Coal Creek Falls Hike

Today Jim and I went on a beautiful hike. Jim arrived at our door at 9:30 am. Unfortunately others were unable to attend. Scott and Diane had to work, Vickie had to stay home to greet the home repair workers. Mike had to be in Ephrata on his housing assignments, Gail had to rest from her numerous social engagements.

We started from Redtown Trailhead and traversed up Cave Hole Trail which was a semi-steep but invigorating walk. Turning right on Coal Creek Falls Trail we began to level off to a woody trail and enjoy the fresh and lovely early winter season foliage and scenery. The day was crisp and partly sunny making it ideal weather for an enjoyable hike.

We reached Coal Creek Falls midway into our hike. The rushing stream curving around rocks and under the rustic bridge made a picturesque sight. We surmised that the heavy stream was the result of an early year snow in the mountains followed by a warm spell.

Continuing down the trail we turned back toward the familiar Redtown Trail ending at the trailhead at 11:40 am. Our hike was approximately 2.4 miles and took about 2 hours. (Jim please correct these figures). It was a great hike and a great morning!

Sunday, October 5 Hike

This morning Jim and Vickie, Diane, Scott, and Tyler met at our house at 8:15 am. I rode with the Oakes to meet the others at the Sky Country Trailhead on Cougar Mt. We started out on the country road until we reached the trail which took us along a beautiful wooded path. It was a cloudy but fresh and lovely day for a hike. Tyler was happy to be in his jogging stroller. After 1 1/4 miles, Diane notice Tyler was falling asleep. They wanted to keep him awake so he would not miss his nap time later on so they turned around and carried Tyler back the same route to the car. Diane told us later that Tyler got down and walked through the leaves for a while and enjoyed the walk. We continued down the trail to reach Long View Peak and Doughty Falls and then looped on back to the trailhead. We walked 5.6 miles. Although Vickie got stung by a bug and Jimmy got bitten as well, it was a great day!

Vacations

Friday morning, Sept. 26, Mike and I drove to Lake Quinault Lodge, which we have often visited, on the Olympic Peninsula. On the way down we stopped at Elma for lunch which we enjoyed so much that we stopped there again on our return route. There are several good restaurants in Elma the names of which I will add later. Both our lunches were delicious. We had a great time at Lake Quinault. The weather could not have been better. The sun shone through the leaves and branches of the giant old growth forest as we walked through several trails that surrounded the lodge and the beautiful glistening lake. We enjoyed meals both at the lodge and another fine restaurant, The Salmon House, down the road. It was a great 3-day (Jim would call it 2-day) vacation which we plan to repeat again soon. Although I forgot my camera, I am showing pictures of the Lake Quinault lodge and scenic outdoors

Please see Jim and Vickie's blog for pictures and details of hikes we made as a group. http://jim-vickie.blogspot.com/

Rockport State Park

Saturday, August 23, Mike, Jim, Vickie, Gail, and I drove to Rockport State Park, It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed a delicious gourmet lunch prepared by Jim at a picnic table in a nearby wooded area. After lunch we hiked the Evergreen trail which took us 2 1/2 miles through the forest in a loop around the park. The Vine Maples canoping the moss covered trees were part of the scenery at this mini rain forest park. Even though I somehow lost my hiking boots there, this was a terrific day. P.S. I later bought some better boots at the REI sale the next week.

Adventure Trail

Today, Saturday, Jim, Vickie, Mike, and I headed out on the same trail we had hiked on Monday. This time with a map in hand from REI, we completed the loop from Adventure Trail around Brink Trail and Swamp Trail. After about two hours of hiking we stopped to enjoy the lunch we had each prepared. It tasted delicious and we enjoyed the picnic among the beautiful old trees. It was a great day! Tonight Mike and I stay all night with Tyler at his house while his parents attend Scott's high school reunion.

Tiger Mt. Hike

Monday, Jim, Vickie, and I returned to Tiger Mt for a hike at the base of the Mountain. As we had no map, we retraced out steps back through the woods from where we started vowing to know the trail better next time. Regardless, it was a very nice hike on a beautiful day. Afterwards, Jim, Vickie,and I stopped for lunch at a quaint restaurant in Issaquah.

Tiger Mt. Hike

Jim's blog says "Mary, Mike, Vickie and I drove to the parking lot at the High Point entrance to Tiger Mountain. We started up the steep three mile route to a viewpoint, but two members of the party turned back after a little more than a mile. The other two continued on the 3.75 mile route shown below" We were sorry Mike and Jim got tired and we had to split the hiking party up. I would include pictures however I haven't been able to find them on Jim's Twitter site. When I do, I will add them to this post. It was a fun day and some of us plan on visiting Tiger Mt. again tomorrow

Ohanapecosh

Today, August 9, 2008, Mike and I drove to Ohanapecosh by the Stevens Canyon entrace to Mt. Rainier National Park. We first went through the Visitor Center and then had our picnic at a lovely spot by the camp grounds. After lunch Mike and I hiked the Silver Falls Loop trail which took us across the Ohanapecosh river via a wooden bridge. We then drove over to the trailhead for the Trail of the Patriarchs. Here we saw and took pictures of 1,000 year old trees. It was a great day!

Monday August 4, 2008 Jim, Vickie, Mike, and I drove up to Sunrise on Mt. Rainier. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. The weather was warm and comfortable. After a nice picnic near the visitor center we took a hike around the base of the Mountain past beautiful trees, lakes, and forested creatures, all with the view of the enormouse mountain beside us.

New Year 2008

New Years Day 2008 Jim, Vickie, Mike and I headed for the Redtown Trailhead of Cougar Mountain. We also reached the Redtown Trailhead of Cougar Mt. It was a very clear and pleasant day with a slight reflection of the sun shining through the clouds. We hiked along Quarry Trail to the Sky Country Trailhead. Jim read his whatchamacallit and stated "My official stats are 4.7 miles in 2:22:48". It was a great way to start the day. At 3 pm we met back at Jim and Vickie's for a delicious New Year's Day dinner of baked beans, turkey ham, cole slaw, and home made dessert. Diane, Scott, Tyler, Sandi, and Dick joined us. It was a great day!