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| July 18- Hike - Silver Falls/Grove of the Patriarchs-- It was a gorgeous day at Mt. Rainier National Park and we enjoyed a walk in the woods to a powerful waterfall and a grove of ancient trees, some 1000 years old. Fun for the young ones and the not-as-young ones too. |
| July 20- Hike - Sourdough Ridge- Mt. Rainier-- Another gorgeous day at Mt. Rainier, and we got to enjoy the views from over 7000.' We took two vanloads down and started on the road to Sunrise and followed the ridge top trail for three miles or so to Sunrise, taking a side trip to the top of Dege Peak, elevation 7006.' |
| July 27- Hike - Lake Dorothy-- A nice summer day, a hike on a good trail to a beautiful mountain lake, a refreshing dip into the water--it doesn't get much better than this. The Lake Dorothy Trail is reached at the end of the Miller River Road, off of Highway 2 near Skykomish. |
| August 2- Hike - Noble Knob-- The toughest part of this trip is the drive to the trailhead. You go past Enumclaw, almost to Crystal Mountain, then turn onto a steep, rough gravel road for 6 miles up to the trailhead at 5700.' If you survive that, the hike is a breeze, strolling along a gentle ridge with views of Rainier and wildflowers galore |
| August 15- Hike - Anderson Butte-- It was hot, it was steep, and it was very buggy, but the vista of the North Cascades from this one-time lookout site could take your mind off the discomforts. Baker and Shuksan were close, and scores of other peaks commanded our attention too. |
| August 10- Hike - Table Mountain / Artist Point-- You wouldn't have guessed it was August from the Artist Point parking lot at the end if the Mt. Baker Highway. The snow is still very deep in places, but we were still able to hike the two short trails from there. The rain stayed away, and the clouds provided some very dramatic scenery. |
| August 12- Hike - Yellow Aster Butte-- Another Mt. Baker area hike, this time a good strenuous one climbing up to 5700' , just below the top of the Butte. Flowers and views were outstanding, and the clouds again made the views all that much better. |
| August 14- Hike - Thorp Mountain Lookout-- Thorp is east of Snoqualmie Pass, kind of near Roslyn. The lookout cabin sits at 5854' and the view on thiis warm, clear day was terrific. The hike was short but tough, and the rewards at the top more than made up for the toil. It was also fun meeting the fire lookout Lori and her dog Gracie. |
| August 20-22- Backpacking the Wonderland Trail - Sunrise to Mowich Lake-- This trip was the first of its kind for Everett Parks-- a three-day, 24-mile backpacking trip. A group of nine took on the incomparable Wonderland Trail which encircles Mount Rainier. The entire route is over 90 miles, so we did a segment across the northern flank of the mountain. Beginning in the high country from the Sunrise area, we shouldered packs weighing from 30-40 pounds and set off, enjoying terrific views and wildflower displays the first day. We camped in a backcountry site on Granite Creek the first night. On day 2 we passed two major glaciers, a beautiful subalpine lake, and finished at a campsite near the Carbon River. Day three saw us battling cold, drizzle and fog on a long climb up to the high country of Spray Park before coming to the finish where the van awaited at Mowich Lake. What a challenging but rewarding journey. Congrats to Chris and Debra, Herb and Carrie, Colleen J, Laura, Nancy R, Cheryl, and Julie O. You were WonderFUL to be with on the Wonderland! |
| August 19- Midweek Walkers - Bellevue Botanical Gardens-- Not many of you know this, but the people who do the midweek walks get to do some of the COOLEST trips. This one was a prime example. Not far from downtown Bellevue can be found an immaculate park (Wilburton Hill) and right next door is the breathtakingly beautiful Botanical Gardens. We made a nice an easy walking route of about 2-3 miles, and had a great day. |
| August 24- Hike - Lake Valhalla-- A perfect weather day, sunny and 70. An excellent trail to a lovely lake. Doesn't get much better than this. Valhalla is off of the Smithbrook Road near Stevens Pass, along the Pacific Crest Trail. |
| August 28- Hike - Mount David (SWITCHED to Navaho Peak)-- This was to be our big 14-mile, 5200' gain hike to Mt. David, but a nearby wildfire caused the trail to be temporarily closed. Instead, we headed for the Teanaway Country and climbed 7223' tall Navaho Peak. It was only 13 miles, 4100' gain. Views were fantastic, especially the Stuart Range right next door. The thunderstorm at day's end added extra spice to the trip too. |
| August 30- Hike - Lake Ann-- It's always nice when the weather turns out better than expected. That was the case today, and we couldn't have been in a nicer place to take advantage of our good fortune. Lake Ann is very near Mt. Shuksan in the North Cascades, and not far from Baker. We had peek-a-boo views of both, as well as great alpine scenery and meadows. A very enjoyable day. |
| September 1- Hike - Scott Paul Trail-- This trail is on the slopes just south of Mt. Baker, and much of it meanders through beautiful meadow land just a stone's throw from the Easton and Squak Glaciers. Turned out to be a very nice day, and we completed an 8-mile loop from Schrieber Meadows trailhead. |
| September 3- Walk - Northern State Recreation Area-- Another fun discovery, this time at this Skagit County park on the grounds of the former mental hospital near Sedro Woolley. We enjoyed nice easy walking, often passing old farm buildings which were. part of the facility. |
| September 4- Hike - Mount Higgins-- A good strong group tackled this trail to a former lookout site near Darrington. The trail climbed through a nice old growth forest, passed meadows full of berry bushes, and reached the lookout site and some awe-inspiring views. Congrats to all who did this 3400-foot climb |
| September 5- Tour - Northwest Trek-- We had a wonderful day of wildlife viewing at this 700-acre park in Pierce County near Eatonville. Our tram ride through the "free-roaming" area was especially successful, as we spotted most of the 100 (non-predatory) animals that are found there. |