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The Future of National Parks

October 20, 2017July 30, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

In July we took to the high country and hiked to Fremont Lookout for our Alpine Trails Book Club meet up. Laura chose to hike in a National Park to go along with the theme of the month’s book selection, Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Parks. We are lucky here in Seattle to be so close to one of the oldest and most impressive National Parks, Mount Rainier.

The trail to the lookout begins at the popular Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park at 6400 feet, the highest part of the park that can be reached by road. We met next to the old lodge which opened in 1931. The lodge housed amenities such as showers, laundry, groceries, and cafeteria style dining for the over 200 rentable cabins that sprouted in the area. The cabins did not weather well, though, and were removed in 1944. The beautiful lodge structure remains, however, still offering cafeteria style dining and a gift shop.

We made our way through the crowds to the lookout trail. Emmons Glacier dominates the skyline as we scan the meadows for wildflowers. There was lupine and paintbrush and phlox, all familiar with a just a little twist that made it unique to the Park. It’s not a hike in Mount Rainier unless you spot some happy marmots along the trail. We saw several. I pointed them out to Evie and she giggled and babbled her approval.

We talked about the crowds and how it seems like we are seeing more and more people on the trails lately. Sunrise is a place that people come to from around the world. It is not unusual to hear hikers speaking several different languages. We pass groups of teens, families, trail runners, and couples, all seemingly content and happy to be in this beautiful place. All of us there for the same reasons and no one deserves to be there more than anyone else. But I can’t help wondering, are we loving Mount Rainier and other National Parks to death?

Mark Woods grapples with this and other issues that affect our beloved National Parks in Lassoing the Sun. He won a journalism fellowship that allowed him to spend a year exploring whatever he wanted. He chose the National Parks. Starting with a New Years Day sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and ending with a sunset in Haleakala, he traveled to a different National Park each month. And not just the popular ones. He wasn’t out to just celebrate the last 100 years of the parks, but rather to examine threats to the National Parks in the next 100 years.

The most obvious threat to the parks is climate change. The effects are already evident as glaciers in Glacier National Park are melting, habitats are shrinking, and species disappearing. But what should we do about it? Should we preserve the parks and fight to keep them the way they are, or do we let nature take its course and allow species to adapt on their own even if it means we lose some of them?

Photo: Laura Norsen

Then there is the issue of the parks being overcrowded and underfunded. The parks had over 300 million visitors in 2015 which is a staggering number. While it is great that so many people are loving on the parks, there is often not enough staff to support them and budget cuts make it difficult to fix and maintain roads and trails. The other issue with the crowds is that they are mostly white with an average age of 41 according to the National Park Service. This does not reflect the surrounding communities and certainly not the future generation.

In the book, Mark talks his wife and teenage daughter into going on road trips with him to the National Parks. It was what his parents did while he was growing up and he wants to carry on the tradition and share his favorite places. He worries about what the state of the parks will be in his daughter’s lifetime. With a little daughter of my own, I worry about it too. So what should we do about it?

Ultimately, Mark is hopeful. He says,

…being an advocate for the parks doesn’t mean you have to do something extreme. You don’t have to chain yourself to a redwood. You don’t have to be able to donate a bunch of money. If you want to help the parks, the most important thing you can do is simply go to them – and take someone with you.

Lassoing the Sun by Mark Woods

Book Ends

If you haven’t already, go read The Hour of Land. It is full of gorgeous essays by Terry Tempest Williams from her time spent in National Parks.
Read Here’s my idea of the happiest place on earth, an article that Mark Woods wrote about his year in the National Parks and why he chose this journey.
And check out Mark’s beautiful photos from each park he visited.

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Outdoor Life

Evie’s First Summit: Redux

October 10, 2017August 7, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

I’ve never been drawn to Mount Rainier like I’m drawn to the North Cascades. I never really knew why, but I think I finally figured it out. I’ve never been there in late summer or fall, my favorite time of year. Turns out, like the North Cascades, Mount Rainier also has many of my favorite things this time of year.

Tolmie Peak Lookout has been on my list to tackle for a while now and I thought it would be a good hike to take Evie on. This time I was right. By now I’ve figured out that all Evie’s problems can simply be solved with a second breakfast. So we fueled up at the trailhead with a mid morning meal and happily set off on the trail.

