Week 117 Nov. 23 - Gray Wolf River

Total distance: Approximately 16 miles

Elevation Gain: 3000 feet

Time: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Weather: Rainy and cold.

Seven weeks later...

Orchid: Hiking with a good student and his father.  Their is more of a story here, but I know it will unfold in future hikes.  Basically, on outdoor ed in September I met a friend who happens to be a student.  On this hike, I met another friend, the student's father.  Great people, a great life.

Onion: It rained the whole time, but I liked it.  Is this an onion?

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Google Map

Week 116 Nov. 19 - Camp Pleasant

Total Distance: Approximately 14 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 2000 ft.
Time: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Weather: Overcast, cold, rain turning to snow as I climbed up the trail.

Had no plan for this weekend's hike, even when I woke up Sunday.  I laid in bed and considered if this would be the end.  I chose that this weekend would not be the end.  I went some place that is easy to drive to, relatively close, and familiar.  I went back to "Staircase," a trailhead in the Olympic National Park.  I have hiked from here four times in the last 116 weeks that I can recall without looking it up.  It is a great trailhead, and it has one of my favorite hikes (Flapjack Lakes).

I had no plan, just to hike until I felt like turning around.  It is a great trail with a nice slow, steady grade that climbs along side the North Fork of the Skokomish river.  About an hour into the hike, I started seeing snow along the trail.  Soon the snow was on the trail, but it wasn't slippery or tough to deal with like the hike the week before.  I was at the trail junction to turn to Flapjack Lakes in about an hour.  There I met two cool guys whose footprints in the snow I had been following.  We exchanged some good stories and walked together for about 5 minutes.

I left them as they were trying to decide if they wanted to camp there or move to Camp Pleasant.  Within 30 minutes, I saw the third and finally hiker of the day coming down.  She had made it up to the camp and was heading back out.  I decided then to continue up to Camp Pleasant.  The rest of the hike was uneventful, peaceful, and spent in solitude.

At the camp, I tried to find a dry area (there weren't any).  I hate some snacks, and geared up for the return hike.  Right as I was leaving the two hikers I passed earlier showed up.  I wished them well, and then hiked down to the car.  The hike took about 2 hours down and ended in the dark.  

Orchid: Not ending the streak.

Onion: Soaking wet everything.

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Google Map 

Week 115 Nov. 10 - Granite Mountain

Total Distance: Approximately 8 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3800 ft. 
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Weather: Cold, partly to mostly cloudy, snowing, and a sun break or two.

This ended up being one of the hardest hikes of my life.  I have done this hike before, and while it is steep in sections, it is not overwhelmingly difficult.  What made the hike so difficult today was the weather.  

I took 8 students with me, and we were at the trailhead by 8:45 am.  My co-leader met me there.  By the time I was geared up and ready, it was around 9 am.  It was cold, and as we hiked up the trail, it began snowing.  It was beautiful, but as it kept snowing the trail got a little slippery.  It didn't slow us down too much.  We made it to the fire lookout, and it was snowing really hard.  We didn't stay long, and we began climbing down after a brief snack and water break.

Here is where the hike became tough and dangerous.  The snow had made the rocky trail feel like a slip-n-slide.  It took longer to get down than it did to get up.  I must have fallen 30 times. It was a challenge, and in a way, that was nice.  It has been awhile since I had been this confronted by a hike.  I was very impressed with the students who managed to have fun the entire time.

Orchid: The beauty of the PNW in the late fall when the first snows are falling.

Onion: All the falls on the hike down.

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Google Map

Week 114 Nov. 4 - Point Defiance Park

Total Distance: Approximately 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 200 ft. 
Time: 9:25 am - 10:20 am
Weather: Cool, cloudy, a sun break or two.

Is this the end? Maybe so...

I was not terribly motivated to hike this weekend, especially when all my go-to hiking buddies were busy, and I had massive amounts of school work and house work.  I chose to go to Point Defiance for the second time in 114 weeks.  I am counting this as a hike, and others may not.  But here is the great thing, I don't really care anymore.  

I ran for about an hour and did about 4.5 miles on the outer loop trail.  I did not see too many people, and I even felt like it was a tad wild.  I was done early, and I spent most of the day doing chores and school work.

No picture, I was too busy running.

Orchid: Short drive, home quickly, and some trail under my feet.

Onion: Rarely escaped the sounds of the city.

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None

Google Map