Karen and Tom Wanderings

Big Sandy Lake and Schiestier Peak Despite two long days of driving, we had not completely outrun the smoke.  So, we gave up that battle, and headed into the Wind River Range for a 3 or 4 day backpack.  Several years back, we had an incredible trip to the Titcomb Basin area of The Winds, and this time opted for the other uber-popular area ... The Cirque of the Towers.  How popular?  Let's just say there were about 100 cars at the trailhead (no exaggeration) and, per the ranger, more on the way!!  The popularity is due to a combination of great rock climbing on the pervasive granite, as well as the spectacular backpacking. Our initial, tentative plan was to hike along the Big Sandy Rivier, past Big Sandy Lake, and on to the Cirque ... all on the first day.  This seemed pretty doable, since it was about 9 or 10 miles with only about 2000' of elevation gain. However, we dramatically underestimated the effect of the altitude (trailhead starts at about 91...

The smoke was getting unbearable in Seattle, settling in thick and heavy for more than a couple of days (precise memories fade quickly).  We cancelled a trip with Tom's mom to the Canadian Rockies due to the fires and smoke, and were suddenly left with no plans and no commitments.  Gotta get out of this smoke (it kinda makes you claustrophobic)!!  A few days of obsessively reviewing weather and smoke maps, and developing an overall plan.  Then we geared up and headed out.  First destination ... the Wind River Range in Wyoming (following in our son's footsteps of a few weeks prior), then on to Colorado ... details TBD. The smoke subsided substantially, but never went away completely on our 2 day, 1000 mile journey to Pinedale, WY ... the kickoff town for the Wind Rivers.  After arriving, we hopped on our mountain bikes for a modest early evening ride up to the CCC Ponds, which is like a little oasis of water in the middle of the sagebrush landscape that su...

Gravel Lake Despite our hopes for a summer without smoke, it seems the new normal involves lots of fires, and where there's lots of fire, there's eventually lots of smoke.  But we were determined to fit in a backpack, to test Karen's ability to handle all that's involved (carring a bigger pack, hiking 2 days in a row with a night on the ground in between).  With the smoke situation not seeming too bad, we headed north on the Pacific Crest Trail from Snoqualmie Pass, to Ridge and Gravel Lakes.  The trail starts up and mostly doesn't stop until it reaches the ridge, then follows the ridge to the lakes.  The views of surrounding and far-off peaks would have been stunning, if not for the more-than-expected smoke.  The lakes were fairly nice, but no killer-view campsites (at least with the smoke).  The bugs were pretty bad (though not the worst we've ever seen) ... reminding us of why we usually wait until September to backpack.  There were more than a...

Mt Rainier and Van Trump Park Our next hiking excursion included a return to Mt Rainier National Park ... this time to Comet Falls and Van Trump Park in the SW corner of the park.  Even weekdays in the summer can be incredibly crowded, so we rallied for an early Seattle departure, but still didn't get a spot in the (admittedly small) parking lot.  But the early start still paid off, with fewer people (at least on the way up) and some nice shade for the climb. And the trail is pretty serious about climbing ... not the steepest trail, but it goes up and only briefly relents.  But, within 5 minutes of the trailhead, the trail crosses a bridge spanning the roaring cascades of Van Trump Creek ... quite an awesome sight.  For the next mile or so, the trail closely follows the creek as it tumbles down the steep hillside, providing multiple overlooks and a distraction from the elevation gain.  Just beyond a beautiful set of back-lit falls, suddenly Comet Falls ap...