To Yosemite and Beyond

May 12, 2016

John Muir's muse became what is understood as the first land ever set aside for preservation and public enjoyment, and we wanted to see the place that inspired the many national parks to come. We left our dear Pacific Northwest for a few days to drive down to pay Yosemite National Park our first visit ever. I understand now why the park is so visited and so loved. The towering granite cliffs and cascading waterfalls make for amazing sights. We camped in the park for three nights, and we were so glad to have had the luxury of that much time to explore. On our last full day the road to Glacier Point opened, and we were so thankful to be able to watch the sunset from there.

It was hard to leave, but we were also anticipating a night on the coast in a historic bed and breakfast. We figured we could splurge after car camping the preceding four nights. After our wonderful stay at the Requa Inn we camped another night and explored the Redwood State and National Parks. On our last night before we got home we did a beautiful hike to Fairy Falls along the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge and then caught the sunset from the Crown Point Vista House. It truly was a trip I won't soon forget.

El Capitan. Can you see the headlamps of the climbers?

Camas In Bloom

April 24, 2016

I've occasionally seen camas on the trail, but I have never seen such a vast display of the beautiful blueish purple flower. On our way home from our road trip to Yosemite (I'll be posting pictures soon!) we made a stop at the mysterious Mima Mounds south of Olympia. The rain welcomed us back to Washington and we were glad to feel it. The meadow of camas looked beautiful with a layer of rain and mist.

Lazy Saturday on Heybrook Ridge

March 26, 2016

Darin and I had not been on Heybrook Ridge since back before we started dating. We were up there in February 2012 for a Mountaineers Navigation class and he called me the next day to ask me out.

It was fun to walk a trail with a personal history. We've been slacking in our training for spring/summer mountaineering season and so we opted to carry the weight up a nice, easy trail. Even with the only 800' of gain we sure felt it in our legs. It was a bit of a reality check as we stared out over so many beautiful mountains from the lookout at the top.

Over the Mountains

March 09, 2016

This past Monday I had the privilege of making an amazing trip over the mountains with my mom. I loved driving from rain, to snow, to sunshine in Eastern Washington. With the rain that had fallen earlier in the Eastern Washington day we found some interesting puddles that reflected the basalt formations, and the sage is starting to come out in all its beautiful greenish blue hues. Spring is certainly on its way.

Sultan River Canyon Trail

March 05, 2016

Today was a beautiful day to pay an overdue visit Spada Lake. The lake itself was gorgeous, and the downhill walk to the canyon was full of cascading water and glistening trees. This meant, of course, that we had to turn around and hike up the 700' hill after arriving at the river, but that made for a good, quick workout. The water in Spada Lake and the Sultan River (its outlet) has such an interesting cloudiness and verdancy to it. Good friends, blue sky, and the quiet forest made for a wonderful Saturday morning. I was happy to be able to snap a few pictures amid the catching up as well.