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A Hiking Adventure- Winter Edition: Lake Valhalla
Here in Seattle, winter can be well…wet and grey. I try my hardest to not let it affect me much, even though it’s completely opposite from Arizona winters. The wet and grey never really stop me from doing anything outside because it is just rain. Last year, I trained for running races and did a few non-snow hikes in the rain and cold. This year, however, I decided it was time to venture out into the mountains and to the snow. Every since leaving college in Cedar Falls, IA and Flagstaff, AZ, snow hasn’t really been something I seek out for fun and enjoyment. It’s cold. It’s wet. Did I…
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A Hiking Adventure: Blanca Lake
My 28th year was quite memorable to say the least. Not only did I move into the heart of Seattle, I made amazing new friends, became more invested with my running and volleyball family, had a major hardship event in my life, and more personal growth than I could have expected happened. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do but I knew one thing was certain, I needed to be in the mountains. For the last three birthdays, I have spent exploring the Cascade Mountains and every year it allows me to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the previous year. Because of…
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From Washington to Montana
The month of August was INSANE. I worked approximately 28 of 31 days and felt like I had absolutely no time to myself or for my friends. Now you might think “who on earth would work that many days” and to be honest with you I don’t know if I’d do it again. Thankfully, I was able to escape for a weekend getaway to the eastern side of the state to spend the weekend with one of my best friends. If anyone knows me, I love road tripping and this particularly weekend we decided that we’d really getaway from society and jet off to Montana. This would be my first…
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Family Travel: Little Brother Visits Seattle
It’s been nearly two months since I turned 28 years old and that means it’s been two months since my little brother, Joel, came to visit me from his summer in Chicago. My brother, who was interning with his company at their head quarters in Chicago, was given the opportunity to fly out for an extended weekend. It would be his first time in the PNW and only my second family visitor since moving to WA in 2012. We have been discussing this trip pretty much since the moment I found out his company provided each intern with a free flight. In all reality, it was pretty much me telling…
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A Hiking Adventure: Spray Park Trail
Another successful trip with The City Church Outdoors Group under my belt. This trip was a photography based adventure located at along the moderately difficult Spray Park Trail within Mount Rainier National Park. Spray Park is located on the northwest corner of Mount Rainier and is one of the three main stops for the Wonderland Trail. Spray Park Trail is a7.5 mile, 1,600 feet elevation gain trail that ends at 6,400 ft above sea level and has perfect views of Rainier on every turn and the reason for this photography based adventure. The trail itself starts at Mowick Lake and connects to part of the Wonderland Trail. At this point…
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A Hiking Adventure: Wallace Falls
It’s quite amazing how one day on a mountain can turn into amazing friendships and more adventures. The following weekend after Bandera, included just that. Myself, along with four other girls (one who I met on Bandera) adventured out into the Central Region of the Cascades to a hike called Wallace Falls. Wallace Falls is a 5.5 mile, 1,200 ft elevation gain trail that consists of a unique series of approximately 9 waterfalls, with one as tall as 265 feet. While on this trial, the girls and I decided we would where we explored both on and off the path. Yes, Krista, Isabella and I enjoyed the “other side of the fence”. Let…
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A Hiking Adventure: Little Bandera Mountain
Two weeks ago my life went from routined to busy and full of new adventures and it all began when I joined my new church’s outdoor group. This group sets up various outdoor adventures throughout the year and last weekend they planned to head to the southern Cascades for a moderate (or difficult) hike at Bandera Mountain. Since moving the Washington, I have became very interested in researching places I’m going and this was no exception. What I learned about Bandera Mountain wasn’t nearly enough to prepare me for what I was about to experience. This hike, Little Bandera Mountain, located in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (Snoqualmie Pass Corridor-West),…
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A Hiking Adventure-Birthday Edition: Kendall Katwalk
Moving to Washington wasn’t too tough of a decision for me to make and I can honestly say it was the right move. I have grown in my faith and learned quite a bit about myself, including the fact the I love HIKING. I could spend hours reading hiking books trying to figure out where I want to go next and how far or high I can push myself. And realistically, it’s nice to know that when nothing is set in stone for a Saturday, the Cascade Mountains are a quick 45-60 minute drive. Over the 5 weeks, three have been spent on the top of a mountain (you can…
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A Hiking Adventure: Mount Si
Summer is FINALLY here in the state of Washington which means…it’s hiking season once again and this girl is over the moon ecstatic. To start off this summer, my friend Sydney and I chose to hike a mountain that rises sharply above the Snoqualmie River valley with views of the Cascades, Mt. Rainier, and Seattle in the far distance. Mount Si is a 4-mile hike full of steep switchbacks, has an elevation gain of of 3150 feet (topping off at 3900 ft.), and at the end has a couple large rock formations. Mount Si is a fairly common hike for many people within the city and can attracts anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 visitors…
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A Hiking Adventure: Mt Rainier National Park
Only one word can describe my weekend…EPIC! After meeting up with my friend Dallas from high school last week for dinner, we begin collaborating on different adventures each of us have been on after moving to the northwest. He is an avid climber and spends many weekends camping, climbing and hiking. I mentioned to him that I hadn’t yet been camping and really wanted to go, so that is exactly what we did. We chose to explore Mount Rainier National Park where we stayed at Cougar Rock Campground, which is located just down the road from Paradise, a base camp for Mount Rainier. During our drive, I was getting a…
