Week 25

June 17th- Jet Skiing

Alex and I spent the day at Lake Stevens with Alex’s dad jet skiing. The lake itself was really quiet and there weren’t too many people out there. We were out on the lake for about five hours soaking up the sun and riding around. It was a lot of fun, but we definitely should have put more sun block on… Both of us are pretty burned.

Today was a fun way to kick off my week of summer vacation!

June 18th- 2.66 mile run

Tonight I went for a run through campus. Alex decided to join me and we ended up doing a quick look up to Old Main and back. It was pretty warm out, but we were able to run in the shade most of the time thanks to the tall campus buildings and trees lining the sidewalks.

It always a lot more fun when Alex decides to run with me. I am hoping to get him out again once more this week to run with me. It is times like these were I wish I had a more consistent running buddy. Maybe this upcoming Fall Quarter I will be able to find someone to run with me!

I also did a quick ab section. This is something that is still hit or miss in my routines. I haven’t found a good time to fit this in. Today I decided to do it right when I got home from my run. It made it a lot harder to do planks, since my legs were tired, but I did find myself more motivated to push myself harder. Doing abs after my runs might be my new routine!

June 19th- Rest

This was the day I decided to drive down to Marysville to get my car tested for emissions. Thankfully it passed, but it did suck having to drive an hour down there and back.

Alex and I decided to make a day trip out of it by stopping in Mt. Vernon to grab some lunch. We also hit up the local Hobby Lobby where I was able to find some new watercolor supplies. Everything there was on sale, so there were some super good deals!

The rest of the day was spent watercoloring, watching Netflix, and just hanging out.

June 20th- Yoga session

I wasn’t feeling like running today, so instead I got on my phone and found a free yoga instructor app. I have never used something like this before, but it was nice to get into a peaceful mindset, stretch, and focus on strengthening my core.

I only did a 20 minute session (the free trial timed out). I am hoping to look for either free apps or go on YouTube and try to find some yoga exercises.

To be honest, I have never been a big fan of yoga but I do really enjoy pushing my body and that positive mindset that goes along with it. I think yoga would be a great way to balance my arm workouts and runs. Maybe this summer I will look at incorporating more yoga into my life!

June 21st- Raptor Ridge Hike

Today was beautiful for a hike! For this hike, we decided to take the Lost Lakes Trail head and connect up with the Raptor Ridge Lookout. I won’t go into too much detail about this hike, as I am hoping to write another article on it in my hikes section. The hike was about 5 miles long and was super steep the first mile and a half. The outlook was gorgeous and I can’t wait to post some pictures on here next week!

June 22nd- Rest

WOW! My legs and butt are so sore from that hike yesterday. Alex and I decided to walk part of Lake Padden and the littlest amount of incline could be felt in my legs. I can’t believe how sore I am, it makes me feel so out of shape. Next week I am going to hit it hard at the gym. Next Tuesday is when classes start and I am hoping to hit the gym everyday (Tuesday-Sunday).

June 23rd- Rest

These rest days are starting to catch up to me.. They were feeling really good throughout the week, but I am starting to hit the point where I feel guilty for not working out. I guess this could be a good thing and a strong motivator for next week.

This week has been a good break from a lot of different stressors. I have had the week off from classes, roommates, and other distractions that were not needed. It has felt really good mentally and physically to do the things I want to do on my own time schedule, like the hiking and water coloring. It is a good break to remember what is truly important in life and really focus on the things that matter the most to me.

Perry Creek Trail NO. 711

May 31st, 2019- 7.3 mile hike

Back in May, Alex and I decided to do a day trip down to Granite Falls/ Snohomish County area to complete the Perry Creek trail. We started around 8:30 am and finished close to noon. This hike was a lot of fun and a lot of work. It might be one of my favorite hikes we have done so far. We gained about 2,500 ft in elevation and this was something Alex and I could both feel in our legs.

The journey on the way up was a lot of fun. For about the first mile and a half you are hiking through a forested area that is fairly flat. We even ran into a couple of huge frogs!

I apologize for the blurriness of this photos, but that frog was moving fast!

Once you get out of this and walk the part of the gravel trail, you are walking along a narrow ridge that warps around the mountain side. I had not done a hike like this before and it was really beautiful to see the other mountains close by. A lot of them still had snow on the tops, while others had gushing waterfalls flowing down their sides.

We weren’t too sure what to expect on the way up. We were concerned about running into snow, but ended up not seeing any. We did have to cut the trail a mile and a half or so short, as one of the creeks was too deep to cross. On our journey to the top, we had to cross through 3 different creeks. The first two were fairly calm and shallow, but the last one was a little more difficult to cross. It was manageable and both Alex and I ended up getting water up to our calves. This was kind of refreshing, but a pain to have to keep walking with shoes soaked/ filled with water.

