Kendall Peak

As we toured towards Kendall Peak, the clouds promised to clear and offer up some blue sky. Keeping their word, the clouds moved around and through the valley all day, offering up some great views of Snoqualmie Mountain, Red Mountain, and Mount Rainier.

Carly -my stepsister- came along with her split board and enjoyed a few turns. Then, she and I headed out and home. I'm not certain she enjoyed the hike/ski out as this was much more difficult with a split-board...but she hung in there and had a smile on her face in the end. Ed and Brandon stayed out for a few more runs and came back just as the sun was going down.

Although we had recently seen a good deal of fresh snow, the slope had seen some wind and also had a melt-freeze layer that made the skiing a bit crusty. Still, a 'not-great' day in the backcountry is still pretty spectacular.

Carly & Heather

Brandon & Ed digging a pit

Ed, on the top, following the bootpack section

Summit View, South

Ed, the tele guy

Scottish Lakes

Just before Christmas, Brandon & I headed to Scottish Lakes High Camp (near Leavenworth) for some R & R and potential skiing. For those of you who don't know of this place, you can ski or snowmobile in (8 miles on an unplowed road) to stay in these very basic, rugged cabins. It's great fun!...check it out: http://www.scottishlakes.com/Home.shtml

[Larkspur cabin]

[The cabin got too toasty for our squirrel roomie!]

After a large, tasty breakfast (they haul all of your food in on snowmobile so we go all out!), we headed out for a ski tour towards High Point. We thought the most logical route would be to go up McCue Ridge, but this was a long slog.

[B on top of McCue Ridge]

[It was beautiful up there...]

[Very cool light/reflection phenomenon...
not a flaw in the pic, we could actually see this pool of light shimmering over the valley.]

Just after 2 hours of skinning, we were beyond High Point but still quite far from High Meadows. We contemplated following our skin track back to the camp, but felt like we deserved a ski after all that touring, so we began to look for a slope to go down. Above Lake Julius, we thought we could ski down this treed slope (it wouldn't be great but we'd get a couple turns) and then connect with another trail that would take us back to camp.

[Our 'treed' ski slope, Glacier Peak in the distance]

[Lake Julius below (note the massive forest btwn here & there)]

However, the slope was more than just a little tree'd...after 2-3 turns, we were mostly side-stepping the hill, going from one tree well to another. Pretty soon, we were skiing on large ice-covered rocks that weren't well-covered. So we decided to take our skis off and boot-pack down. At some points, we were stepping off of small, ice-covered cliffs in our clunky ski boots, trying to keep hold of our skis and poles. I got very cranky.

[Not so cranky...]

[Very cranky...

clambering down an icy rock face, my skis propped delicately on a tree limb above]

After a full hour of trudging downhill (not exactly what we had in mind), we got to the shores of frozen Lake Julius and skinned along its flat surface. The sun was going down and I was getting nervous about not knowing exactly where we were. Brandon was confident in his navigation skills but I really wanted to be on a known trail before dark. Thankfully, we came to one and made our way back to our cabin -home sweet home- before the sun set completely.

[On our way out from Lake Julius...less cranky]

Our bodies tired from the long day (about 6 hours of skinning/trudging), we headed to the hot tub to relax our muscles. A great dinner, a nice dessert, and to bed early in our cozy chalet...all is well that ends well, right?!

[Cozy hot tub!]

[Gear drying out by the fire]

A River Runs Through It

This is a great book and a beautiful movie. I like to put the movie in to play, just to listen to the narration. Lately, I've been thinking about the end of the book and playing the lyrical words over in my mind. Here's my favorite excerpt...enjoy:

(spoken by the father character)...'"It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us."

Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead, but I still reach out to them.

Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn't. Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.'

Snow Day!

Well okay, many of you are probably thinking, "Those guys have 'Snow Days' all winter long." And you would be right...but it's not every day that I get the call at 5:30am saying that school is cancelled due to weather, my husband is at home with me as well, the ski areas are all closed still, and it is absolutely dumping buckets of snow! Now THAT is a 'Snow Day'!

I have many fond childhood memories of Snow Days. I can remember going to bed the night before a big storm was supposed to arrive, just dreaming of the white powder flakes falling from the sky. Then, there were those days when you had no idea that it was going to snow and only discovered the pleasant surprise after having accepted the fact that you had to go to school yet another day. But wait, what's that white stuff falling from the sky and blanketing the cul-de-sac pavement?!

Since we lived near Seattle, there were few Snow Days. However, if it even so much as threatened to snow, the entire city shut down. On those rare Snow Days, we would sled, slide, throw snowballs, and build snowmen & ice sculptures. One year, not having a sled, my brother and I wore plastic garbage sacks to slide down our extremely steep driveway, with a sharp right turn just as you were about to hit the house. Another year, we spent hours pouring water on our snow mound and chiseling out a sculpture.

But I digress...this post is not about Snow Days of the long-ago past, although not much has changed since my childhood days. I still look out in hopeful anticipation to watch the snow fall under the streetlights. I still love snow, fresh and deep. And I particularly love skiing/floating in snow, fresh and deep. Check out these pics from our fun powder skiing day on none other than the Triple 60 & Parachute faces at Summit Central. The ski area is still closed and there were only a few other snow-junkies out there, all of us getting mouthfuls of snow as we skiied.

Where did Ed's legs go?
Heather in a cloud.

Ed barreling through the snow.

Here its only knee-deep...

...but here, it's a bit deeper...someone's head and a pole.

Straight-lining just to keep going...

Who can keep from grinning in snow like this?!

High-Class Christmas

Thanksgiving

Thanks to Dad & Jane for hosting a fun turkey day! It was great to have everyone (most) together for a holiday. And Happy 30th Bday to Jonathan!!!

Dinner is almost ready...

Some after-dinner game time for Brandon & Wade

Carly, Jane, Heather

Happy 30th Jon!

Brandi Carlile & the Seattle Symphony

Last Saturday, November 29th, I was very fortunate to see Brandi Carlile play with the Seattle Symphony. I saw her show at the Paramount last year and it was amazing...but this, this was absolutely incredible. Brandi & her twin band members were fantastic, and I was also very impressed with the Symphony's ability to mix with Rock-n-Roll.

If you haven't heard of Brandi Carlile yet (and no, this isn't 'Belinda Carlisle' from the 80's), check her out. She is a wonderfully talented musician but, more captivating is her passion for music. When she plays and sings, it is obvious that she loves music and the expression of her genuine self through her lyrics and voice.

Here is a link to a Seattle PI article about the show: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/390074_carlile01q.html

Indian Summer!

This term may now be deemed 'politically incorrect', but it is the only way I know of describing the wonderful, blue-sky, warm weather that we have been so fortunate as to enjoy this summer into fall.

My friend Joanne and I headed to Frenchman Coulee (aka 'Vantage') for climbing four weekends in October. We basked in 70 degree sun, in tee-shirts and flip-flops, smiling smugly at the thought of the Seattleites walking through rain puddles back home. Here are a couple of pics from our Indian Summer fun...we hope to get at least one more warm -at least not wet- day out climbing before winter sets in.

Another gorgeous day in the desert!

JoJo going up...

...JoJo coming down

Me going up...

...and the clouds roll in at dusk.

Extra Brain Power

Just a quick note to say that my health is a-okay. After reviewing a recent MRI, it appears that the tumor on my brain stem has not grown, despite the initial scans that appeared to show growth. They will continue to monitor this tumor with annual MRIs, but it seems we can rest easy now knowing it is benign since the last two scans have shown no growth. I'm glad to know that I will continue to have this small marble-size bit of extra brain power...I think I need it with my memory as bad as it is! Thanks for all the prayers along the way.

Good Book

Shopping For Porcupines by Seth Kantner
For anyone who wonders or daydreams about a simpler life, a life more connected to nature and the animals and people around us. The author of this book grew up following traditional Eskimo ways in a sod igloo in the Arctic...what a wonderful way for a little kid to grow up! The story continues as he grapples with the disappearance of the subsistence lifestyle in which he was raised, dramatically impacted by the emergence of modern technology and money into the Arctic land and its people.

Guys Fishing Trip 2008

Brandon, his dad Don, brother Shawn, & brother-in-law Josh spent a weekend on a 'guys fly-fishing' trip in middle-of-nowhere Montana. Other than being stuck with a lame, lazy, know-it-all guide, it sounds like they had a great time!

The Guys

Josh

Shawn

Don


Brandon

Margaret Lake Backpack

On the last weekend in September, I led a group of local women on their first backpacking adventure. Given that the snow level had recently dropped significantly and given some time constraints, we kept close to home and hiked to Margaret Lake. This is an easy outing for a beginner backpacker, just four miles round-trip and of moderate difficulty.

The group of women were a lot of fun and they handled all of the different aspects of backpacking quite well. They continued hiking when they were tired, they didn't complain too much about being cold (it froze that night), and they giggled about going to the bathroom in the woods! We had a great time and I was proud of these women for pushing themselves beyond their comfort level!

We ate huckleberries (the brilliant red plant) and

enjoyed the view of Keechelus Lake the whole way up & down!

Mt. Rainier, from the trail

The trail in the woods...

Camp 1

Lake Margaret

Color-coordinated with one another and with the scenery!

On our way out...still smiling!