I've hiked the trail along Ebey's Bluff many times, and every time it's different. With the surf constantly altering the landscape of the beach, and the changing season dramatically altering the bluff and prairie portions of the trail, there are always new views to admire. On this particular Sunday, hiking with the Alpine Trails Book Club, we had the most incredible weather conditions yet. While there were heavy, dark clouds all morning, the views along the horizon were crystal clear, allowing us to see rare panoramic views of all the surrounding mountains, including the Olympics, the Central and North Cascades, Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker, and even Mt. Rainier! Unfortunately, shortly after we left the trailhead, I discovered the battery for my DSLR (which I normally use for all my hiking photos) was dead, and the spare was in my other backpack. With only my phone, I wasn't able to take clear photos of the surrounding peaks, but if you have a good eye (and you squint a bit!) you may be able to make out the silhouette of Mt. Rainier in some of the photos below.
Read moreLife: Week 3
The winter gloom really set in this week. The weather was consistently overcast and rainy, and I quickly lost my motivation to get outside for walks during the week. I've been burning a lot of candles these days to try to get through the long, dark nights. I'm really looking forward to longer days, when there will still be daylight left at the end of the work day, giving me more opportunities to get outside. Weeks ago, my mom had suggested spending inaguration day at their cabin in the mountains, completely off the grid. It sounded like the perfect escape, so Friday morning we packed up the car and headed off for the snow covered cabin. After a stop for lunch at Twede's in North Bend (aka the RR Diner from Twin Peaks) we were on our way. The last leg of our journey was a 1.5 mile snowshoe, since the road to the cabin isn't plowed in the winter, so after parking, we strapped on our snowshoes, shouldered our backpacks, and set off into the wintry wilderness.
Read moreIcicle Creek Snowshoe
This year, we started the year off right with a lovely snowy adventure in the mountains. Somehow, even though I've meant to for years, this was the first year we've managed to get out for a hike on January 1st. Hopefully it's something we can manage to turn into an annual tradition! Since we were already in Eastern Washington, we had easy access to the Icicle Road, a perfect spot for Andy and I to snowshoe while his family skied. Rather than driving all the way to the end of the plowed road, we parked at the Eight Mile Creek campground to follow a quieter, less crowded route. Had we started at the end of the road, we would've shared our hike with lots of snowmobiles and rambunctious off-leash dogs. Instead, the only other people we saw on our walk along the creek were a family returning to their car as we arrived.
Read moreLife: Week 2
It was another cold week around here, in more than one way. Temperatures continued to be mostly below freezing, and late in the week Andy came down with a bad cold. Thankfully he's recovered now, but it meant that we spent the week close to home. With all that time at home, I've been making good progress on the sleeves of my sweater - they're already half finished! I've known about the idea of working a pair of knits at the same time, but mostly read about it for socks or mittens. To save time, I decided to try knitting both sleeves at once. So far it's working out well, and it definitely seems to be speeding things up. I wish I'd spent more time outdoors over the week, but there are only so many hours in the day With these short winter days, it's more challenging than usual to find the time. The days are getting longer though - soon there will be plenty of time for walks after work!
Read moreLife: Week 1
The first week of 2017 was COLD! It stayed below freezing until some time Sunday afternoon, with thick layers of ice and frost decorating every surface.This was a week that really made me appreciate working from home - not having to spend 5 minutes in the cold every morning scraping the ice off my windshield, or waiting for it to defrost. Instead, I could enjoy the beauty of the cold by going for afternoon walks, during the warmest part of the day. Over the weekend, Andy and I drove out to the Snoqualmie Valley so I could stop by my favorite yarn shop to stock up on yarn for my next big project, followed by a walk around the frosty Evans Creek Preserve before heading home to start knitting. Now that the holidays are over, I finally have time to start this sweater for myself! The pattern has been at the top of my list since I saw a knit sample of the sweater at Tolt Yarn last winter. I'm so excited to finally get started on this beautiful project. Hopefully I can knit quickly and have a cozy new sweater to keep me warm for the cold winter day to come!
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