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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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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! |
| 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. |
| 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, this 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. |
