Mother Nature can suck it

So the weather has been crap lately. Absolute crap. And I'm a little bitter about it!

It's like Mother Nature realized it was nearing the end of March and that she hadn't yet met her quota on snow, hail, wind, and torrential rain, and decided to make up for in it a 72 hour period.

Monday the boys were outside replanting some of the spruces that had been knocked over in the wind, and yesterday not only did the spruces get knocked down again, but so did the red maple.

And our greenhouse.

Yes. Our greenhouse got flipped over on it's side like it was a dinner table in Jersey, taking the huge wooden shelves that were inside with it. Needless to say it's severely damaged, and I'm disgruntled about it. When the greenhouse flew it also knocked down and broke the big wooden T-stand that held our tomato and strawberry Topsy Turvy's, and crushed the kids' kiddie pool (which they haven't used in quite awhile, but I'm still annoyed it's smashed to smithereens). So yeah, our yard looks like a tornado swept through, hence my bitterness.

But there is one thing that is keeping me from going completely postal and divorcing nature altogether.

Spring is here.

Mother Nature may be in denial, but she's a fickle bitch anyway, so her opinion matters little. It is still technically spring whether she likes it or not.

And spring means hiking!!!!!

I love hiking. I love being out amongst the trees, in the mountains, smelling the fresh air and listening to the birds and taking in the beauty that is Western Washington. It's where I find my peace.

Now, I'm not one of those hard core hikers whose sole goal is to make it to the top of the mountain as quickly as humanly possible.

*cough*cough*Age*cough*cough*

I prefer to take it a little slower and enjoy my surroundings.

I also enjoy being able to breathe, and as I learned the hard way this past summer, hiking with *certain* people (Kotyks) is like asking to be punched in the gut and have the wind knocked out of you for three hours straight, all while struggling to keep up with their ridiculous pace and simultaneously not make it too obvious that you're wishing for the sweet hand of death to release you from this misery.

Love you guys!

It's just that, I'm not in terrible shape, and yet I was still having my ass kicked. Like, totally, mercilessly, unabashedly handed to me.

And I expect Age to literally run circles around me. As previously mentioned, she's kind of a fitness goddess.

But I also got shown up by her dad. Who had just had OPEN HEART SURGERY a few months prior.

Yeah, to say it was demoralizing would be an understatement.

And their perspective?

"That was a nice walk, eh?"

Dude, you just climbed a world-renowned black diamond ski mountain in what I'm pretty sure is record time, and you consider that a "nice walk"?

Dear god I hope I never witness what they consider challenging...

But I digress.

There are several hikes that I am wanting to do this spring and summer. Some that I've already done and just want to do again, and others that I haven't done yet and am dying to go do.

Since we have kids, not all the hikes we do are hard core. Two of our favorite kid-friendly hikes are Lime Kiln and Old Robe Trail.

Saw blade on Lime Kiln

Lime Kiln is a beautiful hike, and isn't terribly difficult, so kids are more than able to come along. The trail starts out in lush, beautiful forest (beware of horse and dog droppings, not everyone is as courteous as they should be). It then opens up to some four-wheeler paths, which aren't as pretty (and are private property, so stay on the path). After awhile you turn left back onto a trail (and back onto public lands) and follow the trail down along the Stillaguamish River. Along the way you'll find relics from the mining days- saw blades, pots, a rusted-out stove, bricks, and various other weather-worn scraps. About two and a half miles in you'll come to the lime kiln. It's pretty cool, I must say! After that you continue on another mile or so before dropping down to the river, which is a perfect place to have a snack and relax (or if you are the intrepid hippies we came across last time, it's the perfect place to start tubing down the river half-naked).

The only indication there is a hiking trail there.

Old Robe Trail is in the same park as Lime Kiln, on the opposite end. It is a historical town site, and after dropping down the switch backs (which are not as easy on the knees as the site claims) you meander through a pleasant trail and along the Stillaguamish River. Washouts in the last few years have made the trail more difficult, so I would recommend only bringing older kids past the washout marker. After that, you are following the old railroad tracks. You have to scramble over a couple pretty sketchy slide areas, but once you do, you can follow the tracks through old railroad tunnels. It's pretty neat. We've never gone past the second tunnel though, as apparently it gets a little more dicey further down, and we've never felt comfortable taking the kids out there just in case. But I've always seen families hiking out there every time we've gone, so maybe it isn't as scary as we've been told.

Two of my personal faves so far are Heather Lake and Mount Pilchuck. Heather Lake is challenging, but still kid friendly. Mount Pilchuck is not kid friendly at all!

Heather Lake

Heather Lake is gorgeous! You are deep in old growth woods the entire time, and it has some breathtaking views. Definitely bring a camera! There's a little bit of switchbacks at the beginning, but then it is a straight trail after that. It's fairly steep, but our kids were able to do it (with plenty of rests and drinks of water). Once you get closer to the top, you are likely to encounter some late season snow- which the kids thought was the greatest thing ever! Shortly after that you come to the boardwalk that encircles the lake. Stop, rest, and enjoy the subalpine views!

Lookout Cabin- Mt. Pilchuck

Mount Pilchuck is by far my favorite hike. It's brutal, but it's amazing. It's also the place where I managed to hike the entire thing without incident and then rolled my ankle in the parking lot (as mentioned in my post about my tendency towards clumsiness!) This hike is no joke, and as the warning sign at the trail entry states, Search and Rescue gets called up there multiple times a season. If you're hiking it in summer, you should be fine, just follow the yellow dots and arrows painted on the rocks. But if there is any snow still on the ground? Be careful, please.

Ladder of death

The hike starts out in the forest, but after awhile you come to a rock field. This is the first of many, and I believe the fourth one marks the halfway point. The rocks starts out smallish and more jagged (perfect for a sliced knee), but as you ascend the rocks turn into boulders the size of cars. Towards the top you start to feel like you're on another planet. It's very cool! The rock fields are interspersed with dense forest and scrubby alpine meadows, and there are a few points where it's good to be fairly loud as you are in 6-foot tall brush that could very easily hide a bear. At the top you come to the final rock field, on the top of which a lookout cabin is perched. For someone who hates heights, this was the worst part for me- climbing the ladder to the cabin. You are literally perched on the very tippy-top of a very tall, very pointy mountain. It was terrifying. And awesome. Side note: make sure you hike it on a sunny day, otherwise the killer views are wasted!

I am also looking forward to doing some new hikes this year. Friends of ours recommended Iron Goat. I'm dying to do Hoh River, since you're hiking through the rain forests of the peninsula. And apparently the Enchantments is an amazing hike as well, though that requires a bit more travel time from my neck of the woods.

There is also this hike (I forget the name) but it's up in the North Cascades. It's very long and fairly difficult, but you hike through alpine meadows and rim one of the main glaciers up there and I'm DYING to go, but apparently it suffered some serious damage a few years back and I think it's closed for now until the WTA gets up there and makes it, you know, not a death trap. But it's calling me, so I plan to keep a lookout until it pops back up on the site again!