Barclay Lake

A good way to celebrate our nation's Independence Day is to enjoy some of the beautiful gems our country has and Barclay Lake is one of them. This morning we hike with a large group (my wife and kids and my sister and her family and my two brothers and their families) up to Barclay Lake. This is an easy 2.2 mile hike that can be done with little kids. My 5 year old hiked the full 4.5 mile round trip by herself. On a busy day (like today) parking can be a bit of an issue, so I would suggest going early if you can. Because we had such a large group, we did not arrive as early as I would have liked, but we did find parking.

Once we were all unloaded (and about 37 bathroom breaks later) we were ready to hit the trail. Immediately you are drowned in shade from the canopy of trees above. The trail conditions remain vastly unchanged for the majority of the hike. Very little elevation gain or loss with some roots and rocks on the trail. There is one log bridge that crosses over a creek which is a pretty neat spot. There is also a clearing a little further past the bridge where you can see a spectacular view of Baring Mountain towering over you nearly 4000 feet higher. Simply amazing. Keep going on you come to the lake, this year the lake was much bigger than in previous years. The very wet winter and spring made for a high lake level.

Our large group found a nice spot by the lake and ate some lunch and hung out for a bit and then made our way back to the cars. We went a little faster on our way out due to some of the little kids made their way to the toddler carriers on their parents' backs instead of walking. When we got back to the cars the parking lot had cleared out substantially. It was a great day for a hike and everyone had lots of fun.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, West
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 500 ft
Peak Elevation: 2423 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Lime Kiln Trail

This morning I took my two older daughters (age 4 and 1) on a hike. My 4 year old is finally enjoying doing the hiking herself, she used to be carried in the pack by me and thought that was what hiking was, riding in a pack. But now that she is older and I have a younger one to pack around she has had to do the hiking herself. This was the first hike that she actually loved walking herself the whole time. So that was good to see.

We headed toward down town Granite Falls and just outside of town is the trail head for Lime Kiln Trail. It is a great easy hike for kids, lots of old growth and if you make it to the Lime Kiln lots of old history. It's really cool. We didn't make it to the kiln today, our goal was really just to get outside and let the kids enjoy the wilderness. It was a success.


I packed the little one the whole time and let her out and explore when we stopped for a snack. She absolutely loved it. My 4 year old also loved hiking the whole way and was obsessed with how much mud there was (there wasn't even that much mud in my opinion). But to her it was way too much mud and made a comment about it every time we came across any mud.

The trail was in good shape, there was one downed large branch that easily stepped over. Even my 4 year old could get over it with no help. We only hiked in a little over a mile and then back out. But it was a good mix of dirt and gravel with open views of the sky and being dwarfed by large trees. Certainly a good hike to start the season with and get the kids outside and excited about nature and wilderness even though you are just outside of town.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance:  7 miles
Elevation Gain:  625 ft
Peak Elevation:  750 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: None

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Climbing Wall

For the past week or so, when I had a spare hour or more I have been working on building a portable adjustable climbing wall. I wanted to build one for my daughter so I can start teaching her the basics of sport climbing. I also wanted it adjustable to change the difficulty so I can get some practice as well.

I started working on the fabrication of the parts with my brother. We worked on it for a couple hours the first day and got a lot of the wood cut to correct size and a lot of the holes drilled. Then it was getting late so we called it a night.

After the first night I worked on finishing all the parts and getting it ready for assembly. I ordered the hand holds online and had to wait for those to arrive before I could assemble the parts.

Once the hand holds arrived I installed those in the wall sections and assembled the parts to create the  adjustable wall and got to climbing!

Barclay Lake

Today we hiked with some friends to Barclay Lake. There were 5 of us with 4 kids. This is an easy hike and pretty flat that is covered in shade by trees almost the entire way. My 3 year old daughter walked almost all the way to the lake before she wanted to ride in the pack. One of the other 3 years old boys walked the whole way, in and out. I was pretty impressed.

Once you get to the lake and the trees clear you see Mount Baring soaring high above you. It is quite spectacular. I have hiked here only once before, like 5 years ago, and the lake is much smaller now. Lots of water has disappeared, I imagine it has something to do with the alarmingly low amounts of snow this past winter.

