Lookouts,Lakes and Learning
Hello friends, family and colleagues! I've been on sabbatical for about three weeks now and finally getting into a rhythm of things - the first seven to ten days was mostly shutting down the engines and letting the body and mind decompress. Been doing more reading, some drawing, and of course, adventuring.
After picking up the book below at Trail's End bookstore in Winthrop, WA, I was inspired to start working through the hikes included in this book. Of the 44 hikes listed, I've done about 15 of them while hiking in Washington the past ~ 20 years. In the past few weeks, I checked off two more lookouts to start my sabbatical.
North Mountain Lookout and Views of Baker (Koma Kulshan).
On the way out to the Methow Valley/Mazama for an annual camping trip with friends (Mazama Rama as we call it), we took the opportunity to hike North Mountain Lookout. It's a short hike (~2.5 miles), but a long forest service drive (12 miles). While I was worried the neighboring clouds might obstruct views, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Mount Baker (Kulshan). We also got check out the second deck of the lookout - fun fact, you can stay at North Mountain lookout by renting it through AirBnB.
Thorp Mountain Lookout and Surrounding Views
For a sunny-ish weekend trek, we set out for Thorp Mountain. I tried to do this hike about 10 years ago, but had trouble finding the trail. This second go made me wonder why I couldn't find it the first time. While it was a cloudy day with some mountain friends hiding, we got some great local and peek-a-boo views with wildflowers out as well.
So where are the lakes you say? For 4th of July holiday, we drove to Idaho, to camp with long-time friends that now live in Boise. We stayed at Alturas Lake in the Sawtooth Range, which we also visited in 2023. The 4th of July weather was giving more Seattle (rainy) than Idaho summer, but we managed to get in a mid-day hike up to Cabin Creek Lakes. Otherwise, we filled out time enjoying Alturas Lake with our friends.
Alturas Lake and the first of the Cabin Creek Lakes
Beyond outdoor adventures, I am also learning new skills - sketching and playing the ukulele. I am neither an artist or a musician, so these skills are testing my brain in new and fun ways. About a week back, I took at travel sketching course at a drop-in art studio in the Greenwood neighborhood and this week, I will be taking my first ukulele lesson. I am looking forward to honing my new skills during my time away.
Finally, this weekend, I will be setting off to run the Ragnar Northwest Passage relay with a team of work colleagues (our team name is the Queue Jumpers - my fellow transit nerds, you get it). The race is from Blaine, WA, near the Canadian border, to Langley, WA. It's done over the course of two days, with 12 runners. Each runner runs three legs of the race - someone from the team is running at all hours from Friday morning into Saturday afternoon. You're also riding in a van with your five new best friends that are likely just as smelly as you are. It should be a blast and a good warm up to a half-marathon trail run that I am doing on my birthday in late September.
More adventure to come - my big goals - hiking Section J of the Pacific Crest Trail (Snoqualmie to Stevens Pass), hiking Mount Whitney in California and visiting Yellowstone are still coming up. Just getting warmed up!
Friendly reminder to share with others that might be interested in hearing about my adventures - I am planning to post updates about twice a month.