Weekend adventure in which we redefine the term "death hike."

Back when we had actual sunshine in Seattle and the air was crisp with the promise of Fall, Mr. Snowgoose and I went on some hikes in the foothills (or in the footmountians) of the Cascades. I'm glad that we live in the city yet can still drive 45 minutes (past the state prison and a lot of farms) and wind up in the mountains.

Mr. Snowgoose choose the hike on weekend #1. We went to Bridal Falls/ Lake Serene:

Neither Mr. Snowgoose nor I paid any attention to the details of the hike except for the fact it had a waterfall and was fairly long. I was under the impression that we would hike to the falls and then walk a bit more before turning back. Mr. Snowgoose thought we'd hike up to the falls (500+ft in 1/2 mile) and then back down and the hike to an alpine lake.

Guess what we did?

The hike to the falls alone was brutal.



I got vertigo and nearly passed out. (This is after the panic attack I had on a crooked footbridge with no railings eight feet over a creek, which I wound up crawling across).

Then we started hiking up to the lake.



After an hour I started asking everyone I saw how much further we had to go (I was starting to get altitude sickness and close to crying from pain). I got answers like "you're almost there! 45 more minutes" and "1000 more feet in elevation!" I was ready to kill Mr. S.

It took us 3 hours to climb up 4 miles and 2 hours to climb down. With the detour to the waterfall it was close to 9.5 miles.



I've never been so happy to go to Arby's after a hike



(a tradition we have as all the Arby's are located outside city limits).

While the hike was pretty, it was not enjoyable. I was also sans bobby pin, headband, or hat, and had hair flapping in my face the whole time. Not fun.

This did not qualify as a death hike because a) we knew how long the trail was and b) we had ample food and water and m&m's.

Weekend hike #2

This was my pick. We had passed signs for it on our way to hike #1. Since it was my choice, we also stopped at a farm and bought pumpkins and squash.




This hike, at Wallace Falls State Park, was far friendlier. It was only about 5 miles round trip (2 1/2 hours), had 9 waterfalls (or so it seems) and the elevation was kind. Because it was a "short" hike I neglected to pack anything to eat and only brought water, which was a mistake because when I hit the top of the trail I was starved.



This hike felt a lot more like hiking through a rain forest than when we were at the Hoh. It was far more lush and damp and mossy. I rather enjoyed the hike and imagine we'll take Ranger K. here next time she visits.




And of course we hit Arby's on the way home.

Fall colo has arrived in the PNW.

Weekend adventure in which we celebrate our first wedding anniversary

Last weekend (well Monday) marked mine and Mr. Snowgoose's first year of marriage. Can't believe it's been a year. It seems like only yesterday we were dancing to the Spice Girls in a townie bar in Boston in our wedding clothes.

The first anniversary is paper, so I got Mr. Snowgoose a book and an annual pass to the zoo. He got me this:



and this:



Actually, he didn't get me the ferryboat. Instead he surprised me with a romantic weekend on Whidbey Island where we stayed and ate at the Inn at Langley, the place I did my first travel writing assignment at (and my favorite place in the world).

We spent a lot of time reading on our private deck


and picking blackberries


and watching the M's lose 10-0 against the Angels


I hope this next year is as fun as the first.

Rain/Deer

Earlier this month my sister, Ranger K., came to visit. This meant that Mr. Snowgoose and I could take a break from our boring house duties and pawn them off on her. Kidding! This meant that we had an excuse to go on some adventures.

Adventure #1 In Which We Hike a Mountain in the Rain and Run into Some Deer
Ranger K. had expressed a desire to see Mount Rainier so we packed up Gunther at the crack of dawn and headed south. Of course we have to have pouring rain on the only day we could hike Rainier so we threw on our rain jackets and stomped around the mountain. The trails were unsurprisingly empty since the weather was so crappy. Even though we probably wouldn't be able to see it, we hiked to the glacier. On our way we ran into some elk.






The glacier is in there somewhere.



After the glaciers we drove down the mountain to a lake that promised level trails through alpine meadows. It didn't disappoint. Halfway through the hike, the sun came out and we were able to dry off. The best part of the hike? This:



Despite the appearance of the sun, Mount Rainier never actually came to view, at least not until Ranger K's last night here.

Last weekend we packed up Gunther once again and drove down to the Olympic Peninsula. I'd never been and Ranger K. had never stood in the Pacific. We opted for the long way which had us start in Olympia and wind our way west and north. Along the route we stopped at Ruby Beach to take in the sights:


After Ruby Beach we drove to the Hoh rainforest. Both Ranger K. and Mr. Snowgoose wanted to hike in it and I agreed. Unfortunately, it's been a dry year in the Pacific Northwest and the Hoh was 20 inches below normal and a little thirsty. It didn' look like how I imagined a rainforest would look. It wasn't quite as lush (though there were moss and ferns). It just looked like a forest.