The way starts out along Mowich Lake with peekaboo views of Mount Rainier. Evie babbled enthusiastically as we stopped to feel the texture of a fern, cedar, and some huckleberry bushes. I spotted a doe through the trees and pointed and whispered look to Evie.

It was quiet. The air was cool, even with the sun shining. The bugs that would have clouded the trail just weeks before have gone into hiding. Baby pink spirea dotted the trail as we reached Eunice Lake. Here we took a nice long break for a snack and a diaper change and chatted with other hikers.

After leaving the lake it was slow going as we stopped frequently for blueberry snacks. I mushed some up with my fingers and fed them to Evie, her first taste of wild mountain blueberries. She squealed with joy and I gave her more. Purple juice dripped down her chin.

I found some blue gentian, my most favorite wildflower, in the meadows by the lake and got down close to show Evie the royal spotted blue. As we climbed the switchbacks toward the lookout I showed her another favorite, fireweed, as the views of Mount Rainier and Lake Eunice became more and more stunning. For the first time in a long time I couldn’t stop taking photos. It was nice to be in a new place with some old favorites.

I have to admit I also enjoyed the accolades I got while hauling my infant to the top of the mountain. I was called brave, strong, impressive. One guy told me he thought he was badass until he saw me carrying up my baby. Another told me I deserve a medal. While I don’t necessarily agree (the mileage, elevation gain, and weight are not all that significant), and I think dad’s deserve the same credit, it did make me feel really good.

I took Evie up onto the deck around the lookout and sat for some lunch with one of the most spectacular views in Mount Rainier National Park. I thought about my first summit hike to Mount Pilchuck and how it was much more like this hike than my hike with Evie to Pilchuck. It felt so fresh and new.

As a parent there are so many things I think I’m in control of, but I know that it is not the case. I wanted so badly for Evie’s first summit to be the same as my own, and for her special places to be the same as mine. But ultimately she will have her own favorite things and places. Maybe her special place will be Mount Rainier. I mean, technically, this is her first true summit hike since we didn’t go up to the lookout on Pilchuck. So which do I tell her was first? Maybe when she is older I will let her decide.

Up by Patricia Ellis Herr

When Herr discovers that her five year old daughter, Alex, enjoys hiking and has the energy to take on big mountains, they decide to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s tallest mountains (dubbed the four thousand footers). Each chapter of the book highlights a lesson learned like: Some Things Will Always Be Beyond Your Control, Some Risks Are Worth Taking, and Enjoy The Journey While It Lasts. This story warmed my heart and gave me inspiration to bring Evie along for all my journeys and learn some lessons on the trail.

More about the Tolmie Peak Lookout trail

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Outdoor Life

Evie’s First Summit

August 29, 2017February 12, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

Let’s just get something out of the way: I do not recommend carrying your infant up Mount Pilchuck. I’ve been on this trail many times before my baby-toting days and in my delirious, sleep-depraved state, I thought it would be a nice hike to take Evie on. It was the first summit for my husband and I when we moved to Seattle, and I wanted it to be her first, too. Well, that’s nice and all, but I failed to recall that the entire trail is constructed of rocks measuring the perfect size to break every bone in your leg from the knee down. I did remember the ladder to the lookout and thought I could handle that no problem, but I completely forgot that you have to scramble up many large boulders to get to it. Ugh.

The hike started off well with Evie in her new position facing forward in the ergo. This is accompanied by screams of joy and excitement at trees? Flowers? Fellow hikers? It’s hard to tell… The forecast called for partly sunny skies and as I drove to the trailhead it was clear that we would be in the clouds on the mountain. While this may bother most people, it made me really excited. I love climbing through the mist and getting above the clouds. There is a sense of mystery. You don’t know if you’ll get views or not and it is so exciting when a cloud disappears to reveal some nearby jagged peak only to cloud up again leaving you watching intently for the next clearing. Its nature’s version of peek-a-boo.

I was just starting to wonder how the heck I didn’t remember any of this ridiculous steep and rocky trail when Evie began to fuss. She was tired and I think my jostling her around to climb up rocks was not the kind of rocking she needed to fall asleep. I stopped and turned her around in the ergo to make it easier for her to nap which did the exact opposite and made her full on cry. I’ve taken Evie on a number of hikes in her short little life but she has never cried like this on the trail. There is something very jarring and unnatural about hearing a baby cry in the otherwise silent and peaceful wilderness. I was pretty sure her sad little wails were being heard in a multitude of valleys below. I had to make her stop.

