Old Dogs

Greenwater Lakes, 2/15/10, 3.5 miles, 100 elevation

Over the years, I have watched with a heavy heart as my beloved Olympia has become lame. She had torn her ACLs and doesn't get around the house very easily. Every time we go on a hike, especially with Zillah, her big brown eyes watch with sadness as we head out the door without her. It breaks my heart each time we leave. She had been my hiking companion for years and now she stays home while I train another. But she is always there, happy to see me, when I return.

Today's hike would be a short one, only a couple of miles to the 1st lake and back. Since the girls had been locked up in the house for some time, we decided to bring them both along with us. My heart swelled as I watched Olympia, a grin on her face, lope after Zillah sniffing trees and ferns, marking their way. When we had to cross the creek on a high log bridge, Olympia led the way tail wagging. I left the trail to take pictures of a small waterfall, Olympia was right by my side as she had been for so many years.

But we knew when we got to the lake that Olympia had reached her limit. She began to walk more slowly and stayed closer to us than she had on the way in - a sure sign that she was hurting. At the car, she leaped into the back without hesitation but once we were home she barely moved. We had to carry her to bed when the time came. I nearly cried as I realized that this would be her last hike. It had to be, she is now longer the pup I brought home, but the old lady who will be at home to meet me.

Fabulous February

Lime Kiln, 2/6/10, 6 miles

In an El Nino year, weather in the Puget Sound area just isn't right. February is a time for rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains. Either we stay at home snug in a quilt reading a book or we're out snowshoeing in the gloriousness of Washington winter. However, this year, this El Nino year, snowshoeing has been sketchy at best so we're forced to look for hikes that are rewarding in both scenery and exertion. Luckily, also in this El Nino year, we are getting far more sunny days than normal - as we did this past weekend's Mountaineers hike along the Lime Kiln Trail.

Lime Kiln Trail starts from just outside Granite Falls and meanders along the Stillaguamish River through moss dripping forest. With the sun still at a low angle, the moss was aglow with fire as the sun stretched across the sky. Every now and then we'd come across some old artifact narrating the mining and logging past of the area. A rusted saw blade here, a speckled pot there until finally we reached the old Lime Kiln used to cook lime in a time not that far in the past.

We finally settled down for lunch near the river. As the water danced over the rocks, the light of a mid-winter day danced across the ripples. I could hardly make myself sit still - all that light dancing and rippling through our little world just made my eyes sparkle. We finally hiked out, carrying on conversations we had started earlier in the day with new friends and old.

Sometimes it's just fun to hike in a group on a bright day rare in the northwest.

Issaquah Alps

Cougar Mtn Ramble, 1/30/10, 6 miles

When the snows aren't flying and the weather isn't raining, why not go for a hike with friends? And Cougar Mountain is a great place for a mid-winter hike with it's low elevation and criss-crossing trails. One could hike there all day and never see the same scenery more than once.

Our little gang of hardy hikers started out at the Red Town trail head and slowly made our way around old mining paraphernalia stopping to read about the mining history from the information kiosks set about along the trail and mining locations.

From there, we started up the hill to DeLeo Wall and a magnificent view of Mt Rainier. Well, on a less cloudy day, a hiker might be able to see Mt Rainier but today the clouds hung low so the view was minimized to the valley and the towns that are gobbling up the green.

From the wall, we meandered our way back down the hill following a different route to end up on the other side of the hill near a little stream and waterfall with mossy clumps. It was decided after one of our group commented that he likes mossy clumps that we'd eat lunch at the waterfall . . . and mossy clumps.

Our way back to the trail head took us along an old road past the Red Town townsite that is now being rehabilitated back to a woodland meadow. The way was wide enough for several of us to walk shoulder-to-shoulder telling stories and jokes and recited the occasional poem. What a great way to end a woodland ramble with friends.

New Year's Snowshoe

Gold Creek - Snoqualmie Pass, 1/1/10

A simple way to ring in the New Year - snowshoe with friends at one of the few places we'd be guaranteed snow. We brought along a few newbies (friends who had not yet snowshoed) to show them the ropes. We didn't plan a long day, just long enough for our friends to get out and try a new sport.

The road started out crowded with other snowshoers and many young sledders. After getting the feel for the shoes, we had our friends treading through fresh snow - making their own trails, something I thinks is the most fun of snowshoeing.

And all too soon it was over, but warm drinks & hot food afterward just sealed our friendship and desire to head out again.

New Year's Visions

As I look back over 2009, I am struck by all the adventures I went on.

Helped a friend get to safety during an extended snowshoe.

1st time rock climbing.

Survived a spring snow storm in Moab.

Getting my hike leader certificate for the Mountaineers.

Rode on a zip-line.

1st 3-day solo backpack combined w/ 1st backpack on the PCT.

