Hike #35 - Denny Creek Trail

Important Stats:

Drive: about an hour

Water: One for the trail, and unfortunately not one for the drive home

Would I do it again?: Yep, there is fun places to play in the water.

My friend Britten, merely 7 weeks after giving birth to her son Beckett, wanted to join me for a hike and today was the day! We chose a fun hike without a lot of elevation gain so Beckett could come along too. It was Beckett's first hike and he did a great job. Slept through the whole thing! The hike was great with a great bridge (I love bridges) and little waterfalls around every corner. There was a strange moment when we realized that we were walking directly underneath I-90 -- the marvels of the modern world, you can be in the middle of the forest and see a highway all at the same time. The pools of water and little waterfalls seemed super fun to play with and I had wished we had a 4 year old with us to make it more reasonable for us to go play! So, anyone with kids who like to play in the water - give me a call and we can hike and play!

Hike #34 - Fremont Ave

Important Stats:

Drive: 15 minutes

Water: I managed to drink a whole bottle!

Would I do it again?: Sure, this is a great urban hike with a good uphill that gives the illusion of a real hike!

On a whim, I decided to go on an evening walk up Fremont Ave. to the zoo. Rachel, who lives right across the Fremont bridge was nice enough to come with me. We crossed the bridge, walked up the hill past the zoo and part way down Phinney. It was almost a nice night, but got kind of cold. This has been a miserable July. Anyway, the walk itself was a nice one. There was a concert in the zoo so we got some good music along the way. On the way home we took a different route, going down some streets I have never been on. The photo is a the view from Phinney. Sadly, I forgot my real camera and my phone didn't quite do the job.

Hike #33 - The Ultimate Urban Hike - The Las Vegas Strip!

Important Stats:

Drive: 2 - 3 hours via plane

Water: Maybe 2 bottles - it was over 100!

Would I do it again? : I certainly hope I get a chance, it is the most fascinating 2.5 mile stretch of road in the US!

My brother and I aren't exactly the typical Las Vegas people. We were up and out of the room by 8am. After the requisite buffet breakfast, we set out to walk the strip. There were a shocking number of other people out for a morning workout by taking in the sights of the strip during the day. There were also those who perhaps had been out all night and lost a little bit more than they had hoped. A walk down the strip must also include some walks through the casinos and crazy hotels, the picture is taken in the Bellagio - one of the most beautiful places on the strip. Perhaps not the most traditional hike, but it fulfills the requirements and isn't it important to have some diversity?

Hike #32 - Chief Sealth Trail

Important Stats:

Drive: 20 minutes

Water: Sadly, I didn't take any. I promise, though, hydration is still important to me!

Would I do it again?: Maybe, but I might head the other way on the trail

I am headed to Las Vegas this afternoon, but I thought I would get in a morning Urban hike before I hit the airport. Luckily my friend Sarah and her 8 month old Hank agreed to do a morning walk in their neighborhood with me. After a quick tour of their great new house, we walked the three blocks to the Chief Sealth Trail - a great urban trail that goes through South Seattle. Aside from the power lines, this was a pretty walk with Mt. Rainier looking over us almost the whole way. We followed the trail nearly 2 miles south and then climbed the big hill up to Beacon Ave and walked along this beautiful boulevard (see pic) back to the house. This is a great trail for running and walking - I highly recommend it. Hank is extradorinarily good at riding/sleeping in a stroller on a hot day - good work Hank!

Hike #31 - Tiger Mtn. Chirico Trail

Important Stats:

Drive: 25 minutes from my house

Water: I forgot a bottle - and with my new found belief in hydration it was a big mistake.

Would I do it again?: Yes, yes, yes! I did this earlier this summer and went back and this time was even better

Rebecca and I decided to do an evening hike this Sunday instead of the normal 7 am adventure. We didn't have enough time to go very far, so we settled on the back side of our normal Tiger Mountain route. We made the right decision. Before we even got to the parking lot we saw the paragliders sailing down. There were so many of them. We found the last parking spot next to the landing field, and watched a few paragliders land. We then made it through the field without getting hit but he flying people and got to the trailhead. The hike itself is a tough uphill battle - no nice flat parts to help you catch your breath. There are, along the way however, some breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier. Even after all these years and all these hikes, Mt. Rainier never gets boring to me. In a little under an hour we reached the top with the best view within 30 minutes of Seattle. But what was super cool were all the paragliders getting ready to take off. We watched them for awhile before our descent.

