Week 4 of Hike-a-thon 2014

Can I say it again, Wow, this has been such a fabulous summer, Ryan and I did a wonderful backpacking trip on the Olympic Peninsula. We hiked out to the Tubal Cain Mine on the Tubal Cain Trail. This is an easy 3 miles out on a relatively flat hike. The hardest part was a little detour we did to see the wreck of a B17 aircraft. Up the Tull Canyon trail....straight up for only .7 of a mile, but it was straight up!!

Ready for adventure

This is the Silver Creek shelter, just a few feet from the Trailhead

The first creek crossing, high and dry

This bridge doesn't look that great, luckily there was a new one just a few feet away

Creek crossing on old mine equipment

The mossy creeks were just lovely

Mine shaft near the Tull Canyon trail

From inside the mineshaft, looking out

I brought fixings for chicken tacos!

Ryan gives the tacos two thumbs up

Hurrah, blueberries for dessert

The deer feeding on the blueberries around our campsite

It doesn't look that bad in the photo, but that is straight up

Debris from the wrecked B17 covers this canyon area and is sometimes hidden by the overgrowth

It doesn't look 60 years old

this section was at a campsite

part of an engine

folks have used parts of the Airplane wreck for their campsites

. We'd like to thank Steve B. for his donation this past week! I hiked 8 miles and Ryan did about 18 miles. He made a loop by hiking up to Marmot Pass and back down to the Upper Dungeness Trailhead. I hiked out the way we came in (much flatter) and drove over to pick him up! Follow this link   and help me help Washington State Trails. I have promised a bottle of wine to the person who donates the most money this August!! If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcard 2014: My favorite!! How did you know?!

Some folks know what I like!! These postcards were sent to me by some of my letterboxing friends and depict some of my favorite things, Winnie the Pooh and Buckeye candies!!!

And one of my other favorite things is hiking in Washington State!! I've been having a great time this August hiking trails and raising money to help support Washington Trails. I hope you can help me out by donating a dollar or two to the cause!  We are still $300 away from our goal. Which sounds like alot, but I have 300 facebook friends. If everyone just gave me one dollar, I would have that $300!! So anything you can donate is worth it ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. There is still time. If you are mailing me a check or some cash, I have to have it by the first week of September. And if you follow the link, it gets here immediately! If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Week 3 of Hike-a-thon 2014

I love the blues and golds in this view of the surf against the rocks

Wow! Ryan and I started out the week hiking 3.5 miles in Montana de Oro State Park near Morro Bay, CA. We saw whales feeding on anchovies off shore! It was a great day to be hiking along the coast.

I could watch the surf for hours

I came home and hiked 2 miles on the Longfellow Creek Trail here in West Seattle

And this weekend we are going on a backpacking trip on the Olympic Peninsula, so we will have lots of miles and adventures to tell you about in our next blog!  Follow this link   Just like Steve, William and Hal this past week!! and help me help Washington State Trails. I have promised a bottle of wine to the person who donates the most money this August!! And we are only $300 away from meeting our goal of $1,000 raised for the WTA. (We gotta replace that shovel that Ryan broke on his trail repair trip!!)  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcard 2014: Decorating with postcards

If you have been following my posts for a while, you know that I decorate by framing postcards and hanging them on my wall, but you might not know that the cards that I receive from friends and family also become part of my decorations!! I have some photo stands and I rotate cards through them when I get them! So if you have sent me a postcard, it has most likely stood here on my bookshelf or mantel for a little while

I'm sending out thank you postcards to all the folks who have donated to the Washington Trails Association Hike-a-thon. And you can get a card too!! It's not too late...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. And don't think I have forgotten, but I have promised a bottle of wine to the person who donates the most money this August!! Don't make me give it to my sister!! If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Week 2 of Hike-a-thon 2014

Wow, started off this week with a one mile jaunt down in Olympia, WA at the Friends of Capitol Forest Trail

opp's where is the trail?

Then Ryan and I got together for a 2nd Sunday Camino Walk with some Camino de Santiago fans at Discovery Park. We did 3 miles on the Loop Trail around the Park.

Great Views out on the Bluff!

