The Enchantments

August 20th – August 23rd 2020 ~ about 27 miles

One of our first views getting up and over Assgard Pass

A few weekends ago I got the opportunity to not only hike through the Enchantments in Leavenworth, WA, but camp there as well! it was an exhilarating, exhausting, and eventful 4 days and 3 nights trip.

We started the trip off at 2am – Alex and I getting ready, eating a quick breakfast, and driving down to his brothers house.

Testing / packing our bags the night before we left for The Enchantments!!

From here we carpooled over to Leavenworth with him. About 30 minutes into the drive we realized we forgot the parking pass and permits needed to be in the Enchantments and turned around to grab them. Finally after a 2.5 hour car ride we were in Leavenworth and ready to start our day hike up to Colchuck Lake.

Getting ready to start our hike up to Colchuck Lake! Man our bags were heavy

The 4 mile hike up to the lake was hard. We were each carrying about 50 lbs of gear, the sun was out, and we were all tired from getting up at 2 in the morning. This was my first time backpacking and I learned a lot! Once I got the weight in my pack situated correctly (i.e. not carrying all the weight on my shoulders but on my waist) the hike up got a lot easier.

We eventually made it up to Colchuck after many needed stops to rest and hydrate. The lake was beautiful and I couldn’t believe this is where we were setting up camp and calling home for the next 3 nights. Close to the lake we met up with the rest of our group and were told they had found the best campsite on the lake!

Sure enough when we got there and saw it for ourselves we also agreed this was the best spot. It had enough room to set up 6 tents along with a huge rock that went out into the lake. This is where we spent time cooking, swimming, and hanging out.

Views from our campsite while out on the rock

The first day was filled with hiking up to camp, setting up camp, jumping in the lake, and hanging out / getting to know the others in our group. We went to bed fairly early: 7:30pm. We were all so tired from being up at the crack of dawn and wanted to get enough sleep before having to wake up again to hike up Aasgard Pass the next day.

I was surprised at how well I slept the first night, and every night we were there. The only thing that woke me up the first night was the strong winds blowing between the peaks. It went on for about and hour or so. The huge gusts shook our whole tent and the ground. I could hear the waves crash into the side of the lake from the wind. Once this finally subsided I was back to sleep and waking up the next morning to the sunrise!

Day two was our big hiking day: Aasgard and all the way to Lake Perfection for lunch. We hiked about 8.7 miles that day, which doesn’t sound like a lot but the elevation gain was about 3,600 ft. Most of which was done within the first part of the hike up Aasgard Pass. It was such a relief once we got up to the top. It was crazy to look down and see just how high we had climbed.

Love how calm the water is. This was about 20 minutes into our hike to Assgard Pass. Our campsite is off to the left around the lake a ways.

Once on top, we stopped to grab some more water and food and set out to hike through the Enchantments to Lake Perfection. It was amazing how beautiful it is up there. The photos don’t do it justice. The day was overcast and windy, but it still felt like we were walking through a fairy tale land.

Perfection Lake – where we stopped to eat lunch and regroup before heading down Assgard.

After lunch at Lake Perfection we headed back towards Aasgard Pass and prepped ourselves for a hard walk down the pass and back to camp. The way down Aasgard was by far the hardest part of the whole hike. The ground was super soft and sandy – making each step a challenge to not fall. On top of this, it started dumping rain which made the descent slippery, cold, wet, and frightening. As we were coming down the pass we could hear rocks falling up ahead from the heavy rains. At this point we decided to move a little faster and get off the mountain. It was so surreal hearing rocks crashing, being soaked by the rain, and the adrenaline rush to get down safely.

Taken before the rain started. Us making our way down Assgard and back to camp.

After what felt like we hours we finally made it down from Aasgard and back to camp. At camp we gorged ourselves with food, changed into dry clothes, hung out for a bit, and went to bed around 8pm that night. We were all so tired and cold from the hike. It felt so good to crawl into my sleeping bag to get warm.

The next morning I woke up fairly sore. My legs were stiff and there was no way I was going to be able to do Aasgard again. There was talk of going up a second time, as some people in our group weren’t able to go up yesterday with us. I opted to go with the others who were feeling the same as me and hike down from Colchuck Lake to Stewart Lake. This was about a 9 mile hike round trip. It had about the same elevation gain we had the first day hiking up to Colchuck.

Once we got to Stewart Lake we found a beach spot, had some food, cracked open a cold beer, and headed back up to Colchuck Lake. We got back to Colchuck around 3pm with enough time to swim in Colchuck Lake and hang out for the rest of the day. Once everyone was back at camp we ate dinner, socialized, and stayed up to star gaze. We saw a few shooting stars and a bunch of satellites. There were also people rock climbing down from Dragon Tail in the dark. It was cool to see their headlamps glow from afar and see the progress they made. We eventually called it a night and all headed for bed.

The next (and final morning) camping at Colchuck was spent enjoying our last breakfast together and packing our backpacks to head back down to the car.

Best vegan freeze dried meals ever! These were awesome and I highly recommend. Some of them required cold water and were great for lunches on the go!

It was sad, but also it felt really good knowing we would be heading back home to fresh clothes, running water, and a shower. It took us about 3.5 hours to get down from Colchuck. It was such a relief to see the parking lot and cars at the end. We all piled into the back of Erik’s jeep and drove into Leavenworth. We got some food and beer in town then hit the road to head home and back to reality.

Us piled into the back of Erik’s Jeep – I had no idea Alex was feeling car sick on the way down, hence the frown 😦

Overall this trip was so much fun! We were able to get a bunch of hiking in and not be rushed to finish it all in one day. I’m so glad we were able to camp / backpack and definitely will not take the opportunity for granted. This was a once in a lifetime chance and worth every minute of the soreness, tiredness, and heaviness of our bags. Who knew you had so many tendons in your knees! This was the one part of my body that stayed sore a few days after we were home from the trip.

