Rain

Alisha says: After squeezing in a few more fall adventures the rain has finally started to fall rather regularly. We have still managed to get out, it just requires a few more layers of clothes. We left the house on one particularly rainy day expecting to hike in the rain but to our pleasant surprise it stopped and we enjoyed a nice hike up Middle Fork in Snoqualmie National Forest and didn't see anybody else on the trail.

After about a week of rainy days we finally got a clear Saturday so we went walking around Discovery Park. It was nice walking down by the water and we saw a tiny seal resting on the beach, some giant dead jelly fish that had washed up on shore, and some seals/otters swimming along in the water. The views were great! That evening we got to go to a University of Washington football game. They ended up losing but we got to see a nice sunset.

Middle Fork - Snoqualmie

Discovery Park

University of Washington Football Game

Halloween Cake that I made

A Trip to Lopez Island

Alisha says: It has been a mild October her in the Northwest as it has started to rain some but it has not started to fall nonstop yet, but we all know it is just a matter of time so in the mean time we have been squeezing in a few more adventures that have been on our list of things to do.

One day after Dave got home from work we rented a canoe and rowed around the waterways by the arboretum. It was a beautiful evening and fun to be on the water and see things from a different perspective. We saw lots of ducks and beautiful fall colors.

I now look at the weather forecast almost daily and during the week it had rained on and off but it looked like Saturday was shaping up to be a rain free day so we drove to Anacortes and took our hard tail 29 mountain bikes on the ferry to Lopez Island. Lopez is the most rural of the major islands in the San Juan's and with it being the off season it felt especially quiet as we rode around. The scenery was beautiful as we spent the day pedaling through wooded forests, open farmland with sheep, cows and horses, and along the rocky coastline full of picturesque views. At the far end of the island we went out to Iceberg Point and enjoyed the view before riding back to the small village to have some snacks at the bakery.

An Adventure in Fungi

Alisha says: Who knew mushrooms could be so interesting? On our beautiful fall day 7.5 mile hike to Annette Lake we saw so many different types of fungi. We passed mushrooms of all sizes, shapes and colors. My favorite was a bright red one with white spots. It reminded me of a mushroom from the Super Mario Bros game that I played as a kid. Once we arrived at the lake we found a nice place to sit, ate our snacks and admired the view. On the way back we decided to take pictures of the cool mushrooms that we found and we were both entertained looking for a new type we hadn't seen.

 The Mario mushroom

 These were really white and flat. They looked neat against the green moss.

 This one was huge!

 This one looked like cauliflower.

 Tiny mushrooms

 Spotted fuzzy mushroom

 Purple mushrooms

 Orange coral looking fungus

 Lots of mushrooms

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).