Looking Back at the Hikes of 2013

A gloomy but beautiful Puget Sound

Looking back over 2013, I realized I hiked in seven states.  Not bad!  I learned a few things and sustained only one minor injury.  I was pleasantly surprised by my forays into Maryland and Virginia.  There were great views, challenging trails, and pretty hardwood forests.

I acquainted myself much better with the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, which I found is every bit the match for the Oregon side.  It’s just different, with less climbing but more views, fewer waterfalls, but fewer people, too.

New Mexico was awesome, and I wish I’d had more time near the Sandia Mountains.  I also wish it hadn’t been over 100 degrees.

Night comes in Napa, California

I did find some hikes in California, but besides the Redwoods, nothing was earth shattering.  Still, I’ll take those mellow walks by Napa every time.   In Texas, I found  good moderate hiking in Eisenhower Park outside San Antonio.  There were multiple trails with views and the curious effect of being next to a military installation.

Even with an off year, Oregon rocks!  I don’t care for the crowds at Multnomah Falls, (Tangential newsflash, the Benson bridge and Larch Mountain Trial are currently closed because of rockfall damage)  but all of the Gorge waterfalls are stunning, and Munra Point was one of the coolest destinations I’d seen there.  Mount Hood amazed me again at McNeil Point.  Scrambling above the hut turned into one of the most adventurous hikes I’d been on in a decade.

It’s cheesy to say this, and I’m not a happy go lucky guy by nature, but I am blessed to have traveled with my family, hiked in seven states, and seen all that I have seen.  May 2014 come close to matching it.  And what about you?

Happy in the Sandia Mountains, NM

Urban Hiking in Federal Way, and Puget Sound too

While on a four day working vacation with my wife in Federal Way, Washington, I was able to take a few opportunities to stretch my legs and find some pleasant spots.  There were a couple nice parks right in town, notably Celebration Park, where I wandered more than anticipated after I needed some emergency work on my car.

The BPA trail is a broad winding broad path beneath powerlines, but it had some nice foliage too.  It was quite chilly in the shadows, and I turned off on a nature trail that seemed to veer into a sunnier grove.

Later in the day I again found my self on the edge of Celebration Park.  It was walking distance from the auto shop as well as from where Denise was working, and I managed to find some lovely spots.

Later in the afternoon, after picking up the car, we headed west toward Puget Sound in search of seafood restaurants.  Near Dash Point, a small beachside community, we walked at a waterfront park.  It was gorgeous and cold.  The food we ate later capped off the day perfectly, and even as the light slipped away, I remembered some lovely images of Puget Sounds.

Looking across Puget Sound toward the Olympic Mountains.