US huddled up after hiking up Assgard and being exhausted

Raptor Ridge Hike

June 21st, 2019- 6 mile hike

Oops… I was just going through my drafts of posts and stumbled upon this unfinished hike write up. It is now September 9th, and I am finally going to update this and get it posted ASAP!

This hike was almost two and a half months ago, but I still remember most of it and I have the pictures to prove it!

This hike is in the Chuckanuts in Bellingham, WA. The first mile and a half (or so) of this hike was the same as the Pine and Cedar Lakes Hike we did last summer in 2018. The incline within this first mile was crazy and got the blood pumping and leg muscles burning. Both Alex and I were panting and sweating as we climbed this first part of the trial.

Here’s the map and trail Alex and I climbed to Raptor Ridge. It also points out the connecting trails around.

I apologize for the quality, but I thought this would be interesting to include. It talks a little bit about the first part of the hike and the 1,300 feet gain within the first 1.6 miles.

It’s hard to capture in a photo just how steep the first part of the hike was, but here is a snapshot of me trying to encapsulated it. I was amazed when I looked back at what we had just climbed!

After the first part of the hike, as this photo above is illustrating, the rest was enjoyable as we made our way to the top of the look out. Below is a photo of the small rock stairs we had to climb up as we got closer to the outlook:

Here are the stairs leading towards the top of the look out

Here are a few photos of the top. Here Alex and I stopped for a quick snack. As we sat there, we saw a few bald eagles soaring about the tree- hence the name of the hike “Raptor Ridge”. I wasn’t able to get good photos of them, as they were too far away, but it was really cool to watch them soar above the trees.

This photo is unedited, showing how dark and gloomy it looked at the top. I was amazed by all the green though!

This hike was a lot fun once we got past the steep incline in the beginning. The outlook was beautiful and seeing the eagles was a treat. As I sit here and reminisce about this hike, it makes me wish we got more hiking in this summer. Alex and I both started new jobs and trying to coordinate what we are going to do on the weekends seems very challenging this summer. Hopefully next spring and summer we are able to get to do some new hikes!

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.

Gold Mine Trail

April 27th, 2019: Alex and I decided to venture out to Sumas Mountain and hike the 3.5 Gold Mine Trail. Along this hike we encountered an old gold mine safe door, a mine cart, some debris, and a cabin a top a grassy field.

This hike is filled with history, click here to check it out. Some of the history I will hit on throughout this post, but on the site above you will find much more!

Here is how the hike starts: a muddy trail right along someones property line who has a few cows grazing off in the distance. This is by far the most odd looking trail head I have seen. This part of the trail only lasts for about 10 minutes or so until you get into the forest and are on a more “legit” looking trail.

There were a few different trials you could take. The one on the left took you to the cabin and the one on the right took you to the old gold mine. We chose to go right. Below are a few photos I took of the old site:

This spot was really cool and only took about an hour to hike to. There wasn’t much to see, but the parts that we did find were interesting to look at. There was also a river that was close by, adding to the ambiance of these sites.

As you can see from the photos above, there are little pellets of hail all over the ground. It must have hailed not too long before we started our hike. Thankfully we missed this part! Below is close-up photo of the hail. It was beautiful how these pellets lined the trails and fell into the cracks of different things laying on the trail (like the photo below).

Since getting to the gold mine area didn’t take as long as we thought it would, we decided to go back and take the left trial towards the cabin. This trial added about another 30 minutes to our hike but was totally worth it.

This part of the hike was fairly steeper than the other part. It was so rewarding coming up from the steep trail and opening up to this flat, green area with a little cabin, fire pit, and outhouse.

At first, Alex and I were debating whether or not to take this trail up to the cabin, as it seemed a little too out of the way. I am so glad we decided to though. This cabin has a stove inside and areas to sleep if needed. It was well worth taking the extra time out of the hike to sit up here and explore the area around the cabin. It was so sunny and so green! This is by far one of my favorite reasons to hike in the PNW: there is green all around you.

Found outside the Cabin, I loved how vibrant they looked in the sun!

Overall, Alex and I really enjoyed this hike. It seemed short but it was a good way to start off our hiking for the season. I am hoping to get a few more hikes in this May! Stay tuned to hear about the other places Alex and I decide to adventure to!

May

I can’t believe how fast April went! As I look back at what I did this month, here are some highlights I wanted to point out:

Longest run: 3.6 miles
Increased the weight on dumbbells to 12.5 pounds on each side

With progress comes things I still need to work on: I took WAY too many rest days this month… about 2 or 3 a week. This is too many and I need to hold myself more accountable to my workouts. It is always hard to fall into a solid routine at the start of the quarter, but now that we are about a month in getting to the gym should start to become easier.

As I focus solely on running, due to that ganglion cyst on my wrist.. bummer 😦 I want to make sure I continue to increase my millage. By the end of April I want to be running around 4.5 miles consistently; meaning at least two times a week.

As it starts to get nicer out, I will be able to run outside and push myself to find new routes and easily get in a four mile run.

Another goal I have for this month is to hike a lot. I am hoping at least once every two weeks if not more. Many of these hikes will have to be local, as Mt. Baker is still too snowy.

I can’t wait to see what results May will bring me, especially as we start nearing swimsuit season!!

Monthly stats

May seemed to be full of rest days, especially during weeks 18-20. The majority of these weeks were rest days. But I did finish the month out strong on week 21 with a steady week of workouts. I’m hopeful this will NOT be the case for June!

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.