State Federation Park

August 1, 2008

Well, I had a big hike planned for this last weekend. A big hike for me is classified as one that takes an hour or more to get to. I needed to go preview a campground for a barbeque our worship team is having next weekend and figured while I was out that way I would pick a trail. So I found one in State Federation Park that was supposed to be 4 miles and full of stuff to see. I got there and first of all discovered that the batteries were dead in my camera. That's right, no pictures! But I headed off down the trail and got about a mile down to where the trail splits off in different directions when it started raining. It wasn't too bad because the old growth forest was keeping most of the direct moisture off of me, but I wasn't sure which trail was the one I was supposed to take, and didn't feel like being lost in the rain, so I turned around and went back. The best laid plans of mice and hikergir1's. . . Oh well, I guess now I'll just have to go back and take my camera next time.

BTW, my camera battery is now charged and I plan to take it with me to next weeks barbeque, so expect some fun pictures then!

In the meantime, is anyone else out there watching "The Mole"? My dad and I have been discussing it all season and last night was the last episode before they reveal the mole. I would love to hear anyone's guesses on who the mole is!

4th of July

I know it's been a month, but here are some of my favorite pictures from the Fourth of July. (We always do a big barbecue at our church to reach out to the community.)

I hope everyone's having a great summer!

Pastor Bob getting dunked by Donitta!

Joel getting dunked by Pastor Bob

Yep, that's a whole roasted pig. Yum!

Go, Megan, Go!

Here's the worship band from backstage. That's me on the left and furthest back.

SO MUCH FUN!!!

Well, I'm planning a hike down Mt. Rainier way tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. Pray the rain stays away!

Cedar Creek - Landsburg

June 27th, 2008

Well the weekend was forcasted to be hot, so I made sure to get out early before it warmed up too much. The book said that this hike followed several little foot path's along the river and then came back along an old rail bed trail. The thought of just meandering alongside a river sounded like an adventure to me so I headed off.

It was a lot harder to find than I thought it would be, but once I got there the sound of the river (the Cedar River) was calming and I headed down the trail. It actually started out along the old rail bed as well, so the trail was wide and paved with gravel.


The high school down the road had brought their track team and the trail was packed. Before too long, you would start to see these little trails head off into the trees and brush. So, I got brave, and a little tired of the traffic, and took one. It went back to this large pond.


Oh, and did I mention that the "trail" was completely overgrown? I was ducking and pushing aside branches the whole way back. Here is the trail heading back to the main trail. Do you see it?


(hint: it starts in the bottom left corner and goes to the middle right before swinging back off to the left again.)

Pretty soon I found another small trail off on the river side, and thus began the real adventure of the trip. The trail varied between the above and a little more clear.



I walked through more spider webs than I could count, and there were very few moments where I was not touching some plant except where the trail broke out along the river.



Honestly, I was a little frustrated with it. It wasn't a nice little walk out in God's green Earth, it was work! I was so glad to get to the turning point of the hike, an old rail bridge. The little side trail I was on came out underneath it.


I went around to where the main trail goes across the bridge and took lots of pictures.


Old bridges just open up all kinds of opportunity for creativity. This is my "dreamy" pic.

I just took the main trail back out, and 2/3 of the way back the older guy and his dog caught up with me. He chatted the whole way back about all the different animals out on this trail and the one's he'd seen and the one's he hadn't. Eventually, he finished and walked on ahead. How cute!

This hike was about 3 - 3 1/2 miles but it really did go by pretty quickly. It only felt like maybe two miles. I guess all that pushing through the brush makes time fly!

I just need to make a few shout outs here. Thanks to Devo for putting me on her top ten! And Dana, these italics are for you!

Next to come, pictures from the Fourth of July - I haven't gotten them downloaded yet, but there should be some good ones in there!

First Hike of the Year! - Seward Park

May 3rd, 2008

Yes, it is officially time again to get back to the original purpose of this blog. Yea! (clap hands) On the very first weekend that it was nice enough to go for a hike I already had other plans, but on the second one, I was determined to let nothing stop me. Seward Park is the one I tried to do last summer but due to Sea Fair they had it all blocked off and I couldn't get in. This year, it was practically deserted, but a very nice first hike.

