it was about $25 and delicious. I am a fan of their seafood shooters here too.<br />
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Sashimi and avocado</div>
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18 day dry aged ribeye for $25</div>
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<a href="http://fincaltozano.com/" target="_blank">Finca Altozano</a> in Valle de Guadalupe</h4>
I have been here twice as well and I need to give this place another try. The restaurant is outdoor seating. The first time we visited it was about 100 degrees and we were melting. This time around, it was windy and cold. So I was miserable in different ways. but it is another beautiful venue! The food is good too, but I feel I don't enjoy food as much when my body temperature is off lol. The Brussel sprouts are the best here though! Also, it seemed like the beef brisket was hands down everyone's favorite.<br />
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Here are a couple of other restaurants I went to on my first trip that I really enjoyed as well:<br />
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<li><a href="https://deckmans.com/" target="_blank">Deckman's en el Mogor</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/tre-galline-ensenada-2" target="_blank">Tre Galline</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/malva-ensenada" target="_blank">Malva</a></li>
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<h3>
Wineries We Visited</h3>
<a href="https://www.bajabound.com/destinations/bajawinecountry/tresmujeres.php" target="_blank">Tres Mujeres</a> - this was the smallest winery we visited. We had two tastings of their reds and it was $5/person. Out of all the wineries this was the quietest of them all as well, when we got there, there was no one else there and the tasting happens in a small hut. I thought it was pretty neat but not much going on compared to the other wineries we visited.<br />
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Entrance into Tres Mujeres wine tasting room </div>
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<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/bodegas-del-valle-guadaloupe" target="_blank">Bodegas del Valle</a> (not a winery) - we stopped in here on a whim because we had time to kill. It was a giant space and we ordered a bottle wine and some appetizers. They serve a bunch of the local wines and not just one brand.<br />
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Bodegas impressive wine wall</div>
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Great ceviche at Bodegas too!</div>
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<a href="http://www.bruma.mx/" target="_blank">Bruma</a> - this wine tasting came with a tour of the winery itself and was $16/person. The winery was underground and we got to see some of the behind-the-scenes space. It was also very busy when we went so we felt rushed. Once the tour was over, you exit into their bar. We grabbed drinks here. They have their restaurant, Fauna attached, which looks super fancy. Per my friend Becky, she highly recommends their dessert, the semifreddo. The best she's ever had she says!<br />
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Bruma's restaurant Fauna</div>
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<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/las-nubes-bodegas-y-vi%C3%B1edos-valle-de-guadalupe" target="_blank">Las Nubes</a> - Out of all the wineries we visited this trip, this was the only one I had been to before and it was just as great the 2nd time around! They offer several different kinds of tastings from rose and white to all reds. Once you pay, they give you a ring to put on the bottom of your glass to help keep track of which ones you are trying! So many friendly pups at this winery too:)<br />
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<a href="http://www.xn--viadefrannes-bhb.com/" target="_blank">Vina De Frannes</a> - We rolled into this winery 40 minutes before closing but they were more than happy to serve our group. They sat us in a private room upstairs and we got a bottle of red, a bottle of rose, and some tastings. The woman was very knowledgeable about the wines and even made fun of us since we had mentioned we had been drinking tequila in the car. She just shook her head cuz we were mixing wine and tequila lol.<br />
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<a href="https://decantosvinicola.com/en/inicio.php" target="_blank">Decantos Vinicola</a> - When we walked into this place, they originally put us outside, but we got too cold and ended up sitting inside the restaurant. It looks like it's a winery/restaurant. We got different types of ceviche here to munch on while we sipped some wine. Wine and food were both excellent here too.<br />
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<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/cuatro-cuatros-ensenada" target="_blank">Cuatro Cuatros</a> - this was the first place we went to when we got into town. Lauren had wanted to come here for the view, but timing wasn't right and we showed up after dark. So if you can, definitely go when there is daylight out! It's supposed to be a great view! You walk through their vineyards, then you pay $5/each and they bus you to the top of their property. At the top they have a restaurant and bar. We just got drinks here before dinner. Will definitely need to go back to watch sunset next time!<br />
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View from Cuatro Cuatros, you can see the fires burning in Baja</div>
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This was a super fun trip for Lauren's 30th birthday! All the girls seemed to enjoy themselves, everyone loved the rental house too. Cost wise, it is very affordable to visit too.<br />
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Until next time Valle de Guadlalupe!<br />
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(If you would like to read my reviews on Yelp for these places, here is a <a href="https://www.yelp.com/collection/PRQkaWrv_5B4J8C6csYrnQ" target="_blank">link to them</a>)<br />
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com6Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico32.0956281 -116.5725719999999832.0687251 -116.61291249999998 32.122531099999996 -116.53223149999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-39904902721841453182018-10-22T21:00:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:50:09.595-08:00Day Trip: Fall at Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fall colors at Paradise</div>
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Last weekend 2 of my good guy friends from California came for a weekend visit. Them being from California and not having a true fall, what better place to take them than to Mt. Rainier National Park and on a perfect fall weather day?<br />
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<a href="https://visitrainier.com/places-and-attractions/park-regions/paradise/" target="_blank">Paradise, WA</a><br />Mt. Rainier National Park</h2>
Location: Southwest corner of the park<br />
Distance from Lynnwood, WA: 125 miles (about 2 hrs and 35 min one way without any stops)<br />
Miles walked: 4 miles<br />
Time spent at Paradise: 4-5 hours<br />
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I woke the guys up early that Saturday morning so we could hit the road and beat the crowds. Well that didn't really happen because we made so many stops on our way to Rainier, it took us closer to 4 hours to get there, rather than the estimated 2.5 hours I had given us. Oh well, I tried and the guys didn't seem to mind the crowd. We got to the park around 11:00 AM.<br />
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The line into the national park wasn't too outrageous. I think we waited about 15-20 minutes to show them our park pass and then we were on our way to the Henry M Jackson Visitor Center. We parked in the overnight lot and walked over to the visitor center. We opted to get our hike on first and then afterwards walk around the visitor center.<br />
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Phil B in the wild </div>
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Nature walk near the lodge</div>
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1st timers at Mt Rainier NP!</div>
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Myrtle Fall</div>
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I dragged Andrew and Phil B towards Myrtle Falls first since that was high on my to-see list. Then we back tracked to Alta Vista Trail, and while doing this we had 2 bear sightings! One of them disappeared right away, but the other sat 10 feet away from the paved ADA trail munching on berries and ignoring the crowds he/she was drawing. This was definitely a highlight of our day trip. We took some photos and videos, watched the bear for a little longer, then kept hiking along.<br />
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After wandering the trails a bit at the base of Rainier, we walked around the visitor center briefly, and then headed back to the car.<br />
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I packed a simple and easy picnic for us, so we decided to head over to the picnic area that you pass right before you pull into the visitor center. I packed some instant noodles, Beecher's Cheese, prosciutto, Ritz crackers, & chips. We soaked in the good weather, ate, and headed back to the city.<br />
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For out-of-towners who aren't interested in long miles hiking but still want to see Mother Nature, I felt like this itinerary was a good compromise. The drive was longer than they wanted, but once there, seeing Mt Rainier up close like that, tends to make people forget how long the drive truly was.<br />
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Twas a good time.<br />
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Until next time Mt. Rainier!<br />
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Next Rainier Beer model, what do you think?</div>
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What a perfect day to be at Rainier!</div>
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Beer Thirty</div>
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Don't get lost you two!</div>
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Fall colors</div>
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The guys having a grand ol time!</div>
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Bear sighting!</div>
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Fall sure is pretty at Rainier!</div>
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From high school and college until now, love these two!</div>
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Andrew and Phil B</div>
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Necessity: always carry a pack of Trolli gummies with you hiking</div>
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Our view from the picnic area, I highly recommend!</div>
<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0Mount Rainier, Washington 98304, USA46.852307499999988 -121.760322924.966913999999989 -163.0689169 68.737700999999987 -80.4517289tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-16135075506307429732018-10-10T22:41:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:50:24.155-08:00Fall Larch Adventures: Cutthroat Pass & Lone Fir Campground <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cutthroat Pass </div>
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For our fall camping trip this year, we had originally planned to camp and hike near Winchester Mountain, further north, but then changed locations due to it still being larch season. So we headed back to the same campground we camped at last year for our fall trip, but chose a different hike this year. (We did Maple Pass Loop and Blue Lake last year which you can read about <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/10/fall-adventures-north-cascades.html" target="_blank">here</a>)<br />
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Hwy 20 </div>
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<b><u>Quick Stats</u></b></h4>
Dates Car Camped: October 5-7, 2018<br />
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Campground: Lone Fir Campground</div>
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Day Hike: Cutthroat Pass via Pacific Crest Trail</div>
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Miles hiked: 11 Miles R/T</div>
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Elevation Gain: 2000 ft </div>
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<a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/okawen/recarea/?recid=59303" target="_blank">Lone Fir Campground</a></h2>
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This campground is first come first served when it is open (June-late October) and is $12/night for each campsite plus $5/car if you have extra cars (I initially thought $10 for each extra car, so I think the group overpaid, but oh well, it goes to the parks!). There was no water service when we went, so everyone in our group brought water. Cody and I like to bring a 5 gallon blue jug filled with water every time we go camping, just in case. The pit toilets were actually really clean and were stocked with toilet paper. </div>
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A group of us left Seattle area Friday to Lone Fir and grabbed 2 sites for our group. About 7 of us camped Friday night and I think we had about 14 people by Saturday. The sites are fairly large and good for RVs and trailers!</div>
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We drove around the campground Saturday afternoon and noticed most of the campsites were occupied (27 sites total here). It was significantly more busy this year compared to last year. We camped here around the same time last year and I think we only saw 2-3 other sites with people.<br />
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Lone Fir Campsite #24</div>
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<h2>
<a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/cutthroat-pass-via-pacific-crest-trail" target="_blank">Cutthroat Pass via PCT</a></h2>
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Last year we hiked Maple Pass Loop and Blue Lake, so this year we opted for something different and we were all glad we did! From the looks of the cars parked along Hwy 20 and from reading other people's trips to Maple Pass this weekend, it sounded like our group skipped the massive crowds because we chose a lesser known trail to hike. </div>
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We opted to hike to <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/cutthroat-pass-via-pacific-crest-trail" target="_blank">Cutthroat Pass via the PCT</a>, and when we pulled into the trailhead around 9:00 AM, the lot was kind of full, but not overly. We had a pretty large group head out, but didn't notice the trail being overcrowded or anything on the way up. We made it to the pass in no time and while we were up there enjoying the views, more and more people did show up. As we were hiking down, we did notice a small conga line of people heading back, but it didn't bother us much. Everyone was out to enjoy the blue sky and yellow larches.<br />
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It took me about 2.5 hours from trailhead to the pass and about 2 hours back down to trailhead. Others in the group definitely did it in shorter time. For a 10 mile hike, it did not feel like 10 miles! </div>
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While on trail we even saw a handful of North Bound PCT hikers! You guys are almost done! Woohoo! Such a huge accomplishment to finish the PCT I personally think. </div>
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After our hike, some of us stopped at Washington Pass while others headed back to the campground. If you are in the area, Washington Pass is definitely a must see! Minimal hiking is involved to get to this viewpoint.<br />
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Back at camp, we got a fire started while it was still light out since we brought so much firewood. Then we got dinner going. We opted to do a potluck style taco dinner with everyone and it turned out a success! We had a list of ingredients needed and everyone brought something to contribute and in the end we all enjoyed turkey and beef taco/burritos!<br />
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She has dubbed herself "Slow Katherine" lol. Still faster than me though</div>
<h3>
<b>Doughboys</b></h3>
We ended the night with doughboys, which I personally like better than s'mores. Buff Catherine I think was the one who got us hooked on these. We did bring s'mores too though.<br />
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What are Doughbooys you ask? They are fire roasted crescent rolls dipped in butter and smothered in cinnamon sugar and they are a wonderful campfire treat!<br />
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<h4>
<b><u>Quick Guide to Making Doughboys:</u></b></h4>
<b>Step 1</b>: Take Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Original (make sure to get original because we tried it with the flaky buttery ones and it didn't work) and separate the triangles<br />
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<b>Step 2</b>: Wrap a triangle of dough onto a marshmallow roasting stick (make sure it's on good cuz they tend to slip off if not secured properly)<br />
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<b>Step 3</b>: Roasting time varies, but get it nice and toasty, it's ok if the inside is slightly under cooked, it will still be delicious<br />
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<b>Step 4</b>: Grab some butter and rub it all over the cooked dough<br />
