10,000 Steps

Maybe you have heard of the recent fad of walking 10,000 steps per day. How far is 10,000 steps anyway? 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles. The 10,000 steps thing is about walking more in your daily life: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking in the far corner of the parking lot and walking to the supermarket. Stuff like that.

I would like to hike at least 5 miles each time I go hiking for the WTA hike-a-thon this month. At that rate, I would be able to knock out my goal of 50 miles in only 10 days. But real life intrudes and with work and other obligations, some days I cannot fit in more than a mile or two in a park in town. Today is one of those days. I am canning my Granny's vegetable soup recipe and I will be lucky to sneak in a couple of miles this afternoon.

But on Wednesday, I visited St. Edwards State Park with a goal of hiking 10,000 steps or 5 miles. I hit just about every trail in the park to make that happen. I took the North Trail to the Beach Trail and climbed back up the hill along the South Ridge Trail. Then I took the Perimeter Trail back around to the Seminary Trail and I went back down to Lake Washington. Someone had left a rope swing tied up down at the lake. It looks like it could be fun on a hot day. Then I took the Grotto Trail back up the hill. I took the South Canyon Trail down again and came back up to do the Orchard Loop. I hit the Volunteer Trail and the Juanita Trail at the other end of the park to complete my 10,000 steps!

I had been to St. Edwards State Park when I hiked for WTA in 2006.

http://samanark.blogspot.com/2006/08/hike-thon-begins.html

From the 1920s until 1977, the land on which Saint Edward State Park sits was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. In 1977, the diocese sold 316 acres, including the Saint Edward Seminary to the state of Washington for use as a state park.

While researching the history of the park for this blog I found out that the McMenamins had proposed to develop the main seminary building into a hotel, restaurant, and conference center. But their proposal was withdrawn in 2007. A McMenamins Hotel and restaurant in the Seattle area would have been pretty exciting. We have a couple of pubs here in Seattle, but the hotels are really cool. I am a huge fan of the McMenamins Edgefield and I have stayed there often when I visit Portland!

http://www.mcmenamins.com/

My sister and I will visit a McMenamins or two on our trip to Oregon later this month.

So far I have hiked 11 miles and raised $683 dollars for the WTA. Thanks so much to everyone who has already gotten your pledges in to me. I need to get everyone's money in by September 3rd. You don't have to mail me a check, just go online to My WTA Pledge Page and you can use your credit card to donate as much as you want. $5 or $50 it all makes a difference!

Carkeek Sculpture Trail

I met a friend on Monday at Carkeek Park in Seattle, where they have 6 miles of trails. I hiked around just about every one of those trails to add up to 5 miles! It is like a maze of up and down criss-crossing trails. North Bluff, South Bluff, North Meadow Hillclimb, Grand Fir, Wetland, Brick Road, South Ridge, Hillside, Big Rock, Salmon to Sound and Piper's Creek Trail!
Whew. Lots of steps! But I don't mind them soo much when I can take them downhill.


Carkeek Park is infamous in Seattle for a recent rail disaster that happened there....a pedestrian was killed on the train tracks this past June.



http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009365008_webtrain20m.html

So take the Pedestrian overpass to the beach and stay off the train tracks!



We discovered that there is a sculpture exhibit going on at Carkeek Park now through August 10th. I took some photos of some of the sculptures that were on display throughout the park. If you are interested, get out there this weekend before they are gone, next Monday is the last day of the exhibit.


Sculpture Trail at Carkeek Park



Also my friend, Yvette, is a burlesque dancer/actress and her troupe is performing this month here in Seattle! August 14th and 15th at the Neighbors Underground Nightclub on Broadway, so here is a plug for that event!

Tempest Burlesque presents: Disco Gods




Thanks to everyone who has already gotten your money to me. So far I have $635 towards my goal of $1,000!



I will need to collect all money from my pledges by September 3, 2009. If you do not want to make a pledge by credit card to the website, checks can be made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) and mailed to me and cash is always welcome.


My WTA Pledge Page

First of August, First State Park

It’s the first of August and I visited the first state park in Washington! Larrabee State Park was created in 1915. Charles X. Larrabee was a local businessman and philanthropist. His family donated the land after his death and the park was named after him.

Larrabee State Park

Today the park covers over 2,000 acres between the Samish Bay and Chuckanut Mountain near Bellingham, WA.
I drove up from Seattle along Chuckanut Drive.
Chuckanut Drive
Chuckanut Drive PDF Brochure
Chuckanut is a very scenic winding road and one of my all time favorite drives in Washington. There are many oyster beds in the bay along Chuckanut Drive, and therefore many oyster bars and fish markets! "The oyster you eat today slept last night in Samish Bay!"

