Mt. Rainier - Camp Muir

Alisha says: We visited the Paradise (south) side of Mt. Rainier on a day with the forecast calling for warm and sunny conditions. The weather was great (although there was some smoke making the view a little hazy in the morning) for our hike to Camp Muir. Camp Muir sits at an elevation of 10,188 ft and is base camp for people who attempt to summit Mt. Rainier. The hike was 9 miles round trip with 4,700 ft. of elevation gain. We got an early start on the trail and although there were a few people on the lower trails, once we started up the Muir snowfield we only saw one other group. The trail starts out on a paved path that eventually turns to dirt and then you hit the Muir snowfield, which turns into an ice field until you finally reach Camp Muir. The hike was awesome and we were treated to up close magnificent views of the mountain. We could see different glaciers, see an ice cave in the distance, and hear the rumble of the glacier ice shifting and moving up higher on the mountain. The last part of the trail was the hardest as it gets really steep, wet and icy. We even had to cross over a few crevasses that had opened up in the ice. Although you could hop over them it really made me nervous because it was really icy and slippery and when you looked down they just opened up into a deep crack that you could not tell how far down it went. Once we reach the camp, which includes a few small buildings and restrooms, we rested and enjoyed the view while we enjoyed our lunch. A helicopter delivered some construction supplies while we were there. It was getting windy and we were getting cold so we started our journey down then mountain. It was tricky going down because of the slick conditions. Dave slipped a handful of times. There were a few sections where it was easier to slide than try and walk. On the way down we passed a bunch of people headed up and we once again were glad we got an early start. Mt. Rainier is really amazing!

Granite Mountain

Alisha says: A few pictures from our trek up Granite Mountain.

Hiking/Mountain Biking Extravaganza! Day 5:

Dave says: On Day 5, it was finally time to head across the border and return to Seattle. Our timing was perfect as the rain and low clouds were just moving in. We debated a hike in the area but opted to head farther south and do something later on our way in. It turned out to be a great call as we first had an amazing lunch at the Old Town Cafe in Bellingham and then stopped at Deception State Park for some relatively easy but gorgeous hiking along the Washington coast in an area where there are tons of cool little islands and beaches. At one point, we even got to do a little rope-assisted scrambling up a cliff face to get out to the end of Lighthouse Point (although there is just a beacon and no lighthouse). All in all, it was a fantastic trip with tons of fun every day. We like our trips packed full and this one was no exception. Alisha is a great adventure partner and I like to joke with her that these types of trips are the sorts of things that put her in her "natural environment" because this is when she's really in her element.

Hiking/Mountain Biking Extravaganza! Day 4:

Dave says: On Day 4 it was time for some more mtb action. In Squamish you can go for days without riding the same trail and mid-week there was hardly anyone out there. I thought that after three monster days my legs would be completely shot but actually they seemed to get a little better each day after the initial punishment of the Black Tusk hike. We hit some of Squamish's most famous trails today including Half Nelson which is like doing a bobsled run on a mountain bike with tons of big banked turns, jumps, flow, and speed. It's definitely a must ride classic and on my all time faves list (also the Pseudo Tsuga trail) I was having way too much fun to stop for pictures though. Instead, you get to see me riding up one of the climbs on the way to the trail head with the beautiful background that surrounds you in this area.

After lunch we were ready for some more fun. As you can see, there are some fun obstacles on these trails with ramps over logs and narrow no-rails bridges over streams (which didn't seem to scare Alisha now that her skills have improved). We ran out of easy trails and got on some burly stuff mid-afternoon. At one point, we briefly split up so that I could hit the black diamond Cheshire Cat trail. Nothing was unrideable but I was hanging way off the back of my bike grabbing tons of brake and feeling a bit of adrenaline. I didn't even try any of the double black trails in the area which no doubt are some of the world's toughest technically (when there are entire routes devoted to hucking your bike off huge granite slabs you know you've found some legit riding). The rain was coming in during the afternoon and we decided to cut things a bit short.

Of course, after a shower and a 30 minute rest we couldn't sit still and went out looking for more adventure. This time, it was on a nearby Whistler trail which leads a few miles along the river to the site of an old train wreck. It's kind of interesting to come across half-demolished train cars in the middle of the woods that are now colorfully decorated by graffiti (some of which is good enough to be considered real artwork).

