With our Ireland trip looming closer, and the anxiety over having to complete 19-20 mile days on the trail while there, we decided to fill our backpacks and head for Icicle Canyon for a weekend of backpacking. We had hopes of avoiding the rain that was forecasted for the western Cascades so we made our way through the pass on Friday evening. We hoped that the 80 degree and sunny weather forecasted for the nearby town of Leavenworth would be our fate in the mountains only 20 miles away. We should have known better… We also should have been more suspicious…
Chatter Creek Campground
Chatter Creek Campground is a very popular campground in the summer months when it’s open. With 12 spacious campsites, mildly good screening between sites, and the chattering creek that ran through our campsite it’s no wonder why. The sites are priced at $15 a night with a $9 charge for any additional vehicles. Because we were camping so early in the season there was no fee. This also meant that the water wasn’t turned on, luckily we had planned ahead for that scenario and had brought plenty of water along. The sites at this campground cannot be reserved and the usage…
Playing the Tourist
We have lived in Seattle for 11 months now and in that time we have had several family members make the journey out here for a visit. Spending time with those closest to us in the state that we now call home has been wonderful. It gives us the opportunity to do all the touristy things we don’t usually do on a day to day basis. My top ten favorite places to show visitors in this rainy city and surrounding areas are as follows. 1. Pike Place Market The iconic bustling market located in the heart of downtown, a stones…
Boulder River
In preparing for our trip to Ireland at the end of May we are loading our backpacks up with gear and headed for day hikes that are flatter but longer. Boulder River proved to be the perfect destination for what we had in mind. At 8.6 miles long with only 700 feet in elevation gain (although our GPS claims it was more than a 1000 feet of elevation gain…) it proved the perfect challenge. The trail conditions were WET! At one point I thought we had strayed off the trail and were accidentally following a creek, but no, that’s just…