Rattlesnake MT [Ledges and East Peak]

in preparation for our summer vacation, and general
enjoyment of the seattle outdoors, we'll behiking
a lot of elevation. we started on rattlesnake mt
for a warm up. this was our view from the "upper ledge."

family portrait.
we enjoyed a nice lunch with a half-dozen other people.
tip: hike further to the "upper ledge" to avoid the crowds.

happy hiker!

tired hiker.

this is townsend's favorite part of hiking.
we'll call him an "extreme napper."
he puts up with us so wel!

as we reached east peak, and settled in for snack.
towno sauntered over, laid his head on my shoulder,
and signed deeply. he was, as usual, distraught.

sun halo.
we snacked, rested, and took in an amazing view
of mt rainier before heading back down.

oh yeah, we also gave towno some encouragment
for the trek down!

back at home in the post-hike fetal position.
does anyone else have a lazy gsp?!

Spray Park, and on....

What else better is there to do than go hiking on a beautiful summer day with the wildflowers in full bloom? We headed back to one of our favorite spots to camp for the weekend, Mowich Lake at 4900'.

We started with a day hike to Spray Park.


Just entering Spray Park at 5500'. Get out the bug spray. Lube up. Push on.


Taking a break on the path of wildflowers.


Indian Paintbrush. Always a beauty.


Some sort of delicate lilly.


Lupine. Fields and fields of beautiful lupine...


beneath a majestic mountain.


Mt. Rainier looks so close at 6500'! Tempted to run up to the top, but we'll wait. We'll see you next summer, friend, face to face.

Instead of heading up, we decided to push on and complete a 16.5 mile loop to bring us back to our campsite. This loop takes you toward Seattle Park, down to Carbon River, over to Ipsut Creek, then back over Ipsut Pass and to Mowich. Oh dear...what are we getting ourselves into?


When navigating through rocky territory, cairns (pictured above) are used to direct you back on trail, assuming you have strayed off admiring the mountain.


Getting ready to cross a snowfield. You might get an idea of the amazing views we had from the parks. We were looking at higher peaks all the way up in Canada.


This snowfield creates a beautiful pattern.
The difference between a glacier and a snowfield? Glaciers are always moving, where snowfields stay put. Interesting.


We stop at a creek to wash up and cool down.


Ever wonder what the beginning of a raging river looks like, before it has picked up speed, rocks, debris? Kinda like this. Peaceful. Quiet. Inviting.


Andrea thought it would be a good idea to add a gallon of water to her day pack for 'training.' It came in handy when we decided to push on past Spray Park!
Cataract Valley, 5200'


Part of the trail was to cross over this suspension bridge, built over the Carbon River at 3500'. Wow...it was high. And bouncy. But fun!



We crossed back over the Carbon River again at 2500'. Note all the debris and devastation from year after year of massive floods going through. The most recent being Jan '09.

We measled our way back up to 5300' through the pass and back to camp. We cleaned up a bit in the lake and took a dive into our sleeping bags. Ahh...another peaceful night at Mowich Lake.

Skiing at Mt Baker

we went up to mt baker this past weekend to go skiing for the first day out this season. the skiing was great and the weather was unbelievable.


the group consisted of bryan, brooke, andrea and jenn.


mt baker normally has incredible skiing, but add that with a bright sunny day and 55 degree weather...you can't beat it! it was so bright that it was hard not to squint without goggles or sunglasses.


it was such a beautiful day!


being able to look upon a volcanic mountain while you ski is breathtaking. behind bryan is that volcanic mountain: mt baker.


this will go down as a great ski day!