Paradise Valley Conservation Area

 January 2, 2023

Started off the new year with a stroll through the Paradise Valley Conservation Area in Woodinville. We weren't looking to get too muddy and we'd been pretty active with the pups during the holidays so we opted for a relaxing hike close to home.

Since we got a late start after noon we did a shorter walk by taking Mainline Trail and forked off to Lloyd Trail  which made a nice 3.2 mile loop taking about 70 minutes to complete. There was good signage all around and the trail was mostly wide. Pups had a great time sniffing and pulling us around.

Tumalo Mountain Snowshoe

January 16, 2022

For my annual bday snowshoe adventure Andy planned a weekend a trip to Bend, Oregon. I hadn't been there since researching at Mt. Bachelor in college! Aside from snowshoeing, we ended up visiting a few breweries and ran along the Deschutes River. Such a cute small city.

It was a long ass drive to spend two days there so next time we visit we'll be sure to stay a few days longer! All the past trip reports about snowshoeing at Mt. Tumalo indicated that parking was limited and  filled up quick. Luckily, Andy and I can be early birds for situations like this, so we woke up at 4:30 AM and when we arrived at the trailhead just before 6 AM it was already full except for one last glorious spot which we took immediately. Since we were unfamiliar with the area, we waited in the car until dawn so there'd be some light to guide the way. 

While the Dutchman Flat Sno-Park northwest of the parking lot was indeed very flat, we opted to snowshoe east up to Tumalo Mountain. With no clear snowshoe trail, we basically just went straight up. We saw a handful of other folks but since we were all making our own paths up it ended up being a quite, clear and brisk morning perfect for a sunrise snowshoe. 

Nearing the top

It was sunny, clear and generally flat at the top with great views of Mt. Bachelor right next door, Sisters and Mt. Hood. We had a quick snack, watched a snowmobiler appear and disappear from the snowy edge (snowmobile areas are clearly marked off for safety), and snapped a few pictures before heading back down.

Heading down

Waihe'e Ridge Trail - Maui, HI

October 22, 2021

I'm always down for a morning hike when vacationing in Hawaii and this time was no exception. We were looking for a quick one and decided on Waihe'e Ridge Trail in west Maui. It's a straightforward 4 mile out and back hike on a well groomed trail. Honey buckets were available at the TH and were being cleaned out as we arrived.

Most of the elevation is at the beginning which served as a mean warm-up on a paved road next to a private farm. The rest of the hike was generally mild from what I can remember. It was a clear, sunny day and we didn't have issues with muddy/slippery areas. We were treated to dramatic views of Waihe'e Valley and lucked out with just a few passing clouds. 

Panorama Point

January 15-16, 2021

For my birthday this year Andy rented a cabin in Ashford so we could enjoy a long weekend snowshoeing on Mt. Rainier. 

We arrived on Friday and since it was a weekday afternoon the parking lots were nearly empty. We first stopped at Narada Falls. You can see the waterfall from the parking lot. There's a short trail that takes you to this view: 

Narada Falls

There didn't appear to be a well-traveled trail past the falls, so we decided to turn back.

Our plan was to snowshoe up to Panorama Point on Saturday, but since we had time to kill before check-in we drove up to Paradise and did some recon. We took the Golden Gate trail which is the opposite way we typically head up. It was still sunny so we decided to stop for lunch. Andy brought his shovel and dug us a great snow bench. 

Hot tomato soup, sandwich, and beer

Friday lunch view

With the incoming clouds and several folks informing us of low visibility farther up we decided to finish our lunch and head out. It was almost time to check in to the cabin anyways.

Clouds rolling in

Because our cabin was so close to the park we were up and snowshoeing by 10 am the next day. We couldn't have been more fortunate with the weather. I think Mt. Rainier is one of the most beautiful places to be in nature it's always a bonus when you get to enjoy it with friends.

Baby lenticular clouds

Lunch spot view of Mt. Rainier

Buds

It looked like the conditions up to Panorama Point were favorable because everyone was heading straight up and there was a lot less zig-zagging trails compared to the last time we went (super scary). We didn't make it all the way up this time around, but actually our lunch spot was pretty much the same view as you would have had up there. Overall it was a lovely birthday weekend and a much needed getaway.

