The Washington State Chronicles

The Grove of the Patriarchs is -- quite simply put -- a magical place. There is a feeling of serenity and tranquility from the moment you set foot into this massive thicket, where all sense of time seems to be lost. Gazing upon trees that have existed since the Middle Ages, I couldn't help but feel humbled and small. These trees have a way of healing the soul, and captivating the imagination. There is an undeinable stillness in those woods that demands reverence, and if you sit still long enough, you can actually hear the massive trees creaking and groaning under the weight of their old age.

This is hallowed ground. Period.

These ancients have stood for more than a thousand years, and what I wouldn't give to climb up into their lofty branches and listen to the stories they have to tell. I'm sure they would be many -- if only they could speak. I think of warriors, and knights roaming the woods, where these magnificent trees sprung out of the ground, merely tiny, little sapplings. How many forest fires have they seen, frightened that they too might be burned to the ground? They stood and watched as people came and went, ripping down and building up...

Yet, they still remain.

If you have not yet had the pleasure of being in the presence of these massive giants, mark it as a destination on your list. This is a must do. It's an easy 1.5 mile, leisurely stroll through the woods, with a suspension bridge crossing over the Ohanapecosh river. This river is gorgeous on a nice day. The water is so clear, you can see right down to the bottom of it's turquoise blue waters and view all the tiny little pebbles and rocks, which look like jewels in the sunlight. The bridge is fun to cross, as it bounces up and down with each step you take, but please -- obey the park signs and only cross one person at a time. The bridge is very stable, but we want to keep it that way.

This is a great place to take the family for a day of fun. The Grove of the Patriarchs trailhead has a good amount of parking spaces, a bathroom, drinking fountains, and several picnic tables to choose from if you decide to have lunch there. This is, however, a very "tourist-y" location, so if you don't want to be around a lot of people, I would suggest taking another hike. But, it is very worth it, and it only takes an hour.

I'd also like to take a moment to remind you all of proper trail etiquette. Of course, as with all popular destinations, you're going to run into a number of people who either don't know, or don't care. Please, be reserved and quiet so others are able to enjoy their surroundings -- unlike the jerk we had to follow who was shouting the entire time. Also, I'd like to thank whoever spit their gum out on the trail, which eventually found its way to the bottom of my shoe. Hopefully you all caught my sarcasm there. Not only is chewing gum non-biodegradable, but it's a pain in the butt to clean up. Yes, the flavors and the sugar decompose after awhile, but what remains is the gum base, which is (in it's basic form) rubber or plastic. Great! >.< So, please don't litter. Especially in a place as sacred as this. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. :)

Check out the video below of this mystical, and very enchanting place:

Situated in the south-east corner of Mt. Rainier National Park, Steven's Canyon boasts an incredible number of waterfalls -- five to be exact -- so if you're into searching for crashing water, you've come to the right place. Two of the falls are unnamed, the other three are Maple Falls, Sylvia Falls, and Martha Falls. Make sure to bring two cars for this one, like we did, otherwise face twice the hiking time. We left one car up at our destination, Reflection Lake, and drove all the way down to the Box Canyon Picnic area to start our hike.

From the very beginning we were accompained by the sound of rolling water as Steven's Creek flowed down the canyon toward us. Not even 0.6 mile into our hike we stumbled across the first falls, and crossed Steven's Creek utilizing the foot bridge. Realitively easy going for the next couple of miles, we weaved in and out of the heavily shaded forest catching glimpses of the creek as we explored the canyon floor. It was quiet, and after pushing ahead of the other hikers, we had the trail all to ourselves. Lots of beavers must live on that river, because we must have seen at least three or four beaver dams -- but never the actual fuzzy creatures themselves.We took a quick stop at Maple Creek Camp, which is one of the numerous back-country camping sites you can choose to stay at along the Wonderland Trail, and trekked on.

From there, the trail took a gradual ascent along the ridge, and before long we had reached Sylvia Falls. We stopped to pose in front of the waterfall, and scarfed down some power food. Once again, we hoisted our backpacks over our shoulders, and pushed on. Fighting our way through stinging nettles and devil's club we slowly climbed up the ridge, and in no time at all we were hiking parallel to Steven's Canyon Road on the other side of the valley.

