PHOTOS PAGE
All photos on this page, unless otherwise noted, are copyright 2011 by Andy Boos.  Hold cursor over thumbnail for caption, click to open full-size picture.
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my calendar of
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November 6 - Hike - Apple Capital Loop
Trail  --  
What a gem of a trail this is!   It's a
10-mile paved loop that straddles the Columbia
River in and adjacent to the city of Wenatchee.  
Walkers, bikers, skaters, and joggers all enjoy the
surprisingly peaceful surroundings and fantastic
scenery of the area.  The bright sunny weather
and nice fall colors made this day a real treat.  
There were some great bird-watching
opportunities, and some sightings of huge fish
leaping from the river.  We broke up the walk with
a lunch stop at the Applewood Grill Restaurant.
Starting out in Wenatchee Confluence State Park
Soaking up the morning sun along the Columbia
The mighty river as seen from one of the two bridges over which we crossed it
Eastern bank of the river has a real wild, undeveloped feel
Always wonderful backdrop of scenery
Walking among the native vegetation
Wenatchee is very proud of this wonderful community resource
Lots of bird life at the Porter Pond Natural Area
Walking under the canopy of fall color
Heron keeping an eye on the river
The old pedestrian bridge to downtown which we crossed
Lunch break at the Applewood Grill
Lovely afternoon light on the river and hills
Fall colors along thew river
Sun sets early now!  We were still on the trail.
We swore this was a statue--until it flew away!
Walking through developed parkland in Wenatchee
Last evening light
November 8 - Walk - Lake
Washington Boulevard
Walking Path --  
It was a
gloriously sunny autumn morning
in the Emerald City and we had a
very pleasant 3-mile stroll along
Lake Washington.  The fall colors
and the view of Mt. Rainier were
among the highlights.
November 11 - Hike - 11/11/11
Trip to 11-worth --  
To mark the
quirky calendar date, we did some nice
short walks over by Leavenworth
(11-worth).  Did the Tumwater Pipeline
Trail and the Waterfront Park Trail, and
in between had a nice lunch at the
Sleeping Lady Resort.
November 15 - Hike - Anacortes
Tripleheader --  
We were given another
nice November day with plenty of sunshine,
and enjoyed about 5 miles of hiking on some
of the wonderful trails of the Anacortes
Community Forest Lands.  Especially nice
were the views from the top of Sugarloaf (near
Mt. Erie), the sightings of ducks, otters, and a
swan on Heart Lake, and the lovely late
afternoon sunshine reflecting off the waters of
Little Cranberry Lake.
Nice views from Sugarloaf
We started with a steep 1/2 mile walk to the top of Sugarloaf
Welcome back!
Blue skies over Sugarloaf
Fall forest walking on the Heart Lake Trail
The serenity of Heart Lake
Rustling through the fallen leaves
I love the golden leaves against a blue sky
Tundra Swan on Heart Lake
Little Cranberry Lake--peaceful oasis within the city of Anacortes
Narrow path right along the lakeshore
Reflections of snags in Little Cranberry Lake
Pausing at a viewing platform
Last rays of the afternoon sun hit the shoreline
November 19 - Hike - Lummi
Island --  
It was a chilly but clear
day as we walked a 7-mile loop on
the quiet roads of this island near
Bellingham.  The "baby" ferry and the
little 6-minute trip across were fun,
and we enjoyed a delicious lunch at
the Taproot Cafe.  Views of Mt. Baker
in the afternoon light were especially
nice.
The cozy passenger cabin on the ferry
The Whatcom Chief, which has served Lummi since 1962
Baker from the ferry landing on Lummi Island
Lots of quirky sights like this
Ferry pulls in
Walking the road alongside Legoe Bay
Pastoral scenery was the rule of the day
Gazing across toward Orcas Island
Lunch time!
Crystal clear day in the islands
Shadow creatures
Checking out an old Black Walnut tree
Baker in the late afternoon light
More Baker
Beach at Lummi landing
Cormorant and volcano
Heading for the mainland
November 26 - Snowshoe -
Crystal Mountain / Bullion Basin --
The 2011-2012 snowshoe season got off to
an excellent start today as a small but
strong group of 'shoers joined me for a trip
near Crystal Mountain Ski Area.  The snow
cover is really good, with more than 4 feet
on the ground in most areas. We followed a
beaten path from the base of the ski area
(4400') to Bullion Basin (5800'), and then
forged on up to the top of a peak at nearly
6500.'  Views were terrific-- a great reward
for a few hours of steady climbing.
