Category: Day Hikes (Page 10 of 13)

Nice little hike out to Shadow Lake with Janelle, out of Sunrise, Mt. Rainier. Perfect timing for wildflowers… John Muir definitely got it right when he said that nowhere else has wildflowers like Rainier does. 

We were able to talk to a couple of SAR helicopter pilots who were looking for a missing hiker, it was sad to know someone was missing, but also very interesting to get their perspective what a SAR mission is like.

Bugs were pretty horrible, but they go hand-in-hand with wildflowers, so they are a necessary evil sometimes.

Well, I can verify that my knees are back in good working order after my surgeries in February and March 🙂  J. and I hiked up to Crystal Peak on the east side of Mt. Rainier, 8 miles round trip, 3100 feet of elevation gain and loss, topping off at about 6600 feet in elevation. The knees did GREAT, the views were spectacular, and we had a most wonderful day.

The lower half of the trail is nothing to write home about, a lot of raggedy forest without very much pretty undergrowth like so many other areas around here . Once you break out of the forest, though, the views just keep getting better and better and better. Miles of huckleberry fields and wildflowers as you switch-back up and up to the top of the peak.

From the top we could see Rainier and a perfect perspective of the White River Valley, along with Goat Island Mountain, the road to Sunrise, and the 3 Burroughs perfectly. We could also see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood in Oregon, as well as Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak in the North Cascades near the Canada border. Looking to the east we could look down on Upper Crystal Lake and Sourdough Gap.

All in all, not an easy hike, definitely burned some calories off, but so very very worth it for the HUGE expanse of views up top. Word of advice: GO!

Well, my knees have again challenged me. I’ve had surgery on both knees in the past 9 weeks for chronic bursitis and ITB syndrome (surgery #2 on the left and #6 on the right), and am ready to get back on the trails after physical therapy! I’ve been building back up endurance by sticking to level hikes to begin with, and the Carbon River Road is a perfect place for that. The northwest entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park is a gorgeous rainforest in a river valley, and 5 miles of flat gravel road that is now closed to cars. Perfect for working those knees back into shape!

I already have Yosemite, Ansel Adams, and Enchantments permits in hand for this summer, plus a lot of other trails with my name on them. Can’t wait to get back up on my Mountain for some snow-shoeing next week!

I spent an incredible two weeks in October 2013 hiking through Southern Utah with my hiking buddy Frani   Unfortunately this coincided with the federal government shutdown so the National Parks weren’t open part of the time we were there, but we were able to get into Bryce NP, Canyonlands NP, and Arches NP.

The shutdown actually forced us to consider other areas to hike beyond the national parks, and I have to say that UTAH ROCKS IT’S STATE PARKS!!!!!  Anywhere else in the country, and these would be considered national parks, IMO.

I’ve since returned to explore Utah’s canyon country twice. Click HERE (2021) and HERE (2022) to see those amazing trips.

Wasatch Range / Wardsworth Trail and Bridal Veil Falls

A huge thanks to my cousins for putting us up (or putting up with us!) near Provo, UT. We spent a day hiking at Hobble Creek Canyon on the Wardsworth Trail, perfect timing for fall colors. We also went to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon for a little scramble near the waterfall, followed by In-N-Out Burgers, the only way to finish off a good day of hiking

Red Canyon near Bryce NP

The weather was a bit too cold for my comfort in a tent, so we splurged and got a hotel in Panguitch, UT, for a few days in the Bryce area. We spent 2 days hiking in the Red Canyon area, which is spectacular in its own right. On the first day we covered the the Arches Trail, part of the Losee Canyon Trail, and then hiked out to Red Rock Canyon via the Thunder Mountain Trail, which was wonderful in the late afternoon/evening light.

The second day we hiked from the Visitor Center (closed, thanks to our very dysfunctional government) along the Pink Ledges, Hoodoo, and Birdseye Trails. In the afternoon we Hiked out the Cassidy Trail (a.k.a. Butch Cassidy hid out here for a while), to Ledge Point, and then down the Rich Trail… a very gorgeous day!

Kodachrome and Petrified Forest State Parks

On the day we drove from the Bryce Canyon area to Escalante, we stopped at Kodachrome State Park and Petrified Forest State Park. Both are very worth the time to see. Kodachrome S.P. has a great view of Bryce Canyon NP from the distance, and has some wonderful rock formations and colors, as well as Shakespeare Arch. Petrified Forest S.P. is amazing with the big rounds of petrified wood in rainbow colors spread all around the park. Our favorite was an extra back loop off the main trail, steep and rocky, with some wonderful pieces of petrified wood and a great view down into a canyon. We stayed in wonderful little cabins at Escalante Outfitters.

Lower Calf Creek Falls

The next day we hiked out to Lower Calf Creek Falls in the Calf Creek Recreation area with a wonderful couple from Germany that we met the night before over a couple of beers. It’s a gorgeous and easy hike out to the falls, through beautiful canyonland with cliffs, blooming flowers, flowing water, and good friends. Just the drive from Escalante to Calf Creek was wonderful.

