Last weekend we tried something new by taking both cars with us to Rattlesnake Lake, off of I-90 at exit 32. This is a very familiar trailhead for most Seattlelites. Then we took one car and drove west to exit 27, where the trailhead for Snoqualmie Point lies. There we started our hike east on Rattlesnake Mountain Trail. The total distance was 10.9 miles and it took us about 4 hours (including stops along the way for food, water and pictures). The hike was a nice alternative to hiking out and back or up and down, like our other hikes were. Going in one direction required us to keep going to reach the end instead of turning around at a pre-determined time/distance.
When we first started hiking, it was warm and sunny. We didn't think we'd necessarily need our jackets.
This is the view from Stan's Overlook.
I thought these moss-covered branches were unique in how they arched across the trail.
As we went higher, more and more snow was visible and the temperature dropped.
The fresh snow was quite beautiful. We think it fell last Thursday night when we got a bunch of rain in Seattle.
The highest point was at 3,500 feet, so there was some fresh snow for a few miles. Hiking in the snow is a bit like hiking in the sand. It takes a lot of balance and it uses smaller leg muscles than those that are used on hiking dirt trails. I'm also glad that I brought a knit hat and gloves along because it was chilly at Grand Prospect Overlook.
After East Peak, we continued east and eventually started to run into people who were going a bit past Rattlesnake Ledge to see what was beyond. We learned there is a second ledge that is much more peaceful than the original ledge. We could see and hear dozens of people coming and going...a better view from a distance.
Here's a video of us at the second ledge overlooking the first ledge, Rattlesnake Lake, the mountains to the east and more. For those afraid of heights, you may not want to watch...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Hike 5: Rattlesnake Mountain
Monday, March 29, 2010
"With Cancer, Let’s Face It: Words Are Inadequate"
Last week I read "With Cancer, Let’s Face It: Words Are Inadequate,"a post by Dana Jennings, a writer who blogs about his life after prostate cancer. He discusses the many words used to describe those who have cancer and their experiences. Jennings says that silence is sometimes the best way to show compassion to someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, and a description like "survivor" doesn't apply to all people who've lived through cancer. His post really shows how everyone deals differently with a life-changing diagnosis.
Take a moment to read his post: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/with-cancer-lets-face-it-words-are-inadequate/
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Hike 4: Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
We can't believe it's almost the end of March! Time is flying by...which means that we have fewer and fewer days to reach our fundraising goal of $5,000. So far we've received about $1,500, but we still need another $1,000 to make it to $2,500 by April 2. Please consider supporting us and donating to breast cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For every dollar donated, 83 cents goes directly to research, and your donation is 100% tax-deductible!
Now on to our most recent hike on Saturday, which was another gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. We ventured out to Taylor River Trail, north of a city called North Bend, just off of I-90. After a 12 mile drive on a bumpy dirt road that was more suited for a Jeep than for our compact car, we came to the trailhead for Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. After gazing at the map for several minutes, we couldn't quite find the original trail that we intended to hike. We settled on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail and made the best of it. The trail meandered along the river for most of our four-hour hike, which added a peaceful hum to the swish of our hiking pants and the thump of our steps.
A trail map of our journey
Great view of Garfield Mountain
We noticed quite a few landslide areas with lots of fallen trees, boulders and the beginnings of streams winding down the newly formed valleys.
This was our turn around point. We could have continued on another 4 miles or so to the hot springs, but decided 10 miles was plenty for one day.
Brian is about six feet tall and I took this picture from about 50 feet away. The boulder was humongous!
Until next time...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Hike 3: Poo Poo Point
This past weekend we ventured to Issaquah, which is only about a 20 minute drive from Seattle. We were spoiled with another great sunny day so we planned a nice hike with a view.
Poo Poo Point, part of Tiger Mountain State Forest, was 7.5 miles roundtrip. We parked near Issaquah High School and went up until we reached the top at 1,850 feet. The view was pretty incredible and since the day was so clear, we could see Bellevue, Mt. Baker, Lake Sammamish, Squak Mountain and more.
We later learned that Poo Poo Point is named after the sounds that trains make when conductors blow the whistles. We didn't hear any trains on our hike, but we did hear several gun shots from a nearby gun range.
Brian at the top.
Mt. Baker in the distance.
Carla at the top.
The green astroturf that people are sitting on is actually a paragliding takeoff pad. Unfortunately we didn't see any paragliders that day.
A brief video summary...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
New breast cancer research study
On Wednesday, March 2, Dr. Polly Newcomb and her colleagues published a study in the British Journal of Cancer about an association between a type of osteoporosis drug and lowered risk of breast cancer. Dr. Newcomb's research focus is the practical and targeted prevention of breast and colon cancer. There were a lot of media hits on this story, and below are just a few highlights:
Hutchinson Center press release
http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2010/03/02/osteoporosis.html
Bone loss drug may decrease women's breast cancer risk
Bone-loss drugs may reduce breast-cancer risk, study shows
Osteoporosis drugs may help protect women against cancer
One interesting thing to note about Dr. Newcomb's study is that it involved nearly 6,000 Wisconsin women, aged 20-69, and it was done in collaboration with researchers at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison...our home away from home!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
$1,000 and counting!
We've raised $1,022.92 so far, but we still have a long way to go before reaching $5,000! Please consider donating to breast cancer research through the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. We're counting on you!
To learn more about the research you can support, visit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's breast cancer Web page with links to recent findings.