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<b>Step 5</b>: Roll it in a cinnamon sugar mix<br />
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<b>Step 6</b>: Stuff it in your mouth!<br />
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It was another great camping trip spent in the mountains with an awesome group of people.<br />
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Until next time North Cascades!<br />
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The man, the myth, the legend. We met Stuke!</div>
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Thank you for the photo <a href="https://everytwopines.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a>!</div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA48.7718174 -121.2984648000000326.886375900000004 -162.60705880000003 70.6572589 -79.989870800000034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-30191282327833136232018-10-03T14:33:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:50:37.291-08:00Weekend Getaway: Port Townsend, WA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6cs_5Nc47ms/W7Uy405oxNI/AAAAAAAACyE/OzqKLRxon2Y1qDS64pFEi8Ksq1RtN2vtgCLcBGAs/s1600/Fort%2BTownsend%2BState%2BPark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6cs_5Nc47ms/W7Uy405oxNI/AAAAAAAACyE/OzqKLRxon2Y1qDS64pFEi8Ksq1RtN2vtgCLcBGAs/s640/Fort%2BTownsend%2BState%2BPark.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sunset at Fort Townsend State Park </div>
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Last year for Cody's birthday, he got dragged up Sahale Arm on his 30th because Sarina scored permits and he wasn't overly thrilled about it. So this year, I made sure to keep my schedule clear so he could choose something he actually wanted to do (I'm the best girlfriend ever! Jk jk, I am the worst haha). He ended up picking camping at Port Townsend. It was so much fun exploring a new town in Washington I had yet to explore! A relaxing weekend was much needed for us.<br />
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Dates Camped: September 22-23, 2018<br />
Place Camped: <a href="https://parks.state.wa.us/510/Fort-Townsend" target="_blank">Fort Townsend Historical State Park </a> (not open year round)<br />
Campground Cost: $30/night for site #19 + $10 each extra car<br />
Pass needed for day use: Discovery Pass<br />
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Getting to Port Townsend from Lynnwood was easier and closer than I expected! We took an early ferry from Edmonds to Kingston Saturday morning. From Kingston, we got to Fort Townsend before 9:00 AM. Once we picked a campsite, set up our tents, it was still pretty early, so we all lounged around and took a nap before heading into town for lunch.<br />
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Our biggest dilemma of the weekend was finding a place to eat in town that allowed dogs. We had 2 dogs with us this weekend. The week prior, Cody and I had done some brainstorming and researching, and came up with the idea of picking up pizza from a local pizza shop, and bringing it to a brewery that's dog friendly.<br />
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Cute lil town</div>
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5 star pizza</div>
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So Saturday the group headed into town, stopped by <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/waterfront-pizza-port-townsend" target="_blank">Waterfront Pizza</a>, picked up some pies, and headed to <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/pourhouse-port-townsend" target="_blank">Pourhouse </a>with the food. Pourhouse has a giant waterfront patio with umbrellas and a small covered patio, perfect for the 6 of us and 2 dogs! It started raining while we were there but we pretty much stayed dry underneath the umbrellas and awnings.<br />
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After lunch, we headed back to town to walk around and look inside the shops. We picked up a few souvenirs here and there, then headed back to camp.<br />
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For dinner that night, we roasted hot dogs and ate boxed mac & cheese. We all hung out a lil more and called it a night.<br />
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Sunset at Fort Townsend</div>
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The following morning we headed back into town for brunch, but the original spot I picked, <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-moose-cafe-port-townsend" target="_blank">Blue Moose Cafe</a>, had a 20+ minute wait and was cash only. So we changed location to <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/spruce-goose-cafe-port-townsend" target="_blank">Spruce Goose Cafe</a>, which is located at the small airport in town, and we were all definitely happy with our change of plans. We ended up eating in the sunshine on the patio while watching fixed winged planes land and take off.<br />
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After lunch, we parted ways with the group and headed back to the ferry. Signs leading up to the Kingston Ferry Terminal warned that it was a 2 hour wait. We contemplated driving down and around to get back home, but decided to chance it. We ended up waiting an hour, which wasn't too bad and we got home in the early afternoon.<br />
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Overall, it was a relaxing weekend celebrating Cody's birthday in Port Townsend and I definitely want to go back!<br />
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Thanks to those who came out to help celebrate Cody's birthday!<br />
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Until next time Port Townsend!<br />
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Kingston Ferry Terminal </div>
<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA48.117038699999988 -122.7604470999999648.074638699999987 -122.84112809999996 48.159438699999988 -122.67976609999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-34202666763470431322018-10-02T08:50:00.000-07:002018-12-05T09:50:48.863-08:00Backpacking: Copper Ridge Loop in North Cascades National Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp19xQrde_E/W7Lzf3HSGzI/AAAAAAAACvM/HcTVwkkwkgQZAktcCOO_D-2iwj1qUGGDgCLcBGAs/s1600/Copper%2BRidge%2B8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp19xQrde_E/W7Lzf3HSGzI/AAAAAAAACvM/HcTVwkkwkgQZAktcCOO_D-2iwj1qUGGDgCLcBGAs/s640/Copper%2BRidge%2B8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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North Cascades National Park </div>
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Last summer, Cody and I got a small taste of Copper Ridge Loop, which made us want to complete the whole loop this summer. We had backpacked to Egg Lake last year and hiked out to Copper Mountain Lookout, but since we couldn't get another night on the loop, we opted to hike out and back (you can read about last summer's trek <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/08/backpacking-copper-ridge-to-egg-lake.html" target="_blank">here</a>). But this spring, I submitted for the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/backcountry-reservations.htm" target="_blank">North Cascades Lottery System</a> again and secured us a 2 night permit for the whole loop. Best part about the permits I scored were that it was over Labor Day weekend and we didn't have to use any vacation days, whoop whoop!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqGXpdynixo/W7OP6WM_u5I/AAAAAAAACx4/SvGikoiYrLIFwyIQ2YFti6YBUpuCbDKfgCLcBGAs/s1600/Map%2BCR.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1030" height="308" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqGXpdynixo/W7OP6WM_u5I/AAAAAAAACx4/SvGikoiYrLIFwyIQ2YFti6YBUpuCbDKfgCLcBGAs/s400/Map%2BCR.GIF" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=435110" target="_blank">Map of Trail </a></div>
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Trail Stats:</h3>
Dates hiked: September 1-3, 2018<br />
Miles hiked: 35 miles (give or take)<br />
Elevation Gain: 9560 ft (give or take)<br />
Campsites we stayed at: US Cabin Camp & Copper Lake<br />
Trailhead: Hannegan Pass<br />
Who went: Cody, Kaelee, Brooke, and me<br />
Permits Needed: Yes, you can submit for them early or try for a walk-up permit<br />
Ranger Station we stopped at: Glacier Public Service Center<br />
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Saturday September 1, 2018</h3>
<h2>
Hannegan Pass to US Cabin Camp </h2>
10.1 Miles, 1900 ft gain, and 2400 ft loss<br />
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We got to trailhead around 9 am and hit the trail around 9:30 AM and made it to US Cabin Camp by 4:00 PM that day. This was our easiest day and lowest miles. Besides our uphill climb from trailhead to the pass, everything was pretty much downhill to our campsite that first day. We ate lunch at the pass and actually ran into a ranger who was just out hiking for the day, checking permits, and chatting with hikers. We chatted with him for a lil bit, but he was a little discouraging when he saw our itinerary. Thanks for giving us ease of mind of what we were in for buddy! At the end, we came, we saw, we conquered! (Throw in a little misery too lol) We knew we had a tough itinerary, but we didn't need a stranger to reconfirm what we were in for.<br />
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Once we got to US Cabin Camp, we chose a camp that was next to the river and secluded. This campground is pretty deep in the forest with minimal views, still gorgeous though. We kicked back, watched a slug, ate dinner, tried to catch sunset, and then struggled to hang our bear bags. Our feet were tired, but they didn't know what was to come the following days...<br />
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Fresh feet just starting the trail!</div>
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So apparently we are a bit messy</div>
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We made a slug friend our first night!</div>
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Chilliwack River</div>
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US Cabin Camp</div>
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Copper Mountain </div>
<h3>
Sunday September 2, 2018</h3>
<h2>
US Cabin Camp to Copper Lake</h2>
12.75 miles, 4350 ft gain, and 1825 ft loss<br />
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This was our longest day on trail and all of us felt it. We left US Cabin Camp around 8:00 AM and got to Copper Lake around 7:30 PM that night (Kaelee got there 1.5 hrs faster than us...). The first part of the trail was easy peasy. 20 minutes after leaving camp, you hit the cable car crossing. Which is this pulley cable car that helps you cross the river. This was one of the highlights of the day and something I had been looking forward to! Pulling the cable car was harder than we expected. After some photos and laughs we were on our way. Next highlight on trail was the suspension bridge. It was short but also slightly terrifying to cross.<br />
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After the bridge we had a river to ford, in which we ran into some friends here coming the opposite way of the loop, and decided to stop for lunch and catch up with them. We spent over an hour eating lunch and chatting with buff Catherine and her friend Holden. Pretty cool to be able to grab lunch with friends and also get trail info from them since we were headed where they came from! They played down how hard it was going to get though.... cuz after lunch it was a straight uphill march for hours...<br />
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Over the course of the trip, there were 2 stretches where I was beyond miserable. This was one of them. First came the switchbacks, and once you notice the switchbacks stop, it just kept going uphill! Hiking for 6+ hrs uphill is not the most enjoyable haha. Kaelee made it to camp way earlier than us, and she started radioing us, checking where we were. She was getting bored, while we were trudging miserably on.<br />
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Once we got to Copper Lake, it was cold and started getting dark pretty fast. We didn't have time to do much besides set up camp, make dinner, and go to bed. We were all so exhausted. None of us were looking forward to the next day.<br />
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Thank you <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee </a>for the photo!</div>
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Preparing to ride in the cable car</div>
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Brooke and Kaelee in the cable car</div>
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Weight capacity </div>
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Cody and my turn!</div>
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How close are we?</div>
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Pretty rivers on trail </div>
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Suspension bridge crossing </div>
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and then we ran into friends!</div>
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Cody and Brooke making their way up to the ridge </div>
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The bushes were full of blueberries and huckleberries!</div>
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North Cascades National Park </div>
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Me thinking, are we there yet?</div>
<h3>
Monday September 3, 2018</h3>
<h2>
Copper Lake to Hannegan Pass Trailhead</h2>
11.4 miles 2440 ft gain, and 4590 ft loss<br />
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On our last morning, we decided to pack up camp, hike 1+ miles to the fire lookout, then eat breakfast. We probably should have just eaten breakfast right when we woke up because we were all miserable once we got to the lookout. We left Copper Lake around 7:00 AM and got back to trailhead around 4:00 PM. The elevation gain up to the lookout was pretty hard, then it was a lot of up and down, and then just down.<br />
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You know how I said there were 2 stretches on this trip I was beyond miserable? Well misery set in on our hike out, when we thought we were closer to trailhead than we were. We pretty much just wanted to be off trail and back to the car at this point. As we were hiking downhill, I made the mistake of asking this couple, who were coming the opposite way, how much further the trailhead was. The lady happily looked at us and said, "Oh I think about 20 min!" Well her 20 minutes took us over an hour to get too. All of our feet felt like they were going to fall off. My toes hurt the most from jamming forward in my boot going downhill. But we all finally made it to trailhead in one piece! Hooray!<br />
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The views were slightly socked in on our last day, which was supposed to be the best views. But the entire hike was beautiful nonetheless. Overall, we all conquered Copper Ridge Loop, had sore feet, and made it home in one piece. Another great backpacking trip with great company.<br />
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Until next time North Cascades!<br />
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Campsite #2: Copper Lake </div>
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The glorious scenic compost toilet at Copper Lake </div>
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Brooke looking back at Copper Lake </div>
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Copper Lake </div>
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No views at Copper Mountain Fire Lookout</div>
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Shuksan was playing peekaboo</div>
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Cody stoked on getting off trail!</div>
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Almost to Egg Lake </div>
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Brooke and Cody making their way up trail </div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Tips</h3>
Tip 1: If I were to do this hike again, I think it would be more enjoyable done in a 3 night/4 day trek rather than a 2 night thing.<br />
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Tip 2: no bear canister needed. They have bear lockers at the campsite or you hang your food.<br />
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Tip 3: The campsites are pretty small, so if you submit for permits ahead of time, it is easier to secure permits if you have a group of 4 or smaller.<br />
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Here is Kaelee's <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/blog/backpacking-copper-ridge-loop" target="_blank">write-up on the trip</a>!<br />
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA48.7718174 -121.2984648000000323.249782900000003 -162.60705880000003 74.2938519 -79.989870800000034tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-53139421425672712952018-08-15T15:03:00.003-07:002018-12-05T09:51:02.342-08:0010 Things I Have Learned Since My 1st Backpacking Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Green Mountain Lookout</div>
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My first backpacking trip happened Labor Day Weekend of 2015. It was a 2 night/3 day trek up<a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2015/09/backpacking-san-gorgonio-mountain.html" target="_blank"> San Gorgonio</a>, Southern California's tallest peak, which sits at over 11k feet, and just shy of 18 miles R/T. At the time, I didn't realize there were easier backpacking trips out there, I had been doing long 15+ mile day hikes already, so this trip didn't sound too terrible at the time. Looking back now, I wish I had done an easier overnighter for my first time, but coming from Southern California, it's not like Washington, where you can do an easy backpack to an alpine lake and set up for a night. Are there even any alpine lakes in Southern California that have water in them??<br />