After taking a break at the lake and eating a quick lunch and having the brave 3 year old boy swim in the lake for a bit we headed back down. It was a beautiful day and great to get out and enjoy the sunshine with the family and some friends. This is a great hike for families and kids of all ages. Definitely should be on the list for getting kids started and interested in hiking.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, West
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 500 ft
Peak Elevation: 2423 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Boardman Lake

This morning we hiked up to Boardman Lake with some friends who all have young kids. This is a good easy hike for young people and families. The trail is easy, short, and mostly flat. Gaining just 300 feet of elevation on your 1 mile hike to the lake. The day was pretty foggy, and had lots of low clouds although it didn't rain, which was nice. Our three year old daughter hiked all the way to the lake by herself. But she rode in the pack on the way back.

 

My wife carried our new born on some sort of baby carrier on her stomach, which the baby seemed to enjoy. Although the weather could have been better and views grander with fewer low clouds it was a good day to get out in the woods.

This is a great way to introduce young kids the the wilderness. Lots of large old trees to wonder at, and a peaceful short hike to a lake with established campsites. Highly recommend for beginners to enjoy the great outdoors.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation gain: 300 ft.
Peak Elevation: 3100 ft.
Difficulty: very easy
Pass requirement: Northwest forest pass.

As always check out all the photos from the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Boardman Lake

Today was a clear blue sky day, but seeing that it is still February that meant it was also pretty cold. But my daughter and I bundled up and headed out on the Mountain Loop Highway. We passed the super popular Lake 22 trail head which is right off the highway and noticed the parking lot was already completely filled with people parking on the highway. We kept driving, way too many people for my taste. We eventually arrived at the trail head for Boardman Lake, finding ourselves to be the only car there. But that didn't last long, before we hit the trail another car had pulled in right behind us.

The trail starts shadowed by trees and in almost no time at all you reach Lake Evan, which is a small lake with no real lakefront to enjoy. We did find that the lake was frozen over with a thin layer of ice. But we quickly got back on the trail heading for the larger more prominent Boardman Lake. The trail climbs slightly just about 300 ft worth over the one mile total hike, all in the shadows of large cedar trees.

We reached Boardman Lake with my daughter, who is not yet 3, walking the entire way by herself, which is a big accomplishment for her. I have taken her hiking quite a bit in her early years, but always carried her in my pack. Now I'm trying to convince her "hiking" is not daddy carrying her in a pack but actually she does the walking. Today was a success, and I think she enjoyed it immensely. We spent some time at the frozen lake sitting in the sun trying to warm up. We ate a few snacks and saw more people arrive as the time past. On the way back I carried her in the pack just to speed things up a bit. But I have to say it was a glorious day enjoying the cold wilderness with my daughter. I look forward to more of that this year and in the years to come.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation gain: 300 ft.
Peak Elevation: 3100 ft.
Difficulty: very easy
Pass requirement: Northwest forest pass.

As always check out all the photos from the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Old Robe Trail

Today was an extraordinarily warm January day, so I thought it would be a perfect day to take my oldest daughter on a quick and easy hike. With the local air temperatures reaching 65 degrees and blue skies we headed past Granite Falls on the old trusty Mountain Loop Highway and stopped at the Old Robe Trail. The trail head is right off the highway where you will see tons of cars parked along the road in the height of summer, but today there were only 6. As you leave the highway you walk through thick trees heading toward the Stillaguamish River. Soon the trail takes you down the hill from the road, descending about 200 feet to the river valley bottom. Then you walk about a half a mile until you meet up with the river.

We didn't venture very far after reaching the river. We only walked about a mile before we turned around and headed back toward the car. I had my daughter in my pack the whole time and she only wanted to get out to eat some snacks and throw rocks in the river. But she quickly wanted to get back in the pack. She very much enjoyed riding in the backpack making daddy do all the work. We had lots of fun just taking a quick jaunt into the woods. My daughter talked constantly about all the beautiful things she was seeing saying "[Fill in the blank] is my favorite!"