I FINALLY explored the Mt. St. Helens area, after having lived her for 25 years. It’s gorgeous, especially when the wildflowers are in full bloom. It’s pretty incredible to see evidence of the damage and complete destruction that was caused 30+ years ago, and then to see the life coming back into the area.

We hiked the Harry’s Ridge Trail, which offers excellent views of the crater, blast zone, and Spirit Lake. (even better than from the Johnston Ridge Observatory). One part of the hike is a bit sketchy, a long traverse carved into a steep hillside with a large drop-off below, but the views of St. Helens from here are just incredible, it’s hard to focus on keeping feet on the trail without always stopping to look around and imagine what it would have been like there in 1980.

The views from Harry’s Ridge down to Spirit Lake, with Mt. Adams in the close background, are definitely worth the hike. There was a herd of elk down below on the banks of the lake enjoying the sunshine. Overall, about 8 miles round trip, with only a few hundred feet of elevation gain and loss. Spectacular hike, spectacular views, and definitely something I’ll do again.

To quote John Muir: “… the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.”

He got it right, because the wildflower meadows around Mt. Rainier  are second to none that I’ve ever seen. Though the Paradise/Skyline area is crowded in summertime, it’s worth the crowds to see these wildflowers and incredible views at least once every summer. It’s so different seeing it melted out and blooming, compared to when I do this as a snow-shoe route several times every winter. Crowded? Yes. Worth it? You bet!!!

I got to spend 3 great days at Crater Lake National Park while my girls were getting their Shakespeare fix in Ashland, Oregon 🙂  The Mazama car campground inside the park was great, big spots that weren’t too close together… best part was 3 days of day hiking all over the park 🙂  Yes, the water REALLY IS that blue, impossible to describe and photos don’t quite do it justice. The first night there I hiked up to the Watchman fire lookout for sunset, beautiful!

On the second day I took a boat ride around the lake. I was supposed to get 3 hours to hike around on Wizard Island but because of mechanical problems nobody was allowed to be dropped off on the island that day. Still, it was a great way to see the lake up close and personal. I hiked the Annie Creek trail after dinner for an evening stroll, got to see deer and marmots and lots of wildflowers.

On the last morning there I was up at 4:30 to catch the sunrise at Cloud Cap overlook, then hiked up to the top of Mt. Scott, the highest point in the park at 8900+ feet elevation. I was the only one on the trail the whole time, beautiful views all around 🙂  Definitely glad I got to spend time here and finally see it for myself.

Got copies of my cousin Ken’s photos from the Zion Subway, since he was smart and had a waterproof camera 🙂  I had my not-at-all-waterproof camera tucked away in a dry bag for the middle part of the trip including the rappelling and swimming.  Thanks Ken for sharing!  (All photos in this post are credited to Ken Barnes)

A few months ago I got a message from my cousin asking if I’d be interested in hiking the Zion Subway with them… it took me about 3 seconds to say “Yes!!!”  I’m a Washington girl… I’m used to forests and huge trees and mountains and snow, etc. Going to Zion NP was like stepping onto another planet for me… one that I definitely want to see more of!

The Zion Subway is a hike I’d never attempt on my own, I didn’t know how to rappel, in many places there is no trail and you have to find your own way, etc. My cousin and his son were excellent guides and teachers, and I’m counting myself as one extremely lucky person to be able to go on this hike with them.

It’s 9.5 miles of some of the most incredible scenery on the planet (and I’ve been all over the world…). The hike starts out innocently enough, through some wooded area, over a gorgeous downslope of slickrock with great views… then you come to a point where you can see a small black crack in the huge wall ahead and realize THAT’S where you’re headed. There’s a lot of steep rock scrambling to get down toward the canyon opening.

Once in the canyon, it’s like stepping into a different world. My first time rappelling was a bit nerve-racking, but oh-so-much fun!!!  From the first rappel on we spent quite a bit of time hiking through the river, scrambling over rocks and boulders, and a few spots of swimming through pools of cold water. A good dry bag and waterproof camera/case are a necessity on this hike. After several short rappels and going through a series of surreal “rooms” and sections, we came into the Subway itself. Gorgeous!!!

Upon leaving the Subway, we hiked several miles down river… in the river itself, with some incredible waterfalls (that make good water slides). Spent quite a bit of time just playing and hanging out in the water, soaking wet, and it felt great in the heat.

The climb up and out of the canyon to the ending trailhead is a big rock scramble up up up… with some jaw-dropping views down into the canyon that we had just come through.

All in all… by far the best hike I’ve ever been on in my life. DO NOT attempt to do this hike if you’ve never rappelled before, if you don’t have the proper gear, and if you have any problems with route finding. Go with someone who already knows the way and who knows the “ropes” literally. I can’t say a big enough THANK YOU to my cousins for this once in a lifetime opportunity 🙂   I’m one lucky girl….

(p.s. there are a ton of photos for this hike… there’s no way to condense it all into a dozen shots)