Pacific Northwest: Highs and Lows (Day Hike to Camp Muir, Mt. Rainer -> Paddling on Lake Washington)

The first weekend of fall, and it couldn't have been better, weather-wise. My neighbor, Jen, had a rare weekend off so we made the best of it and decided to do a hike on Mt. Rainier with the goal of reaching Camp Muir (elevation, 10,188 feet) which is the highest point a day hiker can go on the mountain. It is also the base camp for those who plan to summit the mountain.

Now that school has started, the crowds were relatively thin - thank goodness! No wait at the entrance and it was National Trail Day so the park entrance fee was waived - woot! We parked the car at Paradise which is located on the southern part of the mountain and headed out to the Skyline trail. Along the way, we only ran into a handful of other people, a coyote, and a couple of whistling marmots (the coyote's snacks). How we missed the bears, I don't know, but everyone else saw them on the trail we were on. We probably scared them away with all our yakking.

I thought that once we were up past the alpine plants and into the rocky landscape of the mountain, we wouldn't run into too many people, however, there is only one way up to Camp Muir - via Pebble Creek Trail and up Muir Snowfield. We rounded a rock and I looked up and the mountain seemed peppered with climbers, hikers, and skiers. I hate to think what that trail looks like during July and August. But, it was an amazing day and a lot of people had the same idea as us. At the end of Pebble Creek Trail, we had two options to our approach...either scramble along the rocks or trudge through the snowfield. We chose to scramble for the most part. As we climbed, our pace slowed down dramatically as we hit the 7500 ft. level and we started to take more breaks. That was frustrating to the both of us because we thought of ourselves as relatively fit but the altitude kicked our ass.

When we got above the clouds, to the south, I had clear views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Hood in Oregon (east of Portland). F***in' amazing. Our conversation was minimal at 8,000 ft because we were out of breath for most of the time...but, we also wanted to hear the mountain talk to us. To our left, we had spectacular views of the Nisqually glacier and you could hear the creaks and, on occasion, roars, of the ice as it made its way down the mountain.

Along the way, we kept pace with a group of about 8 people who were heading to Camp Muir to spend the night before their attempt to summit the next day. Earlier, we had run into a few people who tried to summit that morning but had to turn back due to the 60 mph winds on the mountain.

We decided to attempt the last 800 feet through the snowfield. We were kind of freaked out by the crevasses caused by the melting snow which is why we'd been scrambling up the rocks most of the way. But, we threw on our crampons and followed the trails formed by others (surely they would avoid the crevasses) and slowly made our way up the last steep part to our destination. I don't know where we got that last blast of energy (we almost stopped at about 8500 feet). I think it was the combination of our last extended break, the Snickers bar I just ate, being so close to our destination, the exhilaration of walking on the snowfield, and just saving face - we couldn't turn back now! In the distance, we could see Camp Muir.

But, we made it (almost...). Camp Muir was probably another 500 feet up, but we decided to stop just to the right and enjoy the breathtaking views to the east: Cathedral Rocks and the Cowlitz Glacier. I watched a group of hikers who were heading down ON THEIR SKIS!!! I was salivating and excited that ski season was right around the corner. On the way down, there was one novice skier in that group who gave up and was walking down. I wanted to trade my crampons for his boots & skis (but he looked grumpy so I kept my smarmy comments to myself). Needless to say, the way down was way more fun than going up. But, I was spent at the end. Round trip, it took us 7 hours to make it up to about 9800 ft. which was an altitude gain of about 4300 ft. from Paradise. Sigh - so close to making it to 10,000 ft...but I was wasted and I knew I had at least 2 hours to get back to the car. If you feel fit enough to do it, it's an epic trip for day hikers. Poles and crampons are your friends on the snowfields. And, bring plenty of water! We both got a bit of a headache from the altitude so ibuprofen is also a good thing to bring. I'll be back...with my skis!

Here's a link to the pictures I took on that hike.

The next day, I spent it paddling around Lake Washington with some folks from one of my hockey teams. I rented a kayak from Seattle Raft & Kayak in Magnuson Park and we spent a few hours on the northern end of Lake Washington, watching sailing regattas and dodging speedboats. It was clear and in the 70's so it seemed like everyone was out on the water. Mt. Rainier was immense in the distance and I found it so incredible that just the day before, I was huffing and puffing up the south side. Not a bad way to spend the weekend in the fabulous Pacific Northwest.

Pre-game Haka...Game On! (VIDEO)

Coach - Here is our new pre-game "dance."



(Video credit: YouTube, The Haka - New Zealand All Blacks vs. Tonga, From:urbandiscipline)

And...another one:



(Video credit: YouTube, Haka, Maori Dance - New Zealand All Blacks, From:blairojunior)

No More Fries - It's Hockey Season!