Hike #30 - Mt. Pilchuk

Important Stats:

Drive: 90 minutes - give or take

Water: For sure! A bottle for the trip up and another for the drive home

Would I do it again?:Absolutely! This is, hands down, the best view I have had this summer!

One of my favorite things about this whole summer hike things is getting to catch up with old friends. Today I went on the best hike of the summer with my good camp friend Maniac (aka Megan). Sadly, she is moving to Austin soon, but I am glad I got the day to chat with her and hear all about her new adventure into grad school and the crazy world of academia. As we talked we realized we were headed to the greatest view on a beautiful day. It wasn't the easiest hike ever, but there was some very fun rock scrambling to get the the lookout at the top. The view, however, was amazing! Sadly, I didn't have my real camera, just my phone camera and the pictures that it took didn't do it justice. The picture above is of Megan at the lookout.

Hike #29 - Lake Ann and Heather Pass

Important Stats:

Drive: 3.5 hours

Water: A bottle for the drive up and one for the way back

Would I do it again?: There are too many other hikes in the North Cascades to repeat one...

I must start by saying, this was a good hike, and I am glad that I did it. That being said, Ken, Wendy and I drove 7+ hours to hike 2.5 hours and then I had to hang out in Bellevue for another hour to avoid ridiculous traffic on my return to Seattle. The hike itself, after such a long drive on a cloudy cold July day was, to be honest, kind of mediocre. Perhaps it was the clouds, the snow, or the intermittent rain that put a damper on this July hike. The hike was supposed to be a loop, but we ran into a lot of snow about halfway around Lake Ann (see picture). We decided it was in our best interest to turn around and not chance the slipping down the mountain on the snow. Real hikers would have had good shoes and poles to help prevent the slipping. We, on the other hand, had no poles an slippery old running shoes. Too much complaining. It was a good day and fun to get off of the I-90 corridor and drive the famous North Cascades highway.

Hike #28 - Pt Defiance

Important Stats:

Drive: 45 minutes

Water: 1 bottle would have been nice

Would I do it again?: Not the exact same one, but I definitely want to go back to Pt Defiance -it's wonderful


I have a set of good friends in Tacoma and they agreed to go on a mini-hike (but a hike nonetheless!) through the beautiful forests out at Pt. Defiance. There are a ton of trails and it is very easy to get lost, but they have a system to prevent this - a strange system of triangles and squares. Apparently you are supposed to pick a shape and follow that trail whenever signs are available. However, somehow we followed squares and ended up on a triangle trail. Luckily we didn't really get lost. It was a nice walk in the woods and fun to spend some time with good friends. We ended the hike by sitting and chatting while taking in this spectacular view as seen in the photo.

Hike #27 - Tacoma Historical Tour

Important Stats:

Drive: about 40 minutes

Water: I wish I had some...

Would I do it again?: Yep, I love this stuff!

Today I decided to head to Tacoma. My real goal was to get to Pt. Defiance with some friends, but I went down early to check out some historical sights. I called my grandfather who grew up in Tacoma in the 20's and asked him where he went to school and where he lived. Even at 94, he rattled off addresses as if he had never left town. So off I went on a nearly 7 mile trek through Tacoma seeing his old elementary school, high school, apartment building. Unfortunately, his middle school (Tacoma had middle schools back then!) was no longer there. The photo is a view of Stadium Bowl - the field for Stadium high school - which is sadly under construction. This is one of the most beautiful football stadiums in the country. It was fun to walk where my grandfather had walked.

Hike #26 - Madison Park

Important Stats:

Drive: 10 minutes

Water: 1 bottle - I am embracing hydration :)

Would I do it again?: Probably not, but it was a good one

After a good run of wilderness hikes, it was time to reduce my carbon footprint by staying in town. Today I went on a 6.5 mile walk from capital hill down to to Madison Park and back. The highlights for me were the residential parts. The houses were beautiful and awfully interesting. I stopped by a Starbucks for some water (hydration is good!) and ran into a former student who was hard at work - which was nice. I really like the Madison Park neighborhood there are a lot of fun shops and restaurants. I caught the view from the park (see picture).

