Vacation so far...
Dad sent me his old Garmin 60C, so I put topographical maps on it. Works fine out in the open, but loses signal in the heavy trees. Tested it some over the weekend, but didn't get to use the topo function until Sunday, as I only put maps for that region on it (I90 corridor, so Cougar Mtn, Tiger Mtn, Squak Mtn, etc).
Thursday was for running errands and seeing Prometheus. I should have waited to rent it, but I went to Lacey's theater in the late morning, so it was $6 for a mostly deserted movie in a big, comfy recliner. Movie itself was painful in how everyone seemed to be morons, but at least we got a bit more backstory. Also got a good hiking pack and a few more supplies so I can be prepared to do Olympic & Mt Rainier hiking, safely.
Friday turned mostly into a driving day, as it rained pretty heavily as the morning progressed. Got fresh cherries on the roadside of US12, checked out the highway that runs parallel to US12, and a state park that mostly caters to RV camping. The road itself goes through some really lovely country. I grew up in a flat area, so seeing miles of rolling green mountains and hills still captivates me, even after 2 years here. Again struck out when trying to find a waterfall in the region. Cowlitz Falls is now a hydroelectric plant, so got a few pics of that, instead. Then drove along to Packwood and into Mt Rainier. Foggy as hell on most of the mountain, but still an enjoyable drive. Paradise is still snowed under, even in late June, and part of that loop was closed. Longmire was clear, being mostly along the base of the mountain. No photos, as it was too foggy for most of that part of the drive. SR 7 has been closed from Alder Lake to Eatonville due to "an unstable slope", so I guess something collapsed.
Saturday it rained too much, so spent most of the day puttering around on the computer, doing laundry, etc.
Yesterday was an impromptu Squak Mountain in the afternoon, after a 4.3 mile run in the morning. Made the mistake of going for the light ankle brace with trail running shoes instead of medium w/ hiking boots. Two miles up, constantly uphill, fucked the left ankle up, so turned around early before the peak (sign said another 1.6 miles). The area is nice. Planned on doing Coal Creek Trail in Newcastle, but it was a lovely, somewhat sunny Sunday, and everyone was out there. No parking on any of the trailheads. I will be back there later, during the week.
Thursday was for running errands and seeing Prometheus. I should have waited to rent it, but I went to Lacey's theater in the late morning, so it was $6 for a mostly deserted movie in a big, comfy recliner. Movie itself was painful in how everyone seemed to be morons, but at least we got a bit more backstory. Also got a good hiking pack and a few more supplies so I can be prepared to do Olympic & Mt Rainier hiking, safely.
Friday turned mostly into a driving day, as it rained pretty heavily as the morning progressed. Got fresh cherries on the roadside of US12, checked out the highway that runs parallel to US12, and a state park that mostly caters to RV camping. The road itself goes through some really lovely country. I grew up in a flat area, so seeing miles of rolling green mountains and hills still captivates me, even after 2 years here. Again struck out when trying to find a waterfall in the region. Cowlitz Falls is now a hydroelectric plant, so got a few pics of that, instead. Then drove along to Packwood and into Mt Rainier. Foggy as hell on most of the mountain, but still an enjoyable drive. Paradise is still snowed under, even in late June, and part of that loop was closed. Longmire was clear, being mostly along the base of the mountain. No photos, as it was too foggy for most of that part of the drive. SR 7 has been closed from Alder Lake to Eatonville due to "an unstable slope", so I guess something collapsed.
Saturday it rained too much, so spent most of the day puttering around on the computer, doing laundry, etc.
Yesterday was an impromptu Squak Mountain in the afternoon, after a 4.3 mile run in the morning. Made the mistake of going for the light ankle brace with trail running shoes instead of medium w/ hiking boots. Two miles up, constantly uphill, fucked the left ankle up, so turned around early before the peak (sign said another 1.6 miles). The area is nice. Planned on doing Coal Creek Trail in Newcastle, but it was a lovely, somewhat sunny Sunday, and everyone was out there. No parking on any of the trailheads. I will be back there later, during the week.