Cutthroat Pass / Methow Pass / Upper Snowy Lake

 August 15 - 16, 2020

Seven years ago Andy proposed to me during a backpacking trip through Cutthroat Pass. We decided to take a break from house work this summer to revisit and finish this hike. We took this trip seven years ago with a couple friends and it ended up being incredibly frightening for everyone (except for me (I've always wanted to be a storm chaser)) because there was a really bad/spectacular thunderstorm at night which ended up washing out trails and roads. Luckily we made it out safely, but had to take a 4.5 hour driving detour to get home due to mudslides covering the roadways. Because of the weather and other circumstances we ended up having to set up camp early at Granite Pass on that trip. The original plan was to camp at Upper Snowy Lake.

Which we did this time around!

Considering all the cars at the trailhead and on the shoulder of the highway I expected the trail to be crowded, but to our delight it was not at all. I think many people use the Cutthroat Pass trailhead as overflow parking for another hike directly across the highway. At 9:30 am we were able to find parking easily. The two toilets at the trailhead were open and clean. 

The gradual hike up to the Pass is for the most part shaded. There were several easy stream crossings. It had been a dry summer week so I had to stay a ways back from Andy otherwise I would literally be eating his dust.

We took a quick lunch break at Cutthroat Pass before moving on.

Cheesin'

After Cutthroat Pass the remainder of the hike was along the ridge which meant very little to no shade from the hot height of afternoon sun. I loved it. You can't beat the clear blue skies, differing terrain, and 360° views. You can't beat having the trail to yourself and getting glimpses of a chipmunk here and a pika there. 

Rocks on rocks on rocks

This hike reminded us of the importance of planning and having a good map. We're usually good at reading the trip reports, but this time we only skimmed a couple reports. We usually have a green trails map, but this time had a low-res print out which was pretty much useless. So, we paid the price and ended up hiking all the freaking way past Methow Pass. Luckily we ran into a couple who informed us that they, too, had missed the turn to Snowy Lakes and were backtracking. We turned back and let them know it was probably back another 30-45 minutes but they decided to do it their way. Not sure if they ended up making it because we didn't see them at the lake later that evening.

 

Hiked another 10 minutes past this sign until we realized we had overshot our destination

Andy had an idea where we may have missed the turn-off so we backtracked and he was right! Earlier we must have been distracted by the views and  people who had set up camp in a meadow. We must have been looking left the whole time and missed the unmarked bootpath to the right. Easy to miss.

After making the blazing hot climb to Methow Pass and then having to back track we weren't super stoked to have to make another climb up to Snowy Lakes, but we were happy to be on the right track. I remember the climb up was slooooow. Our legs were exhausted and we were hot and hungry. It's always a great feeling getting to the top, though. I love backpacking and its challenges.

Almost....there.....

Relieved that we made it. That's lower Snowy Lake behind me. 

There was one tent at lower Snowy Lake. I'd say there were about 8 tents at upper Snowy Lake where we ended up camping. We set up camp with a sweet view of Golden Horn and made our way to the lake to cool off and filter some water.

Andy's "Golden Horn"

We saw a marmot sunbathing on a hot rock and it reminded us of Mario. Too cute. 

There was still a lot of daylight left after setting up camp. We were exhausted but our tent was boiling hot and again, there was very little shade. Andy sucked it up and took a short nap in the tent. I hid behind the shadow of the tent and rested a bit. With my bug net and bug spray I was mostly protected from the annoying biting bugs. 

Still too bright and hot to sleep. We were exhausted and could barely keep our eyes open.

It's been a while since I've seen the night sky without any light pollution. We were able to keep our vestibules open all night so I found myself waking up a lot to look outside hoping to catch the tail end of the Perseid meteor shower. 

We hiked out with the sunrise illuminating the mountaintops and "just the tip" of Golden Horn.

Pine Lake

March 15, 2020

Really glad we decided to go on a hike as this weekend was just before the stay home order was issued. Feeling lazy, we didn't leave the house until 11am which ended up being a good thing because it seemed like most people got an early start and had left or were on their way out when we arrived at noon. We probably saw a dozen or so fellow hikers who were heading down and a bunch of well-behaved doggos off leash. This was a pretty standard in and out hike through the woods to a quiet lake. There's a great system of trails here but because we didn't prepare snacks and wanted something quick and easy, we only hiked to Pine Lake and saved Cedar Lake for another day.

Wide and well maintained trail

Toby's boots with the fur. He eventually figured out how to walk on the boardwalk to get to the lake.

Would be a great place to set up a hammock

Pine Lake

Stay safe and healthy out there!