Hike #25 - Mt. Si

Important Stats

Drive: 45 minutes

Water: My hydration continues...a bottle on top and one for the way home!

Would I do it again?: Yes, it's a classic. Also, I really want to get to the top on a clear day.

Rebecca and I decided to get an early start on this super popular Seattle hike. This is, perhaps, the most quintessential hike near Seattle. In fact, there were only 10 cars when we showed up and there were close to 100 when left. It was a cloudy morning and as we climbed, we climbed THROUGH the cloud and came out above the clouds. While there was no view of the world below us, what we did see was amazing. The picture above shows how the cool the clouds were.

Whoo-hoo I am half-way there!

Hike #24 - Annette Lake

Important Stats:

Drive: 50 minutes

Water: A bottle for the top and another for the drive home. I have turned over a new leaf of hydration.

Would I do it again?: Yeah, I loved the lake at the top. It would be super fun on a really hot day.

I couldn't find anyone to go on a hike with me today, so I decided to go alone. I picked a popular, busy hike that would be safe for me all by myself :) This was a 6 mile (round trip) adventure. I decided to go as fast as I could, without running. After being in Palm Springs it was nice to sweat for working hard, not just for being outside! At the top, the lake was beautiful. There were a lot of people around the lake, so it was hard to find a quiet place to get a good view. Sorry for the unflattering photo, but I didn't take very many good ones...

Hike #23 - Mt. San Jacinto - Desert View Trail

Important Stats:

Drive: 30 mintues from my parents, but it was a very long trek from Seattle

Water: yep, to help stave off dehydration upon our return to 114 degree Palm Desert

Would I do it again?: Probably the next time I back down here...maybe there will be a view :)

My dad, Elizabeth and I took the world's longest (and perhaps only) rotating tram up 8500 feet to the state park. The tram itself was awesome. You get off the tram at the lodge and then head out back to start the hike. Strangely, it starts with a quarter mile downhill climb on a cement sidewalk. At the end of that walk, we got on a real trail for the novice hiker hike. At the view points, we could tell there would be a good view if the winds (and sand) would have died down. Towards the end of the hike a cool breeze and some rain settled in. It was nice that I came all the way to the desert to get a hike with some cool breeze and rain... apparently Seattle's breeze and rain wasn't enough for me! It was a fun hike and nice to get to a hike in with my dad and Elizabeth.

Hike #22 - Cedar River Trail

Important Stats:

Drive: 35 minutes or so

Water: Nah...why would I start now?

Would I do it again?: I think so, but this time I would do the actual hike :)

Jeremy and I went out to Issaquah to check out this super flat hike along the Cedar River Trail. True to form, we didn't read about it first, we just headed out. The trail itself was a wide gravel rail-trail path. Very quickly we were surrounded by a calm forest with the sounds of the river in the background. I kept thinking that serene was the only word to describe this place. We kept following the trail, crossing over a super fun bridge (see picture of me and Jeremy above), we kept going until we got to a road and decided to turn around. Upon returning to the car and reading about this hike, we realized we were supposed to take a left at some point and follow a trail along the river...oops! :)

Hike #21 - Tiger Mountain (take 2)

Important stats:

Drive: 30 minutes

Water: It was too early for me...is that a good excuse?

Would I do it again?: Clearly, since this is already my 2nd time on this trail and 4th time on Tiger Mountain this summer!

Another Sunday and another trip up Tiger mountain. I got to go with Rebecca who was finally back in town and it was fun to talk to her. We did the regular trail, which is much longer than I remembered. The sun came out near the top to make for a really hot last .6 miles. I love this hike as it is not too hard, not too easy, but just the right level of difficulty for a Sunday morning.

Hike # 20 - Wallace Falls

Important Stats:

Drive: It should be 60 minutes, but Sultan was having a big summer festival...so more like 80 minutes

Water: Not for me, but only cause I am stupid about water

Would I do it again?: Yep, this is one of my favorites.

The cool thing about this summer is getting to hike with people I haven't seen in a really long time and today was one of those days. An old camp friend, Katapillar, invited to me on this hike with her family. We had a good time catching up and taking in the great views of Wallace Falls. I usually take my XC runners on this hike and run it. It was really nice to take my time today and realize how beautiful it is. The only tough part was that it was a nice day and all of Seattle had the same idea as us - so the trail was super crowded!

