Mount Si

July 18th, 2020- 7.85 miles

Back in July Alex and I woke up at 4:30am and headed to North Bend, WA to hike Mt. Si. This is the first hike we have done in almost a year. The goal is to start training for the Enchantments backpacking trip we are doing at the end of August. We brought some of our new gear to try out, which ended up working great!

Below are a few views from the top. I didn’t want to share too many early on, but I thought these two were pretty cool. The pandemic photo made me laugh, as it seems so fitting for what we are currently dealing with.

Here are a few views from the top! So glad it cleared up to enjoy the view.

The hike started off fairly flat, but as we started to climb, so did the elevation. The last few miles from the top had some crazy elevation gain. According to my watch, the overall elevation gain for this hike was 3,813 ft. We were cruising up the mountain through, with roughly hitting 29 minute miles. The trial was fairly quiet on the way up, we only passed a few other groups! We got to enjoy a late breakfast / early lunch at the top with a pretty awesome view. The animals were crazy aggressive when they say we had food. The chipmunks were not afraid to get up close and personal and the birds flew low and were perched right next the rocks we were sitting on. It made for some great photos!

I wasn’t the only one eyeing these berries! The birds and chipmunks were just as interested. This food made good bait to capture some cool photos. After the photos were taken I quickly finished my snack and enjoyed the view – hoping the animals would leave us alone for bit. Luckily this worked and we were able to rest without having to look over out shoulders and guard our food.

This little bird was so cute! Super inquisitive and patient to catch any crumbs we may have dropped.

Our other little friend! He was super hard to catch on camera, they move so fast…

On the way down, the trail was super crowded. We were pulling off left and right for groups to pass going up. I’m so glad we got to the top when we did to avoid the crowds. I may have put up a little resistance when the alarm went off at 4:30 am, but I’m glad Alex got me out of bed! The views were totally worth it!

Mt. Rainier from the top. This photo definitely doesn’t give this view justice, but I thought I would share anyways. I couldn’t believe how close Mt. Rainier felt and looked.

Overall, this hike was a lot of fun. It was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be and both our feet and legs were killing us by the time we got back to the car. We were both so tired we ended up showering and taking naps for the rest of the day. It was a great first hike of the season to do and I’m hopeful we will get a few more in before the Enchantments at the end of August!

Alex and I at the Mt. Si trail head! So lucky to have a hiking buddy

Snow Days January 2020

With a few extra snow days, I have started getting some practice in using my new Nikon D3300 DSLR Camera. See some of the photos below and check out the stories behind each photo!

This past week has been filled with snow days, meaning classes at Western have been cancelled. This has given me a lot of extra time to get out play in the snow and take some photos with my new Nikon D3300 camera. It’s been awhile since using a DSLR. Remembering how to adjust the manual settings correctly took some getting used to and took more time than I thought it would. While these photos aren’t necessarily my best work, I am proud of the shots I took and can’t wait to get some more practice in as time goes on.

Here are some photos of my first day out in the snow (1/13/2020). I was walking and pausing to take photos on the trail I normally walk to get to school when all of a sudden two deer ran out in front of me. Luckily I had just finished figuring out the correct light settings for my camera and was able to take a few photos of them. It amazed me how used to people they are. They could hear the shutter of the camera, but they would casually look up and continue doing their own thing. I also was able to get a cool photo of a bird sitting high up in a tree.

On the second snow day we had (1/15/2020), I decided to go explore Sehome Arboretum on WWU’s campus. The trails were pretty snowy, but I was able to get some cool photos of moss and leaves. There was a lot more people out on the trails than there was on Monday. This made it a little more difficult to take photos, as it felt like people were constantly passing me.

I am proud of the photos above, but am excited to get some more practice with my new camera and get faster at switching the settings based on the environment around me. I started to realize how important lighting is when taking photos manually in the snow, especially how the light reflects off of it.

Seattle Sunset

The other night I was in downtown Seattle with Alex’s family and had to stop to capture this beautiful sunset.

Here’s a little background on today Downtown: We met up with Alex’s family in the afternoon to go sailing and then headed to dinner to celebrate birthdays. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up with the busyness of everyday life, but it’s important to enjoy the little things, just like this sunset!

Seal Rock, Oregon

Back in mid August, my family and I headed to the Oregon Coast for a week for vacation. Below are some photos and great memories we shared together.

Here is a panorama of the end of the beach.

Here is a little background on the photos below: We rented a beach house right with a 1 minute walk down a trail to get to the beach.

The time on vacation was spent hanging out with family, relaxing, exploring the beach, and for me: running on the beach!