Weather in the Seattle area had been up to 100 degrees last week. Luckily I missed all that to enjoy 100 degree weather in Madrid, Spain. So it is good to come back home to more manageable 80 degree weather this weekend. I don’t usually like to visit our parks on the weekends, but I didn’t have much choice this year since August 1st fell on a Saturday. I prefer to avoid the crowds and hike during the week. I got up bright and early to drive up to Larrabee to hike on Saturday. I hit the trail around 7am, this was great because I missed most of the crowds on the trails and I missed the heat of the day. An early start let me take advantage of the cool early morning temperatures.

I hiked 6 miles on Fragrance Lake Trail, Clayton Beach Trail and the Lost LakeTrail. And many thanks to Hufflepuff Lost, Explorers Club and Print and Pie for hiding the terrific letterboxes I was able to find along the way!

My WTA Pledge Page

I will need to collect all money from my pledges by September 3, 2009. If you do not want to make a pledge by credit card to the website, checks can be made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) and mailed to me and cash is always welcome.

Plans for Hike-a-thon 2009

Here is one of the main reasons that I am hiking for the Washington Trails Hike-a-Thon. I go out on a gorgeous weekend to hike some of my favorite trails and I see signs like these: Bridge Out, Trail Closed! It's very disappointing. The WTA's volunteers go out just about every day to do maintenance on our trails in Washington State.

Washington Trails Association Work Parties

And I don't always have the time to go out for a day to help clean up what mother nature has thrown at us...so during August, I like to combine my recreational hiking with fundraising for Washington Trails.

It is glorious summer in the Pacific Northwest and I would be enjoying the outdoors anyway, so it is a great opportunity to make a difference for our local trails.

My plans for 2009 include driving down to Portland with my sister for some hiking in Oregon and along the Oregon coast. Lots of hikes in the Seattle area, with some of my USAirways friends coming along to keep me company! And some letterboxing excursions also around the Puget Sound area.

Issaquah, WA area letterboxes

Port Orchard, WA area letterboxes

Here are a few photos from previous years hiking....Could that be Bella's Truck rusting away on the Olympic Peninsula??

Thanks so much to the folks who have already donated! I have $490 dollars already towards my goal of $1,000!! If you haven't donated yet, you can send a check or cash to me or donate directly to the WTA website with your credit card.

Hike-a-thon '09 Amanda's Fundraising Page

I'll need all pledges by September 3, 2009. For the flight attendants (and pilots) who will be working to Seattle in August, I will be hiking on the layovers on August 5th, 7th, 15th, 17th and 22nd. So if you would like to come along, just drop me an email and I would be happy to pick you up at the Roosevelt and take you out to view some of the natural beauty around Seattle!

Washington Trails Hike-a-thon 2009!

It's that time of year again. I am getting ready for the WTA Hike-a-thon. Studying trail maps and reading trip reports to pick some great trails to hike on in August and spreading the word to everyone I know to help raise money for Washington State Trails.

First of all, thanks to everyone who supported me in 2008 for the Washington Trails Association hike-a-thon. We raised over $1600! Ryan and I did some trail work this year at Mt. Rainier for Earth Day

http://samanark.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

and we saw first hand the amazing things that WTA accomplishes by rebuilding and repairing the trails every season. As usual, I will be hiking during the entire month of August, I hope to get in at least 50 miles. You can pledge a flat donation, such as $50 or an amount per mile, such as $1 per mile. Any contributions over $35 will be eligible for Washington Trails Association Membership. (With membership you receive a Washington Trails Magazine) and all donations are tax deductible. Every little bit helps! Last year I had pledges as low as 10 cents per mile or a flat $3. It all adds up. Just to let you know what your dollars can accomplish, WTA sent me a breakdown of how they use the money.

$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

I will be updating my blog with all my hiking adventures and the WTA has a webpage for me to track my pledges:

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=800&PID=84263

You can donate directly through that page with your credit card. Or if you do not want to make a pledge by credit card to the website, checks can be made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) and mailed to me. Of course, cash is always welcome.

Thanks so much!

