Lorelei
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Posts by Lorelei
Lava River Cave
June 2011
We took a day off of climb at Smith Rock State Park to explore some caves. One such cave was Lava River Cave. Unlike other popular caves such as Ape Caves in WA, this cave was monitored by National Park Rangers. This cave is located inside of Newberry National Volcanic Monument and is one of the longest known caves in Oregon. In June Bend’s temperature was around 95 degrees. Entering a cave of 42 degrees felt so good.
The kids enjoyed this cave due to its temperatures and the lavacicles. At the end of the cave, at least what the Rangers called the end for visitors, the ground was filled with sand and the dripping water had formed sand castles. The kids were amazed.
Evan’s Creek Preserve
With new snow falling in the mountains, we chose to explore the new Evans Creek Preserve in Sammamish. This was a quiet city park hike. It was flat and had just enough change in scenery to keep it interesting for the kids.
Glacier Vista – Mt. Rainier Winter Hike
Dear Kinder Teacher,
Please excuse Joey’s absence yesterday, Feb. 7. He was unable to make it to school because the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was above 50 degrees. In place of classroom time, we worked on map reading and addition as we added elevation and mile distances. We also measured angle of slopes and talked about avalanche danger.
Thank you for understanding,
According to the forecast, Feb 7 would be the last day of sunshine for a while and it happened to fall on a Tuesday. The kids eagerly packed up their backpacks and threw on their snow gear. We left Federal Way at 9:30 and arrived at paradise at 12:00. There were only ten cars in the parking lot. The place just seemed so bare. We intended to snowshoe, but I figured staying on the main trail would make snowshoeing unnecessary. Paradise was getting about 15 mph winds.
We slowly made our way over to the start of the Paradise snowfield. The parking lot was a solid sheet of ice. Elissa made sure to skate across it. We headed up on what is normally called the Glacier Vista Trail. Over the next hour and a half we followed the well stomped down trail toward Panorama Point. At times this was slow going. The kids were learning how to effectively kick steps and traverse over (what seemed to them) steeper drop offs. As we left the trees, we were feeling the wind pretty strong. In an hour and a half, we made it up to Glacier Vista. The views just as amazing in the winter time.
We ate lunch and huddled together to keep warm. After about fifteen minutes and some debate on whether we should hike up to the summit of Rainier, I convinced them that we should head back down to the car to get some hot chocolate. The return was just as exciting as the ascent. Both Joey and Elissa were more comfortable on the snow and felt the need to run and slide on the trail (on hard compacted snow). Oh, well, they had fun and that is all that mattered. We made it back to the car by 3:00.
Pete Lake
As I play catch up on documenting all of our summer and fall adventures this year, the Pete Lake backpacking trip stands out as one of my most favorite. For the second year, we chose to do a family backpacking trip on Labor Day weekend (September 3-5). Pete Lake is an easy four mile trail with only 400 elevation gain. The most difficult part to this trip was the long drive through Cle Elum and out to the trail head. I chose this trail because the weather east of Snoqualmie Pass is reliable for forecasting and this trail’s flat four miles makes for a quick escape with children should there be a reason to leave quickly.
Day 1 – Saturday, Sept. 3rd
We arrived at the trail head around 1 pm after filling our stomachs with burgers from some local burger joint. This was completely against our normal routine, but it was the only economical choice in Cle Elum. After covering the kids and ourselves with sun block and bug spray, we threw on our packs, locked the car and headed out for three days. This trail is very kid friendly and provided plenty of adventure for Joey and Elissa. Numerous log crossings and stream jumping awaited them. Because Joey and Elissa were carrying a backpack equivalent to each of their body sizes and ability, the hike took a lot longer than a typical day hike. Also, because we had little need to rush them, we took many breaks. Around 5:30, we arrived at Pete Lake and began to search for a good camp site. After a half our of searching, we found our spot. The kids helped Jonathan and I set up the tent and make dinner. Our spot was amazing as we had a full view of the lake with snow capped ridges in the distance.As the sun went down around 7 that evening, we finally climbed in the tent for the evening. The kids were still super excited that we were actually camping and it took them a good hour to finally fall asleep.
Day 2
We all woke up around 6 am and we all went back to sleep for another two hours. It was great. Around 8, we started climbing out of our tents. The sun was shinning over the lake and we decided to pack up everything for breakfast and go sit on the little island on the side of the lake in the sun. The kids watched us make oatmeal and hot chocolate. This was a perfect breakfast. After everyone washed their dishes, we cleaned up camp and set out on a day hike. In short, we hiked to the other side of the lake and the kids took turns crossing a shallow twenty foot wide creek that fed the lake. Eventually the kids left the creek and went to play in the lake. Jonathan and I just kicked back and took in the scenery. Joey and Elissa played in the lake for the next two hours. For lunch we made peanut butter/honey tortillas (a camping favorite).