Mr. Snowgoose found time to stop and answer the call of nature.



One week in the PNW and Ranger K. is a tree-hugger.


We did a couple of short hikes through moss-covered trees and through an old growth forest before deciding to hike to a waterfall. The ranger said the waterfall was about 3 miles in and would take us 90 minutes. We did it in 60. This included the five minutes we had to stop because a yellow jacket or something flew in my sock and bit me.



By the time we started back from the waterfall,we were getting tired. Suddenly the trek didn't seem like such a good idea, especially because by the time we were through we would have hiked 9 miles. So we ended up doing a Death Hike. After we left the Hoh, we drove two hours to Port Angeles to spend the night.

On Sunday we took a quick day trip to Victoria, B.C., which was relatively uneventful except for the awesome fish and chips we ate in a pub (instead of high tea) while watching the Rays play the Blue Jays. On the way back we were lucky enough to encounter a couple of Orcas who would only show us their fins (so no photos). This meant our high speed ferry was not so fast since it turned around so we could gawk at the whales.

The trip might have been long, but it was worth it.

Too bad Ranger K. had to go home. I'm sure we could have found another Death Hike to do.

Weekend Adventure in Which We Stop and Smell the Tulips

Western Wahington is the new Holland.

Little known fact: Skagit County is famous for it's tulips.

On Sunday, Mr. Snowgoose and I decided to drive an hour North to LaConner, a small town that holds a tulip festival every April. Since the winter had been rather wet and cold, we knew the tulips had delayed their blooming, so we decided to go mid-month. We should have waited another week, as the tulips had only half bloomed.

The area where the tulips grow s fairly rural. Lots of delapidated barns and horses. It's fairly senic and marshy, which makes it a good location for tulips I suppose.

On our way to LaConner, we stopped at a farmstand. Now I had scouted out things to do besides look at tulips to make the trip worthwhile. I found the best farmstand ever:


How awesome is that? You didn't realize Mr. Snowgoose was so famous, did you? The farmstand was lovely. We bought garlic stuffed olives and berry jam and scoffed at the $6 scones that were bigger than my head. The most exciting part of the pitstop took place in a port-a-potty with a bullfrog. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Eventually we made it to the tulips which were lovely. There were lots of Japanese tourists and families with small children.



Note: I'm wearing rainboots because the fields were muddy.








We stopped for a picnic and a beer at a local brewery before we made the trekk back. While this isn't something I'd do every year, I would go back and maybe combine looking at tulips with some hiking or a trip up to Vancover.

Extreme Sports Sunshine: In which I try hot yoga

I've been meaning to try hot yoga, or Bikram, for awhile. My friend and former coworker, DB, had been trying to get me to tag along with her and try it for years but I resisted. The truth is it kind of scared me.

It wasn't just the heat (105 degree room, yikes!) that put me off, it was also the 90 of poses that I didn't want to do. Occasionally I suffer through a 75 minute power yoga class. There was something about those extra 15 minutes that had me nervous.

So I've been putting it off for a long time. It made my "to do" list for 2009. I probably would have continued to put it off longer had one of my triathlon training buddies suggested we do it. We had planned on a run today, but considering how it hasn't stopped raining (or snowing as the case was yesterday) in a week we decided to stay inside.

I got to hot yoga about 20 minutes early with my towel, smartwater, and yoga mat. I was the first one there and the instructor gave me the run through and took my $20 (yes, I paid money to nearly sweat to death) for a one week trial (drop in classes cost $17 each. It seemed like a deal). My tri buddy came and we scored spots in the back of the room, mostly so I wouldn't have to watch myself in the mirror. (This proved to be the best idea ever as I didn't see how bad I looked until the end. I might have been discouraged).

I've been practicing yoga off and on for ten years and I feel pretty comfortable with the poses. There are plenty I can do and several I refuse (headstands are a no-go), but the poses in hot yoga weren't what I was used to. In fact I hadn't heard of most (turtle? rabbit?).

The class begins with some breathing exercises and with 6 heaters on in the small room I started to sweat immediately. Then we moved into a series of 26 poses. Some poses lasted 4 minutes, others 10 seconds. It's like yoga for people with ADD. The instructor stood in the front and spit out rapid-fire directions (lock your knees! palms up! bend backwards!) and I struggled to keep up. Let me tell you, standing in poses and trying to balance on one leg is hard when you're a river of sweat. It's impossible to keep your foot from sliding off of your leg.

