Category: Hikes
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Sehome Hill Arboretum Trip Report 3/18/16
We took advantage of the sunny weather last Friday to head up to Bellingham for another short trip. Aaron had the day off, so he joined us on our adventure. The Sehome Hill Arboretum is a native plant natural area set aside for protection and enjoyment. It’s nestled next to the campus of Western Washington…
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Mental Health Day at the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve
One of things that is hardest for me about parenting is the lack of time alone. Time to process, to think, to let all the other planning and thinking rest for awhile. I’ve learned over the years how important it is for me to get away by myself for some rejuvenation. I generally try to…
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Larrabee SP and Whatcom Falls Park – Trip Report
On Friday we made a quick afternoon trip up to Bellingham to visit Larrabee State Park and Whatcom Falls Park. We tried real hard to miss the rain showers, but ended up getting caught in a few. It was worth it anyway! We didn’t get started until a little after noon. I should know better…
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Nisqually Winter Birding
Over Christmas Break we had a chance to join the weekly Wednesday birding trip at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. It had been clear and cold for several days, and we 30 degrees when we arrived at 8am. We joined a very large group of birders and walked through different parts of the refuge to see…
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Birding at Ridgefield National Wildlife Sancutary
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we had the chance to visit Ridgefield NWR and do some hiking and birding. On Black Friday we have a tradition of trying to get out into nature. We’ve been doing this even before REI made a big splash and closed their stores on Black Friday, encouraging their employees to Opt…
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Gloomy Day at Brightwater
Our school schedule is light this week, so we took advantage of a little less school work to head out for an afternoon stroll. I chose the Brightwater Center because I hadn’t been on many of the trails yet, and we wanted something easy and close to home. I had to bribe my kids with…
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Whidbey Wanderings
You know it’s going to be a good day when your adventures include a ferry ride. And sleeping in, and hot cocoa. We had a fun trip two Fridays ago up to Whidbey Island to explore and do a short hike and some bird watching. After sleeping in, we gathered our gear for the day and…
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Larches in the Rain at Cutthroat Lake – 10/9/15
We were out of town for a few weeks at the end of September, and I thought we had missed out on our annual trek to see the larches turning colors. However, last Friday it turned out we had an entire day free for an adventure. The weather looked drippy, but not horrible, so we…
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Naches Loop Hike – 9/11/15
Fall colors are showing up in the high country, and we were fortunate to go out earlier in September to see them. We wanted to get up high before the snows come and seal off the mountains. Naches Loop is easy and sweet, with views that can’t be beat, and it had been several years since…
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First and Second Burroughs, Mt. Rainier, Aug. 20, 2015
Usually I go to Sunrise during the peak of the flower season, which is also the peak bug season. But this year we didn’t make it up there until recently. The flowers are mostly gone, except for a few intrepid late bloomers, and much of the herbal foliage is dry and crispy. Everything looked faded…