This is certainly a great way to get out in the woods and see lots of nature and wilderness when you are pressed for time and want to stay close to home. Great for kids and the whole family, just beware of crowds on summer weekends. The trail continues on a little further to an old train tunnel that is quite fun for young kids, but the trail ends shortly after the old train tunnel.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation Gain: 230 ft.
Peak Elevation:1100 ft.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Pass Requirement: No

As always check out all the photos from the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Lake Twentytwo

Today a friend and I left straight from work and drove out past Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway for a quick hike to get some exercise. Lake Twentytwo is a hike I've done a handful of times, and I like it because it's a beautiful mountain lake that you can swim in, it's easy to get to, it's an easy hike and you can be up and down it in 3-4 hours, including travel time.

We made our way quickly up the trail and made it to the lake in just under an hour, and since we were hiking so quickly we were drenched in sweat even though it was only 70 degrees. After we ran around the lake my buddy decided to clean the sweat off himself by jumping in the lake. He assured me the water was quite comfortable, but I didn't join him. I wasn't prepared to hike back with all my clothes wet. Next time I'll be prepared for that.

After his quick dip in the lake, we literally ran down the mountain taking extra caution on the rocky bits with substantial rocks and boulders so we didn't twist an ankle. Although there were a few close calls of trips and turned ankles we made it through unscathed. Again drenched in sweat my hiking partner decided he needed another dip, this time in the creek near the start of the trail. We made it back to the trail head after hiking up, around the lake and back down with a couple dips in the water in a little over 2 hours. It was a fun quick exercise and next time I'll be prepared to jump in the lake to cool off.

Region: North Cascades-Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 1350 ft
Peak Elevation: 2400 ft
Difficulty: easy
Pass Requirement: Yes. All passes honored.

As always check out all the photos of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Lime Kiln Trail

Well today I was back in my home town and looking for a hike I've never done before. This one just happened to be only a short distance from where I lived so I thought I'd give it a go. I headed toward the trail slightly later than I anticipated and when I normally would have gone. But when I got to the trail head I found out I was lucky I did, because the trail head is closed until 7:00 am. So I got there about 7:20 am and started during a slight drizzle and about 56 degrees. The trail started out looking like a bonafide rain forest. (Or perhaps it just seemed that way since I just spent the last week hiking around the much dryer central Oregon.) But needless to say it was very green, with trees, ferns and moss all under a beautiful canopy.

After a short distance the trail opens up, the canopy disappears and you are walking down a wide path that looks like a 4wheeler trail (although they aren't allowed here). The trail is mostly heavily packed dirt and rocks. There is little elevation change and is quite easy. The scenery changes off and on from under a thick canopy and narrow trail to an open trail where you can look to the sky, which happened to be covered in clouds today, however the light drizzle did stop shortly after I started this morning.

Once I got to the kiln site I was amazed at how big the kiln actually was. It was much bigger than I anticipated. I did have the desire the climb it, but there was a sign that said "Please do not climb" so I didn't. But all in all it was an impressive thing to look at and examine. To be able to build such a thing hundreds of years ago is quite a feat. At the site there is also a bunch of scattered bricks and metal shards of old tools. After the kiln I continued on the trail which descends to the South Fork Stillaguamish River. Down at the river it seems to be a common practice to stack rocks on top of each other...which seemed a little strange to me.

I jogged about half way on the way back. This trail is well suited for trail running, however I didn't run the whole way because I wasn't wearing my trail running shoes, and my hiking shoes weren't made for jogging. On my way back I only came across 6 people. Which isn't entirely surprising considering its a Friday morning and not-so-great weather. But it made for an enjoyable hike for me. This is a great hike for kids and the whole family, its easy and it has some interesting history to it. Check it out.

Vegetation: Lots, everywhere, including but not limited to conifers, deciduous, and evergreen trees, ferns, moss, wildberries, mushrooms, skunk cabbage, wildflowers, and sticker bushes.
Wildlife: I heard lots of birds singing along the whole trail. While walking along I heard some movement in the bushes, I'm assuming they were just birds. I saw a rabbit, slugs, snails and a snake. Bugs were almost non-existent. I didn't have any problems with pesky bugs or mosquitoes, too cold for that still.
Water Source: About 1.3 miles in you pass Hubbard Lake which is small and is easy to miss from the trail due to thick trees and vegetation. About 1.7 miles in the trail follows South Fork Stillaguamish River, but you cant access it very easily because the trail is high above the river. But the trail does end up at the at the River after 4 miles.