The beach was beautiful when we went, most of the days we were there it was sunny and warm. Going down to explore the beach was something that never got old where we were there.

This was taken at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach.

This was taken on one of my beach runs at the very end of the beach, about 1.5 miles from where our house was.

This was also taken at the end of the beach on my run.

Another thing to note about the beach was the amazing sunsets we were able to watch. I didn’t get many photos of these, but they were beautiful. Full of orange, pink, purple, and every color in between.

This photo has a weird glare to it, as it was taken inside the house with the glass door in the way of me and the sunset.

This one was taken down on the beach before we headed to build a fire pit on the beach for a bon fire later that night.

I can’t remember the last time I had been around a real fire. With the burn bans normally in place when we go camping, it has probably been 3-5 years since sitting around a real fire. I forgot how warm and inviting they are. Waking up the next morning with my hair and clothes smelling like smoke was a great feeling.

Here are the embers before we put the fire out for good that night. Even from the embers, it was amazing how much heat was being given off.

This was the first time where we opted out of camping in Winthrop and switched it up with a beach house in Oregon. It was a bittersweet change. It was really nice having a bed to sleep on and a private bathroom down the hall. The one thing I did miss from camping was being forced to unplug from technology, as at the campground there is no service.

I think that unplugging from the world and just being surrounded by nature is a good reminder of what is important in life and what you can go without. Most for the time at the beach house, I would look around and everyone was either watching TV, on their phone, or IPad. This is something I was guilty of too, but I wish I would have taken more time to unplug and be with those most important in my life.

Fort Casey, Whidbey Island

Alex and I decided to take a day trip out to Whidbey Island on February 23rd, 2019 and ventured over to Fort Casey to walk around and learn more about the old military base.

Here is part of the base, you can see the watch towers and cement bunkers

Fort Casey is a historical state park that was once a military fort. It was constructed in the late 1800’s and had soldiers stationed here from 1899 to 1945. Follow this link to learn more about the history and area surrounding Fort Casey: https://parks.state.wa.us/505/Fort-Casey.

It took us about an hour and half to drive out to the fort. When we were there, it was overcast and very windy but well worth the trip. It was eerie getting to go into the bunkers and explore the rest of the base.

Some parts of the bunkers were very dark, cold, and damp. They freaked me out a little because of how deep they were and how much they echoed. I don’t think I would have gone into them alone, but Alex insisted that we explore… There were parts where we had to use the flashlights on our phone in order to figure out how to get out of the bunkers.

Not all the bunkers were open, but the ones that were contained old elevator shafts, showers, a switch board, and many other old rusted things that I couldn’t figure out what they were used for.

Below you will find some photos of Fort Casey and the different things we saw while we were there:

Taken from the watch tower over looking the water

These three photos above are my favorite from this trip. I love the blue of the water being contrasted with the grey and black color schemes of the old concrete walls.

Overall, our trip to Fort Casey was well worth the drive. I had never been here and it was really fun to be able to get out and explore, both inside the bunkers as well as on top of them. I would highly recommend it you are looking for a fun day trip. There were also many parents with their kids, as Fort Casey serves as a great place to explore and learn about some of the history behind the base.

More Snowy Photos

Below are some more photos I took when Alex and I ventured out into the snow on our extra days off.

Two weeks ago, we got 3 extra days off from classes due to snow. Of course this means we got extra time to go play in the snow… Alex and I did just that! We walked up to campus and ended up have a huge snowball fight in an empty field. We also were able to get out and walk some the trails near my apartment.

Here are some of the compiled photos from our extra three day vacation:

Snow Day in Bellingham

It was the best feeling waking up and seeing that 7:30am text that classes were cancelled for the day! Below are a few photos from my adventure out and about around Bellingham.

This was taken at Lake Padden (the second stop on our outing).

What a better way to spend your impromptu day off from classes than going to some of my favorite spots, playing in the snow, and avoiding having to study for my marketing midterm tomorrow.

The first place we went was Boulevard Park, I’ve posted some photos on here before of Boulevard and wanted to this time around also. I didn’t take too many pictures as it was freezing from the wind off the water, but here is one of my favorites from our fist stop.

Who says you’re too old to play on the playground?

The second place we ended up going was Lake Padden. Hands down, this is one of my favorite spots in Bellingham. Not only to run, but also a place to go and get away from all the busy and crazy nonsense that is college. When we arrived there was no one there. It was amazing how quiet and peaceful it was.

I think this photo was by far my most favorite one I took while at Lake Padden. I love the rolling hills of evergreen trees in the back, and the geese off to the right. It’s amazing how much you can capture in one photo.

