Nothing much like them out there. Very unique area.
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Photos Blades on Hikes
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BD_01
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It’s on my list! Great to see your pics!Interior of the Badlands and the edge of the Badlands overlooking the Black Hills, South Dakota.
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Enjoyed a nice hike today along the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Sam Wilson
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I can commiserate with that. A hike's a hike, though. Getting outside is always worthwhile.A wonderful thread, I'm just going through the pictures of the amazing scenery you have "over" there!!
My contribution would probably have old shopping trolleys and drug paraphernalia in the background
jmh33
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I love the way the trees reflect in the mirror finish!
jmh33
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Thanks.. I didnt realize that until I was going thru all the pics I took.. I thought it was cool too even thought I didnt try!!
John
jmh33
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Man, this thread has me itching to bust out the spikes and brave the snow to hit a trail. The weather is clear this upcoming week . Here was my last hike of this last season (11/8). Rattlesnake Ridge
Here's the lake at the bottom, the peak is the viewpoint from earlier
Afterwards I took a little walk along the Snoqualmie river
. Here was my last hike of this last season (11/8). Rattlesnake Ridge
Here's the lake at the bottom, the peak is the viewpoint from earlier
Afterwards I took a little walk along the Snoqualmie river
RLB0414
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Please keep showing the swamps and rivers around your place. They are appreciated
Absolutely beautiful pics as always K&L! You must be in pretty good shape to hike these areas on a regular basis. On the pics where you were looking back to the highway and the one with the berry field, you can really tell how steep some of those passes are. Especially the one showing the highway. I get a mental image of scenes in comedies where somebody "falls" down a slope like that and they just keep falling and falling until they get all the way back down to the bottom (highway).
Thanks for continuing to post these. Very cool for us flatlanders to look at.
Thanks for continuing to post these. Very cool for us flatlanders to look at.
Here's one I do quite a bit, and what I like about it is that it has a little bit of everything. There is an Alpine Lake (Mason Lake) about halfway up, and then a fairly challenging peak (Mt. Defiance) if you want to go further (I always do). What really makes this place special to me though is a set of boot trails about a mile into the trail that are off the main trail and unknown to most so you get the entire place to yourself. About a mile into this old path you are faced with two choices, one trail that goes pretty much straight up through the forest and then across a boulder field, or another that follows the creek and waterfalls. I always take the steep one across the boulder field on the way up, and then follow the waterfall/creek trail later on the way down. At around 16 miles this one is pushing the limit for a day hike, but it's so much fun.
Up through the forest. The pics don't really capture how steep this part is, and it's often slick as well
Now for the real fun part, the boulder field
At the lake
Then you start your climb to the peak of Mt. Defiance, first through more forest, but eventually it opens up to an amazing open view, with Rainier in the distance and a blanket of berry bushes and wildflowers
At this point you can look back and see the ridge with the boulder field from earlier (right) and the lake as well (left)
You can also see the highway and let it sink in where you started from (and even more daunting how far you still have to go to get back)
The views from the top though are always worth it
Then back down to the lake, and then follow the creek waterfall trail the rest of the way down. This makes for the perfect ending because it is shaded, mossy, and lush; with the cool air coming off of the creek plus the ability to stop and cool off in the water periodically.
In the distance you can see nearby McClellan Butte, a peak that I conquered for the first time this year. I honestly almost chickened out when I got to the top of that one, but as you can see I had to force myself to do it or else it would be sitting there mocking me every time I did this hike
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Much appreciated, and I'm glad to have such a great place to share!
Although I certainly have my share of health issues, I'd say I'm pretty fit for a 46 year old. In my 20's I was obsessed with fitness, but over the years I've honed it down to an active lifestyle plus push-ups, pull-ups, and working the heavy bag on a regular basis. I've also been intermittent fasting for the better part of the past two decades (I stumbled upon it by chance, long before I knew it was a thing or had a name), and over the past few years I've integrated that into my hiking, typically going on nothing but black coffee I brew at the trailhead until I reach the peak (or lake destination) and break my fast there.
Now that I've had a few years to acclimate to the elevation and incline, it's my aging knees that are my main hindrance, plus and old hip injury that rears it's head on occasion and a few other nagging issues. For the most part however I can put those out of my mind while I'm out there and pay for it on recovery day.
I want to be clear though that at the end of the day it's just walking in the woods, and I firmly believe anyone can do it if they just hike their own hike and put one foot in front of the other. I see plenty of old ladies out on these hikes, who look just like anyone's grandma, until you look down and see they have the vein-popping calves of an NFL linebacker
. I will say, however, that at some point on many of these strenuous hikes I question why the hell I put myself through all of this, but that's just one part of an overall exhilarating experience that keeps me coming back to it again and again.Do you use walking stick(s)? I find they help a lot with hills. This coming from a 52 year old.Much appreciated, and I'm glad to have such a great place to share!
Although I certainly have my share of health issues, I'd say I'm pretty fit for a 46 year old. In my 20's I was obsessed with fitness, but over the years I've honed it down to an active lifestyle plus push-ups, pull-ups, and working the heavy bag on a regular basis. I've also been intermittent fasting for the better part of the past two decades (I stumbled upon it by chance, long before I knew it was a thing or had a name), and over the past few years I've integrated that into my hiking, typically going on nothing but black coffee I brew at the trailhead until I reach the peak (or lake destination) and break my fast there.
Now that I've had a few years to acclimate to the elevation and incline, it's my aging knees that are my main hindrance, plus and old hip injury that rears it's head on occasion and a few other nagging issues. For the most part however I can put those out of my mind while I'm out there and pay for it on recovery day.
I want to be clear though that at the end of the day it's just walking in the woods, and I firmly believe anyone can do it if they just hike their own hike and put one foot in front of the other. I see plenty of old ladies out on these hikes, who look just like anyone's grandma, until you look down and see they have the vein-popping calves of an NFL linebacker
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Good point. I really should, but I haven't yet. Well, that is to say I don't bring poles, I do often find a stick to use while I'm out there and shave it down for a single walking stick. So I do see the benefit of them, especially when heading back down steep terrain. I'm considering going out this week (plans still up in the air) to a spot that's already snow packed and will undoubtedly also be icy, and I've already decided that I'm gonna finally bring some poles along for that one just for good measure.