52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 32: Spencer Butte

[Hike #31 was homeschool day at Enchanted Forest with ALL the friends. We had so much fun last year that we couldn’t wait to go back this year. The park was full of gobs of people we knew, the weather was perfect, and the day was everything we could have hoped for. Yes, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a hike, but we were in the woods and we walked and walked, so I’m calling it.]

I was dragging my feet the morning of this hike, June 8th. Rain was in the forecast and I wanted to stay in bed, but my best friend convinced me that the two of us should zip down to Spencer Butte and hike anyway. I’m so glad she did! It ended up being a gorgeous morning.

I had been avoiding Spencer Butte because I knew it was a heavily trafficked trail (which I hate), but we were there fairly early and we took the difficult trail up to the summit. It was the most difficult trail we have hiked yet, ascending 700 feet in a rugged half mile.

I think only one group of young people passed us on the trail up.

The trailhead sign had a picture of rattlesnakes, and I was a little paranoid about meeting up with one.

We had a lovely view toward the top.

As remote as the trail up had seemed, the summit was over-populated. It seems many people take the 1 mile moderate trail as an out-and-back hike rather than hiking the loop. On the way down on this longer moderate (wide and well-maintained) trail, we dodged people left and right.

And then it happened. A rattlesnake crossed the path in front of us. First snake, and certainly the first rattlesnake, we’ve seen on our hikes.

I’m glad we hiked this trail so we can check it off the list. I’m glad I spent a beautiful morning with my best friend. But I’d rather not hike this one again.

52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 30: Blue Pool

June 4th was our second time hiking this trail but our first visit this year. The four kids and I were joined by Holly, Ivy, Char, McKinnon, Monet, Christina, Jake, Landon, Johnnie, Colby, and Hope. This time we hiked further (7 miles total). The weather was perfection, and Lola only cried for about 15 minutes of this hike instead of the miles and miles of wailing last time.

The Blue Pool hike along the McKenzie River is near Sahalie and Koosah Falls, where we visited about two weeks prior. Unlike our visit last year, the waterfall was gushing into the pool, so we missed the glassy vivid blue water.

52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 29: Point Defiance, Washington

[Apparently I didn’t take pictures with my big camera for hikes 27 (a misty and magical return to Horse Rock Ridge with Holly) and 28 (a cool and overcast 4.5 miles on Mulkey Creek Trail with Char and kids).]

On June 1st, I drove up to Puget Sound, Washington, to visit my friend Nicole. We spent hours hiking a leisurely 7 miles at Point Defiance. I took few pictures because we spent most of the time talking and enjoying each other’s company (I have a couple more in Instagram). We spent that evening with our friends Carrie and Jill and then spent the following day as part of their support team for the Rainier to Ruston relay race. Nicole and I may be very brave and attempt to run it with them next year.

52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 26: Sahalie and Koosah Falls

On May 18th, I took a leisurely loop at Sahalie and Koosah Falls along the McKenzie River with Luke, Leif, Lola, Holly, Ivy, Drake, Jess, Char, McKinnon, and Monet. The weather was gorgeous (68 degrees and sunny), and the water was raging.

This was our second visit to Sahalie and Koosah, but our first trip this summer.

Since we were already in the vicinity, the kids and I made a quick stop at Belknap Springs to visit the Secret Garden. It was also our second visit to the garden. [More pictures here.]

52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 25: Horse Rock Ridge

[Hike #23 was an afternoon in Salem at the Minto-Brown Island Park trails and the waterfront. I didn’t have my camera with me. It was warm and the kids were whiny, so we didn’t walk as much of the trails as I would have liked.]

We’ve been hiking and hiking for the past month and a half, along with other activities. It’s about time for me to catch up on all the pictures.

We (my kids, Char, and her kids) hiked a new trail on May 16th, and it has become one of my favorites. Horse Rock Ridge is about 3.5 miles (out and back) with a significant elevation gain (over 1,000 feet). The trail is quite steep in places. It begins in a forested area and then opens up for a fantastic view of the valley. The rock formations are great for climbing. The trailhead is difficult to find, but I love the isolation of this trail. I’ve been back twice since, and it’s rare to see anyone else hiking here.

This particular day was cool and cloudy (moody and lovely), but we were still able to see most of the view. We could almost imagine we were in Ireland with so much green. The wildflowers were just beginning to bloom.

Can you see the itty bitty kids up on the rock below?

Family Vacation ~ Part 3 (Yosemite) [52 Hike Challenge ~ Hike 24]

I had never been to Yosemite, and I’ve wanted to visit for years.

Our family vacation was a little off-the-cuff. We made hotel reservations for Anaheim at the last minute, and had no definitive plans for the second week. I knew I wanted to visit Yosemite, but I couldn’t find reasonable lodging for our family of 6.

On Friday, Russ decided to extend our Disney park-hopper tickets one more day (five days total). So we checked out of our hotel on Saturday morning, spent the whole afternoon and evening in the park, and left Anaheim around 9 pm. We drove overnight to Yosemite, stopping to sleep a couple hours along the way.

We drove into Yosemite around 7 am on Sunday (Mother’s Day). My sister Holly had been there two weeks prior and had sent me detailed instructions on where to go and what to see and do. I followed them to the letter, and we managed to see much by 4 pm that afternoon, by which time we were DONE. We spent two hours driving out of the park (gorgeous!!), grabbed some food in Modesto, and splurged on two cheap hotel rooms for the night (ah, the joys of having a family of 6). I went straight to bed and stayed there until shortly before checkout the next morning.

 

We started our Yosemite morning by driving to Glacier Point (above). Exquisite.

Then we drove into the valley (top photo, with a nod to Ansel Adams).

We took a short hike to Bridalveil Falls.

From Bridalveil, Russ sent me on a solitary hike. He drove the kids and we met up on the road near El Capitan.

We barely managed to find a parking spot and took the shuttle to the Lower Yosemite Falls where we hiked the 1 mile loop.

Then we rode the shuttle to the strenuous Mist Trail near Vernal Falls. We only hiked to the footbridge, but that was a mile of straight up—seriously the steepest incline that I’ve hiked. And then a mile back down.

By then we were DONE (since it was our 7th day of walking a TON and we hadn’t had much sleep the night before), so we rode the shuttle back to our truck and left. But we enjoyed many gorgeous views on the way out.

I’m looking forward to returning and spending more time hiking and exploring.