After lunch, we hiked back around the lake to our camp site and I took photos while everyone else took naps. As the evening rolled around, Joey and I took off to the other side of the lake again to filter much better tasting water from the creek. It was sweet to see Jonathan and Elissa sitting out on a large rock on the lake admiring the sunset. This evening’s dinner consisted of mac & cheese and hot chocolate. As the sun went down, the kids continued to throw rocks into the lake until they could not see anymore. We all tried to stay up as late as we could knowing that tomorrow we would be hiking back out.
Day 3
We woke up at 7 and started preparing for our hike out. After another sun basking breakfast out on the lake island, we make our way back to the campsite and began disassembling the tent. Within the hour, we were all packed and ready to begin our final four miles back to the car. This time the hike back seemed more interesting to the kids. Because we were leaving the campsite at 10 am, we had plenty of time to hike back to the car. We stopped many times along the way for rest stops, bathroom breaks, and snacks.
At the half way point, we all had to clear completely off the trail as team of horses and campers came down the trail. The kids were amazed at the size of the horses and loved asking each of the riders about each horse. One of the riders warned us of a brand new horse that would be coming down the trail fifteen minutes later and told us to stay about ten feet back from the trail in case we spooked the horse. As we saw the next team of horses, Elissa and I had to climb up part of the hillside to keep an adequate distance. The horses walked by us and there was no incident.
Around 2 pm, we made it to the car. The kids were so excited to “drop their packs” and kick off their boots. We still had a three hour drive home but it was great to change clothes and use a real trail head bathroom. While loading up the packs, a forest service fire truck drove into the parking lot. One of the firemen noticed the kids and grabbed some Smokey Bear coloring books and crayons. Nice timing and this kept them entertained until they fell asleep.
This was a great second backpack trip for them. This time I chose a trail that was more suited for both of their abilities and they enjoyed every moment. Most people simply day hike this trail in a few hours, however, this was a full scale adventure to a four and six year old. Now that I am writing this six months later, I can say that they are still asking to go backpacking again.
Memorial Weekend 2011
The original plan for Memorial weekend was to climb Mt. St. Helens with Joey. However, as we entered May, the snow pack was not looking promising for a little guy to climb in. So, change of plans. Instead, we decided to turn the four day weekend into a caving adventure mixed with a tourist visit to Mt. St. Helens. We also invited Jonathan’s parents but only his dad could come hang out with us.
Day 1:
Loaded up the car with caving gear, hiking gear, sleeping gear (for the cabin) and kayaks and left town around noon. Our first stop was Layser Cave. Joey was really excited about a cave called Layser, but in his head he really envisioned Laser. We left I-5 solely to investigate this hike (thirty miles out of the way). We found our spur road and finally our trailhead. Everyone was really ready to scope out our first cave. With helmets on and headlamps ready, we took off down the trail. After about twenty minutes, we reached the “cave.” Ok, cool little cave about thirty feet deep, but really lame. I would not recommend going thirty miles out the way to see this cave. It seemed more like a small opening where some bears would hibernate. Oh, well, that is why we explore. Back to the car, we checked out our maps and determined that we could go visit the most dramatic views of Mt. St. Helens from where we were. So we headed down Forest Service Road 25. After an hour of driving down this road we came to a road closure and a lot of snow. Bummer! We had just wasted an hour of driving just to come to a closed road. However, the views along the way were spectacular. So we turned around and saw everything again. By this time, it was getting late and we needed to get to Cougar (south side of Helens) so we headed out toward I-5. Despite all the glitches we encountered, everyone kept positive.
We arrive at Cougar RV Campgrounds around 10:30 pm and the campground owner was still up and waiting on us. She gave us the keys to the cabin and off we went. Typical campground cabin, however, this campgrounds did not believe in putting curtains or window shades in the windows. In typical Jonathan camping fashion, a 22″ monitor was pulled out and a movie was put on. This was a great way to end Day 1.
Day 2
Western Washington weather……overcast and rain. This never stops our family and fortunately, my children could care less if it is raining or not, they are just happy to be on an adventure with mom, dad and Papa. After breakfast, we loaded up in the car to head to Ape Caves.