So I stopped and nursed her and it helped a little, but she was still tired. I continued on, tiptoeing up the rocks and singing twinkle twinkle little star one word at a time in between breaths. I made it a little farther and then she started to cry again. I apologized profusely to my fellow hikers and tried going faster. I eventually gave in though and plopped down right next to the trail to nurse again. The bugs, an annoying mixture of mosquitoes and black flies, descended on us en masse. At first I tried to be all zen mom and not let the bugs bother me and just concentrate on keeping Evie from getting bitten. That lasted all of 5 seconds before I covered her up with my flannel shirt and used her little polka dot jacket to whip around my head like I was in a rodeo. Yeehaw.

People didn’t seem to care because they just mindlessly trudged on by murmuring things like, “I hate nature”, “yuck, I just ate another bug”, and “why did we come up here again?” At least Evie and I weren’t alone in our misery.

I couldn’t take the bugs anymore so I got Evie back in the ergo as quickly as possible and climbed on. We were getting close to the top and the clouds were starting to give a little. As I got to the last scramble Evie was finally asleep. I considered scrambling up the rocks for a minute, determined to get her to the lookout, then decided that I would be doing it more for me than her. Instead, I sat gently on a large boulder as not to disturb her and carefully and quickly ate my lunch.

On the way down the high clouds began to burn off revealing a marine layer below. We were above the clouds now, just as I had hoped for. Evie slept most of the way as I again cursed every rock and boulder on the trail. When she woke up she looked up at me intensely for a long time. I melted and smiled at her thinking maybe she was appreciating that I just carried her up to the top of a boulder infested mountain. It was a sweet moment. Then she began to cry.

Hikes Featured in this Post:

Mt Pilchuck

You may also like: Lookouts: Mt Pilchuck

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Road Trip

Painted Hills

April 20, 2017August 7, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

Ten years ago, when I moved to Seattle and had my first real job, I bought the prettiest calendar I could find with pictures of beautiful landscapes. Every month I was excited to see what the next one would be. On one of those months, I flipped up to a picture of the Painted Hills in Oregon. I had never seen anything like it before. The tan hills were striped with red and black and bursts of yellow flowers saturated the ravines. I was fascinated by this foreign landscape and vowed to go there someday.

Several years later in 2010, I took a road trip to Bend, Oregon over the 4th of July. I decided while I was there to take a day trip to the place I’ve been wanting to see. So Nali dog and I headed through the Ochoco National Forest to the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

The hills appear otherworldly as you approach the overlook. The colorful strata alternate from tan to red to black and are volcanic in origin. The oldest layers date back to 35 million years ago when this area was a lush, warm, and humid place. Prehistoric animals roamed here: saber-toothed tiger, camels and elephants. The climate was ideal for fossil formation and over the years many important fossils have been found here.

Native Americans frequented the area gathering roots and fishing for salmon in the nearby John Day river. They were the first to discover and appreciate the fossils here. Much later, in 1811, John Jacob Astor sent trappers out to explore the region. An unfortunate member of the group named John Day became lost and was robbed by Native Americans at the mouth of the river that now bears his name.

The first stop along the way is the Painted Hills Overlook Trail. This short trail boasts incredible views of the hills in all their glory. The 1/2 mile round trip trail climbs only 100 feet, and Nali and I felt every foot of it in the blazing heat of mid-summer. It must have been 100 degrees. But it was very much worth it. Desert wildflowers burst from the sagebrush and I kept my eyes out for snakes.

Next I drove a bit further to the short Red Cove trail. A boardwalk curves around the natural smooth clay mounds that tower above your head. I’ve never seen a landscape with such a rich red hue. It seemed unnatural and I was surprised to see life flourishing in the unusual soil. In fact, some of the species here are endemic to the region due to the unique soil.

I wandered some more on the short trails throughout the park soaking up every bit with astonishment and wonder. I felt as if I had been transported to another world, especially because there were hardly any other people out on the trails. I wondered what it would have been like for the Native Americans and early explorers to just stumble upon this extraordinary place. What did they think of it?

I finally had to tear myself away for sake of the heat (and my poor black dog) and mosey back to Bend. But not without a stop in one of many small Central Oregon towns for an ice cream cone.

