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.
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.
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!
Mt. Si
Date: June 14, 2013
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 8 Miles / 13 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,400 Feet / 1,036 Meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry all the way to the top
Hiking with: with my wonder dog Macho
I needed to get my wonder dog Macho out for a little exercise so I chose Mt. Si to accomplish this task. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, normal for a Friday morning. I decided to relax and just take my time ascending…keeping the heart rate around 140. When I reached the 2 mile marker I noticed an individual creeping up on me at a nice pace. I am not one who appreciates getting passed on the trail and I wasn’t about to let it happen today.
So I picked up my pace and soon enough my heart rate was up in the 160’s. After a quarter of a mile I noticed the individual was actually gaining on me….from here it was game on baby! I put my legs into overdrive and shoved my heart rate into the high 180’s. By the time we reached the top he was only 50 yards behind me. I was totally exhausted and was pleased with the win. I reached a personal best for my heart rate at 189.
I spoke with my so called competition on top after I caught my breath. He too saw me in my bright red shirt at the two mile mark and he thought he would catch me like he usually does with most hikers. For my winning prize, I stopped at the North Bend Bar & Grill for a cold beer and a cup of jambalaya soup.
My Highest Heart Rate Ever!
Camp Muir
Date: June 4, 2013
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 10 Miles / 16 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,600 Feet / 1,402 Meters
Time: 6 to 7 hours
Location: Near Longmire, Washington
Users Group: Hikers / Climbers Only
Permits: National Park Pass
Trail Conditions: Snow All The Way
Hiking With: Me and Gustav Brandt
I told myself that the first sunny day in June, I was going to knock off Camp Muir….well that sunny day happened today. I usually hike up to the base camp once a year only when I know it’s going to be a beautiful sunny day. Damn….was it sunny too, I thought I applied enough sun block but I must have been wiping it off with my glove because I ended up looking like a cooked lobster on my forehead and nose.
Hiking up a long snow route all day can be boring unless you have another person to enjoy the pain with you. My hiking partner today was Gustav Brandt, a young man from Malmo, Sweden. He is currently an exchange student living with a co-worker friend of mine in Seattle in the Capital Hill neighborhood. This was his first time on Mt. Rainier and I know he will be back next year to ascend beyond Camp Muir for the summit.
Mailbox Peak
Date: May 24, 2013
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 Miles / 8 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000 feet / 1,219 Meters
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass
Trail Conditions: Damp to Muddy
Hiking With: Me and my wonder dog Macho
The last time I hiked up Mailbox Peak was in November so I was overdue for some thigh pounding punishing pain. There were only 5 cars in the old parking lot when I arrived, the new parking lot is not open yet. They (DNR) have installed new gates and added new asphalt to the new parking lot since my last visit in November. They also added a sign at the new trailhead stating that the new trail will be 5 miles up to the mailbox and will be open in the fall. My first thought was “oh hell yes”, what great news for my knees and legs because I will continue to hike the old steep trail up and descend on the new 5 mile trail.
By the time I reached the Mailbox, I had it to myself. Of course, like all my hikes this year…..it was so damn cloudy I had no view. I changed shirts, choked down a energy bar and headed back down. I managed to make my 2:00 p.m. acupuncture appointment with Dr. Wang in Bellevue.
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.
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….
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
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….
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
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.
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.