Hiking/Mountain Biking Extravaganza! Day 3:

Dave says: Squamish is quite the mountain biking town. The riding is pretty burly with "intermediate" trails that are more advanced than the black diamonds at many other places. There are some occasional easy sections in the woods but most of the time you're having fun with tons of rocks, roots, jumps, berms, and wood obstacles. With trails everywhere, we got the mountain biking map of the area, looked up some of the best routes stringing a number of trails together, and then started working our way up in terms of difficulty. We started out the morning with a loop that wasn't too crazy. After lunch, we turned things up a notch. Alisha's skills have improved a lot and she is a good sport when I take her on "white knuckles" trails with obstacles like the one you see me going down here. Unfortunately, when you're in the flow on a trail and hitting a bunch of really cool obstacles, you often don't want to stop and pull out the camera so we didn't document hardly any of the excitement. We tried a third and final loop at the end of the day that took us on some super steep uphills and by the end we were spent. Fortunately, we talked to some locals at the trail head who recommended an Indian restaurant with huge portions of terrific food. By the time we got back to the hostel, it was already getting dark and it was yet another action packed day.

Hiking/Mountain Biking Extravaganza! Day 2:

Alisha says: The first half of the day we did the Whistler/Blackcomb mountain Peak to Peak gondola experience. First we rode a gondola up Whistler mountain. Then we rode the Peak Express chair lift to the very peak of the mountain. I took us on what I originally though was only a one mile trail but turned out to be over four. Even though our legs were tired it was okay though as the Half-High Note Trail offered more spectacular high alpine views and a different view of the Black Tusk that we had hike the day before. After a stop at the lodge for some lunch we then rode the gondola from Whistler mountain to Blackcomb mountain, the gondola joins the two side by side mountains by taking you over the valley in between them. It is the longest and highest lift in the world. We then rode two different chair lifts to get to the bottom of Blackcomb mountain.

The second half of the day was spent mountain biking the Whistler valley loop. We rode the same loop on our trip last year so I thought I would be fine but I think I was really tired from the hiking as these trails proved to be extra challenging. The trails were really rocky, rooty and and the dirt was loose. Dave still had a good time as he loves this stuff. We finished our ride and rode directly into the village to get some dinner before returning to the hotel for an early bed time.

 Going up to Whistler peak.

 Whistler valley way down there

 The backside of Black Tusk in the background.

 Checkamus Lake in the valley

Peak to Peak Gondola ride.

Going down

 Riding the bridge in A River Runs Through It

Hiking/Mountain Biking Extravaganza! Day 1:

Alisha says: After driving to Whistler, Canada the day before we started the first real day of our vacation bright and early in order to hike 17 miles round trip to the Black Tusk. We were on the trail by 6:45 a.m. and started working our way up the mountain. The first four miles were all uphill and through the forest. Then we got a little relief and hiked through Taylor Meadows where we got our first sights of the Black Tusk off in the distance. After a bit more hiking we came to a trail junction that lead up to the Tusk. That part of the trail was steep but this is also the portion of the hike where we started to get the most amazing views in every direction. Behind us was Garibaldi Lake which was a beautiful turquoise color, in front was the Tusk and all around there were high alpine views of snow capped mountains. The last part of the trail was slow going as it was straight up a scree field where it felt like for every two steps you took forward you slid one back but oh was it worth it. Sometimes I can't believe the beauty that surrounds us if we get out and explore. I love traveling so much because I love to see all of the amazing beauty that the earth has to offer. We sat, ate lunch, and enjoyed the view for a while. On our return trip we bypassed Taylor Meadows and looped by the shore of the lake where we took off our shoes and soaked our feet in the cold water before heading down the mountain. My legs got really tired on the last few miles of downhill and I was happy to get back to the car. It was just an amazing hike though, it really is something special and so worth it!

 At Taylor Meadows - You can see the Black Tusk way off in the background

 Getting closer

 Going up. The lake in the background was so pretty.

 Part 1 of the scree field

 Finally, at the base of the Tusk

 Magnificent views and a good spot for lunch

 We conquered the Tusk!

 Garibaldi Lake - once again so scenic!

 I got a little more wet than I would have liked getting to this log but it was worth it.