Hikes Featured in this Post:
Painted Hills Trails

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Road Trip

Smith Rock

April 4, 2017August 7, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

Have you ever stumbled upon a place by pure accident that turned out to be amazing? Many years ago, it happened to me at Smith Rock State Park. I was taking a little road trip to Bend, Oregon and planning out my trip on Google maps, looking for anything interesting along the way. I found a little green square close to Bend, indicating a park, and decided I would stop to check it out if I had some spare time without giving it much research or thought. Little did I know that I would happen upon one of the most beautiful places in Oregon.

Smith Rock State Park is located in the high desert of central Oregon and carved out of volcanic basalt. A caldera was formed 30 million years ago when the surrounding land collapsed into a lava chamber. Over time, the rock cooled and hardened and later, the Crooked River made its mark by carving out a canyon with 600 foot shear cliffs.

Smith Rock appears as a mirage as you drive toward it on completely flat terrain. It seemingly pops up out of nowhere and you can’t help but to go toward the towering features. There are several trails that meander along Crooked River in the green that clings to the river’s banks. Water fowl and other birds abound here and peregrine falcons and golden eagles nest in the cliff sides.

Sagebrush, ponderosa pine and desert wildflowers line the trails. Butterflies kiss the tops of yarrow. I was especially excited to see pink mariposa lilies and an old, twisted, fragrant juniper tree. The blue juniper “berries” are not really berries at all, they are the conifer’s cones. The birds are tricked into eating them and in turn spread their seed.

After wandering along the river a bit, I wanted to get up high and see the sights. I found a trail that headed up (very steeply) and climbed the rocky trail to Misery Ridge. Views expand for miles here. Nearby, I saw people rock climbing up an impossible looking column that had the unmistakable demeanor of a monkey. Later I found out that the tower is indeed called Monkey Face and is a popular climbing spot.

In fact, as I descended (more like slid down) the scree and headed back along the canyon floor, I learned that this is quite the rock climbing hot spot. In fact, it is a world class rock climbing spot and people from all over the world come to climb here. Want to try your skills? A long list of options appear if you look up climbing guides.

I also learned that there is some local lore about how the rock was named. Some say it was named after a US Calvary private named Smith who jumped from the spires rather than be caught by Native Americans. Although it is more likely that he actually fell from the rock during a bloody battle while he tried to get to a good vantage point. A less popular but most likely claim is that the rock is named after a sheriff called John Smith in the 1850’s.

As I headed back to the car I saw families picnicking and tourists alongside world class rock climbing athletes, birders, and just regular hikers like me. It is really a special place where anyone can find something to love.

Hikes Featured in this Post:
Misery Ridge Loop

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Outdoor Life

Pregnant in the Wild

October 4, 2016August 7, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

When I found out in the spring that I was pregnant, the first thing I did was calculate my due date. The second thing I did was calculate how pregnant I would be in August. I had plans. I had a long list of hikes and mountains to climb this summer, including a multi-day backpacking trip complete with a summit of Mt Adams. But I would be 5 months pregnant in August. I naively thought perhaps these things were still possible.

As the snow melted and trails opened up for the summer, it was clear that my hiking days would be limited. After a few months spent doing nothing but napping, I returned to outdoor life. But I was completely out of shape and out of breath on even the easiest of trails. Well, if I wasn’t going to climb a volcano while pregnant I at least wanted to do something besides hobble down an easy trail without passing out. I decided that I would try backpacking.

This was not an immediate decision and I went back and forth about it over and over again. Would it be comfortable sleeping on the ground? How much weight could I carry in addition to my growing belly? And of course, most importantly, was I going to hurt my baby? After doing some research, I decided that I could do it as long as I didn’t carry much more than I normally carried on a day trip. That wouldn’t be possible with just me and my husband, but luckily, we had some family coming to town who offered to carry the extra weight.

We set out on a hot August morning on the road to Mt Baker. We chose to hike up to Twin Lakes since it was an easy road hike and people would be car camping up there so we could get a ride down if we needed it. That gave me some peace of mind. It was also a short climb with stunning views and we could visit one of my favorite lookouts on Winchester Mountain.

I shouldered my backpack and felt comforted by its heft. I knew I could take more but I let the others carry my weight. I would have to get used to this. I’m not accustomed to letting others help me and I know I have to let go of the urge to prove I’m strong by imposing unneeded suffering on myself. This just seems like an unhealthy parenting style to me and anyways, I don’t have just me to think about anymore, but my little growing baby too. I let it go.

