They put up this new sign while we hiked.
Sauk Mountain may be my favorite hike. It is short, with great views the entire way, and with only a little effort you get up above the tree line. I’ve hiked it more times than I can count. Sometimes alone, sometimes not. Last Friday we hiked it all together and it was great. The weather was perfect and it wasn’t that crowded (sometimes the parking lot gets so full you have to park down the road a long way from the trailhead).
We took it really, really slowly. The GPS says we averaged 1.08 mph for the trip (that includes the descent). When we stopped at switchback number 10 for lunch we’d already been gone longer than it takes me to hike it alone. But, and somewhat to my amazement, both kids hiked all the way to the top without needing to be carried. They needed some encouragement, but they made it. It took two hours and five minutes, but we made it! Hurray!
Excited to be on the summit!
Wesley on the summit.
Jillian on the summit.
Near the summit there was still some snow. This was a huge, exciting thing for the kids. We insisted they not slide around until we were on our way down. Good thing, too. They got so cold they both had a few tears. I think the time in Texas may have softened them up.
Getting really cold hands in the snow.
The area around the lake was also covered with snow. And the lake itself had more ice in it than I can ever remember. Wesley when he got to the top and looked at the lake and mountains said “Wow! This is so beautiful!”. Hopefully he won’t complain so much before the next hike.
Ice in Sauk Lake
On the way down Jillian did get to ride. This made the descent a lot faster. And for a mere $1 bribe, Wesley walked all the way down to the car. The best $1 I’ve spent in a long time.
We didn’t see any Pikas this trip. But we did see a chipmunk or two (Redmond was furiously flipping over rocks trying to get at them) and several Marmots. This one just stood up the entire time and looked around. He didn’t scurry off until we were 25 feet away.
Marmot doing a Meerekat impression.
Like I said, it was a nearly perfect trip. The wildflowers were in bloom, the kids were cooperative and in good spirits and even Redmond was well behaved.
Bicolor Lupine
He loves to hike even more than me.
And of course the view was wonderful.
Looking East over the Skagit Valley
We even got to see the Elk east of Lyman on our way to drop the kids off at my mom’s house. It was a great trip and I can’t wait to do it again next summer.
Tags: Amber, hiking, Jillian, Joshua, Redmond, Sauk Mt., washington, Wesley
The last time we hiked through the Snoqualmie Train Tunnel it didn’t go so well. Wesley was not quite 8 months old and he was pretty freaked out. Amber ended up going back with Wesley and I jogged the rest of the tunnel by myself. This time went much, much better.
At the East entrance to the tunnel
The tunnel is 2.3 miles and almost perfectly straight. It is also nearly pitch black and 55 degrees inside compared to the bright sun and 75 degrees at the entrance. Armed with sweatshirts and nearly all of the flashlights we owned we had a ton of fun walking in the dark. The kids managed to walk all the way in one direction and a portion of the way back.
Not ones to let nearly total darkness stop us from taking pictures we did manage a few inside the tunnel (thanks to a very bright flashlight).
About midway down the tunnel.
Without the flashlights it looks like this:
The view most of the way.
At the west end of the tunnel are some picnic tables and probably the nicest compost toilet I have ever had the privilege of using. The view isn’t bad either.
Looking East over I-90 from West end of tunnel.
At the ends of the tunnel you do get a bit of light and you don’t need your flashlights right away. It does get dark pretty quick, though.
Heading back to Hyak.
The trail, especially after the recent work, is so wide (you could drive a train on it!) and flat that we played games on the way back. Running and chasing, hiding and general goofiness ensued. The only major concern is bicyclists. There are lots of them. Bikers outnumber walkers at least ten to one. Most have lights and most probably wish they had brighter ones. We didn’t have any problems, but we were sure to move over and give them plenty of room.
Isn't she beautiful!
And how do you celebrate a successful hike on the I-90 corridor? In our family that means root beer floats from XXX in Issaquah. Well the kids had root beer floats. I had a root beer shake and we all shared some fries and onion rings.
Tasty onion rings at XXX.
If you want to hike the tunnel it is now open. It had been closed for the last several years for repairs. And don’t forget that for safety reasons it isn’t open in the winter. They gate the tunnel closed November 1st through the end of April.
Just for fun I tracked the hike using the gps on my cell phone. Just curious what it would do. You can see that we started at Hyak, magically popped out at the other end. The big empty section between the blue lines is the tunnel. It is so apparent on the map because they keep the trees cleared for the power lines that run over the top.
Google map of our hike
From the GPS we know it took us exactly 3 hours and 4 seconds to make the 5.6 mile round trip journey. You can take a look at the interactive map and view the data here. Heck, download it into google earth if you want.
Hike information: Snoqualmie Tunnel – wta.org
Tags: Amber, hiking, Jillian, Joshua, snoqualmie, tunnel, washington, Wesley
Jillian LOVES Hello Kitty! So we had a fun Hello Kitty Party.
The Strawberry Hello Kitty Cake
All of our yummy snacks.
All set up for our pin the bow on Hello Kitty game.
Goodie bags for the kids. They included: a Hello Kitty coloring book that I made, bubbles and strawberry milk straws.
We had tattoos.
All of the kids put some on.
In the backyard we played catch
and horseshoes.
Then we played "Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty"
Wesley is ready to go...
Here is where everyone placed their bows.
Next we opened gifts - and boy was Jillian loved!
this one is from Wesley.
Blowing out her candles.
Super yummy cake!
Most the kids who celebrated with Jillian.
Then Jillian opened one last gift... a big kid bike and a new helmet!
With Yaya, Papa and Aidan.
With Grams and Aunt Ashley
Our attempt at a family photo...
Here first ride on her new bike.
Happy Birthday Jillian. You are one lucky girl.
And thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us. Jillian has been talking non-stop about her “Special Day” and how much she loved it!
Tags: 4th, Bike, Birthday, Cake, Hello Kitty, Jillian, Pin the Bow, Tattoos
