New Years' Eve Eve Hike

We didn't get out much when staying with my mom, but we did get her and Carl to take us on a short hike to the confluence of the Ohop and the Nisqually. It was about 3/4 of a mile down a closed dirt road. We had some good weather and we were leaving the next day. Afterwards I got food poisoning and wondered if I was going to be able to get on the plane. I threw up and felt a lot better by the next morning, though. Jacqueline and I were able to celebrate New Years' in Norwood. Wahoo!

Christmas Hike

Merry Christmas everyone. Sounds like a good day for a hike. We spent the morning exchanging gifts and then headed out to the Elwha for a hike. I really like the Elwha because even in winter it is at low enough elevation that we can access a good stretch of trail. We decided to hike out to the Goblin Gates and see how we felt from there. All four of us did the hike and it was a beautiful day to be out. Dad wore his Santa hat and looked the most festive out of the four of us. From the gates, Jacqueline, Dad, and I took another trail that led us to Humes Ranch, while Laura returned the same way to the trailhead. 

The cabin was definitely restored and was a homestead over a hundred years ago. It is funny how we pay attention to those things when they are inside National Parks, whereas if that same homestead was outside of the park it would be built over possibly by family members of the original owners without two thoughts. This trail looped around and ran us into another cabin and then eventually the trail back to Whiskey Bend. I think our total hike was four of five miles, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the day instead of just sitting around eating all day long.

Birthday Hike

It was Jacqueline's birthday, so naturally we had to go for a short hike. We were visiting my dad and Laura in Port Angeles. The day was supposed to be pretty nice, so we thought that we would take a drive up to Hurricane Ridge. They kept the road plowed most of the time in the winter, so you could get up to high elevation by just driving. The views were excellent as we could see all the mountains in the distance. It was a bit chilly out, but we kept our little pregnant birthday girl bundled up. We first hiked up the hill and out to a viewpoint. From there we went into the visitor center to look at maps. Next we hiked up the road a ways. Laura stayed in the car for this section, but my little pregnant birthday wife kept trekking. Jacqueline's mantra throughout this whole pregnancy has been, "I don't wanna do too much", but she has been trying to keep herself active even if my coaching takes me away too often. We hiked about a mile and then turned around feeling that our trek was sufficient. I realized that I had been to all of these places before, coming by myself in February 2003. It was really good to get out and after that we were back home for a birthday dinner and presents for my wonderful wife.