We headed over to the Olympic Peninsula on an overcast and cool late-July day with a small but dedicated group of cyclists. We've taken a number of trips on sections of the Olympic Discovery Trail over the years, and this time, our focus was on the 25-mile section from the Dungeness River near Sequim, to the Elwha River west of Port Angeles. This is a very scenic route with many highlights, including nice open farmlands on the prairies outside Sequim, forested creek valleys that periodically intersect the trail, a waterfront section of over 4 miles along the Strait of Juan deFuca, and some very impressive bridges, most notably at the two end points of the ride.  The rain threatened but never really arrived, and we got the ride done very smoothly, with no glitches. 

Blue skies, great views, flowers blooming-- nothing was lacking on this enjoyable trip to Mount Rainier. Sunrise was busy, even though it was Monday, but we managed to sneak in and park in an overflow area shortly before 9:00am. Our hiking route started out on the Sourdough Ridge Trail, going as far as Frozen Lake before angling back on the Wonderland Trail, and eventually finishing on the Sunrise Rim Trail. Everything was in high country above 6000 feet, so views were frequent and spectacular. We hiked by a pretty lake, saw a vast variety of flowers in bloom, and even caught a quick glimpse of a young black bear. All told, we covered nearly 6 miles on the day.

This was agentle walk on a warm morning at a nature preserve maintained by the City of Sammamish. It's on a former farm property that the city took over in the early 2000's, and opened a trail system in 2011. The trails were largely built by WTA crews, and they very nice, featuring over a dozen footbridges and boardwalk sections. We walked just shy of 3 miles through forests and open meadows, and it was just right for this heatwave day, as we finished while the temps were still "only" in the low 80's.

Today we went to Olympic National Park to hike in a historic, scenic, and important river valley west of Port Angeles. Oddly, this hike is mostly on old roads, mainly because the Elwha River knocked out a significant stretch of the road that used to extend several miles into the park. So it's a fairly easy and relaxing route, with some good river views, beautiful forest sections, and a grand climax view atop what's left of the former Glines Canyon (Upper Elwha) Dam. The dam was removed in 2014 as part of what was at the time the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. Where once was a tall concrete dam and large reservoir, there's now a recovering forest ecosystem and a free-flowing river. It's a great success story, as the historical runs of salmon have returned, and the widespread benefit to the greater circle of life is on display.

Big trees, easy trails, and great food were the features of this day. We headed up Highway 20 in the Skagit Valley to explore two fine state parks, walking about 2 miles of gentle trails in both of them. The walks were conveniently located near Concrete, home of the wonderful 5B's bakery, where we stopped afterward for lunch.

This was a one-way hike along an overlooked trail that traverses gently across the southern shore of Ross Lake in the North Cascades. We started from the Ross Dam Trailhead, dropped down to near the dam itself, where the Happy Panther Trail begins. It's a mostly forested route, which was pleasant on this warmish day, passing through a lovely mossy setting with occasional side streams giving a nice touch. We had some nice views, some relaxing rest breaks, and plenty of fine company on this sunny July day.

This was a fine morning stroll on a 6-mile portion of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, beginning at Rattlesnake Lake and ending at a city park in North Bend. The smooth, wide path makes for nice easy walking, and since much of it lies in a rural area with no crossroads, it's a very quiet and peaceful outing as well. After the walk, we stopped at the Mountain Valley Shopping Center in North Bend (where the Safeway is) and had lunch at any of several eateries found there.

Our Fourth of July adventure in the North Cascades was a beauty. The Hannegan Pass Trail leads for 4 miles up the valley of Ruth Creek on a well-maintained route, with dazzling displays of wildflowers, and eye-popping views of snowy summits high above. The hike to the pass gains nearly 2000 feet, where we all took a well-earned rest. Several people continued on up the trail toward the Hannegan Peak summit, and three went all the way to the top, at nearly 6200 feet in elevation. The views were spectacular of nearby Ruth Mountain, and included glimpses into the heart of North Cascadess National Park. Most people did about 2500 to 3200 feet of elevation gain. Well done to everyone!

The convention in Mount Rainier National Park is to name many of the broad subalpine meadows "parks." There's features such as Spray Park, Berkeley Park, Klapatche Park, and many others. So you can image that Grand Park must be something special. No argument here. It's an anomaly, an almost dead flat plateau at 5600 feet that covers hundreds of acres, making it the largest "park" in the Park. We hiked a 3-mile route from the north, passing Lake Eleanor, on our way to this flower-filled wonderland. It was a surprisingly challenging hike, mainly because many blowdowns have yet to be cleared from the trail, and also due to the mosquitoes, which at times were the worst we've experienced so far this year. But everyone persisted and got to enjoy the flowers and views from Grand Park, getting in there just before incoming clouds swept across the mountain. Oh, and did I mention we saw a bear?

This was a fun beach hike on Whidbey Island, taking advantage of a minus-2 tide to enjoy some excellent tidepooling near the surf. The weather started out chilly and gray, but slowly improved as the day went on. We had a wonderful display of shore birds and tidal creatures, with something to see at every turn. Most of us walked about 2 or 3 miles.

Just before you turn off Highway 410 to go to the Sunrise area at Mount Rainier, you always see vehicles parked on either side of the highway for this trail. It's a well-built, steadily climbing path that takes one up to two fine lakes in the high country above 5000 feet. There's nice mature forest, some pretty flower-filled meadows, and plenty of alpine scenery as you ascend, and the lakes make great spots to hang out and relax. The low clouds that hung over most of western Washington never quite dissipated, but they lifted enough to give us some nice views, particularly at the upper lake. Our group wound up going about 6 miles, climbing 2300 feet in the process. 

Kelly Butte is down near Greenwater, about 20 miles or so northeast of Mt. Rainier. There's a short but tricky trail that leads to a lookout cabin on it's 5400-foot top. It's a beautiful hike in June when beargrass, paintbrush, and other wildflowers are in bloom. Today we had lots of clouds, and near zero visibility on the top, while a little bit of clearing and a couple of brief sunbreaks on the way back down. Still, it was fun seeing the lookout, and chatting with the volunteer on duty up there. The flowers were great, and even the few small views we got going down were satisfying.