On August 14th, Ryan and I hiked one mile on the SLO Railroad Safety Trail in San Luis Obispo, CA. We had been in Downtown San Luis Obispo for their Thursday Farmers Market and walked back to his mother's house along this trail.

Another Urban Trail

Jennifer Street Bridge at the Amtrak Station

The trees look so neat under the street lights

Thanks to Krista, Angele and Herb for donating this week, and bringing us up over the $500 mark! Hurrah We've got two more weeks til the end of the month!! So keep those donations coming :-) Just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. I have promised a bottle of wine to the person who donates the most money this August!! If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcards 2014: The Pacific Northwest

Even though I live here in the Pacific Northwest, I still love to get postcards from friends who visit the area! 

I am getting to see lots of great Pacific Northwest trails during hike-a-thon and it is the Washington Trails Association that helps to make all of this possible! ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails.  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116  Thanks so much to Gretchen and Pat for putting us over $400 raised so far!

First week of Hike-a-thon 2014

Ryan and I have been doing a lot of hiking together so far for Hike-a-thon 2014. We did 3 miles on the Soos Creek Trail in Renton, WA on August 2nd. Then we did 4 miles at Cougar Mountain on multiple trails there. Ryan could not resist clearing some trail that was blocked by limbs blown down in our recent thunderstorms last weekend

Shangri La Trail closed, but only at the very end of the trail

Big Leaf Maple limbs

Luckily, they were easy to clear

Looks a little better now

 On August 7, we did 2 1/2 miles on the Alki Beach Trail. One of the most gorgeous urban trails ever! Of course, we are biased cause we live here.

Alki Beach Trail

Wow, crowded on a Thursday

Divers in the water off of Alki

On August 8, I did 2 1/2 miles by myself on the Interurban Trail in Tukwila, WA. One of the more depressing trails I have hiked on ever. And I hike on a lot of urban trails! But it is a needed trail. It provides a safe place for bicyclists and walkers to travel across Tukwila.

Interurban in Tukwila, one of the saddest trails I have ever hiked

a prettier section of interurban

So far I have 12 miles hiked this first week and only $413 dollars raised but we are just getting started and we have many more miles to go this month...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails.  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcard 2014: Postcards from Dad

Today was my Dad's birthday!  I got an awful lot of postcards from my Dad over the years and here are two more!

From Sydney Australia in 1993 and from Cabbage Key, FL in 1985

Don't forget, I have to have all my hike-a-thon pledges in by the first week of September, so don't delay and get those cards and letters (all with a dollar or two stashed inside) in the mail to me now! Or you could ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. I'll be busy hiking, but I will be sure to send you a postcard as a thank you! Thanks so much to Linda and Robin for your donations this week. And be sure to email me your address if you want a postcard :-)
  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

July Reading

For Throwback Thursday, here is a photo of me in my room from Summer 1980. You can see my Nancy Drew books displayed on the shelves behind me


The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh (library) enjoyed....reminded me of Winter's Bone a bit. Dreary and depressing.
Field of Prey by John Sandford (library) so easy to read and always entertaining.
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain essays on food and the business of food If you are a fan of Bourdain and his TV shows you'll enjoy it
The Burglar who counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block (library) fun from Laurence Block the interesting thing about this one is that it is SELF PUBLISHED !! and this from an established and popular author. Very interesting!   Here is an article that sheds more light The Burglar Who Counted The Spoons
Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway by Wendelin Van Draanen (audiobook) I had to find books that Ryan would want to listen to on our road trip to Montana :-) we both love Sammy Keyes
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halperin (audiobook) listened to on our roadtrip to Montana, very funny

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack (audiobook) On the way back from Montana, we enjoyed this ....well, I enjoyed it.
Written in my Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon (library)  the latest in the Outlander series.  814 pages :-)
Killing Floor by Lee Child (audiobook) listened to on the way to drop Ryan off at the trailhead for his BCRT trip for the WTA (Washington Trails Association...see below)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie had to read again after hearing her biography
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's favorite planet by  Neil DeGrassse Tyson (library) Ryan read it and recommended it to me. Very enjoyable and interesting
The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black (library) a Philip Marlowe mystery. Fans of Raymond Chandler NEED to read this one. Very good
Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Ellen Jane Macleod Children's mystery with a Christian bent
Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Carolyn Keene I am comparing and contrasting with the previous book for a possible article to write for the Nancy Drew fanzine
Death Trap by John D MacDonald a nice thriller, I enjoy reading these when I have time to read at work on the redeye flights. 
Elegy for April by Benjamin Black (library) I enjoyed Black-Eyed Blonde so much, I decided to read more by this author. 

