View the Silver Peak pictures!

Tuesday afternoon Lisa and I were trying to figure out where we’d end up going, and we both stumbled across a mention of Surprise Lake on the WTA site. Surprisingly (guffaw), neither of us had heard of it before — this was even more shocking when we saw how many of our hiking guidebooks had it listed (just about all of them). From the descriptions we read it sounded like the perfect choice for a hot day — shade, follows a creek, and ends at a large lake! Yes, please.

The trail didn’t disappoint! The trail follows the creek for the first two or two and a half miles, with plenty of waterfalls to distract you. The moderate uphill grade is consistent but never really too difficult, and the effort was made easier by our first use of trekking poles (ah, knees…). We encountered patches of snow as we neared the lake (with Ava deciding to “stop, drop, and roll” at each, of course), and there were a few short sections of the trail covered by a foot or so of the white stuff, but the lake itself was totally snow-free. We found our way to a nice lunch spot in the sun, enjoyed our PB&Js, and just relaxed for a bit while Ava begged us to let her play in the cold, cold, water.

We checked the clock and decided it was time to head back, so we packed up, let Ava play in the lake one more time (and do NASCAR laps in the snow) and adjusted our poles for the descent, knowing we’d come back some day. A triumphant return to the trail!

View the Surprise Lake pictures.

“This is the time of year when hikers begin thumbing through guidebooks to plan summer outings. But planning hikes is going to be a challenge this year, maybe the worst in 40 years or more.

Most hikers know about the extensive damage to Mount Rainier National Park, and they have answered the call by volunteering to work on damaged trails.

Well, Mount Rainier National Park certainly deserves the attention it has been getting, but much less attention has been given to storm-ravaged trails and roads in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.”

Link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/314834_hike10.html

Skyline Ridge was a great bonus to our weekend in Leavenworth - we hit it on the way back to Seattle.  It was recommended to us during breakfast by a couple we met at the Run of the River B&B.  It’s located at Stevens Pass, right across from the ski resort — so you don’t need any sno-park or trailhead parking passes.  It was a bit steeper than we were expecting, but the weather was great, the sky was clear, and the views were spectacular.  We had limited time, so we didn’t end up climbing a cool little peak at the top of the ridge, but hopefully we’ll get to it next visit.

Two lost hikers found; one arrested

Two lost hikers were found cold and wet Sunday night by Oregon State Police troopers and a Marion County sheriff’s deputy after they got lost in the Silver Falls State Park area.

Cops say one hiker got to go home. The other wasn’t as lucky.

“Mount Rainier National Park has been completely closed to visitors for the first time in recent memory, after swollen rivers devoured chunks of roads, swallowed several campgrounds, cut electricity to much of the park and forced Park Service employees to flee their headquarters.

“It’s really kind of an amazing amount of damage,” said Lee Taylor, spokeswoman at the park.

The devastation, which could keep the park closed for weeks, was just part of the damage to forest land and recreation areas all over the state brought by this week’s flooding.”

Searchers and dog crews are looking for Neil Twilla of Silverdale and Jeff Mersmann of Bremerton in the Upper Lena Lake area of the park.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/291740_hiker09ww.html

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UPDATE:  The hikers have been found, cold and hungry but otherwise fine.

Expires 11/16/2006.

Check out this oft-updated thread over at NWHikers.net to see some great photos our fellow hikers have taken. There are people with some real talent out there.