Hike #19 - Tiger Mountain - from the other side

Important Stats:

Drive: about 20 - 25 minutes

Water: It was nice to have one on such a hot day!

Would I do it again?: Absolutely!

Marla and I took Willa on her first all girls hike today. We did a different Tiger Mountain Trail and it was awesome! The hike itself was not super hard, but if you were Marla with an extra 25 - 30 pounds of Willa on your back it was definitely hard enough. It was a nice sunny day hike because most of it was in the shade. We made it to where the paragliders take off. We didn't see any today, but we did get a great view. In fact, one of the best views I have seen in Seattle. I would love add this hike to one of my fallback hikes, the trailhead is closer than the other Tiger Mountain I do all the time, it is a good difficulty level, and the large expansive view all make it a great near to Seattle hike.

Hike #18 - All over Seattle!

Important Stats:

Drive: 5 minutes from my house to our starting point

Water: A bottle or two was great as it was so hot out!

Would I do it again?: Probably not, but I would do the same idea in a different part of the city

Laura and I decided to do a long (6+ miles) Urban hike to our favorite parks and restaurants. We brought books along to get some reading in as well. While it was 6 miles which should take less than 3 hours, we took our time taking in sights and enjoying ourselves. It turned into a nearly 8 hour affair! We had some Fuel coffee, checked out the view from Volunteer Park, went through Seattle U to the International District for lunch at Ho Ho restaurant (excellent food!), we cooled off at the waterfall park in Pioneer Square - my favorite park in Seattle, strolled along the waterfront (see photo), hiked the pike place hill climb and made our way to Cal Anderson Park off of Broadway. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend Seattle's hottest day.

Hike #17 - The Freedom Trail

Important Stats:


Drive: 50 minutes from Concord

Water: Yes! Lots! It was 95 degrees and super humid.

Would I do it again?: Yep, on a much cooler day

For my final day in New England, Angela agreed to suffer through the heat with me for another Boston Urban Hike. We decided on the Freedom Trail (I mean, it has the word trail in it!) It is actually the coolest tourist attraction ever. I red brick line (see picture above) was literally built into the sidewalks for us to follow. It lead us past and into some of the most important places in US history. It was a great way to tour the city and learn stuff. The trail itself is 2.5 miles, but with some extra side trips, we clearly went over 3 miles. We got to end the hike with a fun water shuttle from Charlestown back to the waterfront area.

Hike #16 - Mt. Kearsage

Drive: 20 minutes from Angela's house

Water: honestly, this hike was about 1 mile...so no

Would I do it again: I hope so, but maybe the longer version next time.

The Crosby's (all 3 A's), Anne, Alex Johnson and I went out to another great breakfast (apparently a theme this weekend) and then drove 3.5 miles up a mountain to get the trailhead for the .5 mile hike to the top. Kinda silly, but it was perfect for us. It was a fun rocky hike, much different than hikes in the Cascades. At the top it was super windy (see the picture). Ang, Anne and I climbed to the top of fire tower and met some awesome park rangers who told us all about the New Hampshire program to get people to climb all the fire towers to earn a patch for our blazers!?! Anyway, overall it was a spectacular experience, perhaps not the toughest hike of the 50!

Hike #15 - Boston!

Drive: a 4.5 hour plane ride from Sea-Tac

Water: Per usual, none, but I had a great Cranberry and Seltzer drink after...

Would I do it again?: Nope, if I find myself back in Boston, I would explore a different neighborhood.

Ang and Anne are the best people ever and picked me up at the airport at 7:45am, took me to breakfast and then, willingly, took me on a 3 mile urban hike along the Charles River. It was a beautiful day and there were a bunch of sailboats out. We walked through all the pre set-up for big 4th of July celebrations this weekend. This was also an ideal people watching hike...and thanks to Ang and Anne it was hilarious people watching. After our jaunt along the river we walked down the center of Marlborough street which has several statues of apparently famous people from Boston/MA history. I learned a lot, but retained nothing. The picture above is of me and Anne on a bridge (not sure what one, but I like the view)