All in Outdoor adventures
I don't know about you, but we are so excited Spring is here! We have been craving longer days, warmer temperatures and are currently in the process of planting as many vegetables as we can in our little plot at our community garden. We are day dreaming of window boxes overflowing with flowers, wearing flip flops and not having to wear a jacket for the foreseeable future. As of late, we have enjoyed getting out as much as possible and exploring every nook and cranny in our neighborhood. Our little man is all business when he is exploring and I would not have it any other way.
I don't talk about it much, but I am a big fan of the idea of dating your spouse. Although we have been married for over ten and a half years I still get excited at the prospect of getting dressed up, making reservations, buying tickets and have a concrete plan for an evening. However, lately I have equally enjoyed the "day date" which consists of anything we do minus our son. A couple weeks ago, we extended our staycation by heading directly to the mountains after checking out of our hotel. As much as I love bringing our son along for our adventures there was something very nostalgic and romantic about it just being the two of us together in the outdoors. While we were snowshoeing it brought back a flood of memories of our past adventures and made me happy how much we took advantage of our time together before children.
Awhile back I mentioned we were partnering with Glamping Hub for a little family adventure. We finally went on our adventure and stayed in a modern cabin in the woods. We enjoyed the solitude and location of our cabin, but most importantly the time we spent together as a family. Our time there reminded us how we feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air, but also how we hope to one day have a cabin of our own nestled in the woods.
One of our primary reasons for visiting Vancouver was to go snowshoeing. There isn't one, but three fantastic places to go snowshoeing all within twenty minutes from the city. However, between getting late starts each day and the extra holiday traffic we were only able to visit Cypress Mountain this time. On the day we were up there the glorious sunshine and blue skies combined with a fresh dumping of snow made for one heavenly day. The snow shoe route we took was one of those straight up the entire way. When we are out snowshoeing I am always thoroughly impressed with Cameron's ability to carry our heavy son on his back. He never complains and makes it look so easy. I am reminded time and time again how much fresh mountain air and family time is good for the soul. I am continually grateful for these two adventurous dudes and how much they make every single day special.
During the Winter I am constantly checking the weather report up in the mountains. If we receive substantial snowfall during the week then we make it a point to head up to the mountains on Saturday. Saturdays have traditionally been our day set aside for being together as a family and having fun. I am not a fan of chores, errands or work on Saturdays and I avoid it at all costs. I once read an article which stated from the time your child is born until the time they turn eighteen you have 940 Saturdays. Particularly now that we have Jasper I want to make the most of these days and give him memories of hikes, camping trips, catching snowflakes on our tongues and enjoying picnics by the water. During the week in between work, laundry, and to do lists I try my best to squeeze in the chores and errands.
A big storm rolled into the mountains this weekend which meant lots and lots of new fluffy white snow. We decide to head up Saturday afternoon to check it out and get our first real taste of snow for the season. We were also interested to see how Jasper was going to react to it all. It was cold, blowing at times and the snow was coming down pretty hard, but as always Jasper was a trooper. We kept him bundled up pretty well, and overall he was delightful, but it came as no surprise he was not a fan of snow blowing directly into his face. Like each new experience we have with him, it is a learning process. We are constantly figuring out ways to adapt, be better prepared and make certain it is a fun experience for us all.
We have now reached the point in the year where there is not enough snow to snow shoe, but most of the hiking trails are covered in either snow, ice or both. It can be a bit treacherous making your way up and down safely, but it is a beautiful time of year especially when the sun decides to shine. On Thanksgiving we wanted to get outside for a bit before going over to my parent's house for dinner. We decided on Snow Lake because it is a moderate hike and we knew we could do it in the time that we had. Once on the trail it was a tad colder than I had anticipated, so next time I will need to be better prepared for wintry conditions.
I don't think it was a coincidence one of the best days of my life preceded one of the worst days of my life. It was not that we did anything lavish, but the weather was spectacular and we spent the day hiking to Cutthroat Pass via Cutthroat Lake (one of the prettiest trails I have ever been on). The sky was blue, the larch were golden and my happy little family was doing what we do best- enjoying nature and each other. I was confident after seeing the heartbeat of our child, that this tiny human growing inside of me was happy and healthy. We were eagerly anticipating breaking the news to friends and were feeling blessed beyond measure to be adding again to our family so soon.
Whenever we are up in the North Cascades we always make certain to spend an afternoon walking around the trails at Sun Mountain Lodge. It is an arid part of the North Cascades and is in stark contrast to the forest, lakes and streams we spent our time hiking to the previous day.
One of our favorite parts of the North Cascades are the endless trails to explore. Two of our favorite hikes are Blue Lake and Cutthroat Lake. Not only are these trails beautiful and kid friendly, but short enough hikes we are able to do other activities during the day after our hikes.
