Mt. Rainier Camping Weekend

Long overdue.. but for my friend Brittany's birthday we headed to Mt. Rainier to do some adventuring around. I have never felt so small, like I felt standing in front of Mt. Rainier. We have a beautiful view of the volcano from our back porch at home, however standing right in front it was overwhelming.

girls in front of the mountain

those little black dots are hikers!

looks like the Sound of Music

glorious

morning bloody mary's

the falls

like kids in a candy shop.

breathtaking.

Leavenworth Love

Leavenworth for Memorial Day was one to remember. Mike, my 7th grade boyfriend and best friend of a few years came to Seattle all the way from Frisco, CO to visit for an extended weekend. We enjoyed a Mariners baseball game where I was actually given the game ball by one of the pitchers, Shawn Kelley whom played baseball with my brother in college at Austin Peay State University. The top baseball game moment, I have to say. The next day we took a little road trip to a little quaint place called Leavenworth where we visited Mike's homeboy from college Matt (Grody), who is living the life in Leavenworth. Mike has told me many a stories about Grody but it all came to life when we pulled up his his humble abode.. 

Grody's porch. When we pulled up there he was, sitting outside drinking out of a bottle of wine, loving life. And our adventure begins! After hitting up the local taco truck we adventured into the mountains. Leavenworth is surrounded by the Wenatchee National Forest and a beautiful forest it is! Mike and I ventured off to get some mountain views. I wouldn't consider boat shoes and sandals the proper hiking gear but we gave it a whirl. This was my first 'hike' post- ACL surgery! It felt so good to get back in the fresh air and the high mountain tops. 

After a day of travel and tourism we decided to call it a night with semi-cold Rainiers in the camper. The next day we had headed to the water. Grody works for LMS, Leavenworth Mountain Sports http://leavenworthmtnsports.com/ so we were able to take our some kayaks and paddle boards to head down the Wenatchee/Icicle River. Gorgeous day with some gorgeous views...

Needless to say, this weekend was fantastic. 

Camping Season

Now that I have been freed of the giant leg brace from my torn ACL and meniscus my mountain adventures shall continue! I've been jonesin' to get out and explore once again. Thanks to my awesome friend Adam who lives in Portland, OR I was able to do so this past weekend. Adam is incredible and putting together trips and adventures for our group of friends. We headed from Seattle to Silver Creek, WA to set up camp at Ike Kinswa State Park. I highly recommend you checking out this site http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Ike%20Kinswa ! As I pulled up to the site I realized there was a lot more people gathering then I originally thought (which was 5). Turns out 12 lovely people showed up for the weekend shenanigans. We got in pretty late Friday night but were able to set up camp before the sun went down. As everyone trickled in we sat around the fire for some drinks, eats, and good conversation. Saturday morning we woke up to a beautiful, beautiful day ahead of us. Debating whether we should hike or hang around and play games we settled on finding a lake, setting up a badminton/volleyball net and let the games begin. We ate, drank and laughed into the evening. As evening rolled around we settled on campfire stories, slapping the bag and food. The question game became the hot topic of conversation. One person asks a deep or not so deep question and everyone has to go around the circle answering to the best of their abilities. A few of us even teared up at some of the questions and answers. Although some of us were meeting for the first time what I loved this about this group of people was that no one held back their fears, happiness or emotions. A genuine group of real people that all connect. 


Cheers to adventures.. 

hanging out at the lake.. 75 degrees in Washington. we'll take it!

adam | the man responsible for the amazing weekend 

oberon | the beer responsible for the amazing weekend

awaiting the arrivals.. 

swimming | badminton | volleyball | drinks

sandwich time!

beach naps

two nights of beautiful sunsets over the lake

part of the gang

we found a rope. naturally that involved rope swinging into the COLD water

one of my bestest

Rattlesnake Ledge

December 26th my parents and I headed out to Rattlesnake Ledge for our last hike together on their trip to Seattle. The parking lot was filled with people and we ended up parking on the street. At the bottom of the trailhead is a beautiful body of water that is viewable from the top of the ledge. The hike up was dry and clear the whole way up. 

the view of the lake from the ledge

my mom at the top

beautiful view

so proud of my mama .. 3 hikes in 5 days after a broken pelvis this summer