Beginning post-Practical Training Strip // Hike miles 1:1 // Bike miles 1:4
2017
Saturday, Sept 9 -- Oaks Bottom Wildlife -- 3.5 miles
A leisurely walk with the Otters. The leaves were beginning to turn and the water levels were low still from the summer dry period. There were a lot of birds present today, and we were able to see a heron in the marsh.
Sunday, Sept 10 -- Wildwood Trail -- 9 miles
A good paced hike. Decent weather and I saw this little guy along the trail hiding in the leaves.
Wildwood Trail, Sept 2017
Wednesday, October 4 -- Lyon by bike -- 9 miles (2.25 miles)
We rented bicycles and rode from the northern edge of the ville central at Parc de la Tête d’Or, around the park, through the downtown central, to the southern most tip of the peninsula at the Musée de la Confluence. Then we returned to the Place de L’Opera for home. The route is some on-street with some sections having the bike lanes on the left side of the road, facing oncoming traffic, so that everyone sees each other. This was a bit hard to get used to, but it actually made sense after a while. However, most of the routes are bike-dedicated paths. I wasn’t surprised there were no helmets available, but considered not riding, but in the end really enjoyed the venture and was glad we did.
Musée de la Confluence
Saturday, October 28 -- Banks Vernonia Trail by bike -- 45 miles (11.25 miles)
I know this trail well and yet each time it surprises me. I starts flat, along-side the highway and roads along farmland, then cuts inland through fields and makes its way to the forest, where it hits a sharp incline for the first half of the ride, continuing upward over the course of 12 miles - passing Stubb Stewart State Park - until Tophill, where there is a sharp downhill then back up where highway 47 cuts a valley through the hill. Then you work your way down about 200 ft in elevation over the last 12 miles until you come to the turn-around at Vernonia Lake. Then you turn back and do the opposite to get back to your car in Bank.
There is a cricket pitch in the middle of a field that you pass just before your first climb. On this ride I saw the start of a cricket game on my way out, and then the rest on my way back.
I also did extra miles on this ride, because my riding friends were behind me, so when I returned to Banks, I turned back around and rode a couple miles back down the path to meet them and finish our rides together. It was a really sunny and beautiful day.
Saturday, November 12 -- Banks Vernonia Trail by bike -- 42 miles (10.5 miles)
No cricket game today, and though it was sunny, it was rather cold under the trees (which is most of the ride). The leaves are really turning now and it’s starting to feel like true fall.
Daryl rode with me today and we were both really tired which made for a hard ride.
Saturday, November 18 -- El Tour de Tucson by bike -- 76 miles (19 miles)
This was really hard. Cold, hilly and beautiful in the morning, but hot and flat in the afternoon. We rode all 76 miles together and would definitely do it again, though perhaps not the Tucson location, we’d like to try somewhere else next time.
Mile 60 - El Tour de Tucson
Saturday, December 17 -- Armstrong Woods, CA -- 1 mile (I swear it felt a lot longer at the time!)
A beautiful “hike” with my mother and cousins through Armstrong Woods in Guernville, CA. We walked the path from the State Park entrance, all the way back to the amphitheater - surrounded by Redwoods the entire way. Though I’ve hiked this park many times in the past, today it seemed particularly crowded and chilly. I noticed a lot more English Ivy on the trees than I have in the past, but they look to be keeping an eye on it and trimming regularly. The average age of our companions was about 78, so it was more of a saunter.
2018
Saturday - Sunday, May 19-20 -- Salmon River Trail -- 2.5 miles
I was so proud of Henry on this hike. His first backpacking trip. It was warm and he was carrying the maximum he could get in his pack without being too heavy. It was a quick, easy hike from TH to camp, where we unpacked and put up our tarp shelter for the evening.
No ticks, and we checked regularly. This was a bio-stove R24 and Henry was very helpful in gathering sticks for the fire.
Salmon River Trail R24
Sunday, May 27 -- Lost Lake Trail Loop -- 3.2 miles
The path was rather broken up this year, with a lot of splintered sections. It was sunny for most of this trip, and warm enough for the kids to play and swim in the water. I did a solo hike around the lake.
Lost Lake with Harold.
Tuesday, July 10 -- Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site — 1 mile
Close to Wallowa Lake State Park, this short nature area was perfect for the family. We saw other people in some areas, but also had sections completely to ourselves, including this lovely spot to sit and observe the Wallowa Mountains. The hardest part about the hike was the heat and keeping the kids motivated.
Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site
Tuesday, August 7 -- Bill Riley bike trail by bike -- 17 miles (4.25 miles)
A really wonderful ride through the Des Moines bike trails where I used to ride as a kid. They’ve extended the trails and now you can ride much more of the city by trail, rather than street.
Friday, August 10 -- Des Moines trails by bike -- 16.3 (4 miles)
Another section of the trails today. It was sunny and hot, but we had a great time looping from the west suburbs all the way to downtown for lunch and then back to home. Lots of other bikers today.
Saturday, September 1 -- Lower MacLeay Trail to Wildwood -- 3 miles
The kids and I took Juliette, our French house guest, on a short hike in Forest Park. We started from Lower Macleay Park, to the old stone bathrooms, then turned north-ish on Wildwood Trail until we snaked our way to the neighborhood streets in NW and came back down Thurman over the bridge. Our biggest challenge on this hike was keeping Harold motivated.
I really enjoyed seeing the blue diamonds along the way and remembering how we searched for them as we were doing the full Wildwood last year.
Lower MacLeay
Wildwood
Sunday, September 23 — PIR to Columbia Slough to Old Vanport trail — 3.1 miles
Henry and I did this 5k walk as a fundraiser for JDRF. It was a wonderful day, though a bit chilly in the morning. Henry found a dead Great Blue Heron by the side of the trail, it looked to be freshly dead, but no clear reason for death.
Sunday, September 23 — Sunday Parkways NE — 8 miles (2 miles)
Juliette, Harold, Daryl and I did the full loop of NE Sunday Parkways. It was basically the same path as always with a slight deviation on when crossing Killingsworth at 53rd. It was a really nice day, though it went really fast with such a small group. I was surprised that we only saw one person we knew the entire way.
Saturday, October 6 -- Nevada Falls, Yosemite -- 8 miles
This was a breathtaking hike.
Most people take the Northern trail (Mist Trail) up the mountain to the top of the falls, scaling hundreds of stone stairs and boulders along the way (picture to the right, but I didn’t take it - found here).
Then they wind down the flatter (but still steep) southern path (John Muir Trail) to get back.
We did the opposite. We went up the John Muir trail, climbing steady switchbacks early in the morning (8 a.m. start). We didn’t see a single person on the trail between where we turned off for the Muir Trail, until we were 1/4 mile from the top of the falls. It was beautiful, and also we decided to talk the entire time so that any bears would hear us coming - it was that deserted. Our way down was more challenging, going down those hundreds of stone stairs, like a salmon swimming up stream against the hoards of hikers that showed up about 10 a.m. when we were making our way down. I would definitely do this hike again. It was stunning.
The top of Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park
Sunday, October 7 -- Merced Grove Trail, Yosemite -- 4 miles
Daryl and I hiked 4 miles to visit an old forest cabin and see some Sequoias. It started on an old forest road and then turned down a more secluded trail that landed us in a deeper forest. It was a lovely day and we saw many people along the way.
The most challenging part was that it was 2 miles downhill to get there - and of course 2 miles uphill to get back. But it was just what we needed to finish up our weekend in the national park.
We continued on the trail farther than most people go, and the trail was less kempt, so we did a little clean up.
Clearing the trail, like a good scout.
20 large Sequoia trees and a lovely log cabin in the middle of the forest.
Saturday, October 13 - Sunday, October 14 — Elk Meadows, Oregon — 11 miles
R24 backpacking: Elk Meadows Mt. Hood Oregon. This trip was super cold, though no snow. there was a lot of ice. I am thankful for my sleeping bag and the fact that I sleep in full coat layers.
Rambler badge complete, but rambler-hiking log continues.
November 28 - December 5, 2018: Vienna and Ljubljana - 41.5 miles
Wandering through the streets and forests of Vienna, Austria and Ljubljana, Slovenia. This was a new space and yet familiar in that the nature around you feels the same no matter where you are. A city forest feels like home whether it’s in Portland or Ljubljana.
December 24: Alice Lake Provincial Park, Squamish BC, Canada - 4.5 miles
A snowy hike around 4 lakes, except we got a bit turned around in the snow and only did 2 lakes, but nearly the same distance. With such heavy snow fall, it was probably for the best that we hiked the lakes nearest to the main road and did not find ourselves lost in the farther areas of the trails.
March 23 - 25: Trillium Lake, Mt.Hood, Oregon - 8 miles
A snow camping trip with Rovers, beginning at the Highway 26 trailhead, hiking 3 miles in. Hiking 2 miles-loop around the lake on day 2, then back out to the trailhead the final 3 miles on day three.
Current (3/19): 156.55 miles