This Summer, we have tried our best to take advantage of what has seemed like endless glorious weather. A couple weekends back we spent the entire day hiking the 11.5 miles to Pratt Lake. Aside from the air being hazy from all the fires in the North Cascades, it was a wonderful day spent together as a family up in the mountains. I have to give my husband major kudos because he not only hiked, but carried Jasper on his back almost the entire way. Since Pratt Lake is such a long hike it deters a lot of people. As a result, we found ourselves alone most of the time on the trail. It was a scenic hike where we passed through several different types of landscapes and encountered endless types of terrain. It was a beautiful hike, albeit long and one I am eager to do again as an overnight adventure.
This Summer we have made a conscious effort to branch out and visit several new alpine lakes. Even when it comes to hiking it is easy to find your favorites and visit them again and again. Between the changes seasons and weather in general each visit is a new experience. A mere 40 minutes from Seattle is the I90 corridor where there are countless trails to tackle. Our goal, if we continue to enjoy hiking for many years to come is to eventually visit them all.
Recently, we had Jasper spend the night at my parent's house and enjoyed a beautiful hike to Melakwa Lake. Melakwa Lake is part of the Denny Creek trail. Denny Creek is a popular trail for families, but as you continue on the trail for a few additional miles you can find yourself at a beautiful, uncrowded alpine lake. There is no place that invigorates my mind and body more than being in the mountains. I feel my most content breathing the fresh air and being surrounded by trees. I am truly a Pacific Northwesterner at heart.
While we were in Glacier National Park we did a fantastic and easy hike called Avalanche Lake. The trail starts at the Trail of the Cedars and is located 6 miles east of the Lake McDonald Lodge. The trail is only 4.5 miles long with a mere 730 feet elevation gain. On the day of our hike the weather was a bit cool and the clouds were hung low. This moody weather not only made for beautiful photographs, but made us feel right at home.
Some Saturdays we leave the house without a plan. Our main goal for the day is always to have fun, but we don't always have the details ironed out. One such Saturday we had loosely planned to rent a paddle boat at The Center for Wooden Boats, but a combination of high winds and the Seattle Dragon Boat Races soon changed our plans. Instead, we ended up spending the entire day at South Lake Union Park. We watched the Dragon boat races, walked around The Center for Wooden Boats, toured an old tugboat, took an Ice Cream Cruise and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Duke's. It was such a diverse and fun way to spend the day together as a family. Jasper loved watching all the water and air traffic. He kept craning his neck every time he heard another plane or helicopter fly overhead. With the recent revisions to South Lake Union Park it has become a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.
While my sister and her family were in town we went to an Everett Aquasox's game. Over the past several years we have preferred going to these games as opposed to the Seattle Mariner's because you can get tickets for a fraction of the cost of what they would be at Safeco Field. We also are able to get much better seats and they even do a fireworks show after the game. It was a rare treat to have so much of our family together and this was Jasper's first baseball game to boot!
We have been experiencing a scorcher of a Summer this year in Seattle. Most Saturdays, we escape to the mountains for a drop in temperature and to take in the gorgeous views of all the many alpine lakes in the area. A week ago we made the hike up to Rachel Lake. We had not been here in a long time and the last we came here there the trail was pretty snow covered, we lost our way a couple times and I am not even certain we made it to the lake. Since it was such a warm day, we appreciated how most of the trail was in the shade. Once at the lake there was ample shoreline for everyone and I even took a dip in the icy alpine lake. Such a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!
Over the Fourth of July weekend we rented a three bedroom condo in Whitefish, MT with some friends. Although we had visited Whitefish a couple times in the past on our way to Glacier National Park, we had never spent any significant time there. We realized once we were there the four days we had planned to be there was not nearly enough time to enjoy all Whitefish, MT had to offer. During our time there we spent a morning hiking up Big Mountain, and then riding the gondola back down, another morning enjoying the alpine slides and chairlift, an afternoon swimming in Whitefish Lake, a couple dinners in downtown Whitefish and an afternoon at Stumptown Marketplace.
One of our favorite areas of Glacier National Park is Many Glacier. We love the steep craggy peaks, the beautiful hotel which resides on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake and the numerous hiking trails which abound in the area. Many Glacier is on the eastern side of Glacier National Park and since it is a little harder to get to, there are fewer crowds here than at Lake MacDonald.
Boasting over 700 miles in trails, Glacier National Park is one of my all time favorite places to hike. Over the Fourth of July weekend we visited the park with some of our friends and our three small children under the age of five. Rather than our usual 8-10 mile hikes we enjoyed a couple easier hikes, but there was no shortage of beautiful scenery or fun. On our first day we went to Logan's Pass and hiked the Hidden Lake trail. Logan's Pass is a mountain goat research area and the hike was visually diverse enough to keep everyone interested. There were streams, wildflowers, mountain goats, beautiful vistas and plenty of rocks to pick up along the trail.
Over Memorial day weekend we went on a five hour kayak trip with San Juan Island Outfitters. We left from their exclusive location in Roche Harbor and spent the better part of our day navigating around Henry Island. I have dreamt of kayaking in the San Juan Islands for such a long time, I was ecstatic to finally be doing so.