Lassen is Not Lesser

There are the Well Known National Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite....The Grand Canyon and the Great Smokies...but Ryan and I like to travel off the beaten path to some of the more remote and less visited National Parks. They are often referred to as the Lesser known National Parks. They don't get the crowds that the more popular parks do and they still have amazing natural wonders and fascinating history. Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of these parks.

http://www.nps.gov/lavo/

Tucked way up north in the upper reaches of California, it is a mini-Yellowstone with all kinds of interesting volcanic features. The park contains all four types of volcanoes: shield, cinder cone, lava dome and composite. Hydrothermal features in Lassen include roaring fumaroles (steam and volcanic-gas vents), thumping mud pots, boiling pools, and steaming ground. Native Americans, emigrants and pioneers all give Lassen a unique history. There are amazing photos and research from the volcanic eruption in 1915. The visitor's center has been newly remodeled and has wonderful exhibits detailing all aspects of the park. All in all, it is a hidden gem of a park.

Ryan and I decided to hike to Bumpass Hell. It is a popular area of the park that has the largest fumarole in the park. This fumarole (called Big Boiler) has high-velocity steam coming out of it that has been measured as high as 322°F, making it one of the hottest fumaroles in the world. The trail is supposed to be quite easy, even though you are hiking at an altitude of about 8,000 ft. There is not too much change in elevation from the trailhead at Lake Helen. The active area can be seen (and smelt!) from far away. It is filled with various steaming pools and unusual multi-colored soils, stained orange, brown, yellow and green by sulphur and other minerals. The sulphur/rotten egg smell fills the air. I was going to hike out to Bumpass Hell from Lake Helen. Ryan was going to take a longer route up from the Visitor's Center.

I left Ryan to start his hike and I drove around to the trailhead at Lake Helen. That is when I noticed the Trail Hazardous signs and the warnings that the trail was supposed to be closed because of the heavy snow. I had no idea if Ryan would be seeing signs like these at the lower elevations....he was hiking up from about 6,500 ft. I was a little leery to start the 3 mile hike, but the trail from the parking lot was well trod and pretty busy. Families with small children and grandparents were coming back from the trek, so I figured that it couldn't be too bad! Ryan would have another story to tell from his end of the hike.

He did eventually meet with me in the trailhead parking lot....but our estimates of how long the hike would take were off completely! The heavy snows made for slow going. We each had hiking poles which were a great help and my only regret is that I did not have my YakTrax with me for better traction.

On the way back to the parking lot, I encountered a Marmot along the trail.

They're changing the guard at Buckingham Palace...

Buckingham Palace by A. A. Milne

(from When We Were Very Young)

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. Alice is marrying one of the guard. "A soldier's life is terribly hard," Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. We saw a guard in a sentry-box. "One of the sergeants looks after their socks," Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. We looked for the King but he never came. "Well, God take care of him, all the same," Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. They've great big parties inside the grounds. "I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds," Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's. "He's much too busy a-signing things," Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. "Do you think the King knows all about me?" "Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea," Says Alice

I had a lovely day in London. The weather was wonderful as you can see from the photos. I had perfect timing to catch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It was very crowded. I was lucky to get a spot by the fence. The crowd was at least 3 rows deep and once you were in the front, you didn't want to leave because you might not get back up there again. The queen was not in residence. The Union Jack was flying over the Palace. If the queen is at home, they fly a different flag, called the Royal Standard. It is much like standing around and watching a parade go by. The guards march up and down and to and fro, it gets old after a while. I took the videos by holding my hands up through the bars of the fence. The last video of the guards leaving reminded me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when they sneak into the castle.

Earth Day

Ryan and I signed up to do trail work with the WTA (Washington Trail Association) for Earth Day this year. This was my first time ever doing anything like this!! I don't even do yard work, don't have a yard. :-) Gardening....nope. So wielding a shovel and/or an adz would be a new experience for me. I do the hike-a-thon for the WTA every August to raise money to help out the trails in Washington State, but I have never actually gotten my hands dirty doing the work. So Earth Day seemed like the perfect time to get outside and give back!


My Hike-A-Thon Page

We signed up to do work on the Skookum Flats Trail near Greenwater, WA. This trail is used by mountain bikers and hikers.


Skookum Flats Trail

We drove up early in the morning in order to be at the trailhead by 8:30 am. On the way through Greenwater, WA we saw an Elk by the side of the road. This is common in places like Yellowstone, but I am not used to seeing Elk wandering around in Washington!

My first job on the Skookum Flats Trail was to clear it of storm debris and reduce the grade in a section very near the trailhead.


Then I went to another area to clear a place where a tree had fallen. The day before, guys with chainsaws had come through and broken up the tree into pieces, but we still had to reroute the trail around a huge rootball.



I dug out beautybark...sawed off part of a root and worked on tread... I have many before and after photos here...We had a great day doing trail work and we will definitely be back out here again in the future!



On the way home away from Greenwater I took this photo of a lovely Trillium.