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Since that first trek and numerous backpacking trips following, here are the top 10 things I have learned on the trail so far.<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Find the right shoe/sock combo to prevent blisters</span></b></h2>
Finding the right hiking shoes and sock combo took me almost 2 years to dial in. I remember getting such bad blisters when I first started backpacking. I had quarter sized blisters on both feet at one point. I started researching and trying different boots and trail runners from REI and eventually found that, with the Washington terrain, hiking boots were the way to go for me. I currently hike in <a href="https://www.rei.com/product/857721/oboz-bridger-bdry-hiking-boots-womens" target="_blank">Oboz </a>and haven't had any troubles with them and I am on my 2nd pair.<br />
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As for socks, I started out with the REI hiking socks, which gave me blisters. They were just a little too thick and not snug enough to my foot. Which caused rubbing, that lead to blisters. My friend Don swore by these hiking toe socks, <a href="https://www.rei.com/product/107250/injinji-trail-midweight-mini-crew-socks" target="_blank">Injinji</a>, and because of him I bought my first pair and never looked back. These hiking toe socks fit snug to my feet and don't cause rubbing. They say they help with toe blisters too. I used to get bad blisters more on the insides of my heels.<br />
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Oboz and Injinji are what works for me. Some swear by Smartwool socks, while others go with any sock in the drawer, you just have to go by trial and error to figure out what works for you.<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. You don't need the newest/ultralight gear to go backpacking</span></b></h2>
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I struggle so much with this. I sit on the computer browsing REI, Enlightened Equipment, Montbell, etc. web pages, just drooling over gear on a regular basis. I WANT IT ALL. But, me trying to be an adult, not spend money and save, I try to not buy things I don't really need.<br />
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You can find a $30 tent on Amazon that you can use in the backcountry (make sure to check weather though, and don't get completely pummeled by rain/bad weather in a cheap tent). I would love a new $300 ultralight tent. But is it necessary? Not really. Cody and I have been using, either my 2 person REI tent I bought used for $80, or his 2+ person Half Dome tent he's had for a few years that he bought with his brother. Both come in at around 4 lbs, so they are on the heavier side for a backpacking tent, but they keep us dry and they are both in great shape still.<br />
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Check out REI's used gear sales, browse craigslist and offer up for camp gear. You can always find a deal!<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Be prepared for all types of weather</span></b></h2>
I remember one of the first backpacking trips I went on and I didn't know what a rain cover was at the time. I was backpacking with Don and Rob near Santa Barbara and I was not expecting rain. Well, 8 miles in, a storm rolled in, with it came a massive downpour. On top of that, we were lost. My pack getting soaked didn't even cross my mind, but that was the first thing Don and Rob's brain went to."Doris do you have a rain cover?" Uhm... what's that? Next question, "Is your sleeping bag and clothes at least in dry sacks?" Uhmmm... what are dry sacks lol. Yeah, I didn't know. But Rob, being prepared, made me take my pack off, and pulled out a trash bag he kept for emergencies and made me stuff all my belongings into it so that my sleeping bag and clothes didn't get soaked. Thank you to Don and Rob, for taking a beginner and showing me what to do!<br />
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Since that trip, I have experienced many more bad weather experiences, especially now that I live in Washington and rain usually happens. I make sure I have a rain cover, which is a waterproof cover that goes over my entire pack, and I make sure to pack a rain jacket too. You just never know! Always be prepared for the worse!<br />
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(<a href="https://www.rei.com/product/118868/rei-co-op-ducks-back-rain-cover-60-liters" target="_blank">Rain cover</a> btw is this waterproof thing that you can pull over your pack to cover it so it doesn't get wet when it rains)<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Don't forget bug spray</span></b></h2>
Bugs love me. They eat me alive. I went on that month long sailing trip in the Caribbean in college and came back looking like a diseased person with over 100 bites. The mosquitoes in the high country are ruthless. They will bite you through your leggings. You forget about the bugs during the winter, but that first summer trip you make and you forget your bug spray. Then you are miserably itchy for the next week or two. No thanks. Bring bug spray, wear a bug net. Keep those bugs away.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Don't forget sunblock and to apply it everywhere.</b></span></h2>
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I have a story for each lesson. This one was when I backpacked Mt Whitney. Ohhh that snow glare. I actually remembered sunblock on this trip. But I forgot to put sunblock on the tiny part of my chest that was exposed in the V-Neck shirt I was wearing, I was peeling like a snake the weeks following. It also hurt so bad. So don't forget to put sunblock on every part of exposed skin (like under your nose)! And when hiking in snow and the sun is out, the rays are more intense!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Bring camp shoes, your feet will thank you</b></span></h2>
My feet are usually so tired and sore after backpacking in with all my stuff that the first thing I want to do, besides shrugging off my pack, is taking off my shoes. I didn't used to bring extra sandals, but I have been lately, and I am so much more comfortable with sandals on at camp over the boots I hiked out with!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Talk to People on Trail</b></span></h2>
I have always enjoyed talking to people on trail. Sometimes just a hi, other times asking how their hike is going, I enjoy how friendly the hiking community is. I have also made two great friends from striking up conversations with people on trail!<br />
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I was on a day hike once with a group of friends going up Ice House Canyon near LA when we ran into another group of hikers who wanted their photo taken. So my group stopped, we took their photo, and we hiked on. Well we ran into the same group at the top of the summit and started chatting with them. One of the guys in the other group, Sergio, and I started talking and it turned out we worked for the same company but in different cities! Sergio and I then kept in touch via social media, we have since become great friends, going on numerous road trips together, and he's even visited me in Washington since I moved!<br />
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Another memorable friend I made on trail is Don. Tizzy and I actually ran into him and his buddy Joe on my first backpacking trip up San Gorgonio. We struck up a conversation on trail and ended up summiting Gorgonio together. Since then we have kept in touch, grabbed ramen, and gone on backpacking trips together.<br />
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You never know who you'll meet on trail, they might turn into a great friend!<br />
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Google Map's directions to trail head of hike are not always correct</span></b></h2>
Always research and read up on a trail before you head out. There's been a couple of times where I have just typed in the hike name and Google Map will pull up directions, but it leads me to someone's backyard. I would end up close to the hike but not the trailhead.<br />
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I like to read directions to the trail and the trail description beforehand, screenshot both, and also download the offline map on Google Maps just in case you lose service when driving to trail head. The offline map still works without phone service and it's free!<br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9. Bring the 10 Essentials </b></span></h2>
I actually had never heard this term before I moved to Washington. But now that I have, the 10 Essentials is a great rule to follow! Before you think, great more rules to follow, you probably already follow these guidelines without even thinking about it! I sure did!<br />
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<b>Here are the 10 Essentials:</b><br />
<b>1 - Navigation</b><br />
<b>2 - Headlamp</b><br />
<b>3 - Sun Protection</b><br />
<b>4 - First Aid</b><br />
<b>5 - Knife</b><br />
<b>6 - Fire</b><br />
<b>7 - Shelter</b><br />
<b>8 - Extra Food</b><br />
<b>9 - Extra Water </b><br />
<b>10 - Extra Clothes</b><br />
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I remember hiking San Jacinto with Tizzy in 2014 and how we ended up hiking in the dark because we misjudged how long the hike was and we hiked out with one headlamp. Tizzy had the lamp and was leading the way, as I was trailing behind tripping over roots in the dark since her light was of no help to me. Using my phone as a light source only goes so far. Always remember to bring a headlamp just in case! (I found this list from an article on <a href="https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html" target="_blank">REI</a>)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. <a href="https://lnt.org/" target="_blank">Leave No Trace (aka LNT)</a></span></b></h2>
The term LNT is still pretty new to me. There's been a lot of talk lately about not geotagging and that it's part of LNT. I do not 100% agree with the "stop geotagging" movement going on. I don't think sharing locations is the problem. I think the problem is that people don't respect the land and don't know or understand the proper etiquette of the outdoors. I think everyone has the right to experience the amazing places people share on Instagram. I mean, for the people preaching "stop geotagging it's ruining these sacred places, but oh here's a glamorous shot of me at this secret location", aren't you part of the problem? I think people need to be educated. People need to be educated of why you can't camp at certain places, why fires are banned, and pick up after yourselves.<br />
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<b>So here are the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace:</b><br />
<b>1 - Plan ahead and prepare</b><br />
<b>2 - Travel and camp on durable serfaces</b><br />
<b>3 - Dispose of waste properly</b><br />
<b>4 - Leave what you find</b><br />
<b>5 - Minimize campfire impacts </b><br />
<b>6 - Respect Wildlife</b><br />
<b>7 - Be considerate of other visitors </b><br />
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(Pulled from this <a href="https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html" target="_blank">article</a>)<br />
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From talking to Cody the other night, we both agreed:<br />
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EDUCATION > PROHIBITION<br />
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Just make sure to leave things better than the way you found it they say. Pick up that piece of trash you see, call people out when they don't follow rules, let's make this world a better place.<br />
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These are just my personal thought and opinions, hope you found it entertaining, useful, and resourceful.<br />
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Until next time friends!<br />
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-89160996508964449802018-08-08T23:11:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:51:17.912-08:00Canada: Backpacking Garibaldi Lake to Panorama Ridge <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gR_Sbu7CiYM/W2vPFlUQbmI/AAAAAAAACps/XaBxeiq6H6IB_IuLC-KHVD3eoQaEYStrQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gR_Sbu7CiYM/W2vPFlUQbmI/AAAAAAAACps/XaBxeiq6H6IB_IuLC-KHVD3eoQaEYStrQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0140.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Panorama Ridge</div>
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6 months ago, <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a> threw out the idea to backpack Panorama Ridge in Canada this summer and I was totally game! We started looking into it, and saw that you could buy permits 4 months in advance. So we marked our calendars in April to book permits for August. We decided to break up the hike into a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip, and now that the trip has happened, I am so glad we spread the hike out! (<a href="https://discovercamping.ca/" target="_blank">Here's the link to buy permits</a>)<br />
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There are a couple of places you can camp to get to Panorama Ridge (since you are not allowed to camp on the ridge, or you can day hike it). You can camp at Taylor Meadows, Helm Creek, or Garibaldi Lake. Taylor Meadows would've been the closest campground to get to Panorama Ridge, but we decided on Garibaldi Lake because we thought it was going to be prettier (plus we can go swimming!), which added an extra 1.2 miles to our hike.<br />
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<b>Trail Stats</b><br />
Dates hiked: August 3-5, 2018<br />
Miles hiked: 19.8 miles R/T<br />
Elevation Gain:4986 ft<br />
Campground we stayed at: Garibaldi Lake<br />
Trailhead: Rubble Creek TH<br />
Who went: Kaelee, Brian, Cody, and me<br />
Cost: $6/night<br />
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<b>Thursday August 2, 2018</b><br />
Kaelee and Brian met up with Cody and me at the house in Lynnwood after work so we could carpool to Canada for the weekend. We hit the road around 6:00 pm, grabbed food, and were on our way to Squamish, Canada for our first night. We booked a room at the <a href="https://www.squamishhostel.com/" target="_blank">Squamish Adventure Inn & Hostel</a>, so the following morning we could get an early start on our hike. We got to the hostel around 10 pm, checked in and called it a night. (We booked a private room since there was 4 of us, opting out of the hostel-style bunk beds this trip, and it came out to $25/person, I wrote a review on <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/squamish-adventure-inn-squamish" target="_blank">Yelp </a>if you're interested in how our stay went.)<br />
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<b>Friday August 3, 2018</b><br />
We woke up, packed, and left the hostel around 7:15 am that morning. Our first stop was Tim Horton's for some much needed coffee and Timbits before we hit the trail. From what we read online, we were told that Rubble Creek trailhead parking gets full and to get there early. So we pulled into the lot a lil before 8 am, and found prime parking and a 1/2 empty lot! (Which made me think, why did we get there so early? The lot's not even full! But when we left Sunday, people were parked along the road for a good 1/2 mile down... I am sorry I doubted the reviews!)<br />
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So you know how there's people out there all about being ultralight? Like their packs with their tent, food, water, and sleeping system clock in at under 20 lbs? WELL THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT ME. Right before this trip I bought a luggage scale and I brought it with on this trip. My pack weighed a whopping 42 lbs.... hahaha. I don't think the fact that I had a hammock, hammock straps, a chair, or a tripod in my pack helped with my weight situation lol. So I'd like to call myself an ultra heavy packer!<br />
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Cody and I got to Garibaldi Lake in under 4 hours. (Garibaldi Lake is a popular day hike btw!) When we walked up we were surprised to find such a nice campground in the backcountry! 5.6 miles in, this campground has 50 sites, a ranger station, 4 bear huts, nice, non-stinky environmental toilets, and a handful of pit toilets scattered throughout the area! Besides the lack of running water, it felt like we were at a drive up campground!<br />
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Kaelee and Brian were ahead of us and found us a great campsite that fit both of our tents and we were able to string up two hammocks. Score! Some of the other sites were smaller, so I am glad we got there early and had choices to pick from! After setting up camp, we headed to the bear hut to make lunch.<br />
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Bear hut and the food hang</div>
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Let me tell you about these bear huts, because they were awesome! So usually when you are in the backcountry, you either need to hang your food from a tree so that bears do not eat it, or there's a small metal box for you to put your food in, or you bring your own bear canister and set it away from your campsite. Well Garibaldi provides you with a full sized building for you to store your food in! Inside of the cabin also has 2 picnic tables for you to eat and cook at, a wire to hang your food (yes you still need to hang because rodents can get into your bags if left on the floor), counter space, and a sink (no water) that you can wash dirty dishes in with lake water! It was so nice! You can use whatever bag to hang your food as well, no need for a canister. We saw people using drysacks, shopping bags, and Ursacks.<br />
