| AlpineAndy.com |
| A website by someone who loves the oudoors, created for people who love the outdoors |
| UPCOMING TRIPS Please read this: -- Our cancellation line is 425-257-8319. Please call and leave message if you're not coming. -- If you see a trip below that mentions "space is currently available," you are welcome to show up and register on the morning of the trip. Note that your participation may be subject to the approval of the trip leader. -- Please keep your cell phones and other electronic gadgetry OFF while you are on the trails, and limit your phone usage in the van to NECESSARY calls only. -- I lead all trips shown below unless otherwise noted. -- ALL TRIP PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE APPROPRIATE FOLLOWING HANDOUTS (click on the link and KNOW THIS info before your trip): Hiking Safety Issues / Minimum Impact Issues / Hiking trips Info Snowshoe Trips Info Skiing Trips Info --NOTE: If you show up and wish to attend a trip that you are not previously registered for, you must leave payment with me before you can board the van. This includes people who THOUGHT they had registered, but are not listed on the offical trip roster. Sorry, no exceptions to this rule. Thursday, March 11 -- Snowshoe Heather Meadows/Mt. Baker -- Departs at 7: 30am. Trip currently shows ONE opening (as of 3/1). There is 11 feet of snow on the ground at Heather Meadows. Yes, I said 11 feet. Snowshoeing will be wonderful up there. This is designated as the "shorter" Heather Meadows tour, so we will do a loop in the lower meadow past Bagley Lakes, shooting for about a 2 mile trip with 4000' of gain. We start at 4250' and will get as high as about 4600.' WEATHER FORECAST. Saturday & Sunday, March 13 & 14 -- Snowshoe Overnighter to Mt. Rainier / Nisqually Lodge -- Departs Saturday at 8:00am from the lower park fenced-in area (Don't go to the Rec Office). We are currently contacting wait list people to fill several available spots. If they aren't all claimed, we will open up these spots to anyone wishing to go. This is a classic weekend of snowshoeing at one of the best spots anywhere around for getting out on deep snow. Don't worry about the spring-like conditions in the lowlands. Paradise currently has 10 feet of snow on the ground, and snowshoeing will be great for many more weeks to come. I am planning to do tours of the Paradise Valley area (my personal fave), and a NEW tour in the area of Rickseker Point, a view area high above the Nisqually Valley. I expect good conditions, and new snow. We will overnight at a place that we've enjoyed for several seasons now, the Nisqually Lodge. Unfortunately, the catered dinner we had planned for Saturday evening has been cancelled, so we will have a restaurant dinner that you will have already pre-paid for, most likely at the Copper Creek Inn. For breakfast, you can partake of the (limited) continental breakfast at the lodge, or walk next door to the Rainier Overland Restaurant ($8 - $12 range). Note that our snowshoeing trips will take place at elevations between 4400' and 5400'. More trip details can be found here. WEATHER FORECAST. MORE UPCOMING TRIPS TO COME |
| Look for this sign when you arrive at Forest Park for your trip. It will direct you toward the lot where you should park your vehicle for the day. |
| DON'T LET CONSTRUCTION ZONES OR LANE CLOSURES TRIP YOU UP ON YOUR WAY TO FOREST PARK. CHECK D.O.T WEBSITE NOTE: If it happens to be snowy in the lowlands, that does not mean your trip will be cancelled. In fact, we RARELY cancel trips. Just use caution driving to Forest Park, and let us take it from there. |
| -- All participants need to complete an updated HOLD HARMLESS FORM for 2010. You can print and fill out yours at home if you like. CLICK THIS LINK. -- PARKING ADVICE: When you arrive in the morning and park in our designated lot in Forest Park, BACK YOUR VEHICLE IN. It makes the exiting process at the conclusion of the trip MUCH easier for everyone. -- PACKING ISSUES: Many upcoming snowshoe trips are FULL. Van storage is limited. I need your help to make everything fit. Please help by doing the following: Do not strap your poles to your pack or your snowshoe bag. Snowshoe bags are nice, but they add a lot of bulk when 8 people on one trip have them. If you bring your snowshoes in a bag when the van is going to be packed, I may have to unbag them. Same with rubber-banding them. Re-evaluate how much gear you bring. By the looks of some of your packs, I believe many of you are bringing too much gear. Simplify! |