Spent a night at Camp Muir.

Stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon at sunrise.

It was a good year, filled with good memories. Next year can only be better.

Inventory Trip #2

Northern California, 12/14-12/18/09

My second trip for work in the DYNW Great Inventory Count was through Northern California with co-worker Amanda. We'd be heading to some of my favorite places in North Cali and meeting some great people who work with us.

Our first day was spent on the "big loop" around Lassen National Park taking counts of our sites in Lassen National Forest. I love Lassen NP, has all the cool stuff of Yellowstone and none of the crowds. The gateway communities for the park sometimes forget it's there. While that's a shame for the splendid beauty of the park, it's a boon for people like me who enjoy a bit of solitude on the trail. It took us 13 hours to drive the circumference of Lassen hitting Falls River Mill, Susanville and Lake Almanor. By the time we left Lake Almanor it had been snowing for about an hour. As we reached the pass just south of the Park, we were getting warnings that chains were mandatory. As we were driving a rental, chains were not evident. We decided to try our luck anyway. The worst DOT could do was turn us around, making our day even longer. But we got through, just very slowly.

Our next couple of days would be spent driving to the various locations in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Shasta Dam. No more snow storms to drive through, we decided to try our luck with a couple of snowbound tourist destinations - McCloud River Falls and Castle Lake. I would have loved to have gotten closer to Mt Shasta, however the snow would have turned us back before we got to the tree line for an unobstructed view. We decided to be satisfied with the magnificent view from Castle Lake.

From there we drove out to the McCloud River and a series of waterfalls. Always a sucker for waterfalls, I drove along the beat up snow covered rutted road into the falls. and promptly got the car stuck. With much maneuvering and throwing out of ideas, Amanda & I got the car unstuck, grabbed a couple of pictures of the falls, then quickly got ourselves out of the mess we had gotten into.

I never get to spend enough time out in these other areas of our territory and feel I am missing some quality adventures.

Inventory Trip #1

Eastern Oregon, 12/7-12/10/09

This year our company sent us out to all the corners of the northwest to count inventories. My first trip would be to the Northeast Oregon area - Bend to Enterprise. I was assigned this area because I don't mind driving in snow and there's several passes I would need to go over along my way.

I flew into Redmond/Bend airport late in the morning and stopped by to pick up my rental car. The customer service gal mentioned I'd be driving an H3 and I wondered if I was supposed to know what that code meant. It took me a few seconds to realize that what she meant was an H3 - Hummer. OH S***! I'd be driving a Hummer! My boss & I had been joking about my needing a Hummer for Michael to allow me to go but I really didn't expect to be driving one. But I was glad to have it. Bend had been hit with a snow storm the night before I arrived and then sub-zero temps. The roads were slick. I slipped a little in the H3 but generally the beast handled the conditions rather well. Our manager & I actually had a little fun tootling around town in it.

The next morning, as I stepped out to load the car, the snow crunched beneath my feet. The night had been so cold ice had formed a thick layer on top of the snow. As I tried my best to scrape the ice off my windshield (my arms are too short to reach enough to make a difference) I noticed the temp was -11 degrees. YIKES! Glad to be in a well-heated car. But the sun was coming up, a rosy sky greeted me as I drove to Prineville. It was promising to be a marvelous day. It was -5 when I stopped to take pictures of the steam coming off the lake - my finger quickly froze and I quickly retreated to the warmth of the Hummer.

After Prineville, I made my way to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Last time I was here was spring a couple of years ago. I wanted to see the painted hills unit with snow on them. Again I was happy to have been driving the H3 - the road over Ochoco Divide had several icy miles and the road leading into the Painted Hills unit was nothing but compact snow & ice. But the hills were as amazing in snow as I had hoped. I was having so much fun shooting the shapes & lines I almost didn't notice the cold. Almost. Next time I'm out here in the winter like this I need to stop at Blue Basin - if the painted hills look this cool, I can just imagine how the Blue Basin will look.

I stayed the night in John Day and the next morning made my way to one of my favorite areas in Eastern Oregon - the Wallowas. The day was so cold the cows standing out in the their fields had a bright shimmer of frost coating their hairs. The cold was becoming torturous. I was luxuriously warm in the Hummer. I toured around the Wollowa valley after the inventory count was finished. Drove to the end of Wallowa Lake and hoped for a sunset but there wasn't one happening for me. Explored a couple backroads and came across a stream with unusual ice formations - the ice had a rippled effect underneath the stream. Was so cool I had to get a couple of shots.

The next morning as I started my drive back to Bend and the airport I was stopped by steam coming off the Wallowa River hoarfrost forming on the branches and rocks, the sun streaming through to create a golden mist. I was enthralled. A To me, a marvelous send-off to my trip.