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Anyways, after lunch, since the day was grey and cold, the 4 of us fell asleep for over 2 hours lol. After our 2 hour power nap, we walked around the lake for a lil bit and went back to the bear hut to make dinner. We called it a pretty early night since no fires are allowed, it was cold, and we had nothing to do. I think we went to bed at like 9 pm lol.<br />
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Miles hiked: 5.6 miles<br />
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Gear thrown everywhere, this is real life haha. Home sweet home though!</div>
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Why so moody PNW?</div>
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Sun or no sun, that water was always so blue!</div>
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Too cold the first day to go swimming. I even had a puffy on underneath my red jacket!</div>
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Our 1st night at Garibaldi</div>
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<b>Saturday August 4, 2018</b><br />
Even though we went to bed so early, none of us got up early. I think we slept in until almost 8, moped around, made breakfast, then we got ready to day hike to Panorama Ridge. The signs read 7 km from the lake, which is 4.3 miles one way. We left camp close to 10 am and headed out for the day. The trail has a ton of signs and is easy to navigate. There were quite a bit of people on trail. The trail all the way to the top was beautiful! Going through Taylor Meadows, there was a ton of lupine and Indian Paintbrush in full bloom, the sun was out, some clouds in the sky, it was the perfect day! We made it to the top in under 3 hours, and stopped and ate lunch up there. We took a ton of photos of course, the view was breathtaking! I didn't want to leave! We started heading back down eventually and got back to our campsite around 4 pm. Kaelee and Brian were ahead of us again, and I went to go check to see what they were doing, and of course they were napping lol. Cody and I made noodles and chilled a lil before I went to bug Kaelee if she wanted to go for a swim. She said yes, so we changed into our swimsuits and headed to the lake with our sleeping pads!<br />
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The 1st glimpse of the lake</div>
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Taylor Meadows</div>
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Lupine: one of my favorite wildflowers in the mountains!</div>
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View of Black Tusk </div>
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You can see some fire damage here</div>
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That final push up reminded me hiking of Mt St Helens</div>
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Is this real life?</div>
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Enjoying the views</div>
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The view facing the opposite of the lake wasn't bad either!</div>
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Cody crossing a bridge</div>
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Sleeping pads are known to be good flotation devices... unless you use the one I use, and it just sinks when you sit on it. The Thermarest Z Lite Sleep Pad does not keep you afloat. All good, I can float on my own lol. We jumped in a couple of times from the dock and called it quits after the sun disappeared behind the trees. We headed back to camp, changed, and headed to the bear hut to make dinner.<br />
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I kept an eye on the night sky since it was actually clear, and told Kaelee I wanted to shoot night photos later and she said she was game. So we set our alarms for 11 pm, set up our cameras for night photography, and crawled into our sleeping bags for an hour before we crawled back out to head to the lake.<br />
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I got a handful of star shots and wanted to stay out there a little longer, but a group of backpackers had rolled in around 11:30 pm and were ruining our night shots with their headlamps. We also got annoyed since they had music playing. So we packed up shop within 45 min of setting up, and called it a night. There were 2 other hikers that came by, and turns out they were photographing the sunset on the ridge and were just getting back. Kudos to them for trekking in the dark for sunset shots!<br />
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Miles hiked: 8.6 miles<br />
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Really thought my sleeping pad was gonna float lol</div>
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Cheers to friends who jump into alpine likes together! </div>
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Ready or not!</div>
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Sunset time</div>
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That's Mars glowing on the right</div>
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Milky Way </div>
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<b>Sunday August 5, 2018</b><br />
We slept in until 8 am again, went and made breakfast, slowly packed up camp, and headed back for the trailhead a lil after 10 am. The hike down took about 2.5 hours for Cody and me. There was a lot of people on trail that day! It was a nice day for a hike though. Once back at the car, we loaded up the truck with our packs and headed out. We had a few stops on our agenda before we headed back to Seattle that day. We went back to Tim Horton's, walked around some shops, and stopped at the Richmond Night Market.<br />
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One last group photo before we hiked out!</div>
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The best backcountry toilets I have ever experienced!</div>
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That blue blue</div>
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We crossed the US/Canada border around sunset time and the wait wasn't long.<br />
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Overall, this was the most relaxing backpacking trip I think I have ever had! It was great! I already want to go back to British Columbia, it was so beautiful up there.<br />
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Miles Hiked: 5.6 miles<br />
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Until next time Canada!<br />
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com3Garibaldi Lake, Squamish-Lillooet D, BC V0N, Canada49.9366437 -123.0272100999999949.8548682 -123.18857159999999 50.0184192 -122.86584859999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-27442039048864449722018-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:002018-12-05T09:51:28.840-08:00Staying in a Fire Lookout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Fire Lookout at sunset</div>
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Location: A Fire Lookout in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest<br />
Miles Hiked: 8.5 miles R/T<br />
Elevation Gain: 3300 ft<br />
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Sarina applied for a Fire Lookout Stewardship and got selected to spend two nights at a fire lookout this summer. Part of this stewardship was to go to a 3 hour long Saturday class at the Search and Rescue Headquarters for Snohomish County and get educated about the history of the lookout, what to do in case of emergencies, and what to do while staying at the lookout. The fire lookout we stayed at is not open to the public to stay in and is considered an administrative site for the Forest Service. As volunteers, we were to be a point of contact to the public to educate them about the lookout, and to help maintain the fire lookout in general.<br />
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Sarina invited me along for this trip, and I am so glad I went! I attended the class with her, and got educated about the history of the lookout, how it was inaccessible for a few years due to flooding and road washouts, how they deconstructed the lookout in the early 2000s, brought it down to Darrington to refurbish it, flew it back up, and reconstructed it, and so much more info.<br />
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We hiked out Saturday and only passed a handful of people on the way up. Once we got to the lookout, we opened up the shutters, and made ourselves at home. Thinking we weren't going to see anyone till the following day. Sarina and I laid down to rest before dinner time, but then we heard footsteps...<br />
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At this point the lookout was socked in, meaning we were in the middle of a cloud and couldn't see the mountains around us. It was around 8 PM when we heard the footsteps, and a few seconds later, we saw a head pop up from the window. It scared us both! Turns out, it was a guy who had hiked up for sunset, looking for a spot to camp. He had no gear with him, he had left it down the trail with his roommate, who was waiting for him to signal to see if he had found a better camp spot.<br />
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Phew, at least it wasn't a bear wandering up the steps!<br />
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The clouds cleared for sunset and we all stood outside and watched the mountains and the sky turn different colors as the sun set and called it a night.<br />
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Sunday morning came, and Sarina and I prepared for the day hikers to come. Our friends hiked out and visited too that Sunday! We counted a total of about 30 dayhikers that day. The last of the hikers left the lookout around 3-4:00 PM. Sarina and I cleaned up, made dinner, wandered around during sunset, and called it an early night.<br />
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The following morning we hiked out at 5:00 AM so I could get my butt to work since I didn't take the day off. That was rough.<br />
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I am keeping the name of the fire lookout a secret for personal reasons, but can you guess what lookout we stayed at?<br />
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Until next time Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest!<br />
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Sunset </div>
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View from the window</div>
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Trail on the way to the lookout</div>
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Clouds were about to clear</div>
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Our sleeping setup inside the lookout</div>
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Glacier Peak </div>
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Michael Matti, the photographer that hiked up and scare the crap out of us</div>
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We legit</div>
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Do you spy Kaelee and Katherine?</div>
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Working the fire lookout</div>
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Our friends came to visit!</div>
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My first shot of the Milky Way </div>
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Fire Lookout at night</div>
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Light painting and the Milky Way </div>
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A cozy cabin in the sky</div>
dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com0Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee, WA 98807, USA47.8477153 -120.7076054000000325.962269799999998 -162.01619940000003 69.7331608 -79.399011400000035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-18602448601568943532018-07-20T10:03:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:51:40.372-08:00California Road Trip: Yosemite National Park <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tunnel View</div>
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So Cody and my journey to Yosemite National Park started 4 days before we got to the park. We planned out a week long road trip that included attending a wedding for my colleges friends, and on our way back up, we would swing by and camp in Yosemite for 3 nights before driving the rest of the leg back to Seattle.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4 Days Before Yosemite</span></b><br />
Cody and I packed up the truck and hit the road on Wednesday June 27. While packing the truck, Cody was worried with how much stuff we were taking, and of course, I told him not to worry about it, we would figure it out! We had to pack for a 2 part trip afterall, part 1 was for the wedding, and part 2 was for car camping. So a lot of luggage was involved. His worry was the fact that, on our way back, we were bringing 2 more people back with us, and they had luggage too... it's ok, I am not the type to stress about these things, as I happily loaded the car with 2 full sized pillows lol.<br />
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Our 1st destination was Ojai, CA, but my friends, Alexis and Will, were not expecting us until Thursday afternoon. So we had about 25 hours to get there. We pretty much drove straight through the night, with one longer stop at a rest area, where I happily fell asleep in the driver's seat of the parked car for an hour and a half. We pulled into Santa Barbara in the morning, had time to kill, so we swung by El Capitan State Beach to meet up with a friend of mine who was camping and ate breakfast with him. While at the beach, I somehow managed to run into my family too. Small world.<br />
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Anyways, off to Ojai we went after the beach, where we stayed with one of my best friend's from high school for the night. We hung out, grabbed dinner, and called it a night. Friday morning, we got on the road around 6:00 AM and headed for a quick stop in LA. The quick stop in LA involved bugging my dad at work, eating a Taiwanese breakfast with my uncle, and picking up a giant carpet vacuum my uncle was determined to give me. (Yes, this is me accumulating more stuff for an already packed car. Yes, me taking this vacuum and putting it in the car stressed Cody out....(and the story of a packed car is to be continued...)<br />
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Then we were on our way to San Diego for a 3:00 PM wedding! I have this tendency to pack a lot in when I am in California. So many people to see.... We got to the wedding on time, hung out with my college friends, had a blast, kicked it with more friends Saturday, and now we were finally on our way to Yosemite Sunday!<br />
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Some photos of my time in California with my friends:<br />
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1st Stop: Tunnel View</div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday July 1, 2018</span></b><br />
Our official journey to Yosemite begins. First we had to pick up Euzel and Sarina, both flew into LA from Seattle for this trek of our trip. After cramming them two plus more luggage into the truck, we were on our way!<br />
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We made one last stop at a grocery store in Fresno before entering the park. This point of our journey was also when the car was the fullest it could ever be. We had to buy 3 days worth of groceries for 8 people... When we got to the car with our groceries, we had to start pulling food out of their packaging so we could fit it into the car lol. It got that bad. But we did it! We had everything we needed!<br />
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Everything fit!</div>
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Our first stop in Yosemite was Tunnel View. If you haven't been to Yosemite before, Tunnel View is a must see! No effort needed to make it to this viewing point. Even with a million people milling around, the view is breathtaking.<br />
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We pulled into Lower Pines Campground around 7:00 PM and Kaelee, Chels, Hillary, and Sergio were all there to greet us. After that long drive, we all decided to take it easy our first night. We made some dinner and called it a night.<br />
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(Here's a <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2015/09/conquering-half-dome.html" target="_blank">link to a previous post</a> I wrote about reserving campsites (& hiking Half Dome) at Yosemite. Plan ahead!)<br />
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Thanks for the bunny ears Cody!</div>
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Lower Pines Campground Site 23 (near toilets and the amphitheater, plenty of space!)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Monday July 2, 2018</span></b><br />
This was our big hiking day. We all had submitted for the Half Dome lottery, but none of us were successful in getting a permit. You could submit for another lottery 2 days before you want to go, but we ended up not wasting our money and settling to hike Clouds Rest. Which, if you don't score Half Dome permits, Clouds Rest is a great backup! I climbed Half Dome in 2015, and I do think the trail to Half Dome is a little more interesting than Clouds Rest, but the view on top of Clouds Rest challenges that of Half Dome.<br />
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The girls of the trip on top of Clouds Rest </div>