I felt fine and up to speed during the first 30 minutes of class. I drank water when we took breaks and kept the pace. By the second half hour I was slowing down and wiping my sweat off with my towel every other minute. By the last thirty minutes I was close to throwing up, and resting in "corpse" every second pose. My face had turned beat red like I had run the marathon all over again. I wanted to quit but didn't want to look like a wimp.

So I barely survived. By the end of class I looked like I had been beaten and drowned. Hot yoga is not for the squeamish or those who can't stand to see other people's sweat drip off of them. The room smells like feet and sweat.

I don't know how I managed to drive home. I had daydreamed in class of leaving and going to the pool but I knew I didn't have the energy. I drove home with the windows open (it was 43 and raining) to try and cool off.

I have 6 days left on my pass. I don't know if I'll make it back. Part of me wants to because I'm a glutton for punishment and I don't want to waste my $3. The sane part of my body and brain is warning me to stay away. Normal yoga is enough. Besides, I didn't really feel that relaxed or extra flexible.

We'll see.

Honeymoon in Hawai'i

Our honeymoon in Maui was a lot like the TV Show The Amazing Race: Honeymoon Adventure Edition.

It was a fun week filled with a ton snorkeling, water sports, animals, and hiking. Granted, we did have time to read by the pool or on the beach and soak up sun and drink frozen drinks like this:


and this:


But mostly we were crazy active. We went running three days, tried beach yoga, snorkeled four days (not Sunshine's favorite thing), hiked in the Upcountry, learned to paddle board (well I did, not Mr. Snowgoose), went horseback riding, and sea kayaking (again not Sunshine's favorite).

When we booked the trip I promised Mr. Snowgoose I'd try everything at least once even if it scared me. So we did a lot of things that scared me especially snorkeling and kayaking. Turns out I'm not a big fan of open water (aside from the Gulf). I won't lie, it was beautiful, like swimming in an aquarium. But we did see a sea turtle. Unfortunately, the weather was bad the last few days and the seas were too rough to snorkel in.

The horseback riding turned out to be an adventure in itself. I hadn't been on a horse since I was 11. Because I was nervous about getting on a horse, I was given a horse that they usually reserve for children. My horse hated me. She kept trying to bite me, especially when I wouldn't let her stop and eat (which was every three minutes of the 2 hour ride).



But Hawaii was fun and warm and sunny. I kind of wish we were still there. At least it was no longer snowing when we came back.

There's no business like snow business

I know this post is two weeks overdue, but this is the first time I've had a chance to tell this story.

I've been busy with the new job which requires me to commute about a half hour each way (mostly on the interstate) about four or five days a week. I've been working just under a month and I've gotten more comfortable driving around. So comfortable that I've adopted Gunther as my own car.

My second week of commuting was a crazy one. We had a random snowstorm on a Tuesday afternoon that I was due in for work. On our hill it was likr a raging blizzard, only nothing was sticking to the street (just the grass). I was a little nervous (okay, a lot nervous) about driving in near blizzard conditions. Since it wasn't sticking I figured it was safe enough to drive to work. Plus since most of my drive is highway, I knew the roads would be in decent shape.

I left for work earlier than necessary and filled up my gas tank because I heard that a full tank would keep the tank from freezing over if you got stuck. I also packed blankets, snowboots, an extra coat, and snacks in case I got stranded.

I inched my way around our neighborhood on my way to the highway. By the time I reached the interstate the snow had lightened up and was a rain/ snow mix so I was able to cruise along. My commute only took a few minutes longer than normal.

When I got to work I called my mom and Mr. Snowgoose to tell them I was safe. I told my mom "I drove in snow" which she translated to "I drive into a snowbank." I think she was more than happy to hear I didn't crash.

The snow stopped before my drive home and turned to rain in the night. Can you guess what happens next?

Since it rained and then froze overnight, the roads turned into ice skating rinks. I woke up early the next morning to reports about massive pileups on the highway and dangerous conditions. I decided to wait until the last possible minute to drive to work so that the sun could do it's magic and melt the ice. I had no problem driving on my hill or on the highway. In fact I didn't encounter any ice until I pulled into the parking lot at work. The car slid a bit but fortunately no one was around.

I know I did not reinvent the wheel or really drive in severe conditions, but I am pleased with myself for keeping my cool and not wrecking Gunther. Hopefully this will be the extent of my winter driving. Perhaps Gunther should get some snow tires/ chains for his birthday,