Seward Park is on the Lake side of Seattle. It is actually a penninsula that sticks out into the lake, and is the last remaining stand of old growth forest in the city. The hike was right about 2 miles and the paths I chose (there were quite a few options) took me out along the east shore to the end of the penninsula and then back through the middle. The trail along the outside is paved and very nice. It's lined with all kinds of trees and bushes and even some education. For example, how do you know if there is poison oak alongside your trail?

Because the sign will tell you so!

The first part of the trail gives you a nice view of the houses on Mercer Island. I didn't know whether to be jealous of those huge, beautiful houses, or to pity them for having their front lawn (and windows to anyone with powerful enough binoculars) in view of a public park. Well, I don't pity them anyway.

At one point there was this little "window" in the folliage with what looks like a garden of something growing behind it. The plants are huge, at least 3 feet tall. So strange! Anyone know what this is?

There also was this stone bridge out near the tip. Apparently it was built in 1932 because a group of fishermen wanted Seward Park to be know as a "fisherman's paradise." Well, that never happened, but the bridge certainly is lovely.

I also learned from my guide book about something I had been wondering about for a long time. Along the freeways where there are a lot of trees, you can sometimes see these trees that have bright red, twisted wood. They also would be missing large patches of their bark. No one I asked could tell me what they were or if they were diseased. Well, aparantly, there are a lot of them in Seward Park and they are called Madrona's here in the Northwest. (Depending on where in the world you find them, they have different names.) I do think they are beautiful and would be fun to draw. . . if I knew how to draw.

Just before I split off the main trail for the one back through the middle there was a nice view of downtown Seattle. With the water and the cherry trees (those are cherry trees, right?) it made for a nice picture.

Well, the trail back through the center was like your typical trails around here, and it was just what I needed; a nice easy mile of deep breathing. There are a lot of trails that criss-cross through the middle so I just wandered around a little. It really was the perfect length for a first hike, and highly recommended by me!

I know this took me several weeks to get up, but my camera has stopped talking to my computer and I have had to rely on the grace and kindness of a good friend to get my pictures. I am hoping to get a lot more hiking in this summer, but am worried that with gas prices the way they are, I may be very limited. You may end up seeing pictures of my "hike" up and down the street. I am setting a goal for myself to get back to the top of Wallace Falls before the end of the year though. Pray about that one. It will take some serious work to get ready for that.

Well, enjoy the pictures, and hopefully I'll get another hike in within the next few weeks. Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see! Love you guys!

I Can't Believe It's Been 5 Months!

Can you believe it? A new post from me!

After a crazy winter, spring has returned, and I am ready for a new season. A HUGE thanks to all of you out there who were praying for my dad and our family as he went through his transplant. I am excited to report that he went through the proceedure with flying colors. They actually sent him home a little early (which is unheard of for the doctor he had) and he's now back in Boise doing well. I am so proud of how he stuck it out, and kept a good attitude even though his body was literally rebelling against itself. We really felt the peace of God through the whole ordeal and I know that you were praying for us. He still doesn't have much energy, but that is to be expected at this point.


For Christmas, my best friend Dana gave me a photo shoot, so the pictures you are seeing are from that. Didn't she do a great job? (You can catch the link to her blog at the bottom of the page called gabbysmiracle) The pictures were taken from the top of the building my parents were staying in called The Pete Gross House. My mother hates how she looks in pictures, but I think she's beautiful.

So, other than taking care of my dad and church stuff, there hasn't been a whole lot else I've done in the last five months. I haven't done any photography stuff, but I have been doing some graphic design. I even got paid for some of it. If you go to www.aplaceofhope.com I did the header for the page and the little box on the right with the pink tulips. I had a lot of requirements for what had to be included in it, but I'm proud of the background and the logo. (And the picture of the tulips is mine from last Easter!)

Now that we've gotten my dad all fixed up and shipped off I am excited for the summer and what's to come. There are a lot of plans in place for the summer with the church and just life in general, so be on the lookout for many new blogs to come. And of course, a new hiking season is on the way. Last Saturday the weather was actually nice enough to go hiking in, but I am in the middle of Spring Cleaning and couldn't go. But, the hope is there that there won't be too many more weeks before the weather gets a little more consistent. (Of course, the weather report is calling for more snow next week, but there's always hope!)

So, thanks to all of you who have been checking on this blog for the last five months to no avail. I promise to not wait so long before the next one! I love you all! (Yes, that's the Space Needle in the background. Mom and I got to watch the New Year's fireworks from here.)