Mt. Townsend

We celebrated 4th of July by hiking to the highest summit we've done so far, Mt. Townsend.  At an elevation of 6280 feet and round trip mileage of about 9 miles, it was an ass-kicker.  This trail is very popular, so there were a lot of people on the trail even though the weather was not so great.  As we passed people on the way up we asked how it was at the top and everyone told us there were no views today or only a patch of sunshine.  We told ourselves we didn't need views anyway - pshhh, we've seen a million mountain views.  This hike is steady but steep, climbing 2900 feet from trailhead to summit.  

Along the way we encountered quite a bit of snow, even in July!

We also encountered beautiful waterfalls and tons of wildflowers in the alpine meadows. 

All the way up the skies were grey, but as we reached the top the clouds seemed to drop and swirl and give us amazing views!  We decided it was karma (and getting a  late start!)

Hard to tell if it was the thin air or the sheer beauty that made it hard for us to catch our breath, but we both got a little choked up at our achievement and the amazing surroundings.  At 5 months and 2 days past Chris' back surgery, here he is looking eye-to-eye with the Olympic Mountain range.





 Since this trail is so popular, it is very well maintained.  Even with all the people we encountered we didn't see one piece of trash on the ground.  Its easy to see that the folks that hike this trail are more serious hikers who seek to preserve the beauty around them.   Other than a few birds, the only wildlife we saw was a little rabbit - he decided to hide in the trees and not be photogenic. As we descended back down the trail, the fog rolled in and covered all the views but that probably helped us stay on track to get down the mountain before dark. We cut it pretty close, hitting the parking lot at about 8:45PM. 

Today's lesson:  when climbing to such high elevations Chris needs to take decongestants ahead of time.   Once we started the drive home the built up pressure behind his sinuses was so great he said it felt like a knife stabbed him between the eyes when he yawned.  Luckily, it passed after about 15 minutes.  We even got amazing views on the way home.  The moon over Hood Canal was huge and red, and because it was the 4th of July there were fireworks being set off as far as we could see on both sides of the bridge.    It was such a rewarding day that reaffirmed how grateful we are to live in such an amazingly beautiful area.



Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve

Our weather has been pretty iffy the last couple weeks; yesterday was pouring but today looked like we had a good chance of staying dry so we headed out for a new adventure.

Today we decided to check out the Mary E. Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve in Belfair, WA.   The guide book says its a 3.5 mile hike round trip and takes you to the Union River estuary that feeds into Hood Canal.  The trails are very well maintained and easily accessible to all (flat, wide and smooth). Even on a busy Sunday afternoon,  the bird activity was high.   We were serenaded the entire trip by birds all along the grassy meadows and waterways.   We saw whole colonies of Red Winged Black Birds and Swallows,  as well as sparrows, a pileated woodpecker, what we think was kingfisher, and many more we couldn't ID.    This would be a great place to come with binoculars and spend extra time just sitting on the many benches along the way and bird watching.   We only brought the outdoor camera, but still managed to get a couple shots:

One thing to note - no dogs are allowed in this area due to the fragile ecosystem. The sun was warm and the breezes were cool. It was a nice, easy Sunday afternoon hike with beautiful views and amazing birds.