Showing posts with label Mt. Tahoma Trails Association. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mt. Tahoma Trails Association. Show all posts

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Snow Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom: We were on a little easier adventure up to Snow Bowl hut near Mt. Rainier the last weekend in April. This is still a challenge due to the uphill snowshoe/ 1800 ft of elevation gain but is only 3 miles when you can drive to the upper sno park as opposed to 5 miles to the Yurt. I was glad to have a weekend adventure with Amy.
Mom: We hit snow in about half a mile from the snowpark and I strapped my snowshoes on. Due to the spring wet sticky snow and mud I did not bring the sled this time and carried our supplies on my back.
Amy: I was really excited for snowbowl.
Mom: We enjoyed the stream on our way up to the hut. It was a bit cloudy but we warmed up quickly climbing up the hill.
Mom: There was still so much snow here. The road had been groomed and we saw some ski tracks.
Mom: We took many breaks on the way up to the hut.
Amy: A nice leaning stump
Amy: *trudge, trudge* *pant, pant* x2 million
Mom: Though the snow was melting it was pretty and fun to be out in it.
Amy: The resting flags
Mom: We were happy to see the flags at the top of the hill and took a much needed break.
Mom: The prayer flags always make me hopeful and remember Judy who was so committed to the trail system.
Amy: We had a snack
Amy: Ahh! I am cooling off!
Mom: Prayer flags.
Mom: There was not much of a view through the clouds but it was still nice to be on top of the hill.
Amy: up, up, up
Amy: Yay, the gazebo
Mom: I really like the gazebo and took some quiet time to visit leaving Amy warming up in the hut with the walkie talkie.
Mom: I love these stones near the gazebo. This one is a deer that says "Judy's dream". Judy was such a compassionate and grounding presence.
Mom: This one of the cougar says "Bob's Promise". Bob Brown has carried on the MTTA leadership.
Amy: The rocks were pretty
Amy: A "real" raccoon guarding the outhouse.
We wrote a poem in the Snow Bowl logbook. It said:
We drove quite far to the sno park in our car.
We started to hike up the hill we dislike.
Our snowshoes we soon needed. The hill made us quite heated.
We felt like we were on fire. With so many clothes we might expire.
At the hilltop we shouted "Hooray. We made it to the flags today."
We collapsed in the snow at the top of the hill. We were so tired but we pressed on still.
We got to the hut before dinner time. As you can see we're making this rhyme.
We thank Mt. Tahoma Trails for giving us awesome tales.
-Amy and Melody
Mom: Such a pretty view. We had a great night playing so many games, reading, and eating good food.
Mom: We headed back to the gazebo before leaving on the trail. This little ranger lady makes me smile. Is it Judy looking down on us?

Mom: This shows the distance to peaks. I have never been here on a sunny day but imagine I would feel like I could fly and enjoy the birds.
Mom: Amy reported this is her favorite hut. She loved the game selection and a bit shorter hike as well as the gazebo.
Mom: We headed back toward the car, stopping briefly to enjoy the flags at the start of our downhill stretch.
Amy: Back to the flags
Amy: down, down, down
Amy: Almost there
Mom: Such a special place and I was glad to have the weekend with Amy!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

To the Yurt- All terrain hiking fun!

Amy: We drove with Corrine to the upper snow park and our car got stuck but we pushed it out. At the upper snow park, I threw lots of snowballs at people and mom and I took our obligatory selfie with a snowball.
Amy: When I got really tired, I collapsed in the snow and mom stopped to let me have a breather break.
Mom: I was glad we were able to drive to the upper sno park to avoid the steep mile hike between upper and lower sno parks. It was snowy and beautiful.
Mom: We made our way slowly toward the Yurt- 3 miles up and two miles down. Corrine and I had been here once before but this was Amy's first time and Corrine's dad joined us.
Amy: Sometimes when we passed a tree, I would shake the branches so all the snow would fall off. It was fun.
Amy: Another time that I collapsed on that trip. Boy, that trip was tiring.
Mom: The wet snow continued to fall as we climbed higher toward the Yurt. We took lots of breaks.
+note of Amy's: my note (my forehead was covered by my hood and there was hair in my face)
Mom: It was cloudy and snowing but super fun and challenging to hike uphill toward the Yurt.
Mom: Taking a break and enjoying being on snowshoes.
Amy: I also collapsed at the prayer flags at the top of a hill.
Amy: It was so windy up there that we went on, even though we were VERY tired.
Amy: We hiked on through the snow.
Mom: We were so excited to see the prayer flags and then there was more down than up but still some climbing left to go.
Mom: The last of the climbing was really challenging because the snow was very wet and dragging the sled through the "Cascade concrete" was getting hard. Putting it on my back was just as bad or worse. Corrine helped me out with the sled at the end. Amy made it look easy! I was stopping to catch my breath very often. Amy's note: DIDN'T→     ↑    
Amy: The yurt in all it's glory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Exclamation party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom: More prayer flags at the yurt. We were glad to make it to our cozy destination!
Mom: National Park Jenga. Amy looks worried it will fall!
Mom: Eating delicious food in the decked out yurt.
Amy: We enjoyed the heat, games and beds.
Amy: We wrote a poem abut our trip:
3/26/18
Our car got stuck.
Someone showed up to our luck.
We hiked along
and sang a song.
We worked so hard
In Mt. Rainier's backyard.
We made it up the very LONG hill
To find the flags that are flying still.
The snow kept falling.
By the end we were stalling.
We got to the yurt in the end.
It was as inviting as a friend.
When we arrived there was no heat,
But we enjoyed an evening treat.
When we get back to the car
We'll have many memories from afar.

-Thank you Mt. Tahoma Trails!
Melody, mom, 40, Portland OR
Amy, 9, Portland OR
Amy: I ate an icicle the next day.
Mom: I love Mt. Tahoma trails so much! The yurt is absolutely magical!
Mom: Heading back the next day. The snow was pretty deep between the Yurt and Snow Bowl turnoff.
Mom: The mostly downhill 5 miles was much easier, the "Cascade concrete" snow acting as a break and keeping the runaway sled beside and behind me. We enjoyed walking together.
Mom: Following the ski tracks through the snowy trees back down toward the car.
Mom: What a beautiful spring break snowy adventure!
Mom: On the way back we started making a snowman but the snowball I tried to roll on top was so heavy that I collapsed into it and we decided it looked like one of the "snow goons" from Calvin and Hobbes.