We arrived at the trailhead and headed over to the caves. After dropping down about twenty feet, we entered the lava tubes. The trail leads you down a two flights of stares. After reaching the bottom floor, you get to decide which way you want to go. The easy way is about 3/4 mile long along the gentle floor of the lower lava tube. The more challenging way lead you a mile and a half through the upper tube. However, the more challenging route is said to have 27 rock piles to maneuver over and an eight foot wall to climb over. No problem. I was ready. I even packed my short rope and a child’s harness to help each of the kids when we came to the eight foot wall. So we embarked on the challenging route. We had headlamps, really bright headlamps, but this is a cave and it was really, really dark.
Off we went. The first hundred or so feet were a little challenging. Also, you really had to watch the kids to make sure they were walking in the right direction. Then we came to those small rock piles I had read about. These are not bad for adults, however, these are giant mountains to a three year old. Elissa tried to maneuver from one rock to the next, but she was really scared. At one point she hit her knee and it really upset her. We continued on to the top of the first rock pile, but became concerned that perhaps this was just too much of an undertaking for these little guys. Joey was really upset. He was doing really well and having a great time exploring and making his way up over rocks. Jonathan sat him down and gave him a speech on what being a good leader was and how it is important for a good leader to take care of everyone and now was the time to take care of his sister. Joey took in Jonathan’s words and felt a lot better about turning around to make sure his sister didn’t get hurt.
We carefully climbed back down and make our way back to the ladder. From here we took the easier, gentler route down the other lava tube. Although not a challenge to us, the kids really enjoyed the new route. This cave was huge and very fascinating. Water was constantly dripping. We even spotted a bat about fifteen feet above us. After about thirty minutes, we made it to the end of the cave. Joey, Elissa and Jonathan crawled to the very end. After they came out, we all sat down and ate some snacks. It was a very surreal experience to be so deep in a cave. After snacks, everyone started getting cold. The average temperature of the caves are around 40 degrees. So to warm up, we started walking back. Finally we exited the caves to a warmer 60 degrees. What a fun adventure. We will definitely come back again.
On our way out of the area we noticed a sign for a trail called “Tale of Two Forests.” I think this trail ended up being the highlight of the entire trip. It started out as a forest hike that the kids could just run around and stretch with out being concerned about lack of light. This trail is on a boardwalk and the kids just ran back and forth while we walked and read the interpretive signs. Then we came to this sign that had hole in the ground with a ladder. We found out that under some of the meadow around the trail boardwalk was a lava tube system. So the kids, after getting over some first time jitters, climbed down the ladder and entered a lava tube that you had to crawl through (approximately sixty feet). There were alternate routes to take and different things to discover inside the tubes. After going the typical route, the kids popped out and were thrilled. Of course, leave it to Elissa to go through the first time, get left by Joey, and find the only large puddle and fall into it. She was so upset, but then after being consoled, went back through it again. After going through the tubes a couple times, we headed back to the car. This kids talked for a long time about how much they liked those tunnels and wanted to do it again.
We drove back to the cabin and put some dry clean clothes and headed out to dinner. Pizza at Papa Petes. We really like this place. It had been our dinner before we Jonathan, Shaun and I climbed St. Helens two years ago. Great establishment and great pizza. Back to the cabin and we enjoyed another movie and planned the next day’s events.
Day 3
The original plan for day 3 was to go do some waterfall hikes and then go kayaking on one of the lakes. However, the weather just was not in our favor. It was still cold and the wind was picking up. This would have been ok for Jonathan and I, but the kids would not have enjoyed being out on the water getting colder. So, only headed out for some waterfall hikes. We tried to follow one of the guide books to find a really cool looking waterfall, but when we got really close we couldn’t find it. We pulled over to the Ranger Station and the Ranger said she had no idea where this waterfall was. I think the guide book was incorrect in the end. However, the Ranger told us of some other kid friendly waterfalls just down the road. So we followed her advice and after a few miles we arrived at the Curly Falls and Miller Falls. The waterfalls were pretty cool, but we could only see them from a distance. The hike was really short, almost too short, but fun.
Next, we decided to go revisit those lava tubes the kids liked so much. This time I think Joey went through the tubes about twenty times. This was a lot of fun watching the kids explore these tubes. Jonathan and I eventually took turns seeing what all the hype was about. These tubes are so small that we really had to crawl. Next time I will bring knee pads. It was really neat to sit right in the middle of one of these tubes with Joey and Elissa. Joey was telling me all the way we could go, however, I don’t think I could fit through some of his routes. Elissa was excited to have me crawling around with her. Eventually, we pulled the kids away from these exciting tubes with great difficulty.
