I did my usual Section Line conditioning hike today – forecast was for a dry morning and so it was. Nice to get out.
Sunrise is so late these days I had to put on the headlamp for the first 20 minutes or so.
But it beats not hiking, that’s for sure.
The plan today was to hike up to Mason Lake but immediately off the freeway the service road was closed. We did a quick re-calc and since Annette Lake was only one exit farther east, and a trail head fairly close to the freeway (rather than the 3 miles to Ira Spring, the trail that goes to Mason Lake) we did a quick u-turn and easily made it to the Annette Lake trail head.
This is a wonderful hike, even better in the snow:
Awesome views of Humpback Mountain to the west:
Annette Lake is surrounded by mountains. The name of the most prominent escaped us in the moment but a quick check of the CalTopo map says it is Abiel Peak:
All in all a great hike with David and Mark. What an excellent way to start a Saturday! And on the way home I picked up the grandkids who are filling the house with energy even as I type.
I hate this new Word Press version – anyone else instantly loathe and despise this new version?
Anyway, I hiked to Dirty Harry’s Balcony today with Ken and Wendy and Mark. The Harry of ‘Dirty Harry’ was a long-ago trucker who drove a logging truck up very steep roads hauling logs up and down local peaks.
The hike all the way up to Dirty Harry’s Peak is supposed to be a tough one and I look forward to doing it next year when the snow is gone. But already this year the snow on the peaks above about 3,000 feet (currently) is pretty deep and on hikes that are not all that busy, it might be tough to find the trail.
No snow today except a brief little flurry near the Balcony.
Back down, near the trail head I looked up and south to see McClellan Butte:
This hike is only a bit more than 4 miles and about 1,200 feet of elevation gain, so fairly mild, but the trail, which has been upgraded by WTA volunteers (thanks!) in recent years is very nice and it was a fun day.
My plan today was to have lunch with two Boeing friends down in Renton so I hiked on Squak Mountain because the trip from the May Valley Road parking lot to Renton is pretty easy.
It was a beautiful sunny day, a bit chilly but very nice. I saw a few people, including a trail runner with a friendly dog but mostly had the trail to myself. I went up through the forest (May Valley Loop Trail), past the fireplace and up to the Central Peak. I took the South Access Road down.
Totally uneventful but a decent workout. I am thinking of doing Poo Poo Point via the long route on Thursday, as the weather is supposed to once again be nice.
The summit of Central Peak is not the most scenic:
I usually don’t bring the camera for this conditioning hike but it was still in my backpack today after yesterday’s outing with Derek and the kids. Just having the camera made me a bit more observant about the forest and the trail.
For example, the little view at a particular switchback. And the interesting hill just west of the Adventure Trail, near where it intersects the High School Trail:
Or the tiny waterfall along the Section Line:
I am trying very hard to average 3 hikes a week because I absolutely have to get into really good shape for the trip to Ireland next September.
Derek and I are both pumped about it.
Did a little Tiger Mountain hike today with Derek, Camden, and Finley. Fun!
The first trail we hit was the Swamp Trail. When you hike the Swamp Trail you can read a story about a little critter named Zoey who is dared to go into the swamp, home of an alleged Swamp Monster. You can see Finley standing next to one of the ‘chapters’ in the story.
Had a great time, at each story board Finley read the text for Camden’s benefit. It was about a 4.5 mile loop, fairly level, but the woods are really nice there and it is always great to get out on the trail with this crew.
Tomorrow I will do a solo hike, probably a conditioning hike on the Section Line.
No camera today, this is a pretty standard conditioning hike for me. Just wanted to note it for yearly count.
Happy Thanksgiving, while this isn’t the most amazing hike in the world it was great to start the day with a nice workout. There were plenty of hikers and bikers (mountain bikes) around, everyone happy to be getting outside on Turkey Day.
I had a lunch date with a Boeing buddy today, down in Renton, so I hiked Squak from the May Valley Road side. That allowed quick access to Renton afterwards driving south on 900.
I went up the main trail from the parking lot up past the Bullitt Fireplace:
Up to Central Peak. I went down the South Access Road. Nice workout, nothing special.
I may screw up the energy to do Mt. Washington on Saturday. It is supposedly snow-free so far and I would like to do something tougher than what I have been doing lately.
And Turkey Day is coming….
Great way to start the day, the 8 mile roundtrip up Rattlesnake Mountain from Sno Point trail head to Grand Prospect.
On the way up I was passed by a couple of trail runners but otherwise had the place to myself. On the way down I passed quite a few people going up but there were no crowding issues at all.
When I was done I drove to the grandkids’ house and picked them up – they are sleeping with Granny even as I type. And we have a fun day planned.
I took the camera today but didn’t use it, this was an un-photogenic hike. Ken and I met at the E Sunset Way parking lot and did a straightforward Section Line to Nook Trail junction (and back) workout. As Ken said, it beat being in the gym.