Observation Peak

A few months ago I got to put a "Catherine Day" on the calendar.  Saturday was that day.  Jesse watched to boys so I could go on a solo outing of my choice.  The lovely weather led me to select one of my all-time favorite hikes: Observation Peak.

I was hoping to be at the trail head by 6am, but I misremembered how far I needed to drive on Forest Service Roads and overshot my target time by almost an hour.  That might have been because I stopped to take some photos along the way.  Maybe.

It occurred to me with this pre-hike photo that there would be no photography of children on this trip....just lots of landscapes and self portraits.

Starting the hike at 7am ended up being just fine.  The forest was blanketed in fog, which slowly lifted during the course of my ascent.  

It was quiet in the beginning---even the birds were still sleeping.

I was in my happy place.  Marveling in the beauty of nature.  Enjoying feeling small.

There was a lot of stopping to appreciate the natural artwork.

The light and colors changed so dramatically over the course of 30 minutes.

How beautiful!

The veil of fog lifted and you could see glimpses of the clear, bright day that lay ahead.

The people who choose to live here in the Pacific Northwest (in general) and in the Columbia River Gorge (specifically) share a love for wilderness.  And so, I find it striking that I can adventure to such a breathtaking place and not run into another person.

This is the first overlook view once you come out of the forest.  The silhouette there is Mt. Adams. 

All those bushes in foreground are huckleberries.

Yum!  Jesse keeps ziplock bags in our packs for random occasions such as this.  The whole family is happy he's such a good planner.  

Golden light.

This site is a memorable one.  When Jonah was a baby we did the world's most picturesque diaper change in this location.

Sleepy little bee.

It's hard to take a bad photo up here.

The summit is a rocky outcrop with views of the surrounding volcanoes.

From left to right: Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier (by the tree), Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. 

Definitely worth hiking through beautiful woods for this!

It might be easier to see Mt. Rainier in this photo.  Straight ahead above the cloud line.

Not a bad place to have lunch.

One last peak of Mt. St. Helens and then it was time to hike back down.

Total trip was 5.6 miles.

Many thanks to Jesse.  I had a wonderful time.

xoxo

Happy Birthday Jonah

Jonah turns FIVE!

We celebrated Jonah's birthday last weekend at the Skatepark which was a good thing, because today sweet Jonah is sick.  He's had a fever and so we are spending this special day on the sofa.  Honestly, if Jonah thought it was an option, he would ask to watch movies all day on his birthday, sick or not.  We are marathon watching Jonah's favorite shows on Netflix: The Octonauts and Wild Kratts.

Last year, for Jonah's FOURTH birthday we camped at Half Moon Lake in Wyoming.  I never did a blog post about it, so here are the photos from that adventure, one year later.

This spot was recommended by my friend Julie who lives in Pinedale.  Having insider counsel on the best place to camp was so fantastic.  I would suggest this spot to anyone traveling through the area.

With just a 10 mile detour from the main road, we were rewarded with quiet beauty.

We had no trouble snagging a campsite right on the lake with access to the beach.

We ended up with the beach to ourselves!

Jonah had a ball exploring the shoreline.

Jump!

Our sweet boy.

To me, this picture is Joy....summer childhood joy.

The setting sun made such beautiful, golden light.

After dinner and cake, the boys went for a little swim.

Jonah ended his day watching the moon rise.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.

We love you!  -M/D/e

Jeep Nostalgia

Our Jeep Wrangler has facilitated many adventures.  We have loved it!  Whether we were exploring the back roads of Baja, trekking to Grand Canyon mountain bike rides, hauling tubes to float the Klickitat, returning to a trail head after a long ski trip, or camping on remote BLM land, the Jeep was a reliable workhorse for all that we asked.
After having a baby, we made the tough decision to own something a little more family friendly and safe.  We sold our sweet Jeep this summer...here's a look back on of some of our favorite Jeep moments.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories!