The Washington State Chronicles

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. :)