As I trudged up the road at a snails pace and sweating buckets, I was instantly grateful for my light pack and for my husband who hiked slowly with me. I thought about giving birth and how it was going to be infinitely harder than this. I told my husband that when that time comes and I’m struggling, to gently remind me that at least there are not swarms of black flies in the birthing suite trying to eat my flesh. I vow to keep all things in proper perspective.

It wasn’t too long before we reached the lakes and had lunch. We found perhaps one of the best campsites in all the North Cascades and set up camp. We wandered back down to the lake and dipped our toes in the ice cold water. It felt so good. I found the most comfortable patch of grass and laid my head on a smooth rock and took a nap with Nali curled up at my feet. That night we cooked up some delicious food and played Yahtzee until the sun set and we had to use our headlamps. Before we went to sleep my husband and I snuggled on a blanket and watched the stars come out.

The next day we trekked up to the lookout on Winchester Mountain. I had no pack this time but I was still incredibly slow. Young couples glided past me and I envied their normal-sized bodies and their infinite energy. A few fit young moms carrying their toddlers on their backs passed me and I thought it insane that a body can go from this to that and decided there is no way that my body will ever do that. I decided to just not think about it and have a snack instead. Pregnancy is humbling in so many ways…

I used the following day to rest while the others went to hunt for mines. I took out my sleeping pad and sleeping bag and piled all the soft things I could find up at the top to prop myself up. The air had just a hint of coolness that made it the perfect temperature to put on my beanie and lay in my sleeping bag and read. I was reading about mindfulness. I read through the body scan meditation and really felt every sensation happening to and around me. I don’t think I’ve ever been more relaxed than I was right there snuggled in my bag, Nali curled up next to me with nothing else in view but mountains.

I thought about getting up to grab my camera or phone to take a picture so I could remember that moment forever. But I knew if I got up the spell would be broken. Instead I took a moment to commit it all to memory. The contours of the peaks on the horizon, the waving evergreen limbs of the trees, the hum of the bees buzzing in the wildflowers nearby. It’s all in my head now, there to recall whenever I need it. When the pain comes, this will be my happy place.

Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke

This is the mindfulness book that I was reading on this backpacking trip. I really recommend it for anyone who is pregnant and anxious about the birth. Bardacke teaches meditation to prepare the body and mind for relaxation during the birthing process. This is a whole new way to think about pain and endurance. The jury is still out for me on whether it works or not, but I know that it has already helped to calm my worried mind in preparation for birth and I can only hope that it helps someone else as well.

Hikes Featured in this Post:

Winchester Mountain

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Outdoor Life

Evergreen Mountain Lookout

September 21, 2016October 9, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

This year for my birthday all I wanted was to spend the day with my husband and go for a hike. We chose to go to Evergreen Mountain because it checks all of my pregnancy hike boxes, which is really just one: short. And, bonus, it’s a lookout! Double bonus: blueberries!

We got lots of elevation out of the way on the long drive to the trailhead which was much appreciated as we hit the trail in the heat of the day. Luckily there were lots of huckleberries to distract from my frequent stops to catch my breath. The trail is short but it’s a bit steep in the beginning and I was a little worried as I looked up to our destination.

But as we continued on, the trail mellowed through some trees providing much needed shade. From there it was just one final push to the top. We were extra happy to find that the whole upper side of the mountain was completely covered in ripe blueberries. We paused to munch away vowing to harvest them on the descent.

Where there wasn’t blueberries there were wildflowers pink and white inviting us higher. It was mostly Sitka valerian, spirea, and pink heather, some of my favorites. Soon enough, the lookout and Glacier Peak came into view.

The lookout was not open but we had the place to ourselves so we huddled against the shaded side of the structure. We ate our lunch and identified the surrounding peaks: Monte Cristo, Columbia, Sloan, and of course, Glacier Peak.

It was just three years ago when we climbed that mountain and my how things have changed. Being pregnant, I sometimes forget how it was in the not so distant past when I was un-pregnant. I miss spending a full day on a long, grueling but ultimately rewarding hike and then waking up the next day and doing it all over again. I miss checking off summits and feeling like I earned my exhaustion, not just feeling exhausted because I got out of bed today. Sometimes I think I will never have the energy or time to climb mountains again, but I know that’s not true. My “to be climbed” list just has a new title: “to be climbed someday with my kid.” Man, I really hope she likes mountains…

Hike Featured in this Post:

Evergreen Mountain Lookout

Book Club

Summer Summit

August 9, 2016October 9, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

I first hiked to the top of Sauk Mountain solo back in 2013 as part of my quest to climb 30 peaks before I turned 30 years old. It quickly became one of my favorite hikes, so when I was thinking of places to take my book club group, this one was on the top of the list and I couldn’t wait to share it with them.