The climb was steady, and steep -- full of stairs and rocky stream crossings. All of us were famished by the time we reached the fifth, and last waterfall on our journey. Martha Falls was impressive, and quite a bit larger than Sylvia Falls. We had to shout over the roaring water just to hear each other! Stopping at Martha Falls for lunch is a great idea. You can sit on the log bridge that crosses the stream, or on the stairs across the way. No matter where you sit, the cool mist of the falls will wash over you -- which feels amazing on a hot summer day, let me tell you. After lunch we packed up, and hiked on.

The sound of rushing cars alerted us that we had reached Steven's Canyon Road, and we crossed carefully. Continuing through the woods we finally came to a snow covered area near the road. Trying to stay on the trail, but not really being able to see exactly where it was, was a bit scary. Even scarrier still, was when Samm's foot broke through the snow, and her whole leg sank down into a hollowed out cavern under the ice! All was well, though, after we cautiously crossed the thin snow pack, and Samm's mini panic attack had passed. We so badly wanted to finish the hike the way it was supposed to be, by taking the side trip down to Louise Lake and back up, but there was still far too much snow in the area. Rather than risking it, we decided to stay safe on the road and hiked back up to frozen-over Reflection Lake to complete our quest.

After 6.6 strenuous miles of uphill trekking, we were exhausted. But, it was all worth it when we were able to look out and down across the canyon we had just ventured out of. Our sense of accomplishment was high, and we were already talking about tackling the trail once again, after the snow melted off.

Steven's Canyon...you kicked my ass! :P But, I'd do it all again in a heart beat. What a journey!

Check out the video below to view our epic quest. Thank you ladies for coming along and being champs!

Sorry I've been away for so long, folks. We've been having some fantastic weather here in the Pacific Northwest, and I've been taking advantage of it while I can. We've had such a short hiking season this year, and there's still snow melting off the trails up near Paradise. Normally at this time of year, all of those trails are hikable...so needless to say, I've been a busy, busy bee!

Since I last wrote, I have had the privilege of hiking Steven's Canyon, Comet Falls / Van Trump Park, The Grove of the Patriarchs, and Carter Falls to Narada Falls. I will write individual blogs about each hike, hopefully within in the next week or so. I have a few days off coming up, so perhaps I can do some much needed catching up on the site. :)

Steven's Canyon was epic. That's the only word to describe it. 6.6 strenuous miles, uphill, passing five waterfalls, from the bottom of the canyon floor...all the way up to beautiful Reflection Lake. There was pain (in the form of blisters), exhaustion from the steep switchbacks, breath-taking views, crazy river crossings, and even a scary point when Samm almost fell through a snowdrift that had melted out from underneath! But we came, we saw, we conquered, and our sense of accomplishment had never been stronger. Sadly...my pictures and videos did NOT make it. Well, some of them did, but more than half of my pictures and clips were lost for some unknown reason. I was so bummed because it didn't save any pictures of the waterfalls, or vids of them either, and all my cute photos of my friends and I on the trail were gone.

You can imagine my surprise the next day when my mom scooped me up and took me down to our local Fred Meyer and said, "Pick out a camera!" I could hardly believe it, and I was so excited and so thankful. I instantly went for the Sony Cybershot 14.1 mega pixel 4x optical zoom camera -- the camera of my dreams.

You can't even imagine the clarity that this thing takes didgital pictures and videos with. It even shoots in HD! :D I'm so anxious to put together a slideshow for you guys so you can see what a difference this camera has made. I'm still learning about all the little things it can do, but for straight out of the box it's pretty easy to use. And talk about lightweight! This thing shaves ounces off of the old camera I was using, and I barely even realize it's in my pocket out there on the trails. Thank you again, mom, for graciously buying me a new camera. It's incredible!

I also bought a Buff!!! This thing is the coolest thing since sliced bread, I'm tellin' ya. Not only has it kept me cool on hot hikes, and warm on cool hikes (like bitterly cold Comet Falls), but I've found a variety of uses for it outside of the hiking genre. I use it ALL THE TIME when I workout at the lake with the girls, and I can't wait to take it camping with me in August. I also purchased another one and gave it to my brother for his birthday, and he absolutely loves it. If you don't have a Buff...I suggest you go order one now. :P


Check back soon for my four blogs on the hikes I've taken. I'll have them posted shortly with pics and videos!!! Until next time...stay safe out there. :)