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!