Day 1: North Cascades National Park
We flew into Seattle after work and stayed with family, but this could easily be done by arriving in the morning and heading out to the Cascades. Anytime spent in the North Cascades must involve a hike, so we chose Mount Dickerman. It technically is in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (you need a Northwest Trail Pass for your car), which is outside of the North Cascades National Park boundaries, but is less than two hours drive from Seattle. The hike is roughly 8 miles round trip and is steep!
The trail starts low in the forest, filled with beautiful moss and ferns. About two miles from the trail head you pop out into more alpine terrain, full of blueberries and little rodents called pikas. The first snow of the year had already hit the Cascades, so the last mile of our ascent was full covered in a white blanket.
This was the only day of our trip that had any rain, or cloud cover, so when we reached the summit we couldn't see the full views of the major Cascade peaks that we were promised, but the hike was so beautiful that we didn't care. Overall this hike was a 4/5
After coming back down we checked out Mondo's for burgers and beer in Marblemount, then did a driving tour of the National Park before the sunset. Oddly, every parks visitor center that we passed was closed, so we really enjoyed the pull-offs on the parks road explaining the geology, and pointing out the different peaks in the range. Diablo Lake provides the classic view of the park, so we made sure to check out that overlook before calling it a night.
Day 2: North Cascades to Deception Pass
We woke up the morning after Mount Dickerman and were really sore. That is the longest hike we have done on anything so steep, and we decided to pick something a little less intense for our second North Cascades hike. We found the 4 mile Sauk Mountain trail and set off. Sauk Mountain is on the Eastern edge of North Cascades, with less elevation, but the benefit of providing a view of both Puget Sound (maybe even the Olympics) and the full Cascade range. We hit the trail early hoping to beat the crowds and earn a clear view. This hike was completely different from the previous one. Even the trail head provided clear views of the surrounding mountains with basically no tree cover. This made us feel really exposed on the narrow trail as it switch backed. One false move and we would tumble straight down to the valley.
The hike took us around the peak and over boulders in a small rock field. Once we reached the peak, it was 360 views with Mt. Baker the most prominent peak on the horizon.
As we descended, the fog from the valley lifted, putting us in a cloud where we couldn't see more than a few feet in either direction. Good thing we had an early start! This way probably the best hike of the trip 5/5.
After cleaning up with hit Adrift restaurant for dinner, which was a little fancy for our tastes, so we checked out the local Brown Lantern bar to even things out before heading to Deception Pass and Whidbey Island. Deception Pass is a very narrow channel between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands that has very strong currents and tide. We caught it just after the sun was setting, and while it didn't photograph well, we were really able to see the currents as we walked along the shoreline.
Day 3: Olympic National Park
With two action packed days behind us, Mike and I decided to spend our first day viewing Olympic National Park on a road trip. We took the ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend, and then planned on a day of site seeing. We drove the northern side of the park, and then headed down to the Hoh Rainforest to see the famous Hall of Mosses. This is just a short 1 mile loop through the temperate rainforest. One of the coolest parts of this area was the silence of the woods. The trail had a reverent feel. It wasn't the highlight of our trip, but it gave me an idea to do a hike through the center of Olympic National Park next time we make the trip 3/5.
Next we went to the coast to see Rialto Beach. My Aunt Justine often works on the Olympic Peninsula and recommended it as a favorite spot. This did not disappoint. The weather changed just a mile from the coast and turned cool and hazy, which made for stunning pictures. Mike and I were the only ones on the beach that went in the water, but we had a blast skipping rocks, and chasing the waves. Naturally, we left the beach soaking wet and full of smiles 5/5.
With more time to burn, we headed back to the northern part of the park and stopped at Crescent Lake to check out Marymere Falls. Usually I am not much of a waterfall person, but we were enjoying our easy day of exploring, and decided to see all of the parks most popular sites. I ended up enjoying this hike much more than I thought through the old growth forest. The falls were tall, but delicate 4/5.
Finally we decided to head into town for dinner at the Next Door Gastropub in Port Angeles. We really enjoyed the fun burgers (mine had beets and goat cheese, Mike's was a less adventurous beef & bleu), although I prefer the dive bar atmosphere more myself. We stopped at Harbinger Winery on our way back to our cabin on Crescent Lake, and made it back in time to watch the sunset on the Olympics.