Setting out on the slopes above the ski lodges.  The skiers go one way, we go the other
Overcast skies but a promise of nicer weather on the way
Coming around a switchback on the Bullion Basin Trail
The view at 5000'
Tracking through Bullion Basin
Keep on pushing higher-- more to see up there
The view at 6000'
Blue skies overhead
Getting to the serious stuff now
Just about to crest the ridge at 6200'
Another photo op
Pristine peaks protrude proudly, presenting powerful panoramas of powder
Nearing our high point, 360 degree views
The ski area is just a maze of forest clearings from our vantage point
Summit shot--congrats to this group for making it higher than any previous group on this tour!
Goat Peak to the east.  We had hiked this on October 30
Descending far above the Silver Creek valley below
Crystal Mountain panorama
Headed for home
December 3 - Snowshoe - Heather
Meadows --
As you know if you've been
there on a clear day in the winter, this area
next to the Mt. Baker Ski Area can't be beat
when the sun's out.  We took full advantage,
climbing all the way up to the top of Artist
Point and back, savoring the wonderful
views of the stunning North Cascades
winter landscape.
December 4 - Hike - Twin
Falls --
It was a frosty but
pleasant day as we were among
the throngs who enjoyed the Twin
Falls Trail near North Bend on
Sunday. The up and down trail,
though short, gave us a nice bit of
late fall exercise and kept us on a
good, snow-free path.
On the trail in Heather Meadows
Wabbit twacks
sparkly powder lit by the filtered sunshine
Many interesting trees dot the landscape in the meadows
Glad that hill climb is done
Making tracks toward Artist Point
Admiring Mt. Shuksan
Near the Lake Ann trailhead, on about 5 feet of snow
Mt Sefrit fills the frame
Baker wearing a hat
Making the last bit of climb to the top of Artist Point
Posing in the soft sunshine on top of Artist Point
Mt. Baker, just as the sun exploded
Mt. Larrabee shows it's pretty face
Mt. Ruth looking nice too
Afternoon sun on Shuksan
Stepping up to the viewpoint of Lower Twin Falls
Flowing braids of Lower Twin Falls
Streams of water sliding over the falls
Full on shot of Lower Twin Falls
Railed walkway near the brink of the falls
Upper Twin Falls
Mossy old maple tree along Twin Falls trail
South Fork Snoqualmie River
Frosty foliage
December 10 - Snowshoe - Skyline
Lake --
Had another fine day out on the snow,
this time above Stevens Pass.  There's about
3-4 feet of snow up there now.  The sun was out
for much of the day, and views were great.  
Especially cool was the area of rock towers up at
the ridge top.  Another highlight was standing on
what I call "The Diving Board", a flat rock that
hangs out over the edge of the ridge.  You can
look almost straight down about 1300 feet to the
base of the ski area.  Quite literally a
breath-taking view!
Sunny skies over Stevens Pass
Following the well-beaten path toward the lake
Smooth crystal snow and a view of Rock Mountain
Skyline Lake and the rocky ridge above
Up near the ridge top, over 1000' above the pass
The rock towers were fascinating
Creeping alongside the rocks
Lunch break in the sunshine on top
Looking down past my snowshoe toward the valley
Diving Board shot 1
Diving Board shot 2
Diving Board group shot
Loving the sunshine
December 14 - Snowshoe -  Iron Horse
Trail --
It was a gray and chilly day at Snoqualmie
Pass, but we bundled up and got in a nice
snowshoe walk of nearly 4 miles on some fairly
easy terrain.  Saw the old 1914 Snoqualmie Tunnel
entrance, stood on the shore of Lake Keechelus--
yikes, brrrrrr, and enjoyed the solitude of being out
on a quiet midweek day with few others around.
December 16 - Walk - Soos Creek
Trail --
South King County residents have a
fantastic multi-use paved trail available to
them in the Renton/Kent area, and we North
End folks got to enjoy it for a great morning
walk.  We covered about 4 1/2 miles of the
trail, winding up at Lake Meridian Park in
Kent.  A very nice little workout.
December 17 - Snowshoe - Mount Rainier/
Paradise Valley --
Wow, we thought we had
skipped over winter and somehow wound up in
springtime at Mount Rainier.  Brilliant sunshine, 50
degree temps, and wonderful views of The Mountain.  