Well, my friends....it's true. I've given up one of my favorite post-activity pub grub for the entire fall/winter season of hockey (whimper, whimper) and am making a public affirmation on my blog so, y'all will help police this silly endeavor for the next few months and make that season-ending plate (wheelbarrow) of fries a scrumptious reward. It all started after my last hockey game this past summer when we convinced a couple of the guys from my team to coach our women's team. We didn't immediately agree to their fundraising idea (derriere shots for a calendar....oh, and btw - I know how to wear my thongs so there is no "Thong Gone Wrong" caption under my picture!). Some of us, however, agreed to 'no more fries.' Buffalo wings, burgers, and, of course, alcohol, however, are still up for grabs!

Oh, and by the way - All content on this blog is from my personal point-of-view and, in no way, reflects those of the Seattle Women's Hockey Club :-)

This season, I decided to re-join the Seattle Women's Hockey Club and I am really looking forward to the season. The club is finally able to give Steve a break from coaching and has brought on some new coaches to help out with Skip. They include Amy, "Sin Bin" Murray, and Scott....I've dubbed the last 2 "Double-Trouble." We're on our third week of practice (yes, please make me do another ladder drill until I puke) and the teams will be formed in the next week. A lot of familiar and fun people have returned but we also have a good number of new players on board (both experienced and inexperienced...all with great attitudes). It's going to be a great season and nothing but good times to look forward to. Home-made microbrews, party bus, post-game razzing at the bar...oh, yeah...and hockey!

I also joined another co-ed team because I've rediscovered how fun it is to play on a co-ed team. It'll be a challenge for me, though, to manage the intensity level...easy for me to be a little more aggressive in a co-ed league b/c the guys hardly feel the contact made by a 5'4" woman. But, I'll have to remember to tone it down when I play with the women (except in tourneys - especially against those stronger Canadian skaters).

Skate, shoot, score! OK, Coach Murray - I'll get on that pre-game dance that will stop the other team in their tracks, cause their jaws to drop to the ice (or maybe laugh hysterically so they lose focus), and wonder what the heck is going on with *that* team.

Chuckanut Century 2008

I had so much fun riding Chuckanut Drive back in August on the RSVP that I decided to sign up for the Chuckanut Century in Bellingham, WA which took place this past weekend. What a fabulous place to start winding down the cycling season. I don't usually pay too much attention to the fundraising efforts which is a part of the registration fee, but this time I paid particular attention....the Whatcom Hospice Foundation. After reading Jonah's blog - mysusiez.blogspot.com - covering the last 3 months with Susie, I see the big role hospices play. Before I took off, I silently celebrated life, celebrated all my relationships, and celebrated the little adventure I'm able to partake in (despite the mean hit & run driver that tried to take away it away from me three years ago in SF. Ha! My knees feel great and I am a stronger rider today than I was back then....grrr). Anyway, the day was absolutely spectacular, a little cold in the morning, but not a cloud in the sky. Fall, my most absolute, favorite season, was just around the corner with some of the leaves starting to change color. Towards the end of my ride, I watched a leaf gently fall to the ground which I thought was appropriate for the moment. I smiled (silent woot!).

Thankfully, I wasn't riding alone and Alain signed up at the last minute because he wanted to try and beat me to the top of a hill just once this season :-) After my recap, I think you will agree with me that I should rename this blog, the 'Misadventures of Alain.' LOL!

I picked Alain up at 5:30 am and we got up to Bellingham in 1.5 hours and were on the road by 7:30. Our goal was to complete the Double Metric Century (200k ~124 miles for the Americans too lazy to calculate :-) that day but the good thing about this ride was there were a lot of options to make it as long (or, ahem, as short, as you want to). There were two loops: the South Loop and the North Loop. We did the South Loop first before all the MS riders (1600 riders on a 2 day ride) and the cars clogged it all up.

Five miles into the ride, and we started a gentle climb on Chuckanut. Then, the misadventures began. Within the first 10 miles, here are some classic Alain quotes:
'My computer seems to have stop working.'
(Hmmm....let me take a look. Um, Alain, your front tire is on backwards.)
Then, as we were picking up speed on a downhill after our stop at one of the vista points:
'I left my glasses back there.'
At our first stop:
'Yeah, this looks like our stop.'
(As we were noshing on the yummy sandwiches, we realized that we were mooching off of the MS ride and eating their food. Ooops! OK, just to be fair, I contributed to this error. Double-oops!)

