You went where yesterday?

We’ve been wanting to go skiing for a while, especially with all of the snow. Yesterday we had intended on making a day of it. However, it was close to noon before we were ready to leave and I still needed to go to REI to rent skis. We thought we would run out of time before it got dark. So, we decided to go hiking instead!

Believe it or not, there are some trails that supposedly stay open all-year round near Seattle. We found a great hike in a book I borrowed a while ago from Sunniva called Best Hikes with Dogs in Western Washington. Ironically, when we got to the trail head at Twin Falls, we realized we had been there before. It was the first “real” hike we ever went on together. I say real, because the first hike was actually a trip to the summit at Tiger Mountain. There were many switchbacks and it was so crowded that it didn’t feel the same as being out in the open. From a review of Tiger Mountain, I found others feel the same way:

"Tiger Mountain is certainly a very popular hiking trail. The main reason has to be its proximity to Seattle. Make no mistake, when you do this hike you are hiking with friends, strangers, dogs, gray doves, children, you name it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like these kind of hikes. I probably saw over 200 people and maybe more than 300."

On the way to Twin Falls, I was having a caffeine fit (can you say addiction, anyone?) and decided to stop at Tully’s a) to avoid Starbucks and b) because I remembered it was where Blaise and I went on our first date before going to Seward Park for a walk. It seems so long ago now, but really we are just approaching our two-year anniversary. :)

Anyway, back to the hike. It was tremendous fun. It felt so good to get out of the city. And although there was a fair amount of ice and snow on the trails (and a few trees that had fallen from the wind), we were able to make it up o.k. (I did fall once after slipping on the ice, but that was just for humor.) Foolishly, we did not bring our water bottles with us, because technically the trail was closed for an emergency because of washouts and we didn't think that we would be able to go very far.

Even without our gear, we were having so much fun that we decided to hike to the top and then for a bit along the Iron Horse Trail, which continues across the state along old railroad tracks. To quench our thirst, we ate snow and ice along the way.

The waterfalls were amazing, yet the best part was taking Koya with us. He had so much fun. Even running through the snow-covered forest to retrieve sticks and down steep cliffs, he seemed like he was in his natural habitat. When the weather gets a little nicer, I want to try to go hiking or on small trips like this one at least every couple of weeks.