The road to the trailhead is 8 miles of rough, steep gravel. It seemed we were driving all the way to the summit when we finally broke out of the trees to meadows and the trailhead. We craned our necks up to see the summit towering above. I pointed out the zig zag of a trail scrawled on the steep mountainside. I promised it wasn’t nearly as bad or scary as it looked from there.

Just a few steps down the trail we stopped at possibly the cutest outhouse on the planet. The little brown wooden A-frame is trimmed in white scallops and the best part of all- it was stocked with toilet paper!

We continued onto the famous switchbacks which start out from the beginning and cut back and forth through a steep blossoming meadow. White and purple dominated for a few switchbacks until the other colors of the rainbow emerged as we climbed higher and higher. We stopped to capture the colors and watch the butterflies and bees collecting pollen.

As the trail nears the upper portion of the mountain you really feel a sense of accomplishment as you look down to the trailhead below. For such a steep mountain, the switchbacks really take the pain out of the climb and are much appreciated. At one particular switchback I turned back to chat with the others and stopped in my tracks with a “whoa!” as Mt Baker came into view rising like Mt Fuji above the hazy valley below.

My favorite part, though, is when the trail swings around at the top. All at once the North Cascades come into view in all their glory. On this side, the mountain plunges again into a valley, this one full of open green meadow and wildness. Climbing a bit more, we were led to a small campsite in the trees overlooking Sauk Lake far below.

The trail then enters some talus and from here it’s a short steep climb to the summit. We spun around to identify all the mountains we could see- Glacier Peak, Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, Sloan Peak, Three Fingers and finally settled down for lunch. We discussed The Summer Book and picked out our favorite stories from it as I read out loud some of my favorite parts. We laughed at how funny and sweet six-year-old Sophia and her grandmother are in this book. I passed out homemade Lingonberry muffins to go along with the Finnish theme.

As we returned down the trail, we reveled in the views and the much welcomed sun. I thought about Sophia and those formative summers of my own childhood and the memories that I still cling to from my hometown back in PA. I thought of summers so hot and humid that we spent entire days and nights splashing in the pool. I thought of exploring the woods in our backyard and climbing trees and building treehouses. I thought about how my daughter’s formative years will be. Her playground will be quite different than mine and for that I am a little sad. But better yet, she will have these spectacular views.

One summer morning at sunrise a long time ago I met a little girl with a book under her arm. I asked her why she was out so early and she answered that there were too many books and far too little time. And there she was absolutely right.

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

Book Ends

Read about the fascinating life of Tove Jansson
Did you know that Tove Jansson is the creator of the Finnish cartoon Moomin?
See what the former lookout on Sauk Mountain looked like

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Outdoor Life

Kelly Butte Lookout

July 27, 2016October 9, 2018
by Ashley Gossens

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is climb to lookouts. My first of this year was Kelly Butte on the July 4th weekend. My husband drove us to the trailhead through a meandering of forest roads and I was surprised at the chill in the air when I opened my car door at the trailhead.

Clouds clung to the top the mountain and I was positive we’d be socked in at the top, but every now and then the sun would poke out to give us a little hope of views at the top.

The trail starts out lazily on an old continuation of the road through forest. We let Nali off the leash to run free and smell all the smells. Soon we arrived at the official trailhead where it abruptly switchbacks up and up through some fascinating geologic features. One particular rock outcrop looks like stairs and I joked that we could just climb up them for a shortcut.

Instead we kept to the narrow trail rising along the steep slope. I read that originally this area had a makeshift climbers trail that had to be scrambled up. While this seems plausible, I was happy for the tread.

Once cresting the steep section the trail opens up into broad meadows. Red paintbrush, blue lupine and white beargrass painted the slopes in patriotic splendor as the grade eased to mellow.

The sun still poked in and out of fast-moving low clouds. We delightedly watched them whip by. As we climbed we entered an alpine forest shrouded in fog. The white of the beargrass stood out on the background of dark green meadow like constellations. Soon we caught a glimpse of the lookout in the mist.

