Last summer, at one of the several WTA work parties we participated in, we heard rumors of something wonderful at Mt Rainier. You see, WTA partners with the national park on trail maintenance, and last summer they were focused on the Longmire area of the park. The reason everyone we talked to was excited about this is a not-so-secret secret: the Longmire Stewardship Campground. This quiet, mossy campground is available only to volunteers, and for the low cost of one day of volunteering, you get free park entry along with up to two nights camping in this magical spot! When WTA started up their 2019 trail work season in the park early in June, I was overjoyed to see that they'd be operating out of Longmire again, and immediately signed both Andy and myself up for the first weekend we had free. I am happy to report that that Longmire Volunteer Campground fully lived up to the hype. It was a weekend of hard, dirty work in the hot sun and it was one filled with laughter, new friends, and plenty of post-trail work relaxation, and Andy and I are already plotting our return!
Read moreLife: Week 23
The early summer weather continued into another week, with midweek temperatures climbing over 90° - unheard of for June in the PNW. With plans for backpacking over the weekend, I spent the week carefully monitoring the forecast for Saturday and Sunday, worrying about hot dry weather. To my relief, by Friday we had some relief in the form of rain and the weekend forecast had dropped from the mid nineties down to the low seventies, with some cloudy skies thrown in for good measure. Much better hiking weather! After our foraging last weekend, Andy and I had morels to enjoy, and while I had plans to try several new recipes - including a morel risotto I still want to try out - we liked them sautéed in an excessive amount of butter and tossed into a bowl of ramen so much that we ate it for dinner twice, even with the heat!
Read moreLife: Week 22
Having lived in Washington for decades, I’ve come to expect mostly grey skies and drizzle up until the Fourth of July. Some might call it gloomy weather, but I find it comforting - perfect weather for soup, sweaters, and wool socks. As a rule, I plan for overcast weather over Memorial Day - the holiday that marks the start of summer in many other places. Over the past few years’ the chilly spring weather I’ve come to rely on has gradually vanished into an ever-expanding summer, and this year was no exception. Both Memorial Day and the week that followed were decidedly summery, with mostly sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. While the early end to the rainy season makes me worry that we’ll have a hot, dry, and smoky season to come, for the moment the mild weather has been much appreciated.
Read moreLife: Week 21
Memorial Day Weekend this year was a mix of everything - a cold & stormy Saturday spent in the city drinking tea and lurking in plant stores, contrasted by warm & sunny Sunday spent in the woods volunteering for more trail work with WTA. Life is all about balance, right? This time of year, it sometimes startles me that everything is suddenly so green after what felt like an endless winter, and this was particularly the case in the Sehome Arboretum, where Andy and I spent our Sunday doing trail work. The small patch of forest perched above the Western Washington University campus was absolutely bursting with ferns, maples, and other sun-dappled greenery. One of my favorite things about signing up for trail work with WTA is that it often leads me to discover new trails - ones like Sehome Arboretum that I never would have visited otherwise. Since the trail system is pretty tiny, I don’t know that I’ll return to this particular spot unless I happen to be in Bellingham and have a little time for a short walk, but I’m glad I had an excuse to visit it this once!
Read moreLife: Week 20
I’m starting to feel settled in to things with my new job, and after a fairly uneventful week, Andy and I were happy to head to Whidbey for a low-key cabin weekend. I spent most of the week looking forward to an afternoon drinking rose in the sun on the deck. Of course nothing works out as planned and by the time I finally opened up the bottle of rose I’ve been saving, the warm sunny day had turned overcast. Still, it’s hard to beat the views from the deck on Whidbey and we had an excellent day that included a stop at my favorite book shop, a few beers enjoyed on the patio at Double Bluff Brewing, and a late lunch at Rocket Taco that of rhubarb margaritas and far too many tacos. Sunday we took it easy, taking our time over coffee and breakfast before getting packed up to head home. We weren’t in any hurry to get home, so before lining up for the ferry, we made a stop at Bayview Corner for lunch, beers, and a stop by one of my favorite garden shops. I managed to resist purchasing any new plants - although their gorgeous monstera were very tempting - but I did buy a few new pots for all the cuttings I’ve accumulated. Now that I’m not killing all my plants by overwatering them, it’s amazing how they’re starting to pile up!
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