Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
All tagged North Cascades
Each year in honor of Asher's birthday, we spend a long weekend in to the North Cascades. It is hard to put into words what a special place this has become for our little family, but the first word which comes to mind is refuge. Aside from the jaw dropping views and overall detachment from the outside world, it has become a place where we can remember and yet continue to make lasting memories together as a family.
With the transition of Winter into Spring my thoughts turn outdoors. If I had it my way I would be outside everyday from dawn until dusk. Unfortunately, many days between work commitments, taking care of a small child and the rigors of life in general my schedule does not permit such a luxury like this. On those days, where all I want to be is outside, but I am stuck inside I have the memories and the photos of wonderful days past spent amongst the dirt and the trees. Here are a few photos from one such lovely Fall hike to Cutthroat Lake.
Cutthroat Lake is a relatively easy hike located in the North Cascades with a beautiful lake as your end point. We ventured out early in the morning and as our reward we had the trail and then lake to ourselves. The North Cascades is one of my favorite places to hike because there are so many different hikes, the trails never seem to be overrun like they sometimes are along the I-90 corridor.
Blue Lake is a stunning Summer hike, but short enough it will not take up your entire day. Blue Lake sits around 6200 feet and you could easily spend an entire afternoon sunning on its shoreline, picnicking or documenting the changing water color. On the way up the views are spectacular and feel reminiscent of hiking around Glacier National Park.
Every great road trip needs a couple tried and true pit stops. When we make the drive from Seattle to the North Cascades we like to stop at Cascadian Farm. Cascadian Farm is an organic farm which has u-pick blueberries, freshly made homemade ice cream, organic vegetables and a pumpkin patch. (Due to all the warm weather we have been having this Summer it appears the pumpkins might be a tad ahead of schedule.) The combination of sunflowers and little pops of orange made me excited for the coming months.
The North Cascades will always hold a special place in my heart. It is here where we sought solace after our son passed away. It is here where we made the first steps to picking back up the pieces of our life and creating happy memories again just the two of us. Being in North Cascades fills me with peace and reminds me how hope and love can get you through the most trying of times. Normally we come here for our son's birthday in October, but since we are expecting another little one in October we decided to come earlier rather than forgo our trip all together. It only seemed fitting to pair a baby moon of sorts with the celebration of our son's brief, but impactful life.
Aside from spending all day cozied up in your Rolling Hut there is so much to see and do nearby. As is fairly evident; we are big fans of hiking. Washington Pass is a mere 10-15 minutes away from Rolling Huts and will give you an array of hiking trails to choose from. Blue Lake and Cutthroat Lake are some of our favorites. If strolling around a western town is more your speed there is the quaint town of Winthrop with shops, restaurants and a candy store we love. Further afield there are resorts where you can go on a sleigh ride, ski, spot wildlife, snowshoe or eat a delicious meal.
This past weekend was spent in Mazama, one of our favorite places in the entire state of Washington. For those of you who have never heard of Mazama, it is located on the eastern slope of the North Cascades with a population of around 200. Mazama has a humid continental climate which means they have warm, dry Summers and cold snowy Winters. Scenery and weather wise this is my kind of place. Living in Seattle we have such temperate weather, we never feel the extremes like Mazama. It is nice to have a place to come which is a mere 3.5-4 hour drive from Seattle, but you feel like you are worlds away from home.