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Scoping out the views, I think it might be better than Half Dome ;)</div>
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<b>Clouds Rest Trail Stats:</b><br />
Start:Sunrise Lakes Trailhead near Tenaya Lake<br />
Miles: 14 miles round trip<br />
Elevation Gain: 2600 ft<br />
Tallest Point: 9931 ft<br />
Time it took us: 9.5 hours<br />
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You can technically hike to Clouds Rest from Yosemite Valley, but that hike is over 20 miles R/T. So we opted to drive over an hour from our campground to start our hike at Sunrise Lakes TH. The trail is easy to navigate. I read this guy,<a href="https://californiathroughmylens.com/clouds-rest" target="_blank"> Josh's blog</a> before going on this hike and found it very informative!<br />
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We headed to the trailhead in 2 cars, Cody's truck which was the boys and me, and Kaelee's rental which had the rest of the girls. The lot was full when we pulled up around 8 AM so we parked on the side of the road. Per the blog I read about this hike, it said you might need to ford a river. But when we went the water was low and there were rocks to walk on over the water. The trail is relatively flat for the first 1.5 miles, then it goes up and down, and then it just goes up lol.<br />
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I, personally, was not feeling the greatest on this hike. Cody said it was probably due to us having been on the road now for 5 days, not getting the best sleep, and I think the heat got to me too. At one point, on the flatter parts of the trail, I was hiking with my eyes closed lol. I was feeling a mixture of exhaustion and being slightly nauseous. I was probably dehydrated and running on minimal food too. I'm slow as it is, I was even slower this day I felt, but I made it to the top eventually. Once I drank more water and put some calories in me, I felt a lot better.<br />
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Getting to the top of Clouds Rest can be scary if you don't like heights, but the path is wide enough where I thought it felt safe. Cody made it to the top too! He's definitely scared of heights. After a while at the top taking photos and refueling, the group started heading down.<br />
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Trail up to Clouds Rest </div>
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Cody heading up the trail<br />
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Gotta love Sergio!</div>
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Final push to the top of Clouds Rest </div>
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For people who are scared of heights, these 3 did amazing!</div>
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Cody looking classy with his tie on the top of the mountain </div>
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Scoping out the rest of the mountain<br />
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Sergio running down Clouds Rest </div>
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Wild lupine, my fave!</div>
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Sunrise Lakes</div>
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Nature's StairMaster</div>
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Last water crossing closest to trailhead</div>
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<b><u>The Trip Mishap</u></b><br />
As we were hiking down, the group of us split into 3 groups, Kaelee, Sergio, Euzel, and Chels in the lead, Sarina and Hillary in the middle, and Cody and I bringing up the rear. With no service or walkie talkies among the group, we had no idea how far the other groups were ahead of us.<br />
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As Cody and I exited the trail towards the parking lot, we didn't even think to head to Tenaya Lake since we finished last. But per the itinerary I sent everyone, I had finish at Tenaya Lake as the finisher. As we got to Cody's truck, we noticed Kaelee's rental was gone. With no note, and no sign of the 2 guys that came with us at the trailhead, we assumed everyone had just squeezed into the rental to head back to camp. Cody and I left the trailhead by ourselves around 5:45 PM.<br />
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As Cody and I were driving, we mentioned in passing how it was strange no one left us a note about leaving, but we didn't put much thought into it. I eventually picked up phone signal an hour after we left trailhead, and the first person I called was Sarina. She told us they were entering the valley and heading to the store, and I told her we were entering the valley too, right behind them. I contemplated about heading to Glacier Point with her, but her car didn't want to go. So I said I'd think about it and hung up. As a quick afterthought, I called back within seconds to make sure she had everyone with her in the car.... in which... they did not. They had left Euzel and Sergio at the lake...<br />
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UGH and SHIT.<br />
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I wish I hadn't had that afterthought to call back lol.<br />
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Cody and I immediately flipped a U-turn and started heading back up the road. Cody and I played through all the possible scenarios of what the boys would do, would they hitchhike? Would they start walking the road? Would they contemplate hiking Clouds Rest again to get to the valley since it's only 11 miles away from there? Would Euzel try to call an Uber? Are they still sitting at the lake? Why didn't we go to the lake?! Why wasn't there a note?! Why didn't we bring walkie talkies?! All the questions and what ifs....<br />
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(On our way back up the road, we saw our 1st bear in Yosemite btw! A bunch of cars were pulled to the side of the road, so we stopped too. The bear was hungry and looking for food)<br />
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By the time we got back to the trailhead, it had been over 2 hours since we finished the hike and of course the boys weren't there. We first checked trailhead, then headed to the lake, then back to trailhead, then to the exact spot where we parked the car... no sign of Euzel or Sergio. Did they get eaten by a bear? JK, that thought never crossed our minds. We did come across a ranger at trailhead though, and he said they most likely hitchhiked, not uncommon in Yosemite. The ranger told us not to worry unless they didn't show back up at the campsite later into the night.<br />
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So Cody and I hopped back in the car and hoped for the best. As I picked up service again an hour after leaving trailhead again, I started getting calls and texts, the boys had hitchhiked and were back at the campsite. By the time we got back to the campsite, Cody and I had been in the car driving in circles for 3.5 hours. Also Tacoma's are not gas efficient, and gas inside the park was $5.60/gal. Also, we just hiked a 14 mile day... so you might have an idea how I was feeling at this point lol.<br />
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I was of course livid at this point lol. There was some heated conversations, but at the end of the day, everyone was safe and made it back to the campsite. No one was hurt or lost. Also, I'm glad it was Sergio and Euzel who got left, if it had been anyone else, there would have been more freak outs lol.<br />
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So apparently after Cody and I left trailhead the 1st time, the boys eventually realized they got left. Sergio thought we left them cuz we were mad at them. They stuck their thumbs out and caught a ride in an over packed pick up truck with 2 young guys who had the back of their cab setup with an inflatable mattress. Sergio had to use the rope he had on him to tie the drivers stuff to the roof so Sergio and Euzel could fit into the car. As they made their way down to the valley, the truck ended up getting pulled over because Euzel and Sergio didn't have seat belts on. They ended up getting out of the truck 1+ miles away from Lower Pines Campground and walking the rest of the way.<br />
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On top of this ordeal, the group couldn't make dinner because Cody and I had the food/camp kitchen stuff in our car. Once everyone was back at camp around 9:30-10 PM, we made tacos, ate, and called it a night. All probably hoping the next day would go more smoothly lol.<br />
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Bear sighting, only got a photo of 1 of them though</div>
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With the 3.5 hr ordeal of a drive, we still caught a beautiful sunset</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday July 3, 2018</span></b><br />
We all slept in and had a slow go this day. We even made eggs and breakfast burritos. We set aside this day to do the touristy things in the valley. We walked to the historic lodge, once called the Ahwahnee, now called the Majestic Yosemite Lodge, drove to the visitor center, which was packed! It was kinda awful, we almost gave up on parking. But we eventually all parked, walked around, visited Lower Yosemite Falls, then bounced out to less crowded areas, El Capitan Meadows, and eventually ended up picnicking and taking a swim at Cathedral Beach.<br />
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After our swim, some of us headed to Curry Village for showers (which if there is someone manning the booth, I think it's $10 for showers). Then we headed back to the campsite to chill. Our group split into two for evening plans, the girls and Sergio headed out to hike Taft Point, while Cody, Euzel, and I headed to Glacier Point.<br />
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Glacier Point and Taft Point are close to each other, and about an hours drive away from the valley. At Glacier Point, we caught a ranger talk on the history of Yosemite, watched the sunset, and even saw a marriage proposal! Then the group got back together at camp, made burgers and quesadillas, rehashed our trip and called it a night. One thing we didn't really need on this trip was campfires. We made them 2 of 3 nights, but it was a lil too warm out to actually enjoy the heat of the fire this time of year.<br />
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Upper & Lower Yosemite Falls, looks better from afar away from the crowds</div>
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Missing Hillary, but the gang is mostly here!</div>
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Swimming in the Merced River</div>
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That lovable rascal </div>
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Bromance</div>
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Sunset at Glacier Point </div>
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We are small specks in this very large world </div>
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Last night in Yosemite</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday July 4, 2018</span></b><br />
Cody, Euzel, Sarina, and I packed up camp and left early since we were driving back to Seattle. On our way out, we saw our 2nd bear sighting of this trip. The bear had wandered onto our campground and it was 6:15 AM in the morning. I told Cody to honk his car horn, and that scared the bear away. That one was a lil too close for my liking.<br />
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With a couple of pit stops and driver swaps, our group made it back to Seattle by midnight. We were definitely on the road for a total of 18 hours straight.<br />
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Overall, even with our mishap, we had a great time in Yosemite! I'm not sure I want to plan another 8 person out-of-state camping trip again, maybe stick to 4 or less people because it is a lot to coordinate, but everyone added something to the trip, and I am glad we are all still friends haha.<br />
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Until next time Yosemite!<br />
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Even if I am stuck in the car on my favorite holiday, you bet I am going to dress for the occasion!</div>
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I will be back Yosemite</div>
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P.S. The carpet vacuum made it back to Seattle with us in one piece.<br />
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Miles Driven:2700 miles<br />
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<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com5Yosemite National Park, California, USA37.8651011 -119.5383294000000112.343066599999997 -160.8469234 63.387135599999993 -78.22973540000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-35588130931832049662018-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:002018-12-05T09:51:58.924-08:00I am done with you, Mt St Helens!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Top of Mt St Helens, photo by @<a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">seattlebred </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, I climbed Mt St Helens again. I climbed it last year around the same time, and I probably swore then I didn’t need to climb it again. But here I am doing another write up on it, because I hiked it again. (Here’s last year’s <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/06/climbing-mt-st-helens.html" target="_blank">write up</a>) But with this being my 2nd go at it, I learned from last year’s mistakes, tweaked the itinerary a bit, planned things a little differently this time, and I would say, second time around went way better than the first time! (also last year, I hiked it with my big toenail hanging off my toe and I had just taped it down because I was told not to rip it off so this year with no bum toe, it went WAY better AND I avoided dairy for 3 days leading up to the big day, my stomach felt great! Maybe TMI lol) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><strong>Hiking Saturday vs. Sunday</strong> <br />The biggest change I made from last year vs. this year was that last year we hiked Helens on a Saturday versus this year we opted for a Sunday. Hiking Helens on a Saturday was so hard on us last year because a group of us worked a full day Friday, then drove out at traffic hour, slept for 3 hours and then did a 12 hour hiking day. You can imagine how exhausted we were. It was nice having a full day Sunday to rest, but we got back at a decent hour Saturday night, that I didn’t see a full rest day was needed 2nd time around. <br /><br />So this year we opted to hike it on a Sunday. We all got a full night’s sleep Friday, had a late morning start Saturday and took our time driving down to the trailhead. We even had time this year to hike the Ape Caves and hangout as a group before calling it an early night! I would highly recommend Sunday, especially if you work Fridays and only have weekends off. <br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Quick Trail Stats:</strong><br />· 12 miles R/T<br />· 5699 ft gain<br />· Date hiked: Sunday June 17, 2018<br />· Route: Winter Route – Worm Flows<br />· Permit needed (read other Helens post about obtaining permits)<br /><br /><strong><u>Saturday June 16, 2018</u></strong> <br />Cody and I left Lynnwood around 10:00 AM Saturday and eventually met the rest at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park Trailhead around 3:30PM. 6 of us went to go explore the Ape Caves since we had some time to kill. I thought the Ape Caves were only going to take 30 min tops, but Kaelee took us through the Upper Caves which are 1.5 miles long and took us almost 2 hours to complete. Yeah wasn’t expecting to crawl through a dark tunnel and exert so much energy the day before hiking Helens! But it was definitely awesome and worth it. We hiked in the dark for almost two hours, crawling over lava boulders, scaled an 8 foot wall, and finally exited with a crawl up a ladder….<br /> <br />Once we got back to Marble Mountain Sno-Park, Troy was there waiting for us. We setup camp, some slept in their cars while others pitched tents, ate some dinner, hung out, and headed to bed early.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KP7zvhQ4ykk/WywN8dXt9LI/AAAAAAAACfk/PO-xC4-Po7kj2p30kJkH00-IdejgBhZ9gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8116%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KP7zvhQ4ykk/WywN8dXt9LI/AAAAAAAACfk/PO-xC4-Po7kj2p30kJkH00-IdejgBhZ9gCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8116%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Going up Helens, with Mt Hood in the distance</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Woxhhi1uLEs/WywOAViyUvI/AAAAAAAACfs/EC4CoylhfqEZP2NL0vJ11nTTFegX0nuXwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Woxhhi1uLEs/WywOAViyUvI/AAAAAAAACfs/EC4CoylhfqEZP2NL0vJ11nTTFegX0nuXwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8189.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From this angle, Helens doesn't look too big!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><u>Sunday June 17, 2018</u></strong> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a quick timeline of our day:<br /> 4:24 AM – we hit the trail<br /> 5:38 AM – we hit Chocolate Falls<br /> 7:47 AM – we hit the weather station<br /> 11:45 AM – we summited<br />2:00 PM- we glissaded back to the weather station<br />5:30 PM- I exited the trail<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The hike from trailhead to weather station went
smoothly besides the 35-40 mph winds that came and went throughout the morning.
No snow until after you past the weather station. Once past the weather station,
all of us opted to take the snow route over hiking the scree (aka loose rocks).