The lookout was open and we let ourselves in to take shelter from the cold and enjoy our lunch. We were amazed at the care that was taken to keep the lookout in amazing shape. The structure was originally built in the 1920’s and rebuilt several times with the latest restoration in 2011. A nice plaque hangs commemorating the volunteer effort to preserve this piece of history.

As we ate our pb & j sandwiches the wind picked up and whistled through the rafters. As usual while in a lookout, I thought about what it would be like to be there during a storm and got a little thrill in my stomach. I felt safe and secure in the lookout and lingered as long as possible.

Before leaving I flipped through the register notebook. Not many people had been there recently, in fact we only saw a few others on the trail that day. I scribbled a line for me, my husband and the dog and then almost as an afterthought, added a plus one. I scribbled “and Baby G (16 weeks pregnant!)” with a big smile on my face. As we put on our jackets to head back down the trail I hoped that our baby could feel he happiness, love and contentment I felt on that mountain.

Hikes Featured in this Post:

Kelly Butte

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Reading List

Reading List: Summer 2016

July 10, 2016March 14, 2019
by Ashley Gossens

There are so many great new releases to read this summer that I had to share a list. These are perfect for reading around the campfire. Enjoy and happy summer!

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
I so loved visiting Hope Jahren’s world for just a little while. She is a renowned scientist who grew up exploring her father’s science lab while he was a professor. She found her comfortable space, a place where she felt welcome and safe. So naturally she set out to become a scientist and have a lab of her own. But years of budget cuts and writing grant proposals wore on her and breakdowns were frequent. She enlists an eccentric friend to take on her dream with her and they travel the country in search of a home base. Hope’s memoir is one that seeps into your bones and never leaves you. I highly recommend listening to the audio book, read by the author herself, for a more intimate experience. I adored every minute of it.

Barkskins by Annie Proulx
A 700 page saga spanning the globe and multiple centuries about deforestation? Yes, please! Maybe it’s just me but I could not resist this book. This is my first Proulx novel and I now know this- man, she can construct an exquisite sentence. I’m only about 100 pages into it and I’m sold. The book begins in the late 17th century following a group of French wood-cutters, or barkskins, in “New France” or what we now know as Quebec, Canada. There is violence, intrigue and revenge. More than anything, Proulx really sets the scene and makes you feel like you are really there. When I’m not reading the book I’m thinking about it, and I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about it all summer as I savor it in small chunks.

The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams
Terry Tempest Williams’ essays about her experiences in our National Parks, need I say more? She shares deeply personal stories of her time with her father in the Grand Tetons, thoughts of her brother in the arctic of Alaska and ponders the state of racism in our country while she visits Gettysburg. Her brilliant and humble voice breathes life into these places and reminds us why they are so important. At a time when our Parks are under-funded and over-visited, this book gives us much needed wisdom and perspective. Terry Tempest Williams is one of the most important writers and activists of our time, and we are so lucky she gave us this book.

The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church
This novel begins in 1941 with a young budding ornithologist named Meridian. She has great ambition in her field but her trajectory is thrown off when she falls in love with a professor. They marry and move west to Los Alamos so he can work on an important secret project, which of course is later revealed as the atomic bomb. Meanwhile, Meridian studies the local crow population and dreams of grad school and a career. Years later in the 1960’s, when she meets a young man on her daily walk through the nearby canyons, her life is changed forever. This is a book about love, but also about staying true to yourself and that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Under the Stars by Dan White
What is better to read while sitting around a campfire than a history of sitting around the campfire? Dan White takes on the grand story of one of America’s favorite pastimes. He sets out to camp all over the country while searching for the answers to camper’s burning questions, like when did the night forest turn from terrifying land of demons to cozy camping spot? He highlights famous campers like Thoreau, Roosevelt, and Muir and discovers the origins of Leave No Trace. This is a must read for any and all curious campers.

A Woman’s Guide to the Wild by Ruby McConnell
Are you new to hiking? Is this your first summer on the trails? Or are you considering taking your skills a little further? Maybe you want to try backpacking or solo hiking? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then I highly recommend this guide book. I must admit that I was skeptical of a handbook for women in the wild, but Ruby does it flawlessly. She breaks down what you really need to know and what to not waste your time on. With the exception of one chapter on how to pee in the woods, this book could really be for anyone, but it’s knowing that the advice is coming from a woman with expansive knowledge and experience that lets you know that you are in good hands. If you are looking for a great resource for all things outdoors, including how to pitch a tent, build a fire, and cook food on a campfire this is the book for you.

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