Lake swim and high viewpoint loop challenge

On a hot July day, Amy and I headed up to Mt. Hood to get a little higher and avoid some of the Portland heat. We were headed to Twin Lakes which has been on my bucket list for awhile. After all of my adult trips this season, it was wonderful to hike again with Amy!

The flowers were blooming. It was a lovely sunny day.

Our first choice was the dog mountain challenge but it was supposed to be in the 90s so we decided that would not be the hike for today. We enjoyed the shady woods of the Mt. Hood wilderness.

Before long we came to Upper Twin Lake.

Amy was determined to go swimming.

Oreo doesn't like water too much but always wants to be with her pack so she waded a bit today with me.

Amy spent quite a bit of time in the water. She is a strong swimmer and Oreo and I did not venture quite as far.

Part of Oreo wants to like the water but she is just not too sure.

Amy enjoying the lake to the max on this sunny warm day.

Mt. Hood poking out in the distance.

Teeth chattering, clothes went back on.

We then continued up to Palmateer Point to complete a 7.5 mile loop hike.

The high meadows were quite lovely.

Amy started getting warm and tired.

Almost there!

Mt. Hood view, worth the climb.

I took a selfie and enjoyed the view.

The blue sky was lovely.

Amy decided she liked this piece of shade and that the view from here was good enough for her!

The view from the shady tree.

After enjoying some lunch we started down the other side.

Amy and Oreo took the lead.

We got back down to the PCT. We met hiker who said he was "trying to be" a thru hiker. I think he was a Southbounder- Sobo.

All in all a lovely day- we escaped some of the heat in Portland but were still quite warm by the end.

Butte Creek Falls hike and frigid swim

Mel: On a beautiful sunny day the kids wanted a waterfall hike and somewhere they could swim so we took a family adventure to Butte Creek falls outside of Stayton to soak in the sun and water. First, we hiked up to the view point of the lower falls.

Mel- A very short hike but amazing view!

Analise- The woods. 😅😜👪👫☺👸👭💧😂💪

Analise- Fun is walking with Amy💍💎💐💰🎁👑🎀👚

Mel- Here is the upper falls where we went to play in the water from above.

Mel- Here it is a little closer up in all its glory!

Mel- I put my head under but was not willing to actually swim in the frigid water from snow melt.

Analise- Fun is playing near water! 🏊🏆🏁🎮🎤🏄🏃🏊🏊🏊🏊

Analise- Great water- lightness! 🏩🚣🚢🚤⛲⛱⛴⛵

Mel- The dog was not as sure about the water. It was WAY too cold for her!

Mel- Tug of War as a bribe for a picture!

Analise- The water was fun to play in! 🏰✔👭👯💛💋😿💕💟

Analise- I loved playing with Amy at the water. 💤💧💦💞💝💓💕💖💗💘💙💚💛💜💔

Mel- Gil joined us and enjoyed the water and short hike.

Analise- Taking a rest on the rocks.

Mel- More Tug of War

Mel- The girls and dog explored for hours!

Mel- Playing with the waterfall in the distance.

Mel- Always refreshing and it was nice to go somewhere without so many crowds on this hot spring Sunday!

To Medford and Beyond!

Mom: The whole family took a long drive to Medford for a short spring break adventure, stopping in Eugene to swim at Splash! wave pool which the children enjoyed slightly more than the adults. We stayed in a condo I have access to through work. Amy and I enjoyed reading together and Analise put on shows and played games. We also watched Chopped.

Mom: The next day we took a long drive through the Redwoods, making a stop in Crescent City and checking out the Lady Bird Johnson Grove and Fern Canyon. We listened to a very interesting book on CD called "Augie and Me." It was quite an ambitious plan with a lot of driving involved.

Analise: We got to California. It was fun seeing the lighthouse at the ocean.😞😨😚😤🙋🙌😽😋😂😐😐😚😊😊💓

Analise: My Elsa dress was very fun to be in. We had seen our friends in Eugene for time at a wave pool and a playground. They gave me my long lost dress back. 5👗💎👟👠👢👑💍🎀🎀📘📗📕📌📮📵🕔🕕🕖🕗🕜🕙🕚🕤📱📴

Amy: The ROCKY BEACH (NO SAND) was nice.

Amy: The ocean was pretty.

Mom: It looks like this in the picture but at certain times you can walk or drive to the lighthouse. Today we watched the water and stretched our legs.

Mom: Taking a moment to breathe in the northern California coastal air.

Amy: TREE HUGGERS RETURN MUAHAHAHAHAHA👿

Analise: Hey Amy and Mom. Don't take your picture! 💥💧💦💨😒🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Analise: I saw 100 great big trees.✅✔✅✅✅🌷🌸🌺🌻🌼🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲and 1000000 Trillium.

Amy: There were A LOTof trillium.

Amy: The trees were very tall.

Mom: The Lady Bird Johnson Grove was magical. The trees are so big and beautiful.

Amy: Dad and I had a two-tree picture.

Analise: NO! You don't take a picture! 😛😾😦😆💜👹💖👻👺💥💦💧

Analise: The forest was nice. The trees were VERY tall. 💋😻😺

Analise: mom tricked me by saying this was a short nature walk when it really was a hike. 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🐝Note:NOT

Mom: Nurse logs were all over the place and the undergrowth was amazing. I am glad these forests are protected.

Analise: On the HIKE at Lady Bird Johnson Grove I loved standing on trees. 2 trees were good for standing on. 🍧

Amy: Analise and I shared a picture.

Mom: Look UP! Way UP!

Mom: The roots and hollowed out trees were a lot of fun to climb through. When we finished our loop hike we drove to nearby Fern Canyon. Getting there on the dirt road was a bit of an adventure and we got to use our fourth grader National Parks pass.

Amy: Fern canyon was beautiful.

Amy: It was fun to climb at Fern Canyon.

Analise: I had so much fun in Fern Canyon!

Analise: The water was fun to play! I even had my boots on.

Analise: I got totally soaked and walked with mom back toward the car.

Amy: The hike was amazing.

Amy: You had to balance on logs.

Mom: Though Analise had her boots on she chose to wade through the deepest parts on her knees. Gil stayed at the entrance to the canyon while we explored the wetter and wilder parts.

Mom: The ferns all around us were so pretty and magical. We got back to Medford rather late and the family decided on the shortest route home possible rather than visiting the Oregon coast on our way back. We decided one way to get outside and stretch our legs was mini golf in Eugene.

Analise: We played mini golf on the way back to Nana's house.

Analise: Dad was the winner but I kept my ball out of the obstacles.

Amy: I did pretty well. I got a hole in one once.

Mom: Gil won the mini golf but I got a hole in one off Analise's foot and Amy got a hole in one for real! It was a fun way to end a memorable trip.