About 10-15 minutes past the weather station, the group split into 2, and 2
people opted to stay behind and not push for the summit. 5 of us kept on. The
wind started picking up again, but once we got to the summit the wind had died
down, and we had a relaxing time at the top! We stayed up there for about 40
minutes before we started heading down.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01VQkI270QY/WywN9IRk1WI/AAAAAAAACf0/x9ljmIkm5FAFAoBTExpA-zuH9Rp02xhnwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-01VQkI270QY/WywN9IRk1WI/AAAAAAAACf0/x9ljmIkm5FAFAoBTExpA-zuH9Rp02xhnwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8114.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> First time hiking with Cody's cousin, Troy! Thanks for hanging with us!</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ftMECJefkYA/WywN8zWMIAI/AAAAAAAACf8/3vWNlzM4zIgQCep3s6IAcNgozDvpWWhqACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ftMECJefkYA/WywN8zWMIAI/AAAAAAAACf8/3vWNlzM4zIgQCep3s6IAcNgozDvpWWhqACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8113.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Roomies! Notice that 1980s Jansport pack Meredith is rockin'</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4JX8ARjSXs/WywOA6pzK9I/AAAAAAAACf0/1UkSUCYGlpwrDKdVB1gRLa5dugop4P2PQCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4JX8ARjSXs/WywOA6pzK9I/AAAAAAAACf0/1UkSUCYGlpwrDKdVB1gRLa5dugop4P2PQCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02494.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Got a group shot!</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3COkmf4sh4k/WywOAbK5IJI/AAAAAAAACf8/hxhKJRm3WAMmZrJyCVlCQAzXv5lEG4cyQCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3COkmf4sh4k/WywOAbK5IJI/AAAAAAAACf8/hxhKJRm3WAMmZrJyCVlCQAzXv5lEG4cyQCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02467.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kaelee enjoying the views</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PoCvnlVOPcM/WywN_cUrsoI/AAAAAAAACfo/ooUJrv00N2IlKTo0dwGilt5LLOMUU4VQwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PoCvnlVOPcM/WywN_cUrsoI/AAAAAAAACfo/ooUJrv00N2IlKTo0dwGilt5LLOMUU4VQwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8144.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Going up... on a Sunday!</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kupWAKfVv2k/WywOlVrRQNI/AAAAAAAACgE/uFibuCzIK38bM164N_ITmQeHaKjU72NswCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kupWAKfVv2k/WywOlVrRQNI/AAAAAAAACgE/uFibuCzIK38bM164N_ITmQeHaKjU72NswCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8140.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Want more solid footing on snow? Use crampons!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As of
Sunday, there was still decent glissading from the summit to the weather station.
We did run into a Forest Service Range/Staff member before we hit the weather
station coming down, who advised us to reroute ourselves glissading since we
were heading too far to the right (towards Climbers Bivouac) and we had come
from the left. He checked our permits and made small talk with us before he
kept going up and we went down. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Glissading is when you slide down a steep
slope on your butt with an ice axe to stop yourself) He also mentioned they
were planning to open Climbers Bivouac route the following week, which is the
summer route, and 2 miles shorter than the winter route we were on… </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I was leading the glissading amongst our group at
one point, and I came to a spot where I felt it was a little too steep for me
to just slide down on my butt. So I yelled back to the group and had Troy scoot
down to evaluate the situation, in which he agreed it was a bit steep. So we
opted to side step down, with me following in Troy’s boot path. Troy got ahead
of me at one point, and eventually found a safe spot to keep glissading. I
still had a little ways to go to get to the safe spot at this point. Then I
slipped, and slid feet first, then head first, then I eventually self-arrested.
It all felt like I was going in slow motion and once I stopped I had snow everywhere, down my shirt, up my pants.... I never got scared, just annoyed with the snow and Troy probably
had a great show watching all this. Thankful i had my ice axe though! Anyways, we all made it down to the weather
station safely, and found Cody and Brooke waiting for us. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We glissaded one more chute passed the weather
station and hiked out from there. The hike out always feels like it takes
forever. It’s probably the adrenaline and the fresh feet that make the morning
hike in feel like a short one, but after so many hours on the mountain, the
hike out always feels like eternity. At this point, I just wanted off the
mountain, my feet were sore and tired. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">We all got off the mountain safely. Amy, Meredith,
Cody, and I grabbed dinner in Cougar, WA and then headed home while everyone
else had already taken off. We rehashed our day at the dinner table, shared
photos, and laughed at the mishaps of the day. It was another great weekend
spent in the mountains with great company. <o:p></o:p></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I am very appreciative of everyone who was with me
this weekend, Cody, Troy, Amy, Meredith, Kaelee, and Brooke! Great vibes all around
and an extra shout out to Troy for helping coach the newbies in glissading and
self-arresting!<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Learned this route is called Worm Flows due to the rocks looking like worms!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Plz_0unLo3c/WywNP9OQwzI/AAAAAAAACes/W9RLiNuXAOADQ6tkwDvLc7UC_yN-BEPpwCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Plz_0unLo3c/WywNP9OQwzI/AAAAAAAACes/W9RLiNuXAOADQ6tkwDvLc7UC_yN-BEPpwCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02488.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Yes, I know. I am in head to toe red. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9BiwcBqA9KY/WywOBnCGI1I/AAAAAAAACfw/Ens4SvZX9hkn79aj4HuW2crOsZ13zzJogCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9BiwcBqA9KY/WywOBnCGI1I/AAAAAAAACfw/Ens4SvZX9hkn79aj4HuW2crOsZ13zzJogCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02508.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Snow is easier than scree</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ITYCDsfkmG4/WywN_xT75zI/AAAAAAAACf4/0XS_n3LZOdUPiMxXiclV9NTKkb93UxF2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ITYCDsfkmG4/WywN_xT75zI/AAAAAAAACf4/0XS_n3LZOdUPiMxXiclV9NTKkb93UxF2QCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8161.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Made it to the top!</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kvpHNkXLplw/WywOB_xsXUI/AAAAAAAACf8/-X38tj3iNgYYmNoMydcH-LR7_Tq6o1uuQCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kvpHNkXLplw/WywOB_xsXUI/AAAAAAAACf8/-X38tj3iNgYYmNoMydcH-LR7_Tq6o1uuQCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02527.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> What the other side of the crater looks like</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FknsYrHSaP4/WywOCH-sikI/AAAAAAAACf8/feHlQjf94YgmK1rMrF31SIecavcDg1GmACEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FknsYrHSaP4/WywOCH-sikI/AAAAAAAACf8/feHlQjf94YgmK1rMrF31SIecavcDg1GmACEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02542.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Spirit Lake and Mt Rainier covered in clouds</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3L7F_Br8gL4/WywOkoDYu4I/AAAAAAAACgI/jAnR3qwaO0QRrzB2uzIkjRlPUSkLXP2rgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3L7F_Br8gL4/WywOkoDYu4I/AAAAAAAACgI/jAnR3qwaO0QRrzB2uzIkjRlPUSkLXP2rgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8174.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The look of pure joy after a solid glissade route</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWq60Wi03rQ/WywOB5INZtI/AAAAAAAACf4/dBthmcE06sUg-voOdcmCYGDPjOy6GEG3wCEwYBhgL/s1600/LRG_DSC02525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWq60Wi03rQ/WywOB5INZtI/AAAAAAAACf4/dBthmcE06sUg-voOdcmCYGDPjOy6GEG3wCEwYBhgL/s640/LRG_DSC02525.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Top of Helens with the gang</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGFIQdO5UsU/WywNP6HymbI/AAAAAAAACes/Z8dvnY6vXygtsadMv4bC95pKXUf26xVxwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGFIQdO5UsU/WywNP6HymbI/AAAAAAAACes/Z8dvnY6vXygtsadMv4bC95pKXUf26xVxwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8337.JPG" width="512" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On our way down</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I usually end my posts with, until next time! But
I have now hiked Helen’s twice and don’t want to hike it again. So I am
ending it with….</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Never again, Mt St Helens, never again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>
</strong></span></span><o:p><strong></strong></o:p> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-67273226906658615812018-05-21T09:14:00.000-07:002018-12-05T09:52:17.323-08:00Adventures on the Olympic Peninsula<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2dpsSjkFfA/WwJndegOxVI/AAAAAAAACcg/ZuUmTgquVNYcAW3cBsFwH9mdQM6nu0fqACLcBGAs/s1600/TBFD0884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2dpsSjkFfA/WwJndegOxVI/AAAAAAAACcg/ZuUmTgquVNYcAW3cBsFwH9mdQM6nu0fqACLcBGAs/s640/TBFD0884.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Top of Mt Storm King overlooking Lake Crescent</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I have been so busy these past 2 months, I haven’t
had time to sit down and write a full blog post. My last post was about snow
camping that happened in beginning of March. Since then, I backpacked Ancient
Lakes a couple weeks later for our annual spring backpacking trip (I was
planning on doing a write up on this, but decided against it. It was our 3<sup>rd</sup>
trek out there, so if you want more info, read my previous 2 blog posts about
the area <a href="http://www.doristheexplorist.com/2017/04/repeat-ancient-lakes.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and then April kicked off my month of “too many trips planned”.<br />
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Don’t get me wrong, each trip was a blast and I
loved visiting all the places I went, but traveling takes a toll on your body,
especially with the extreme time differences! Within 3 weeks I traveled to
Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Idaho. I spent the first week of April in Hawaii
celebrating my big 3-0. Then 6 days later I flew to Hong Kong for a week to
hang out with my mom for her birthday; and less than 48 hours after I landed
from Hong Kong, I jetted to Idaho to celebrate my best friend’s bachelorette. I
racked up a lot of air miles, got to spend a lot of quality time with friends
& family, and stuffed my face with amazing food! I am still debating if I
want to do write ups on Hawaii and Hong Kong, but for now let me share with you
my trip to the Olympic Peninsula from the other weekend.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trip Date: </b>Friday
May 11 – Sunday May 13, 2018<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Places
visited:</b> Lake Crescent, Mt Storm King, Marymere Falls, Forks, and Second
Beach out near La Push<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Places
Camped:</b> Heart O’ the Hills Campground & Second Beach<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Miles
Hiked:</b> Mt Storm King & Marymere Falls 6 miles R/T, and Second Beach 1.8
miles R/T<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Permits needed:</b>
an overnight permit is needed to camp at Second Beach $8/night per person.
America the Beautiful Park Pass. Heart O' the Hills was $20/night to camp, first come. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p>I originally wanted to backpack Colchuck Lake this
weekend. It was the last weekend before the permitting season starts for the
Enchantments. But I made a change of plans due to Tizzy being in town, it was
her last weekend in Washington, and she had not yet been to Olympic National
Park. So I kept my eye on the weather all week, spoke with some friends, and
plans started taking shape when we all knew the weather forecast was looking
like solid blue sky days out on the peninsula for the weekend.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Friday May
11, 2018</b><br />
I worked a full day in Bothell before I booked it
to Lynnwood to meet Cody & Tizzy, so we could load up the car and catch the
Edmonds/Kingston ferry to the peninsula. Plans were to meet our friend Lindsay
at the ferry terminal and take the same boat over. Well of course our plans of
catching the 5:25 pm ferry didn’t work out due to traffic and the ferry wait
time being 90 minutes, and we showed up at 5:00 pm for the ferry. But we
eventually caught the 7:00 pm ferry (yes 2 ferries came and went before we were
able to get on one), and we got to Heart O’ Hills Campground a little after
9:00 pm. (Note to self: add in ferry wait time into your commute. <a href="https://www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=ed-king" target="_blank">Here</a> is the link to the Edmonds/Kingston ferry schedule)</div>
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We met Sarina at <a href="https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/washington/camping/heart-o-hills-campground" target="_blank">Heart O’ Hills Campground</a>. She
had headed out to the peninsula earlier in the day with her sister to hike
around and I told her I’d camp with them, so she was nice enough to save us a
camp spot! We set up camp, chatted around the campfire, and headed
to bed around 11:00 pm that night.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday
May 12, 2018</b><br />
We had an early wakeup call Saturday morning. I originally wanted
to hike <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-storm-king" target="_blank">Mt Storm King</a> for sunrise, but since we got in so late, we didn’t want
to get up THAT early. So we settled on waking up around 6:00 am. Cody, Tizzy,
Lindsay, and I woke up, packed up camp, and hit the road for the Storm King
trailhead. We pulled in a little before 7:30 am to an empty parking lot besides
one car. (Note to self: Storm King is not a popular sunrise hike, Kaelee also mentioned to me the mountain faces the wrong way for a good sunrise) Once we
started hiking we did pass 2 groups coming down who had started around 6:30 am.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
The hike up Mt Storm King is steep the entire way. There didn’t seem to be any flat spots! It’s 2065 ft of gain in 2.35
miles. Once you are near the end of the hike, you come across a sign that reads
“End of maintained trail”. From there it becomes more of a ridge hike with
drop-offs. Then you get to the rope parts. There’s some sketchy ropes tied to
trees that you can hold on too to get yourself up. They are so sketchy looking,
but also very helpful. Tizzy, Lindsay, and I made it slowly up the roped route,
and made it to the top of Storm King! Did we question ourselves on the way up?