After we loaded back up in the car, we left Cougar, WA for good and headed out to Longview to cut some of day 4′s travel time and to get to sleep in a hotel bed. This bothered the kids because we would no longer be in a cabin, but after mentioning that the hotel had a pool all complaints stopped.
Day 4
Today’s plan was to play tourist at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, The Mt. St. Helens Learning Center, and any other stopped that seemed worthwhile along this road.
Our first stop was Mt. St. Helens Visitors Center at Silver Lake. We went inside and watched a movie about the eruption. Elissa was scared and Joey’s eyes were so big (if they can get any bigger). He thought is was “so cool.” After the movie, we walked around and checked out all the exhibits. Then we went on a short hike. Upon returning from the hike, one of the park rangers gave a presentation on volcanoes. Joey was fascinated. I later heard him explain plate tectonics to Elissa in the car.
Next, we stopped at The Mt. St. Helens Learning Center for a hour. They had a pretty cool playground here. The kids enjoyed walking up and sliding down a replica of Mt. St. Helens. Finally, we headed up to Johnston Ridge Observatory. We arrived just in time to see the final showing of their version of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens and the days before and after. After the movie, we went on a little hike up across the Johnston Ridge. We got to see a different perspective of the lava dome as we continued to walk. There was still snow on the trail, which meant we were attacked with snowballs eventually. Our hike ended when the remainder of the trail was roped off due to snow build up. This concluded our trip. We headed back down the trail and back to the car.
Our final stop before home was a small restaurant called MP 19 (milepost 19). We shared a very healthy dinner of chili cheese fries, potato-cheese soup, marionberry sundae, and strawberry rhubarb cobbler. Great ending to a fun four day road trip. An hour and a half later, we were back in NE Tacoma unloading some sleepy kids.
Heybrook Lookout
May 8, 2011
For Mother’s Day, the kids took me hiking. What a surprise! We ventured out to Heybrook Lookout off of Highway 2 near the town of Index. I have hiked this trail many times, but Jonathan and Elissa had never seen the 67 foot tall Lookout at the top. This hike turned out to be a little steep for Elissa. Although she made it, it was a little slow going. Oh well. There were just too many puddles to stomp into and steps to jump off of. The kids had a great time climbing rocks and then climbing the eight flights of steps up to the Lookout.
Cougar Mountain
February 25, 2011
We decided to stick with a hike closer to home. Cougar Mountian in Renton was an excellent choice. Shaun, Joey and Elissa headed down many trails that were interconnected. We hiked just over four miles. This is a fun hike to do even when it is raining.
East Peak – Rattlesnake Mt.
Feb 21, 2011
East Peak: 11 miles rt.
Elevation gain 3000 ft.
Shaun and I took off to hike up to East Peak on Rattlesnake Mt. From the trailhead to Rattlesnake Ledge was well populated on the first fair weather day we have had in months. We spent a lot of time walking right up on people and waiting to pass. We stopped at the Ledge and ate lunch. Then we climbed another 3.5 miles up to the East Peak of the Mountain. Snow started immediately. Up at East Peak, the views were limited. We thought about climbing the tower. However, Shaun would never do it. After ten minutes or so at the summit, we headed back down the trail. Great hike. I used it to break in my new mountaineering boots.
Kayaking Steel Lake
May 14, 2011
We really wanted to get some paddle time in but our schedules were not jiving this weekend. We drove down to the waterfront in Des Moines only to determine that the water was a little rough for paddling with the kids. So, in an effort to salvage the two hours we had left, we dropped the kayaks in to Steel Lake. I was disappointed. I’m not into enclosed, tame lakes, however, it was that or nothing. However, for the kids it turned out pretty cool. Joey got to try out his new paddle and Jonathan and Joey made an awesome paddle team. Shaun had never been kayaking, so this was a perfect first time experience.
We paddled all over Steel Lake and came to a small wetland area. The kids got to see a couple dozen large turtles basking on a log. They would have continued to relax, but Elissa came up on the scene and started yelling for them. One by one the turtles jumped into the water. It was still pretty cool for the kids to see turtles just hanging out at the lake.
Lime Kiln/Robe Canyon Trail
February 5, 2011
I had heard this was a muddy, rain foresty, low-elevation, perfect winter hike. So we took off to Granite Falls, WA to explore this trail. It seemed much like the Ho Rain forest in the Olympics and it was really muddy. Elissa insisted on jumping into every puddle and refused to walk around any mud puddle. According to the rules of Elissa…one must always stomp through a puddle of mud. The trail follows the Lime Kiln until it meets up with the Robe Canyon. The kids enjoyed the moss and the narrow canyon like trails. At the turn around point was the Stillaguamish River.
