Karen and Tom Wanderings

Mt Tom Our son Brian, who is home for a summer job in Seattle, convinced his old man to join him on an ambitious (for Tom) overnight trip in the northern portion of Olympic National Park.  It all started back in February with them trying to get permits to backpack around Mt Rainier on the Wonderland Trail.  While we didn't get those permits, Brian also applied for a permit along the High Divide ... and got it.  Since his summer job would not allow him to take vacation, it was necessarily a Saturday-night-only reservation ... making it about 8-10 miles a day and about 4000' elevation gain and loss. He invited Tom with a tempting offer:  he would carry "all the stuff", but would be blasting ahead so he could explore everything.  While this seemed attractive, Tom was unsure, since he kept envisioning getting separated by one of several scenarios (Tom wasn't physically up to it, Brian crossing a snowfield that Tom wasn't comfortable crossing, the campsite...

Taking advantage of our spectacular early-summer weather here in the Northwest, we headed to Mt Rainier National Park for a revisit (for Tom) of Crystal Lakes.  Last year, smoke dampened the views.  But not this time!  Wow!  Honestly, we were pretty surprised that a hike this far up into the mountains was essentially snow-free in early July, but we didn't argue.  We were treated to a constantly changing array of flowers starting in our initial forested climb continuing high above the lake.  The vivid colors of the flowers, lakes, meadows, and trees were a delight for the eyes.  We extended the nominal hike a mile or so beyond the upper lake to Sourdough Gap, just a short ways beyond the ridge above the lakes.  As is typical, the descent turned into a bit of a slog, but if that's the price for a day like this, we'll pay it.  As an added bonus, we drove up to Sunrise (since we were so close, and weren't in a hurry) for some close-up views of Th...

A very dry May let us head back up into the mountains a bit earlier than normal.  A hike to Mason Lake provided significant elevation gain with a modest distance ... as our next step in testing our bodies. The weather was great, and the bugs weren't too bad (they can often be unbearable early in the season).  And we had nice views south to Mt Rainier.  The lake was nice, but nothing particularly special.  A previous visit here had blasted us with a massive wildflower display, so we hoping for even a portion of that.  There weren't many different types of flowers blooming, but the bear grass was out in a HUGE way!!.  On our way back, we cranked a ways up the very steep Bandera Mountain side trail with no big negative effects.  A good day overall, and fun to get up in the high(ish) country! Mason Lake Climbing Bandera Mtn through Beargrass Beargrass and Mount Rainier Beargrass More Photos

After a long winter dealing with a few getting-old issues and little opportunity for fun and exploring, we finally got a chance to test our legs on a relatively easy hike.  Dungeness Spit is about a 5 mile sliver of sand and driftwood sticking out from the Olympic Peninsula into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  A lighthouse anchors the far end, and we got a chance to climb it and see the view.  The weather was beautiful, and visitors few.  Pretty tame by our standards, but it was great to stretch our legs, get some nice fresh air, and enjoy the beautiful scenery Lighthouse View from lighthouse (Olympic Mtns in background) Submarine caravan Evening in Kingston More Photos Random Questions What are those boats accompanying the submarine past the spit?  Answer:  Supply ships.  Makes sense that they need supplies, but don't the surface ships give significant info on the subs actual whereabouts? 

I (Tom) had hopes of a fall hike to see the golden larch trees after my return to Seattle from the East Coast.  Weather reports indicated only a 1-day window before the onset of winter-like weather.  So, despite wanting a bit of time to rest up from the East Coast trip, I knew what had to be done.  A quick check of the trip reports confirmed that the larches were at their peak in the North Cascades (Rainy Pass area), but also that some snow would likely be encountered on the trail.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find Brian's micro-spikes (for snow/ice traction while hiking), so the 3 hour drive each way seemed a bit much with the uncertainty of being able to reach the larches.  Instead, I opted to stay closer to home ... Granite Mountain for a final fall hurrah.  There wouldn't be larches, but there would likely be lots of colors on the open slopes.  However, those pesky larches continued to tug on my brain, so I took a chance and drove over towards the...

In late September, we connected with Tom's mom and our daughter, Kelsey, for a 3-generation trip to Maine.  Our primary objective was Acadia National Park (and daily seafood), but we also saw some gorgeous places en route.  The first surprise was Cape Elizabeth.  It's 10 miles south of Portland, and we hopped down there shortly after our flight arrived, mostly to visit the lobster shack.  But, what a beautiful piece of coast ... and the waves were pounding in pretty good, as a result of Hurricane Maria activity out at sea ... just as the sun was setting!  Our mostly rural drive up to Acadia wasn't quite as "coastal" as we had thought, but there were some quintessential Maine towns, a very cool bridge (Penobscott Narrows Bridge), and some nice views from Mt Battie (near Camden).  The Penobscott Narrows Bridge was stunning, but its ultra-modern lines seemed very out-of-place in the old-time Maine countryside.  Perhaps that contrast was part of the plan...