Waptus River hike

Last weekend marked my longest (17+ mile trek) hike to date - an up / back from Waptus River / Lake. It was perfect weather, despite a few sprinkles here and there (nothing to complain about, that's for sure!).

The trail was fairly slow on Saturday, surprisingly enough, as my companion and I saw three horses going in, a pack train coming out, and a handful of hikers going one way or the other. It's a dusty, horsey trek out and back, but dodging the horse poop is easy enough if you're tolerant or horse-friendly. There was one blow-down to climb over (though a new trail has been forged around it, which seemed silly to me) and only a couple of mudholes near water crossings. Some guy had parked himself beneath a waterfall off trail and just stared out at us as we went by - it was a little creepy!

I would highly recommend this trip. Though we stayed at the horse camp and didn't make the complete trek to the lake (instead, we wandered up the spur trail to the west of the lake after dinner), the horse ford crossing didn't look too scary. I waded out about halfway to get water and it was only shin-high. I had heard tell that it was thigh high, but not today!

Two days after getting back, I was pretty freaked out that I'd carried too much weight and torn my PCL / ACL or meniscus, due to some pretty intense pain (it started out as a 'no pain, just swelling' situation) upon bearing weigh. That was scary, but things seem okay now, though the entire week has been exercise-free as a precaution. Hopefully I can get back into training next weekend.

Next up: a trip out to Moran State Park with a dear friend and her daughter (car camping). I've never been out to Orcas Island, so it ought to be pretty nice!

Urban Hiking

So I haven't had much luck with getting into the outdoors this summer. Tomorrow marks the first trip of the year and it can't come soon enough!

Today I walked on the Chief Sealth Trail. Despite it being a Friday morning, there were quite a few people out. The think that stuck out the most for me was the fact that everyone I smiled at waved or said 'hello' back - if they didn't beat me to the smile. People from all different age groups and a myriad of cultures. It's one of the reasons that I love South Seattle so much. When I lived in Wallingford, I felt like I was stuck in Stepford. Perhaps it's my California roots showing through, I don't know.

The Chief Sealth trail is at least 3.5 miles long and I traveled almost all of the way on it - I stopped short because my stomach was getting the best of me and implored me to turn around and head home. I'll take my camera next time I hike it because it truly is a gorgeous, amazing experience. Though one can see the city, it seems like a mirage as one strolls along the rolling pavement, looking across acres and acres of grass and flowers.

I plan on making this walk a weekly one when my schedule permits - and when I'm not beating the crap out of my knees trying to run a 12 minute, 1.5 mile circuit.

So, as you can see, there IS such a thing as urban hiking...cheater hiking, really. But I'll take it when I can't get out into the wilderness...which I hope to do quite frequently with the added benefit of a paycheck for doing so!

Past trips...

So I'm starting this blog to keep track of my recreational activities...no, not like that, get your mind out of the gutter!

Thus far, I have logged about 40 miles officially, mostly as a solo hiker. While wandering out in the wilderness alone has its inherent dangers, there are also many benefits. Since the running joke is that I will end up falling in water (be it a puddle or a lake) on every trip, I have grown more cautious as I travel in forests and scramble across creeks.

My first trip is here

My second trip can be found here

Somewhere in between, I have also been involved in a couple of work parties with the WTA, including one at Mailbox Peak and the other at Larrabee State Park. There was also a romp up to the very-bug-laden Annette Lake last summer. I've also visited a few other state parks, including Cape Disappointment (my personal favorite), South Whidbey, Deception Pass, and Kopachuck. Somewhere in there was a failed camping trip with friends during the off-season at the Tinkham campground off I-90...that's a story for another day!

This year, I have precious little time during the summer to rack up the miles, but I'm not worried since I didn't even start hiking until October last year.

Planned trips in 2010 include:
Indian Henry's Hunting Ground / Mirror Lakes via Longmire
Moran State Park
Spider Gap / Phelps Creek
Bandera Mountain / Ira Spring trail

Of course, I'm counting the days until my first trip of the season. It will be my first taste of Mount Rainier's Wonderland Trail - my goal is to hike the entire thing next year, but we'll see how that goes, since life seems to get in the way sometimes.

Check back after June 26th to see pictures and an account of my first miles of the season!