It was so beautiful with the white snow covering the ground and trees. I couldn’t believe how peaceful it felt.

What I love most about these photos is the color scheme they all possess. They all have a gray ambiance and a light contrast to them. It makes them seem so much more intimate. This type of feeling is something that is hard to capture, but when I look at these photos there is something that draws me to them. Here are a few more photos below I thought were worth sharing:

I’m hoping for a bit more snow this coming week and more time to go out and capture the beauty that surrounds us in our everyday lives.

Sunrises and Cold Mornings

Here are some photos I took of my morning walks up to campus last week. These photos are the reminder of why I get up for my 8am classes five times a week…

I’m a week late on posting these photos, but I didn’t want to go too much longer without sharing them! The sunrises lately have been so pretty and I’ve been early to my classes, allowing me to take the extra time to capture some of these beautiful mornings.

This photo, by far, is one of my favorites I’ve taken. I love all the vibrant colors and the way the library lights up like this in morning.

It’s interesting how a walk I take everyday to and from campus seems to change day to day. I feel like I’m starting to notice the little things I would have never thought twice about.

Below is a quote I came across and thought it was fitting for the photos above…

“Don’t use the future to escape the present”

This, to me, encapsulates my daily routine and walk to classes. It is so easy to get caught up in the ideas of future plans and what I want to do with my life after college. It is easy to get swept up in the future and not focus on the here and now. It seems like college is so forward looking, making it easy to get caught up in plans big ideas for the near future. It’s important to take time and be thankful for the here and now. We need to look up from our phones, unplug our headphones and just enjoy the world around us.

Birch Bay

On January 20, 2019 my boyfriend and I decided to take a mini road trip up to Birch Bay, WA. Below are some photos I took while there, along with a little memo on our excursion.

Birch Bay is about 30 minutes northwest of Bellingham. After studying all afternoon with a friend from my marketing class, I had Alex pick me up from the library. Instead of heading straight back to the apartment, we decided to get on the freeway and head towards Birch Bay.

When we got there, there was a little public beach to walk on. It was fairly small, as it was gated off on both sides by private beach access, but still beautiful! It was really cold while we were there. I was able to snap a few pictures while standing outside before running back to the car to thaw out.

I apologize for the quality of the photos, as they are not my best work… I hope to start getting back to photography in my free time. It seems like I don’t have much free time to keep up with this part of my blog with trying to manage my classes and workout sessions. As the weather starts to get nicer I hope to start exploring places in and around Bellingham more as well as posting more of my adventures on here. For now, Birch Bay will suffice!

Overall, this little outing was a lot of fun. It was able to get out of Bellingham for a couple hours and not having to travel very far to do it. As the weather starts getting warmer in the spring, I really want to try and take a trip out to Mt. Baker and the Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon.

One last note about this trip: all the public bathrooms on the beaches and in the state park are closed during the winter… so make sure you take care of this somewhere outside of Birch Bay. Also, none of the shops were open because it was a Sunday. I would take this into consideration if planning on going here anytime soon!!

The Amazon Spheres

Killing some time before going to the Lion King performance at the Paramount in Downtown Seattle.

Over break I got the chance to go into the Amazon Spheres in Downtown Seattle. In order to get into the main part of the domes you need to be with an amazon employee and that’s where my boyfriends family comes in! His older brother and wife both work there and were able to get us in to see the many wonders of the Spheres.

When first entering, we were hit with the hot, humid air that fills up the spheres to keep all the plants alive in an environment like the ones they came from. It was amazing to see the walls of this place covered with greenery and full of life. These Spheres were the perfect mix of nature as well as a coffee shop kind of feel with all the many places to sit and eat. There was a coffee stand and a place to get donuts, along with other places to eat (these weren’t open so I’m not quite sure what was in them). The donuts though were AMAZING! Definitely some of the best donuts I’ve ever had. They were fluffy and filled with a vanilla cream, but they weren’t too sweet which made me hungry for more. I really wish I would have gotten a photo of them before devouring it.

After donuts, we meandered our way through the four levels of the spheres seeing countless flowers, trees, and places to sit and talk with friends. Check out some of the photos below of the different plants I thought were interesting as well as the ambiance this place embodied…

A coffee shop kind of feel within the Spheres…

The Amazon Spheres were a really fun way to cut down on the time we had before getting to the Lion King performance. It was pretty humid and sticky, but all the flora was really interesting to see. The layout and decorations of the Spheres were beautifully thought out and all the common space made the entire Sphere feel welcoming.