The creek that was too deep to cross to continue to the top

Because we had to cut the hike short, we weren’t able to make it to the top of the mountain. We instead had to stop at the Perry Creek outlook. This spot was beautiful and a great place to stop and eat lunch. The rushing water helped keep up cool while we ate.

*End of Perry Creek Trail/ Perfect lunch spot!*

Even though the hike got cut short due to the aggressive creek, this hike felt so rewarding. My legs were tired and I was ready for a shower, but being able to look at all the beautiful surrounding mountains and walking through creeks made this hike a lot of fun. I heard the best time to do this hike is in the fall when the leaves are red and brown. I would love to do this hike next fall if I have the time, just to see the differences in the scenery! It is one hike that will remain on my to do list for fall.

Chanterelle Hike

May 26th, 2019 – 4.8 miles round trip

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about this hike. I have been supper busy with classes and everyday life. Now that I have a week off in between spring and summer quarter my goal is to get my blog up to date and continue to add to it when I have the time. Alright, with that being said here is a little background and my thoughts about the Chanterelle hike!

This hike was fairly easy and short in distance. It is about 20 minutes outside of Bellingham by Lake Whatcom. It took us about and hour and a half to get to the top and about an hour to get down. There was a lot of uphill, but nothing too crazy. I didn’t get many pictures on this hike, as it was foggy at the top and you couldn’t see too much. On the way up, we kept hitting patches of fog. It felt eerie and kind of spooky. It was cool to see how the fog hung between the trees.

I want to come back and do this hike again when it is clear. It was a fast hike, but I wish we would have been able to overlook Lake Whatcom, the San Juan Islands, and the Puget Sound. I am hoping maybe later this summer we will be able to get out and do this one again!

Here is Alex and I before starting out the hike

Overall, we enjoyed this hike. It was little shorter and easier than we were hoping for, but it still felt good to get out and enjoy the fresh air for a bit. I am excited to see what other hikes we will find this summer.

Pine and Cedar Lakes Hike

One of the last hikes my boyfriend and I did over the summer up in Bellingham, WA.

To wrap up our summer adventures, my boyfriend and I did one last hike up in the Chuckanuts near Bellingham. I didn’t take many photos while on this hike because of the difficulty and steepness we encountered for the first couple miles. This hike round trip was about 5 miles and was a pain to climb. The elevation gain was insane for the first mile or two into the hike. About half a mile in, my legs were burning and I was ready for a water break. There weren’t too many people on the trails which was nice and there were many different viewpoints to this trail you could take.

So, instead of going to the lakes, we took a little off shoot and got a pretty cool view of Mt. Baker and a great place for lunch. This spot was in the sun and all you could see were trees for miles! Another example of why I love hiking in the PNW.

Here was our lunch spot: trees for miles and a view of Mt. Baker

Overall, this hike was a lot of fun. It was pretty steep and a lot of work, but the view was totally worth it. I definitely got my leg workout in for that day. If you’re ever in the Bellingham area, I would recommend taking a drive through the Chuckanuts or stopping for a hike if you have time! Oyster Dome is another popular hike up here and I hope to do that one in the spring when the weather gets a little nicer and it’s a bit warmer out!

Mt. Pilchuck Hike

Over the summer, my boyfriend and I got into hiking and went to a few cool spots. One of these spots was Mt. Pilchuck. The hike is about 5.4 miles long and right off the North Cascades Mountain Loop Highway (which is a beautiful drive and I would totally recommend it!) At the top of the mountain, there is a fire lookout where you can see for miles. It was a little cloudy when we went, but the view was amazing! Check out some of the photos below that were taken on the way and at the top of the lookout:

This was taken about a mile and half away from the lookout point, I couldn’t believe how open and beautiful this part of the hike was

Getting up to the lookout was hard, there were a lot of people on the trails, so many bugs, and it was really warm out by 10 am when we had finally climbed all the way up to the lookout. The view was so worth it though! There were many parts of the trail that were really well marked, but there were also a few parts where you had to make your own trail through the boulders and wind your way back to the marked trail. The pictures below show some of what the trail was like at different parts of the hike:

Taken at the beginning of the hike, this is what the forest around us looked like

Overall, this hike was a lot of fun and well worth the trek up. I would highly recommend this spot and hope to do it again sometime! Having to climb up and over the boulders was a lot of fun and was a great workout for the day. I remember after finishing this hike being so excited to take a shower to wash away all the bug spray and sweat. One of my favorite parts of hiking in the Pacific Northwest is being surrounded by all the trees and this hike definitely delivered that.