Day 4- Olympic National Park
The Olympic Peninsula has so much to see, so we decided to spend a second day exploring. First, we went to Sol Duc Falls, which we had skipped the day before in favor of Marymere Falls. After we had enjoyed walking through the forests so much that we decided to fit in the 1 1/2 mile loop. The forest was beautiful, and the waterfall was nice. I preferred the hike to Sol Duc, but the falls at Marymere, although both were very enjoyable 4/5.
With most of the day still ahead of us, we drove to Hurricane Ridge to hike Hurricane Hill. This 3 mile hike is one of the most popular in the park. The animals in this area are pretty tame, and Mike enjoyed photographing the marmots and black tailed deer.
This hike gives huge views of the Olympic range from the top of a grassy ridge. This was the only hike that we had to share the summit with other hikers over the entirety of the trip 4/5.
Next, we headed to where we were staying in Quilcene and had dinner at the 101 Brewery, one of two restaurants in town. Quilcene is known for its oysters, but the restaurant was out, so we had burgers. We went to the other restaurant, Timber Lodge, for dessert, and still having some time to kill, we drove to Finnriver Ciders and listened to some local bluegrass music. A fun day, but we could have fit a bit more in without too much trouble.
Day 5- Mount. Ellinor & GAME DAY
The fifth day of the trip was a Sunday and that meant Mike had to watch the Lions. Unfortunately, the Lions had a 1 PM EST game, which made it 10 AM in Washington. I like the Lions, but I don't want to plan my vacation around them. Mike was willing to miss the first half of the game, so I had until noon to do some exploring. I chose a difficult hike that is one of the most popular on the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Ellinor. This hike is 6 miles round trip and can get pretty busy, even though the last mile of the climb is pretty much a scramble up bare rock.
Having the game to watch got us out on the trail early, and we had the trail and the summit all to ourselves. Similar to the Mount Dickerman hike we went about half way up in the woods, and then left the trees and entered the rock garden. We really had fun picking our footing and scrambling up to the top. We hiked quickly and worked up quite a sweat by the time we reached the top.
The views were spectacular! Both Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier were in full view. 5/5 On the way down, we saw probably 30 people walking up, so our early morning start time was definitely a positive.
After getting back to the car with drove to Buffalo Wild Wings in Olympia as we knew this would have the game. Mike thought he was having the best day ever, until the Lions managed to un-score a touchdown with time expiring and lost to the Falcons. Oh well, at least it was exciting. We drove back to Seattle and joined up with Uncle Greg, Aunt Justine, and Kendall for a dinner of Thai take-out.
Day 6- Seattle
After 5 days on the road, we had Uncle Greg and Aunt Justine give us a tour of their city. First we stopped by the Ballard Locks, that connect Puget Sound to Lakes Union and Washington. We didn't see any Salmon jumping, but we were able to see some boats move through.
Next, we hit my favorite spot in the city, Pike Place Market. The first stop was a cup of espresso, followed by a visit to the legendary gum wall.
Afterwards we perused the market, look at ceramics, jewelry, art, spices, tea, dried cherries, and bought the fixings for dinner. Once we had our fill of the market, we walked down to Pioneer Square and checked out the old architecture.
After a quick nap, Uncle Greg took us out to Lake Washington in the surf skis. Mike and Greg went K2 to start, and I went K1. After about 40 minutes I switched with Mike. It was a really great experience, but we are not nearly as comfortablw in kayaks as we are in canoes! For dinner Aunt Justine's brother Alex came over and Kendall joined us too, and we feasted on Salmon, Crab, and salad that we bought at the market.
Day 7- Mount Rainier National Park
When planning the trip we decided to save a day at Mount Rainier for the end- the best for last. Our whole trip was so good, that I just wasn't sure that Rainier could offer us anything more- but it was different than what we had seen in any other hikes and we loved it. For this final day, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Justine, and fellow Michigander Ryan Harris joined us for our hike on the Burroughs Mountain.
Burroughs is right next to Mount Rainier- so close that you can almost touch it. There are three "burroughs" each offering a little closer view of Rainier. We decided to hike to the furthest burrough, and hike a different trail back, so it was about 10 miles round trip. Leaving from the Sunrise Visitor Center, we already felt close to the big mountain, and we just kept gettting closer. The entire trail was over Tundra-like terrain, which gave it this eerie and exposed feel.
Along the way we spotted some mountain goats in the distance. When we reached the top of the third burrough it felt like the summit of Rainier was only another burrough away- it was awesome!
We didn't have any problems with snow cover, and had such a beautiful day that they only challenge the weather provided was sunburn. After such a fun day of hiking, we returned home happily tired. 5/5
Overall, this was one of the best trips we have taken. I can't wait to see what we will explore next year!
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