The mood of the riders was light and fun. In mid-season, most people are more serious and are just focused on their own goals (finishing first, finishing the ride faster than the previous year, etc.). But, today, it seemed like people were more about enjoying the ride and wrapping up the season with all their cycling goals achieved and behind them. I've never chatted with so many strangers on a ride like I did that day. Of course, the spectacular weather helps! First, we met a couple of riders, Hillary and Trent, when we were heading into our first stop. They stopped at a playground which we dubbed 'the super-secret potty break spot.' Brilliant! No lines! So, we stopped and chatted...just the previous week, they did the Mt. Baker Hillclimb and highly recommended it. If I don't get into RAMROD (Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day) lottery next year, maybe this will be a good substitute. What great people. We crossed paths many times and then shared a beer afterwards.

The final misadventure of Alain occurred when we got to Lake Samish. Once again, he was lolly-gagging way behind me on a hill. I got up to the next turn and glanced behind me and saw a rider. I assumed it was Alain so I sped on. Then, the rider passed me and it wasn't Alain. S***! I waited and I thought I saw Alain go straight through the sign. Sigh. I waited a little longer and soon Hillary and Trent came up and said they didn't see Alain. A few other people we'd been chatting and riding with along the way came up, and none of them reported seeing Alain. So, I called and left him a vmail to meet me at the northern end of the lake.

I got to the stop sign and waited....and waited...and waited. OK, he is *not* that slow. I checked my phone again, another message. He had gone on and was waiting for me further up. Argh! You see, I was waiting at the bottom of a hill that was rather long and it would've been great to have had that momentum. So, I thanked Alain for providing me with entertainment and mixing it up to make the experience other than just another mundane bike ride, and grinded up that hill. I got to the top and there was a woman saying 'there she is!' I guess when people got to the top of the hill, they told Alain that I was waiting for him at the bottom of the hill at the stop sign. I didn't stop and kept going and waited for Alain to catch up with me. I wasn't mad...I just didn't want to lose momentum (haha...) and he knew that. So, he caught up and we laughed and chalked it up to another Alain misadventure and continued on our fun journey. Then, it was one final hill back on Chuckanut and I got my billy goat legs going and left Alain in the dust (yes, I did!). One of the riders (a woman whose name I didn't catch) was giving Alain some flack about me being pissed off about the Lake Samish incident because I just blasted up that hill. Alain said,' oh that's just my mountain goat friend. She does that all the time and I catch up eventually.'

South Loop done...66 miles. Back at the starting point at Boundary Bay Brewery. Most of the fun people we were riding with were calling it a day. Alain and I looked at each other....and, called it a day as well. It was already later than we expected and if we continued, we wouldn't be getting home until late. I knew that Alain would love to spend the rest of the weekend with his wife and kids and I had some work to finish up (pathetic, I know...just one more project to wrap up for a free trip to Montreal). Besides, I had a coupon burning in my pocket for a free beer and the smell of the grilled burgers was too tantalizing. We dropped our bikes off, 'high-fived', headed to the brewery......and, celebrated.

Think PINK! 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk

A couple of weekends ago, I received sad news that my friend, and former hockey & defense partner, succumbed to her 6.5 year battle with cancer. I always looked forward to skating with Susie because she had the quirkiest sense of humor so I knew that I would be skating on a team with the funniest name. Pre and post game time in the locker room was always filled with laughter which would continue into the afternoon/evening at the closest bar or at her home that she shared with her husband, Jonah. We skated as "Dee" partners so many times and had so many laughs and conversations on the bench in between shifts. But, sadly, the one game I recall the most was one where she was feeling tired and worn down from her most recent round of steroid treatments and in between shifts we talked about her cancer and her treatment - what I remember most was the fear I saw in her eyes. At the time, Susie was battling brain cancer, but her initial diagnosis was breast cancer.

Today kicks off the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk in Seattle. A total of 3000 participants will be covering 60 miles over the weekend and their fundraising efforts will primarily benefit the Susan G. Komen For The Cure. Over the summer and fall, similar walks were or will be held in 13 other cities in the U.S. Good luck to all the walkers this weekend!

I am putting together a team for next year's event in San Francisco (October 9 - 11, 2009) and I would like to dedicate my efforts to Susie and her family. Stay tuned for news and updates. If you would like to join me in my efforts as either a participant or a donor, just let me know.

Peace out, Susie, and remember, NEVER clear the puck up the middle and back off the blue line when your Dee partner decides to pinch (haha, like I always did/do)...thanks for covering my ass.

It's Official - Lance WILL Race Again!

An exclusive article just released in Vanity Fair (wha?!), is the announcement by Mr. 7-Time TDF winner that he was going to race again. I guess he was motivated after he came in 2nd at the Leadville 100 (a mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies). In addition, he will be entering some cyclocross races which is something I want to try because I need a fourth bike :-)

OK, I can't think of a better road trip through California than this...the Amgen Tour of California in February! One of the stops is in Solvang for the individual time trials. I've always wanted to ride there so I will bring my bike. Oh, and the wineries along the way! So, if Lance is scheduled to race, I'm there.