16 books read this month...you can tell the months when I have a social life....I don't get as much reading done ! LOL

Starting tomorrow, I'll be doing lots of hiking to help support Washington Trails during the whole month of August.  I am kinda bummed cause in 2007 I already had raised $750 by August 1st, 2009 I had $700 already pledged and even last year, 2013 we already had $750 raised and this year I only have $250 raised....you guys have me worried!!  I hope you can help me out by donating a dollar or two to the cause!  I now things are tight, so if in years past you donated $50, perhaps this year you could do $10. If last year you donated $10, this year $5 will do the trick ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails.  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116  and for those folks curious about what a BCRT trip is....here is a link to a trip Ryan did in 2012.

Monday's Postcard 2014: Exotic Holidays

I am not the only one who is a world traveler! As is evidenced by all the postcards I get from far away places!!

I'll be doing lots of hiking this August to help support Washington Trails. If everyone who reads my postcard posts just sends a dollar, well, I would have a lot of dollars for the WTA!! LOL ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. I look forward to at least one dollar from all of you!  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116.   Checks should be made out to the Washington Trails Association. And thanks to Mark, Tom and Stephanie who have just added a few dollars to bring our total up to $260 raised so far!!

Hike-a-thon 2014 is going to be the BEST YET!

Wow so excited!! About our plans for the Washington Trails Association Hike-a-thon this year. Ryan will be home and we are going to do some hikes together. I am planning a Wine Trail theme this year with lots of hikes near wineries and in the Wine Country of Washington State!!

Here are a bunch of photos from previous years hiking.

Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula. The Peninsula is always one of my favorite hiking destinations.

Cougar Mountain is always a great place to go hiking here in the Seattle area! I think I have done hikes there just about every year since I first participated in the 2005 hike-a-thon!

Thanks so much to Heidi, Janet, Slade, Susan and Don, and Diane and John for being the first folks to donate money to the cause this year! Diane and John have even been along with me as I got mileage for the hikeathon in 2010.

My first night backpacking was on the Baker River Trail after an aborted attempt to go to Artist Point that year, but this year might be the year we make it to Artist Point!!

$25-$99 Can provide treats for a team of volunteers
$100-$249 Can Outfit a crew in hardhats
$250-$499 WTA can purchase 5 or more new trail tools
$500-$749 WTA can lead 1 annual maintenance trip on a popular trail
$750-$999 WTA can lead two rehabilitation work parties
$1,000+ WTA can restore 1 mile (or more) of backcountry trail

Ryan and I will be having more adventures this August in Washington and wherever else the trail takes us!

I'll be doing lots of hiking this August to help support Washington Trails. I hope you can help me out by donating a dollar or two to the cause! We've already raised $225 on the way to our goal of $1,000 this year...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. Go ahead and pledge now and you won't have to remember about it come August....just sit back and let my Thank You postcard come to you! :-)   If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send
me a check (made out to WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcards 2014: More Artwork

These cards are from touristy destinations, but are more artistic than just a plain photo

I'll be doing lots of hiking this August to help support Washington Trails. I hope you can help me out by donating a dollar or two to the cause!   ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails. Go ahead and pledge now and you won't have to remember about it come August....just sit back and let my Thank You postcard come to you! :-)   If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check (made out to Washington Trails Association -WTA) or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Monday's Postcard 2014: Postcards from Ryan

Today is Ryan's birthday and here are a couple more postcards that he has sent me over the years!!

Ryan does the long distance, but I'll be doing lots of hiking this August too to help support Washington Trails. I hope you can help me out by donating a dollar or two to the cause!   ...just follow this link and help me help Washington State Trails.  If you don't like sending money over the internet, you can always send me a check or cash to Amanda Arkebauer  PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116