Hanging from a Rope

Vertical World, 6/6/09

I'm not afraid of heights. No, really I'm not. I'm afraid of falling to my death from a great height. There's a difference. So that being said, one would think that I'd have no desire to hang from a rope off the side of a cliff. However, I've been wanting to give rock climbing a try for quite some time. To my aid came Joannie a friend with some experience, confidence and a lot of support.

I met her early on a Saturday morning at Vertical World in Redmond to try my hand at a little bouldering and rock climbing. I have to admit, I'm hooked and can't wait to play again. Luckily Joannie is wiling whenever I am.

Sole-less

Black Canyon, 5/31/09, 8.5 miles, 1730 elevation

Ushani sat on the side of the trail duct tape in one hand, a shoelace in the other staring at her boot. The sole had begun flapping and we were only 2 miles into the hike. There really was no to reattach the sole with what we had on hand. Worse yet, the other sole had begun to flap also. What to do? wee had only begun the hike. One of us could turn around and head back with her, but she said no. It would be ok and she ripped the vibram sole from each boot exposing the soft cushion underneath. We would continue on.

As Michael and Ushani discussed the plans, a young rattlesnake crossed our paths. We tried to give the poor thing a wide berth although a few stepped too close and she rattled a warning. A quick step backward and she was fine. It wasn't long before we reached the top of the ridge to experience the beautiful views of Mt Rainier, the Stuarts and the valley below. Different wildflowers were in bloom than when we first came 2 weeks earlier. But the views were just as stunning.

Up to this point, Ushani's boots were holding up ok. The soft undersole was a lot softer than we expected and was starting to tear away from her boots exposing the plastic boot form. By now we were halfway through the hike so there was no where to go except onward. With each step downhill, a little more of the soft sole came away from her boots. She kept going, slowly but without complaint until finally we reached the cars - just in time for her toes were about to slide out the ends.

Even afterward, she said that her feet were fine. And I get to tell people I hiked someone right out of her boots.

Not Forgotten

Nez Perce National Historical Park, Memorial Day Weekend 2009

There is a segment in our history that is shameful - a past we would like to forget about. And for that very reason we must not hide our faces from it nor can we forget it. In our greed, arrogance and ignorance, we tried our best to destroy the nations that inhabited this land before. Those we could not destroy, we rounded up those left behind and forced them onto lands often not of their home. As pale reconciliation, several locations have been set aside to commemorate the people who were here before us. One such place is the Nez Perce National Historical Park in Idaho.

I visited there recently on a photo shoot for the park - documenting aspects of their culture and history on land where they fought battles, raised families, and called home. I met with several rangers, natives who had their own stories to tell. I watched their dances. And explored their land.

In the end, I knew this was a place for remembering.

Sunshine and Wild Flowers

Black Canyon, 5/17/09, 9 1/5 miles, 1700 elevation

We needed to scout a trail for an upcoming Conditioning Hike, a trail I had wanted to explore for a couple of years but it being on the hot side of the mountains deterred my adventures. The upcoming CHS hike was a perfect excuse to get out and give the trail a try. We invited our buddy Dave along and picked him up early to try & beat the heat.

The drive to the trail head showed a bit of promise as the hills outside of Ellensburg were covered in Balsamroot and Lupine. My internal tail was a'waggin'. The drive also revealed many varieties of birds including Western Meadowlark and Mourning Dove.

The day was already starting to warm up as we started our climb through the black volcanic rock and yellow balsamroot of the canyon. Willows and ponderosa pine lined the road rapidly reverting back into a trail. At about a mile, we came across an old cabin near a stream in a glade of aspen and cottonwood. A perfect place for a rest before continuing up the hill.

Each small elevation gain presented new flowers and more views. Mt Rainier could be seen in the west as we climbed. The flowers changed from balsamroot to lupine to shooting stars to bitteroot. And as we crested the ridge, views of the valley stretched below us. It was here we stopped for lunch under a pine tree with the meadowlarks singing to our meal.

After our fine meal and stories, we continued on along the ridge stopping to admire flowers and views. The Stuarts could be seen in the distance. Bighead clover sprouted at trailside. We also had to watch our step as horned toads scurried across the dirt & rocks. All too soon we were heading back down the hill. Dave & I explored a short side trail to another viewpoint while Michael continued on to the cabin to wait for us. There we found him taking a nap beside the stream in the shade of the cottonwoods.

From there it was a very hot walk out, but we were able to find a bar & grill in Yakima that served delicious food and cold drinks.

A Friend in the Prairie

Mima Mounds, 5/16/09

There's a prairie south of Olympia. A prairie with golden grasses wagging in the autumn breezes, wildflowers in the spring. A prairie with geological formations that have had scientists scratching their heads for years; perfectly formed mounds all about 3 meters high and evenly spaced along the prairie. A prairie of quiet - and on this afternoon almost pure solitude.

It had been a while since I visited Mima Mounds and thought I might be due. The wildflowers are abundant in May during prairie day festivities. And I had a vision in my head. The vision never quite played out, but the walk in the late spring afternoon was refreshing. I was pretty much alone to meander through the mounds exploring the strange landscape and playing with my camera.

As the sun set, I heard in the muted wail of a coyote. Looking around I saw the little guy atop a mound, voicing his farewell to the day.

Last Snowshoe of the Season

Mt Baker NRA, 3/10/09, 5.5 miles, 1600 elevation

The snows are hanging around in the mountains a little longer this year . Even though, snowshoeing opportunities had been getting smaller. Spring snow is just sloppy and not much fun. But Mt Baker is a winter wonderland into July so a trek through Heather Meadows on the north side of the mountain to Artist's Point would be a perfect destination for us and our friends Heather & Dave. One last snowshoe before the spring thaws melt all the snow.

For several years, Michael & I had been attempting to make it to Artist's Pint by snowshoe, but had been turned around for one reason or another every time. We hoped that we'd be able to make it with Heather & Dave. We had all day and the enjoyment of good friends buoyed us all up the hill to Pan Dome - the height of the sky resorts - for a lunch under the eye of Mt Shucksan.

Our afternoon was spent retracing our steps to the trail junction with Artist's Point. With another climb up to Artist's Point for the beauty of Mt Baker. As a child I always though Mt Baker was a national park just like Mt Rainier, now as an adult, I wonder how this beauty ever got passed over for national park status. I always love looking at this mountain from every side.

We finished off our day at Milano's in Glacier - some of the best Italian around.

Now the snowshoes are hung to dry and the hiking boots are set by the door.

A perfect naturalist spot

Nolte State Park, 5/9/09, 1 .5 miles

As Michael & I walked the trail around Deep Lake with the girls, Michael stated that he felt this was a forest where he should be able to identify all of the plants. And really he was right. The forest surrounding Deep Lake at Nolte State Park is the stereotypical coastal forest of Washington - a perfect place for a new naturalist to hone their skills or just bone-up on what they already knew.

Along he way we spotted the three coastal forest conifers, plus vine maple, salal, oregon grape and a couple of ferns. A few wildflowers were blooming and the birds twittered. So much fun we were having walking in this little naturalist treasure that the daylight began to slip away more quickly than we were walking. We arrived back at the car at dusk and the awaiting rangers ready to give us a parking ticket for being in the park too late. We talked or way out of the ticket much to our relief since it would have been $137.00 naturalist trip. Yikes! and I started this partly because it was a cheaper hobby to accompany my photography.