Office Fun

I work in the best office. Where else would my co-workers go bowling to help me raise money for breast cancer research and have this much fun?

Scottish Lakes

March 8 was John George's birthday. It was a great time to spend time with good friends at Scottish Lakes High Camp. For those who have never been there, it's amazing. High Camp is a collection of A-frame cabins set at the end of a private road at 5000 feet east of Stevens Pass. The only way to get there in winter is to ski or snowshoe in, or to take snowmobiles. Fortunately, the lodge will carry your gear and food for you if you choose the manual option.

Sherell and I chose to ski up. Even though I'm not a good cross country skier, the road was freshly groomed and the weather was perfect. It took us about 2 hours or so to ski up the four miles.

Our group had several different cabins. We did the bulk of our cooking in the main building, as feeding the twelve of us in one cabin would have been challenging. We pretty much monopolized the place.
Of course a mountain retreat whose primary activities are skiing and snowshoeing wouldn't be complete without a hot tub and a sauna. Scottish Lakes has both. No electricity, but who needs that when you have lots of wood to fire up the amenities.

From the great food (including Kandace's amazing cakes for both breakfast and dinner), to the awesome friends and perfect weather, our 2010 Scottish Lakes adventure was perfect. Well, maybe fresher snow, but I'm being picky.

Winter/Spring hikes

Lots of great hikes during the past several months, some more strenuous than others. One of my new discoveries was Mercer Slough park, which I traipsed around in late January in a light rain. Even though its right between I-5 and I-90, it was a little oasis. Red blueberry bushes, a kayakable slough, herons, hawks, and quiet. The rain seemed to make it even prettier.


In early February, taking advantage of some unseasonably beautiful weather, I did a loop trip through Wallace Falls state park. I hiked up the newish Greg Ball trail to Wallace Lake. Still wanting more, I hiked around Wallace Lake to the lake beyond, Jay Lake. I then hiked over to Wallace Falls, hitting both the upper and lower falls. I think I did somewhere around 13 or 14 miles when all was said and done.

Several weeks later, I took a 3 days Wilderness First Responder refresher class in discovery park. Again, unseasonably good weather. One day, I got to the park ridiculously early so that I could walk the 3 mile loop before our class started. What a great way to greet the day!
Somewhere in the hiking mix, Amy and I did a nice loop through Cougar Mountain State park. Nothing strenuous, but we did see this lovely waterfall along the way. I'm a sucker for waterfalls.

In late March, we hiked up to Lake Serene, near the town of Index. This is a great hike, and one that gets you into the high country fairly early in the season, as long as you don't mind a bit of snow. It is a great workout, as the trail is quite steep in places. Rewards are great. Not only do you get to see an amazing waterfall on the way up, but there is a super lake at the top, and in the spring, you can see and hear the avalanches coming off Mt. Index on the far side of the lake. Last year, I hiked up here in May and there was more snow then than there was this March. I think that the swimming will have to wait a bit, though.

This spring, I also visited Lake Dorothy for the first time. I had driven by the turnout many times, but this was the first time I actually checked it out. Though it's not a strenous hike, the rewards are pretty good. It's a giant lake surrounded by some nice peaks, and a bunch of campspots. We encountered a good deal of snow, but looks to be a nice, easy backpack in season. Perhaps I can convince Roy to join me for a camping adventure. Lake, fire, easy. What's not to like? And, for me, passes beyond to enjoy.


In late April, another great hike previously undiscovered. The north cascades, which I always want to visit, but they seem so far away. A CLE in eastern Washington gave me the perfect ex cuse. As we drove home across the North Cascades highway, Amy and I stopped at Colonial Creek campground and hiked along the Thunder River trail for about four miles. It was incredible. All these great waterfalls, so much green. Flowers were just starting to bloom. It was a spring wonderland. Of course, I left wanting more. As we hiked the trail, we could look up into the glaciated basins above. I want to explore them. The trail continues, and you can hike all the way to Stehekin. Alternatively, you can take the trail up to Fisher Basin and drop through Easy Pass down to highway 20 further east. I definitely need to come back and do that!