To get ahead of the guacamole guzzling planned for the Super Bowl, we headed up into the mountains on Sunday morning for a pleasant stroll along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie river. The hike looked good on paper with 12 miles total but a net climb of only 200 feet. I put years of damage on the Forester's suspension on miles of the worst pot holes I have ever had the privilege to drop into but it was a worthy sacrifice. The road damage meant we were the only car in a parking lot that could hold a hundred fellow Subaru's.
It didn't take very long to realize that the other reason the parking lot was empty was that winter storms had turned the trail into a chainsaw wielding crossfitter's wet dream. We counted 123 trees that we climbed or crawled past on the way out and at the end of the trail we turned back around to repeat. A few samples of the winter trail upgrades:
My favorite obstruction of the day was the landslide off of this cliff that shattered a good chunk of forest. On a portion of the walk we could hear even the gentle whisper of new avalanches or rock slides (wishful thinking convinced us that they were all on the other side of the canyon).
Even on Super Bowl Sunday it was amazing to have such views to ourselves. It was eight miles before we saw another hiker. That is a major upgrade compared to some summer hikes that feel like you might have a functioning chain gang to return your extra gear to the car for you.
I would bet that Oak covered 30 miles and it felt like a serious accomplishment that he didn't ask me to throw the ball for an entire afternoon. He even slept right through the yelling that accompanied the Broncos victory ... but by Monday the ball focus was back.
Finally, a message to Peyton because I know he is a loyal reader: Take the opportunity to ride off into the sunset covered in glory, don't listen to Elway, going for two isn't going to work.
It didn't take very long to realize that the other reason the parking lot was empty was that winter storms had turned the trail into a chainsaw wielding crossfitter's wet dream. We counted 123 trees that we climbed or crawled past on the way out and at the end of the trail we turned back around to repeat. A few samples of the winter trail upgrades:
My favorite obstruction of the day was the landslide off of this cliff that shattered a good chunk of forest. On a portion of the walk we could hear even the gentle whisper of new avalanches or rock slides (wishful thinking convinced us that they were all on the other side of the canyon).
Even on Super Bowl Sunday it was amazing to have such views to ourselves. It was eight miles before we saw another hiker. That is a major upgrade compared to some summer hikes that feel like you might have a functioning chain gang to return your extra gear to the car for you.
I would bet that Oak covered 30 miles and it felt like a serious accomplishment that he didn't ask me to throw the ball for an entire afternoon. He even slept right through the yelling that accompanied the Broncos victory ... but by Monday the ball focus was back.
Finally, a message to Peyton because I know he is a loyal reader: Take the opportunity to ride off into the sunset covered in glory, don't listen to Elway, going for two isn't going to work.