Tag Archives: Linna Freeman

Gothic Basin Hike, September 2013

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Gothic Basin
Date: September 7, 2013
Difficulty: 8 out of 10
Distance: 9 miles / 14.5 Kilometers roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,840 feet / 866 meters
Time: 5 to 6 hours
Location: Mountain Loop Highway
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet
Hiking With: Linna Freeman, Rick Massie and my wonder dog Macho.

Wow….Gothic Basin goo.gl/DEj3l1 is a much bigger hike than I thought. Even though this is only 2,840 feet elevation gain, it feels more like 4,000 feet with all the scrambling on steep rocky terrain. The official hike itself is 4.5 miles up, but it takes a mile to get to the trailhead…so your roundtrip is actually 11 miles. You will sweat your ass off on this hike, but it’s totally worth it after you see wants waiting for you on top.

You will want to hike this on a sunny day because the views (I think) are to die for and the basin is filled with beauty. We left the house thinking the day would end up sunny….will it did in Seattle, but the clouds just hung around all day in the mountains. Almost half of the hike we were in light rain. This hike has it all…river, lake, waterfalls, huge mountain views, wild flowers and campsites.

We ended this hike at Sura’s goo.gl/yi9iD8 in Lynnwood, Washington for some delicious Korean BBQ. This place has superb service, great food and a warm environment, it’s our new favorite Korean BBQ North of Seattle.

San Diego Trip, August 2013

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First, let me say this about the perfect weather city…speedy drivers. Maybe it feels that way due to my years of driving in Seattle with some of the nation’s slowest drivers. Of course having numerous highways with several lanes through-out San Diego it made it a breeze to drive all over.

This was my first time in sunny San Diego where I spent the whole weekend in and around the city. My wife Linna and I flew down via Alaska Airlines to visit our niece Chloe Wei. She is spending four months with a host family while attending San Diego State University.

We met up with Chloe on Friday afternoon and ended up at a highly rated family owned Italian restaurant located in Gas Lamp district, same area where our hotel was located. I highly recommend Busalacchi’s, www.busalacchia.com especially on the weekends when the Jazz band is playing.

Mason Lake Hike, July 2013

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Mason Lake
Date: July 7, 2013
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 7 Miles / 11 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,550 Feet / 777 Meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Exit 45, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry
Hiking with: Linna Freeman & Macho the dog wonder.

With all of this warm and sunny weather Seattle has been blessed with, it was time for a lake hike in the mountains. We decided on Mason Lake goo.gl/sc171 off of I-90, exit 45 because it provides an assortment of vitality. You start off with an easy ascent in a cool canopy of young forest followed by a fairly steep traverse in the open for great views and wild flowers. Then an easy descent to a pristine lake just waiting for you.

Mt. Dickerman Hike, June 2013

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Mount Dickerman
Date: June 22, 2013
Difficulty: 7 out of 10
Distance: 8.6 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,875 Feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near Verlot, Washington (Mountain Loop Highway)
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry To Packed Snow.
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Emelie Espling, Paul Bates, Mei Yin, Alyssa Yin, Tamara Chinn & Macho the dog wonder.

Since my wife Linna is getting bored with the I-90 hikes out of Seattle, we decided on Mt. Dickerman www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-dickerman on the Mountain Loop highway for a couple of reasons. The 360 degree summit view is to die for and on the most part this trail is never crowded. Not everyone is willing to drive 75 miles from Seattle to stomp through snow and exhaust every muscle in their body as they consume every bit of energy they might have.

We were a party of seven ranging from Alyssa Yin of 12 years old to me…53 in about 3 weeks. I knew there would be snow on the trail but, I didn’t think we would be stair stepping straight up the mountain; this turn a moderate hike into adventurous alpine ascent. The descent was much faster taking advantage of the snow slides; we had some great laughs and even some scary moments.

I think Emelie Espling had the most unexpected turn of events. First post-holing on the descent when her body was still moving forward this could have been disastrous. Second, she had an uncontrollable slide and fell four feet on her ass in a tree well. All seven of us made it back to the cars in one piece….just a little sore!

Annette Lake Hike, June 2013

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Annette Lake
Date: June 15, 2013
Difficulty: 4 out of 10
Distance: 7.5 Miles / 12 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,400 Feet / 427 Meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Exit 47, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry to Packed Snow At The Lake
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Shudan Zhu, Steve Machin and my wonder dog Macho

I was in charge of picking out today’s hike for my wife and a couple of friends Steve Machin and Shudan Zhu. I chose Annette Lake for its tranquil stroll through the dense forest to the beautiful lake at the base of Abiel and Silver Peak.

I was not the only one that decided on Annette Lake today because the parking lot was so full that people were parking along the road. Even with a full parking lot, the trail didn’t seem that busy. I actually thought about taking a quick dip in the icy waters, but it was more fun to throw snowballs in the slushy waters for Macho to chase.

We ended our day at the Little Sheep Hot Pot in Bellevue…perfect way to end a perfect day.

Lake 22 Hike, May 2013

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Lake 22
Date: May 19, 2013
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 5.4 Miles / 8.7 Kilometers 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: Rick Massie, Jacky Cao, Linna Freeman & Macho the Wonder Dog.

I hardly ever do the same hike back to back, but we had a good friend from China that we wanted to share this beautiful hike with.

China Trip, May 2013

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The month of May is a decent time to travel in China, the weather is near perfect and most students are still in school. This trip was mainly based in and around the Shanghai area. I flew into Shanghai via Tokyo/Narita airport; after a 175 RMB tax ride from the airport to my hotel I checked in around 10:30 p.m. When I first started traveling to Shanghai 2002, the airport taxi ride into the city was 50 RMB.
More to come….

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.

New Car, March 2013

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After eleven lovely years with my BMW 530i, today I traded it for a new 2013 Audi S6…S standing for Superfast!

Pratt Lake Hike, November 2012

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Pratt Lake
Date: November 3, 2012
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 12 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,300 feet (3,100 ft. total gain)
Time: 4 to 6 hours
Location: Exit 47, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet Only, No Snow
Hiking With: Linna Freeman & our dog Macho

If you are looking for a long and easy climb with beautiful lakes along the way, Pratt Lake is your destination. Linna and I decided on Pratt Lake for the fall colors, but fair warning…it’s long hike.