Yes, yes we did. Were the views worth it? Yes, yes they were. We had the summit
to ourselves for a good 40 minutes before others started showing up. We took a
ton of photos, ate some snacks, and headed back down.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/marymere-falls" target="_blank">Marymere Falls</a> actually starts at the same
trailhead as Storm King. So after Storm King, we veered left of the trail and
hiked to see Marymere Falls (about 10 min from the Storm King junction). The fall was bigger than expected! After we
finished, we hit the road for Forks, WA. Once at Forks we grabbed some great
Mexican food at a hole-in-the-wall spot before we hit the coast. It was called
<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-santa-ana-forks-3" target="_blank">Taqueria Santa Ana</a>, you should definitely check them out if you’re in the area!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uaQLvxXIIc/WwJoHtTxI6I/AAAAAAAACdM/4UuyQrqDMjoNg4CM9ZylK37SAGN6UtYsQCEwYBhgL/s1600/FDMJ0515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uaQLvxXIIc/WwJoHtTxI6I/AAAAAAAACdM/4UuyQrqDMjoNg4CM9ZylK37SAGN6UtYsQCEwYBhgL/s640/FDMJ0515.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mt Storm King hike starts here</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh-J-E1cZTc/WwJnFc3OO4I/AAAAAAAACcE/uRRvUHtgJdozXUkB0LUnATKzhbOmpqssgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh-J-E1cZTc/WwJnFc3OO4I/AAAAAAAACcE/uRRvUHtgJdozXUkB0LUnATKzhbOmpqssgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_7200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lake Crescent peaking out through the trees</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrd56wunvBM/WwJoI33_ahI/AAAAAAAACdE/etVO7SMlNxckypdB5-SbaTxFd5wpbbTYACEwYBhgL/s1600/LIYE2268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrd56wunvBM/WwJoI33_ahI/AAAAAAAACdE/etVO7SMlNxckypdB5-SbaTxFd5wpbbTYACEwYBhgL/s640/LIYE2268.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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One of the sets of ropes leading to the top! Go Lindsay Go!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t-GrYMukNdY/WwJoJve5etI/AAAAAAAACdI/WeG1RKu43aIXnBo2wyPnH5BfL941YJRoACEwYBhgL/s1600/TQJM7000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t-GrYMukNdY/WwJoJve5etI/AAAAAAAACdI/WeG1RKu43aIXnBo2wyPnH5BfL941YJRoACEwYBhgL/s640/TQJM7000.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Lindsay on top of the last section to the viewpoint of Storm King</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fUbVwEgeTwk/WwJoJn39eoI/AAAAAAAACdM/h33PwHA4MG8MgjJP8Cn-dbK37d9a6QQIACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fUbVwEgeTwk/WwJoJn39eoI/AAAAAAAACdM/h33PwHA4MG8MgjJP8Cn-dbK37d9a6QQIACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_0450.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Almost there</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2he00so6isw/WwJoHhUFFvI/AAAAAAAACdI/rxgCuym990sLl4jteKNEQxr7IyvF2lqhACEwYBhgL/s1600/IDLL5462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2he00so6isw/WwJoHhUFFvI/AAAAAAAACdI/rxgCuym990sLl4jteKNEQxr7IyvF2lqhACEwYBhgL/s640/IDLL5462.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
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Marymere Falls</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Second Beach </b><br />
We got to the <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/second-beach" target="_blank">Second Beach</a> parking lot in the
early afternoon. The lot was full, so we parked in the overflow lot, which had
plenty of space. (FYI: the sign is knocked over for the overflow lot, it’s the
grass field you first pass before you get to the Second Beach lot) We loaded up
our packs and hit the trail. Per WTA, the hike down to the beach is 2 miles,
but it felt way shorter than that, more like less than a mile one way. It took
us maybe 20 minutes, before we saw the beach. As we headed out, I took some
advice from an IG follower, and we collected some branches and wood on our hike
out to use to start our fire for the night. Fires are allowed on Second Beach
and you can forage and use driftwood to burn. Only downside is driftwood tends
to be really smoky and wet, but it works for a fire nonetheless. I think the hardest part of this hike was climbing over the giant driftwood trunks once you hit the sand and the ocean. But it's a short struggle and then you're there with the endless ocean in front of you! </div>
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We went left and set up camp not too far from where we entered. We thought we set ourselves far enough back when high tide hit, but the tide kept us on our toes until midnight that night lol. More about high tide later. After we set up camp, we spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun, walking the beach, taking photos, collecting driftwood for our fire, and just enjoyed the beauty of Mother Nature.<br />
<br />
So before we headed out for this trip, I took a screenshot of the tide chart for La Push. Well I should have looked more into Second Beach because high tide hit La Push sooner than Second Beach and we were worried the water was going to hit our tents! We waited till high tide came and went before we headed to bed. High tide btw was almost midnight that Saturday lol. By 10:30 pm the tide had smothered our fire and washed away our pit... So because of this we decided to unstake 2 of 3 of our tents and put them up on the logs just in case the water came up too high. Not to worry though, it never came that high, but tide was definitely inches away. Better safe than sorry!<br />
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Massive driftwood</div>
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Home for the night</div>
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Second Beach </div>
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My trusty ol tent</div>
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Making new friends</div>
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Bear canister is needed when camping at Second Beach </div>
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Yoga pose at golden hour</div>
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Sunset</div>
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Our camp setup</div>
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Practicing night photography </div>
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Cody and the night sky </div>
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My best night shot that weekend!</div>
<br />
<b>Sunday May 13, 2018</b><br />
We all woke around 8:00 am, took in the morning views, had some coffee and packed up camp. We hit the road for Seattle around 10:30 am that morning. Traffic was AWFUL going home from the peninsula. Lindsay ended up 45 minutes ahead of the car I was in, due to us stopping for food. But she warned us the Kingston/Edmonds and Bainbridge ferry both were saying they had 2 hour waits... so we decided to drive down and around. Well that took forever and eventually made it back to the Seattle area around 3:30 pm. (Dear state of Washington, who closes down the i5 freeway to one lane, midday on Mother's Day?!)<br />
<br />
Overall, it was such a fun and event-packed weekend with amazing weather! Made me fall in love with the Olympics a little more.<br />
<br />
Until next time Olympics!<br />
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Morning views</div>
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Tizzy and her morning coffee</div>
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The girls and I packed up and ready to head out!</div>
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Goodbye Second Beach!</div>
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dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com2Olympic National Park, 3002 Mt Angeles Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98362, USA47.8021067 -123.6043523999999825.841332200000004 -164.91294639999998 69.76288120000001 -82.295758399999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-77381287158059251422018-03-15T15:30:00.003-07:002018-12-05T09:52:32.105-08:00PNWOW: Mt Rainier Snow Camping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9rIzY4HJ94/WqrlZ7oyB6I/AAAAAAAACWo/ZAEbPefkwH4aUSDhJEwEsPbWghGVGHJAQCLcBGAs/s1600/Rainier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9rIzY4HJ94/WqrlZ7oyB6I/AAAAAAAACWo/ZAEbPefkwH4aUSDhJEwEsPbWghGVGHJAQCLcBGAs/s640/Rainier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mt. Rainier on a blue bird day </div>
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<a name='more'></a></div>
Last weekend, I went snow camping again with the
PNW Outdoor Women’s group (PNWOW). I went last winter and had such an amazing
time; I signed myself up again for it this year. This time around, I brought
along my friend <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a>! She had never been snow camping before, and last time
she went camping with me, she was miserably cold… so not sure why she agreed to
go with me this time, but I am glad she did! (Read about her experience <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/blog/snow-camping-at-mount-rainier-national-park" target="_blank">here</a>.) <br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
The Thursday and Friday before our trip, I spent
time prepping and packing after work. Thursday, I picked up snow socks (similar
to tire chains) for Kaelee’s Subaru since Mt Rainier National Park requires you
to have tire traction in the winter, even if you have AWD/4WD, and Friday I
picked up an America the Beautiful pass (aka annual national park pass), since
the one I had been using expired. Both items are on the pricier side, but worth
it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Tire socks ran us about $100, we got them from Les
Schwab though, and they actually let you return them end of season if you don’t
use it and get a full refund. A single time entrance fee into a national park
is around $20/car. I visit national parks often enough, that buying the $80
yearly pass is cheaper for me in the long run (plus I split the cost with Cody
since most of my national park trips will be with him, just not this trip… Thanks
Cody!)<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcuaGf0hj9k/WqrmZMWS9KI/AAAAAAAACW0/e28ZnRu0AEgmTBrg3_j_zHO0V8p6kDBCwCLcBGAs/s1600/rainier%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcuaGf0hj9k/WqrmZMWS9KI/AAAAAAAACW0/e28ZnRu0AEgmTBrg3_j_zHO0V8p6kDBCwCLcBGAs/s640/rainier%2B3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Us and our giant packs!</div>
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Ready, set, charge! JK. That's the group evaluating the campsite</div>
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<o:p>Looking for the perfect camp spot</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Thanks for the action shot Kaelee!</o:p><br />
<o:p><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gh90V_Vvl8M/WqryJ5tSGXI/AAAAAAAACY8/NxMp_yme3pM1l1CTvXejBUcKYOn0on0xgCLcBGAs/s1600/Tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gh90V_Vvl8M/WqryJ5tSGXI/AAAAAAAACY8/NxMp_yme3pM1l1CTvXejBUcKYOn0on0xgCLcBGAs/s640/Tent.jpg" width="480" /></a></o:p></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday
March 10, 2018<o:p></o:p></b><br />
Kaelee and I hit the road for Mt Rainier National
Park around 6:00 AM and got to Longmire by 8:30 AM, with a quick stop to
Starbucks on the way. Plans were to meet the PNWOW group at the parking lot
next to Longmire Museum. The gates at Longmire don’t open till 9:00 AM. We met
everyone here, chatted a bit, and then caravanned up to the Paradise Overnight
Parking Lot after Teresa (the amazing lady behind organizing this whole event)
picked up the group permit. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
After all of us parked, loaded our packs on our
backs, then we hiked the ¼ mile to the group site. The group campsite is
located directly behind Paradise Inn, and is also walking distance to 24 hour
restrooms. Great spot for beginner snow camping! <br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MszySPSIS4s/WqrxRTrgBKI/AAAAAAAACYs/ii1FrqNUuNUfJ_oox_MTQmsXX9VuN1QwACLcBGAs/s1600/paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MszySPSIS4s/WqrxRTrgBKI/AAAAAAAACYs/ii1FrqNUuNUfJ_oox_MTQmsXX9VuN1QwACLcBGAs/s640/paradise.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Paradise Inn</div>
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<o:p>Camp Kitchen</o:p></div>
We all went to work setting up camp and creating a
“kitchen area” for all of us to eat at. After setting up and hanging out for a
bit, the group of 30 women went and snowshoed the<a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/alta-vista-loop" target="_blank"> Alta Vista Loop</a> nearby.
Kaelee and I, along with a handful of others stayed behind to catch the sunset.
