Monthly Archives: April 2013

Lake 22 Hike, April 2013

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Lake 22
Date: April 27, 2013
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 5.4 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet / 457 meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Verlot, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to Snowpacked
Hiking With: Linna Freeman and my fearless dog Macho

I forgot to bring the Nikon camera and we just had the iPhone which didn’t give this beautiful lake justice. This was my first time on this trail and I will be back on a sunny day with a real camera to capture the real beauty of Lake 22.

Most of my hikes this year have been in rain…and this hike like many others I want to make sure I hike them on a summer day; especially when the snow has melted off this lake and trail. More to come….

Europe Trip, April 2013

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How many times in your lifetime you get to meet up with a couple of high school classmates in Amsterdam and then train down to Frankfurt, cruise through Austria and Southern Germany. Well….it doesn’t happen without effort and planning. Jerry Story, Brad Wilcher and I started planning this trip last year and it finally came to fruition. Jerry and I landed in the morning with Brad coming in the early afternoon, when he came out of customs….we had a cold beer waiting for him.

After a brief train ride to city center we only had a 5 minute walk to our hotel and off to the Red Light District for a few drinks we went. That night we booked a two hour boat ride through the canals….I will book this same boat company with my wife Linna on our next trip.

Oyster Dome Hike, April 2013

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Oyster Dome
Date: April 6, 2013
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 6.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet / 579 meters
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Off of SR11, South of Bellingham, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet trail
Hiking With: Linna Freeman, Beatrice He, Andreas Wieberneit, Kathrine Howe & Macho my dog.

This is a type of hike you will want to do on a sunny day to cherish all the wonderful views of Puget Sound when you summit. Our group wasn’t that fortunate though, we had cloudy skies with occasional showers and a rare blue sky. I will definitely be back on a sunny day, the views are breathtaking even on a cloudy day.

You will drive right pass this trailhead if you are not looking for the tiny wood sign that says “Pacific Northwest Trail”…there are no indications that you are at the Oyster Dome trailhead. The parking lot is pretty much a widen shoulder on State Route 11 or also called Chuckanut Drive, which is a very serene driving road. For more details on this hike please visit the Washington Trails Association website www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/oyster-dome.