Sunday, June 25, 2006

Travels with Walter and our friend Davida


Today we headed up to Mt. Spokane with our buddy Davida who sadly, is moving to Tacoma.
We went hiking on the cross country trails and it was very beautiful up there. The yarrow is just beginning to bloom but the bear grass is in full bloom and pretty incredible, as is the lupin and phlox. We had a picnic and rest in the tall grass on Eagle Peak. It has been a long time since I have been on those trails when there is no snow. I actually saw several trails that I did not even know existed that we are going to have to go back and check out. We only made it up once last summer because of the use fee, which was

removed this year. Our hike last summer was up to Bald Knob (trail maps are available at REI). After our hike, we drove to the top of the mountain to take in the view. There are twelve lakes visible from the top. On really clear days, you can actually see to the Montana Rockies. There was an orange haze to the east so something must be on fire, or else Kalispel is having some serious air quality issues. In the winter, the Vista Lodge on top is accessable via the ski lift and is open for hot drinks and what Seth has pronounced as the "best clam chowder on the planet." We met some folks on the trail who were hiking up to an old fire lookout that is now being rented out by the park. They told me that it rents for $50 a night. Sounds pretty cool. New book: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. If you want to feel like your life does not suck so bad, read anything about India, real or fiction. Very good book and even Ophra liked it.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Just a Quickie



After hurting my knee at work, I was unable to do any hiking on my first weekend off. We were planning on hiking to the top of Mt. Coeur d'Alene. Instead, we took a quick overnight to the Beauty Bay Campground where the trailhead is located. There I was able to sit on my arse with my feet up and finish Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. The sky was clear, the air was cold, and there was actually water in the creek. Though the campground is not on the lake, it is very close. There are several campsites that are private and back in the trees. The others are out in the open but it is a nice place that is just 40 miles from my house. The Mt. Cd'A trailhead is at the campground and crosses the creek and then winds its way with switchbacks up to the top of the ridge and then back into the woods to the top of the mountain. We did it last summer and it was a pretty cool hike. You can look down into the valley and see the campground (see picture...which I suppose I should add was "borrowed" from the Forest Circus website). The road that goes past the campground and up into the mountains is a great bike ride as well. After a mile or so it turns to dirt and meanders through the hills. Though I have not skiied or snowshoed the Mt. Cd'A trail in the winter, I know people do. I would not recommend it when avalanches are a problem because of the exposed trail on the ridge and the steep slope above. But it is pretty cool and the view is amazing. We took Walter's sister Sophie (a five year old Scottish terrier) with us. She loves camping and rooting through the bushes to smell all the small animal scents.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Only a couple more days........

I have two full days of class left, and then the fun can begin. I am starting this blog as a way to keep track of and share my travels this summer. Last summer I began my Fifty by Fifty. My goal is to climb Eastern Washington's fifty highest peaks by the time I turn fifty. So far, I have only done three. I want to get caught up this summer. Grad school has been a crazy stressful ride and this summer I actually get a break for three whole months. I am going back to work the night shift at the nursing home full-time and that will actually leave me lots of time for adventure. Not all of my adventures are going to be a Fifty since most of them are quite a distance from here. But there are TONS of cool recreational opportunities right on my doorstep. I want to find and explore all of them. So, stay tuned...
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