Lance Armstrong - He's Back?

According to an article posted on the VeloNews today, Lance is coming out of retirement for 5 races in 2009 including Tour de California, Tour de Georgia, and "The Tour" de France. The story says he will be racing on the Astana team which also includes Levi Leipheimer (I used to see him train in Santa Rosa...he would chase his wife, who drove a scooter, around the vineyards and hills of Sonoma), and Chris Horner. If this is true, Lance will be reunited with Johan Bruyneel, his former team manager who was there for his 7 TDF wins. Trek is also a sponsor of the team. Team Astana did not race in this year's Tour de France due to their ties to the doping scandal.

If this is true, maybe it's time to revisit France, but this time, during the Tour and attempt to do part of the route (LOL). Or, maybe just rent an RV, load it up with fine French Wine, and ring my cowbell from the sidelines.

Time to hit the Beach! - Cannon Beach, OR

Jocelyn: "Hey Julie...wanna hit the beach?"
Julie: "Sure! Let me grab my parka!"

This is what happens when you invite a SoCal gal for some beach time in the Pacific Northwest. Actually, I expected the same which is why my bag was packed to the brim because you never know what you'll get out on the coast so I packed for everything. However, I DID NOT pack a parka :-)

It was time for the ocean. Sure, you have the Puget Sound around Seattle but it's nothing compared to the ocean..the sound, the smells, the wildlife, and the saltwater taffy! So, we headed down from Seattle to the Oregon coast and one of my favorite places.....Cannon Beach, Oregon. I haven't been there in over 14 years so it was time to pay a visit. So much has changed on the road down to Oregon. Like everything else anywhere, so much has built up and there are so many people and so many cars. But, when you get out on the beach itself, everything is as I had remembered.

Cannon Beach has maintained its small town charm after all these years. Thank god...no Walmart nearby! I applaud the local community and government for keeping out those massive, evil, mom&pop devouring, uncompassionate treatment of its employees, chain stores! Phew...ok, enough of my rants...back to the easy-going beach life. It's a dog-friendly town with many of the establishments accepting pets on the patio or in the stores. And, the sand! So fine, soft and so warm! We lucked out and the sun came out for all the days we were there. Everyone in town was complaining about the colder than usual summer and I kept thinking "what are these people talking about?" In general, I think people in the northwest just like to verbally complain about the weather hoping to keep everyone else from moving to this incredibly beautiful region. And, secondly, I spent 13 years in San Francisco and everyone knows that famous Mark Twain quote "The coldest winter I spent was a summer in San Francisco." So, this past summer in the Northwest has been amazing for me! "What, I can wear shorts and a tank top after 3:00 in the afternoon?"

In any case, Cannon Beach, Oregon is a must visit. From Portland, it's only 80 miles. From Seattle, it's 180 miles. Every summer (June, I think?), they hold a huge Sand Castle Competition that produces some of the most amazing sand sculptures I've ever seen. I found this site that has pictures of the 2008 competition. The competition started in 1965 one year after a tsunami had hit the area. The year after the tsunami, the beach recorded the lowest tide levels in the century and some locals decided to capitalize on the media attention and held a sandcastle competition. Since then, up to 45,000 people (yikes) have attended the competition. It's held at the foot of the most recognized monolith of the Oregon coast - Haystack rock.

Highway 101 is also a popular cycling touring route with hundreds testing their legs and lungs along the Pacific Coast every year. I saw quite a few tackling the route from Astoria, OR to Cannon Beach and it had me pining for my bike. At lunch the other day at Mo's (southern part of Cannon Beach), some cyclists sat down next to us and they were riding their bikes from Portland San Francisco. Well, Anan was...the other two were going to catch the train back down to EssEff from Florence, OR. Their group exemplified what I miss about living in SF...Anan is originally from El Salvador, another rider from Australia, and the one woman from Spain. I miss that....going to a restaurant, bar, or an event in the Bay Area and meeting people from so many different parts of the world. I LOVE the northwest and I won't be moving back to the Bay Area, BUT...I miss that diversity and exposure to so many different cultures (and the food!!) without ever having to leave "The City." Sorry, I apologize for the tangents. Must stay focused!

Anyway, Anan was going to be cycling the next 2 weeks down the coast and he was using this book which I need to buy - Bicycling the Pacific Coast by the Mountaineers Club. I flipped through it and it looked pretty good with not only the mileage included but also the elevation gain and campsites. Phew....I had a feeling that the Oregon/California border was going to be tough...and it is. But, that is definitely one ride I'll have to do. Fun times at the shore and Daisy is currently snoring so loud so I know she had a great time. Here's a link to the photos I took that day.