Kaelee and I got cold though, so we started heading down before the sun was
completely down. We caught the sunset going down as we hiked back and it was
just as magnificent! After we got back to camp, we put on warmer clothes and
headed to the “kitchen” to eat dinner. After dinner Kaelee helped me with some
night shots, and we went to bed. <br />
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Photo By: <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a></div>
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<o:p>Photo By: <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a></o:p></div>
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Photo By: <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunday
March 11, 2018<o:p></o:p></b><br />
We woke up to cloudy skies and no colorful
sunrise, so we took our time getting out of bed. We packed up a bit, went down
and made breakfast, ate, hung out, then packed up and headed out. We made a
stop at a coffee shop on our way out and ran into ½ the women we camped with,
chatted, and headed home.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It was another great weekend spent in the
mountains! PNWOW is an amazing group that has connected a ton of like-minded
outdoor women, and I have made some good friends through the group. If you live
in the PNW and are a woman, go check them out! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Settings: SS 15 sec + F4.0 +ISO 4000</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p>Our lil village</o:p></div>
<br />
Below is a more detailed list of what I ate, what I
brought, and what I learned:<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What I Ate
While Snow Camping<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<u>Saturday Lunch<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2 slices of bread<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Small Tupperware of Trader Joe’s premade chicken
salad<o:p></o:p></span><br />
I don’t like soggy premade sandwiches, so I slapped
the ingredients together when I was ready to eat it. Figured the chicken salad
wouldn’t go bad cuz I was in cold weather. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u>Saturday Dinner<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/885788/mountain-house-italian-pepper-steak-25-servings" target="_blank">Mountain House Italian Style Pepper Steak</a> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Idahoan-Potatoes-Buttery-Homestyle-4-Ounce/dp/B000KOUK6A" target="_blank">Instant Mashed Potatoes<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/851389/backpackers-pantry-creme-brulee-2-servings" target="_blank">Backpacker Pantry Crème Brulee<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
I give the Pepper Steak 7/10 rating, it’s not my
favorite Mountain House, but I’d buy it again. For mashed potatoes, don’t waste
your money on the Mountain House brand mashed potatoes, just buy the $1 Idahoan
brand (saves you money and tastes better!). I messed up on this packet of crème
brulee and had to toss it, but if made correctly it’s delicious. It tastes like
pudding lol, 10/10 in my books. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u>Sunday Breakfast<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/869989/mountain-house-biscuits-and-gravy-2-servings" target="_blank">Mountain House Biscuits & Gravy<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Cup of Noodle<o:p></o:p></span><br />
This was my first time trying the biscuits and
gravy and it was great! 10/10 and I would totally buy it again. I personally
am not a fan of the Mountain House eggs. Also I wanted something to warm me up
so I had a cup of noodles. <o:p></o:p><br />
<u>Snacks<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/Post/Post/soft-strawberry-or-black-licorice-twists" target="_blank">Trader Joe’s Strawberry Licorice<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://shop.clifbar.com/clif-nut-butter-filled-caramel-chocolate-peanut-butter/p/clif-300591&c=clifbar@clifbar@nutbutters" target="_blank">Nut Butter Filled CLIF Bar</a> </span><br />
I didn’t bring too many snacks this trip, I usually
pack more. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What I
Packed in my 58L Backpack<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<u>Sleeping System<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/862530/rei-co-op-flash-sleeping-bag-womens?bvstate=pg:2/ct:r" target="_blank">REI Flash 32 Degree Sleeping Bag<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/870759/rei-co-op-trekker-self-inflating-sleeping-pad" target="_blank">REI Trekker Sleeping Pad R Value 5.6<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/829826/therm-a-rest-z-lite-sol-sleeping-pad" target="_blank">Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sleeping Pad</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/850235/cocoon-microfiber-mummy-liner" target="_blank">Sleeping Bag Liner<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.costco.com/Double-Black-Diamond-Packable-Down-Throw-2-pack.product.100314979.html" target="_blank">Costco Down Blanket<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.zappos.com/p/baffin-cush-booty-dusk/product/7486138/color/19667?ef_id=WqhM6QAAFgLCoGXs:20180315211704:s" target="_blank">Synthetic Down Booties<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Gear List<o:p></o:p></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/810115/rei-co-op-passage-2-tent" target="_blank">REI Passage 2 Tent w/ footprint<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/888797/msr-evo-ascent-snowshoes-mens" target="_blank">MSR Snowshoes<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/890608/kahtoola-microspikes-traction-system" target="_blank">Microspikes<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/AAA-4004-Aluminum-Utility-Shovel/dp/B002SIR91A/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1521147635&sr=1-4&keywords=snow+shovel" target="_blank">Snow Shovel & Snow Scoop<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos%C2%AE-Aluminum-Camping-Backpacking-Activities/dp/B00N9OBV3E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521147599&sr=8-3&keywords=snow+stakes+tent" target="_blank">Snow Stakes<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/768902/bearvault-bv500-food-container" target="_blank">Bear Canister<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Clothing<o:p></o:p></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/870482/patagonia-down-sweater-womens" target="_blank">Patagonia Down Jacket<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/116137/mammut-elizabeth-insulated-jacket-womens" target="_blank">Mammut Ski Jacket<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> <a href="https://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/details/Sport%20Essentials+Womens-Bib-Snow-Pants/4155125345488/_/A-4809398#.WqrjcKrL2Uk" target="_blank">
</a></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/details/Sport%20Essentials+Womens-Bib-Snow-Pants/4155125345488/_/A-4809398#.WqrjcKrL2Uk" target="_blank">Ski Bib (snow pants, overall style)<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/121928/rei-co-op-midweight-base-layer-tights-womens" target="_blank">REI Baselayer leggings<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/ClimateRight-by-Cuddl-Duds-Women-s-Stretch-Fleece-Warm-Underwear-Leggings-Sizes-S-3X/38469335?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227027833160&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=59234938848&wl4=pla-84276246768&wl5=9033345&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=38469335&wl13=&veh=sem" target="_blank">Walmart Fleece Leggings<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://www.rei.com/product/118991/dakine-scout-insulated-leather-gloves" target="_blank">Glove liners and snow gloves<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Fuzzy socks for sleeping<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsL22j3WUpY/WqrxIAE5E5I/AAAAAAAACYk/3APYpeuV0QUcWQOH3vb6y5KuVEF3jQ0NACLcBGAs/s1600/gear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VsL22j3WUpY/WqrxIAE5E5I/AAAAAAAACYk/3APYpeuV0QUcWQOH3vb6y5KuVEF3jQ0NACLcBGAs/s640/gear.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What I learned on
this trip<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Men’s sleeping bag temperature ratings are not
the same as women’s temperature ratings. Say you see a men’s sleeping bag rated
at 5 degrees. It is probably equivalent to a women’s EN rating 15 degree bag. They rate
men’s bags at the coldest they can sleep, while they rate women’s bags at the
most comfortable temps to sleep in. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Snow pack and avalanches: Teresa showed us the
soft powder that lies underneath a hard layer of snow and how that is the root
cause of avalanches. Interesting to understand a little more about avalanche
danger. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Read directions carefully before adding water to
freeze-dried food or it turns out disgusting… <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Until next time Mt Rainier! </span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hudSwutHyCg/WqrwjMMmnzI/AAAAAAAACYc/uhqa7CEgHQozH2wbxarOjoa9Kjlf_U70wCLcBGAs/s1600/camp%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hudSwutHyCg/WqrwjMMmnzI/AAAAAAAACYc/uhqa7CEgHQozH2wbxarOjoa9Kjlf_U70wCLcBGAs/s640/camp%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sunday Morning </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lo3BMD2he7E/WqryJuiCFVI/AAAAAAAACY0/uzo7m6gHVIQEQY9q2FeFe405Alwg1LfewCLcBGAs/s1600/pnw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lo3BMD2he7E/WqryJuiCFVI/AAAAAAAACY0/uzo7m6gHVIQEQY9q2FeFe405Alwg1LfewCLcBGAs/s640/pnw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFu9fBRlKck/WqrwiwwNIGI/AAAAAAAACYY/H_fVBBzkROIn6mbzWBRJoiLEzF9od6B4gCLcBGAs/s1600/gopro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFu9fBRlKck/WqrwiwwNIGI/AAAAAAAACYY/H_fVBBzkROIn6mbzWBRJoiLEzF9od6B4gCLcBGAs/s640/gopro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p>Thanks for the GoPro group pic Amanda!</o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTBV7XVzFY8/WqrxRfd9m1I/AAAAAAAACYo/U1AsVwqNGiYpcFmYSWbW2XYwxCSxieSBACLcBGAs/s1600/kaelee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTBV7XVzFY8/WqrxRfd9m1I/AAAAAAAACYo/U1AsVwqNGiYpcFmYSWbW2XYwxCSxieSBACLcBGAs/s640/kaelee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Practicing photos on <a href="http://www.seattlebred.com/" target="_blank">Kaelee</a>!</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />dorisday52http://www.blogger.com/profile/09772469249274591442noreply@blogger.com5Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA46.8799663 -121.7269094000000121.3579318 -163.0355034 72.4020008 -80.418315400000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930304952916505224.post-41545441837004342482018-03-06T22:11:00.001-08:002018-12-05T09:52:45.652-08:00Hiking & Camping on the Dry Side of Washington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YTZrIq67YZA/Wp9_fXGKs7I/AAAAAAAACV4/iCneUWZLitI1Rw2q4nyUEOuNeb4g2f5qQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1080" height="422" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YTZrIq67YZA/Wp9_fXGKs7I/AAAAAAAACV4/iCneUWZLitI1Rw2q4nyUEOuNeb4g2f5qQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3611.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hiker_katherine/?hl=en" target="_blank">@hiker_katherine</a></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Caitlin mentioned to me in January that her hubs had the last
weekend of February off and was interested in camping that weekend. I told her
I didn't have any plans yet and to count me in! At that time
location was dependent on weather, Caitlin was looking all over the state, from
hitting up the coast to snow camping. As the weekend approached, weather was
looking like rain and snow everywhere around Seattle, so she decided going east
was best. There always seems to be sunshine east of the mountains! So east we
went! </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Throughout the week, we ended up rounding up a group of 9 people
to head east. 7 of us stayed and camped for the night, while 2 of our friends
just drove out for the day to hike with us. (Smart thinking for just day hiking after what we went through haha)</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1Oco35nV_w/Wp9_Z3jssCI/AAAAAAAACWQ/DakqHzqUhk80Tb4gh27wMyPpcdU1lZtDwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1Oco35nV_w/Wp9_Z3jssCI/AAAAAAAACWQ/DakqHzqUhk80Tb4gh27wMyPpcdU1lZtDwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3088.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Going over the pass</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Dates Hiked & Camped</b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">: February 24-25, 2018</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Hike Location:</b> <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/white-bluffs-north" target="_blank"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Hanford Reach</span> </a>National Monument in Mattawa, WA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Miles Hiked:</b> 5.7 miles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Elevation Gained</b>: 500 ft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Campground Camped</b>: <a href="http://www.grantpud.org/recreation/campgrounds/jackson-creek-fish-camp" target="_blank"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Jackson Creek Camp</span> </a>in Mattawa, WA ($10/night)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Parking Pass Needed</b>: Discovery Pass needed for trail<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Note</b>: Dogs allowed</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Hanford Reach North</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Saturday morning, we all agreed to leave Seattle around 8:00 AM
and to meet in Ellensburg to regroup since we were taking 4 cars. Going through
Snoqualmie Pass was kinda stressful, since road conditions of snow and ice were
getting worse as the day went on. But we all made it over the pass safely. A
quick stop in Ellensburg, we all then headed to Hanford Reach North Trailhead
from there. (Directions came up on Google Maps when we typed in Hanford Reach
North, but we also used the <a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/white-bluffs-north" target="_blank"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.wta\.org\/go-hiking\/hikes\/white-bluffs-north\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink">WTA directions</span></span> </a>for back up) It took us
almost 4 hours to get to the trailhead. We started hiking a little after noon,
and just followed the trail from the parking lot. Finding the sand dunes was
not hard. You walk through some grass fields, follow along next to the river,
and hit the 1st sand dune a mile or two in. From there, we went further and hit
a 2nd giant sand dune. We explored the area, took lots of photos, Cody tried to
butt scoot his way down a dune, and turned back after hitting the peak of the
2nd dune. The weather couldn't be more perfect! We had left Seattle in
downpour, hit a small blizzard driving over the pass, but we ended up in
sunshine and blue skies! The hike didn't take too long and I think we finished
around 3:00PM. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3dKoVOItsA/Wp9_aE3K71I/AAAAAAAACWI/ML6EUXsvznIkE9sIPE2qxV-VPyr2g2aLwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3dKoVOItsA/Wp9_aE3K71I/AAAAAAAACWI/ML6EUXsvznIkE9sIPE2qxV-VPyr2g2aLwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3100.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qClDYohHbjQ/Wp9_gry_EmI/AAAAAAAACWU/EE_aNZWLdJkkEgiL-nDM4M3QLB0zIsx5gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qClDYohHbjQ/Wp9_gry_EmI/AAAAAAAACWU/EE_aNZWLdJkkEgiL-nDM4M3QLB0zIsx5gCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3612.jpg" width="468" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Photo courtesy of: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hiker_katherine/?hl=en" target="_blank">@hiker_katherine</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/www\.grantpud\.org\/recreation\/campgrounds\/jackson-creek-fish-camp\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.grantpud.org/recreation/campgrounds/jackson-creek-fish-camp" target="_blank">Jackson Creek Camp</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">We parted ways with Katherine and her friend Liz, and headed to
the campsite we were staying at for the night, Jackson Creek Camp. It was about
40 minutes from the trailhead, back toward Seattle though, so it was
conveniently on the route home for Sunday. We pulled up to an empty campground,
picked two sites right next to each other, and setup camp. From what we
researched, this campground is pretty new. There's also no trees in the area,
the campsite is on asphalt, and you set up your tent in this square they have
outlined for you. One con about the campground is that there are no fire pits,
only built in grills. We all questioned the fire pits before we got there since
none of us saw any online, and we were correct in thinking there were none! Not
sure if it was legal, but we ended up making a makeshift fire pit out of rocks
on the gravel. The dinner we brought needed to be warmed up on the fire pit, none of us brought charcoal for the built in grill... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">We planned ahead for dinner and decided on making "taco
bowls". I cooked the meat ahead of time, ground beef and
turkey. While the others brought cooked beans and sweet potato, guac, chips, and
other toppings to add to it. We made lil foil packets and warmed the meat and
beans, then mixed everything together to eat. It turned out to be a great
dinner and a super easy cleanup! After dinner, Catherine whipped out the dessert, dough
boys! Best campfire dessert ever! (Consists of Crescent rolls, butter, and cinnamon
sugar) It was a great evening of hanging out, telling stories, and just
enjoying each others' company. We all headed to bed before 10:00PM.... and
that's when things started going bad....</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p><b>40 MPH WINDS</b></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">I want to say the wind started picking up right before midnight. I
am the type of person who can pretty much sleep through anything, but this wind
that night woke me up. I would fall in and out of sleep, but the wind howled
all night long, shaking our tent, whipping it left and right, bending the
poles. Every few hours, I would turn to Cody, and ask, "Are you
awake?" there was no grogginess in his voice, the answer always came back
in clearness "YES". Ok, so the wind wasn't only keeping me awake, it
had Cody awake as well. I wondered how the other 2 tents were holding up. I
looked at my phone a few times during the night but didn't see Caitlin's text
till the morning. She had texted the group "Any of you awake?" around
1:00AM. Haha I think we all were. At 5:58AM Caitlin texted again, "I think
we are going to go - we have zero wind protection and the wind is CRAZY (plus
we aren't sleeping so why not...)" My tent and the other girls' tents
responded immediately, "we are awake, let's all pack up". The wind was
absolutely ridiculous. After checking the weather, we estimate it was gusts up
to 40 mph. Our tents were taking a beating! We packed up as quickly as possible
and made a game plan of meeting in Ellensburg again to grab brunch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">WIND IS THE WORST. But we survived. Our tents, </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">surprisingly,</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> weren't goners, just a few lost stakes. We regrouped in Ellensburg before 8AM, grabbed breakfast at <a href="http://www.grantpud.org/recreation/campgrounds/jackson-creek-fish-camp" target="_blank">Palace Cafe </a>and rehashed what had just happened. I mean, maybe we should've listened to the weather forecast more closely. But in the end, we were ok and laughing about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Overall, we had an awesome weekend spent outside and with good friends. Always an adventure camping. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Until next time Mattawa!</span></div>
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