There's about 3-5 feet of snow down there in the
Pardise area, and we got to travel a seldom-used route
through the gorgeous valley just below and east of the
big, busy parking lot at Paradise  
December 18 - Snowshoe - White
Salmon Road --
This route is near Mt. Baker Ski
Area, lower down than the Heather Meadows tour,
and stays on easier, more protected terrain in the
forest.  The fog and the lack of much new snow
were a bit disappointing, but on the plus side, we
made good time and were able to cover quite a bit
more ground than usual.  We followed the edge of
the ski area up to Chair 8, and watched the skiers
and 'boarders while we had lunch.
Nice new interpretive displays greet the trail users
The entrance to the 2.2 mile long, 98 year-old Snoqualmie Tunnel
First glimpses of Lake Keechelus
Lakeshore and surrounding mountains
Cruching up the old solid snow under the forest canopy
Vista point overlooks Lake Keechelus
Nice and Easy terrain like this for most of the tour
Setting out under the overcast skies on the paved Soos Creek Trail
Nice trailside park was our starting point
Llama laying low in a field near the trail
Some of the trailside scenery
Nice area winding through woods
Lake Meridian Park at the end of our walk
Cool mosaic mural at Lake Meridian Park
Snow and ice formations along the Paradsie River
Snowshoeing through the shady forest with blue skies above
Frozen waterfall on Paradise River
Close-up of ice formations
Still in the shade
Over a snow-covered trail bridge
The sunny meadows
It's all good
Basking in the sun at a rest break
Slipping through Paradise Valley with the Tatoosh Range behind
Following the last stretch of road up to Paradise
Paradise Inn and Mount Rainier
Trailing off into the setting sun at the end of a wonderful day
Easy walking on the road near the beginning
Heading through the foggy forest
Passed by the White Salmon Ski Lodge on our way to further adventure
A partial lifting of the clouds reveals the lower half of Mt. Shuksan
Hanging out near the ski lifts
Fog created a mystical setting
Following trail back toward the trailhead
January 1 - Hike - New Year's
Beach Walk at Ebey's Landing

--
Once again we had a very nice New
Year's hike along a gorgeous beach,
th
is time on the west shore of Whidbey
Island.  Great views across the
Admiralty Inlet, with Port Townsend, the
Olympic Mountains, and even
Dungeness Spit Lighthouse in view.
January 5 - Snowshoe - Salmon La Sac
--  
The weather was a mixed bag-- clouds, sun,
and
snow, but the snowshoeing was good and
we made it to a couple of very nice viewpoints.  
Hardly saw anyone else all day.
January 7 - Ski - Lake Wenatchee
State Park (alternate for Salmon
Ridge)
-- We decided to change
destinations since the Salmon Ridge area
had not been recently groomed, and the
Lake Wenatchee trails were mostly in real
good shape.  Had a good time skiing on
the forested trails in the park, and the open
trails on Kahler Glen Golf Course.
January 8 - Snowshoe -
Introductory Tour to Gold Creek
Valley
-- We had a very fun day out at
Gold Creek near Snoqualmie Pass.  Mild
temperatures and an enthusiastic group
made it a good time all around.  We
logged about three miles on the snow,
and got nice views of the peaks ringing
the valley.
The trailhead area
Alongside Ebey Prairie, heading up to the bluff
Across Admiralty Inlet to the Olympics
Rainier filling the southern horizon
Trail on the bluff-top
Overlooking the beach and Perego's Lagoon
Perego's Lagoon
Lunch overlook
The trail comes down the bluff here
Panorama of the Olympics
Dropping down to the beach
Hiking the beach
Great clouds over the mtns
Seashore scenery
Late afternoon 1/1/12
Cle Elum River
Valley overlook
Snowy skies
Descending
Down down down
frozen tarn
Cooper River
Gliding over the golf course trails
running the hills at the gold course
AA
Nice and easy trails through the forest
rapid transit
Striding along the lakeshore
Typical terrain at the state park
Rounding a bend
Getting the feel for the snowshoes starting out
Group at Gold Creek Pond
alongside Gold Creek
Going around the pond loop trail
Gold Creek Pond & Snoqualmie Summit Ski Area
Nice comfortable day to be out
Oddball snowmelt
Snowshoeing around another pond