Siouxon Creek Ladies Backpacking Loveliness

Mom- I got another manager to cover my on call so that I could head out early on a Saturday with my favorite hiking partner on a backpacking trip with lady friends from the neighborhood in one of my favorite forests- Siouxon Creek!

Amy-My friend, Lucy came with me. We had fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy- Our obligatory selfie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy- A big break stump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy- The bridge over a raging waterfall. 

Mom- We came to the first beautiful waterfall.

Amy- I climbed down onto the rocks- another break spot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy- This tree had amazing petrified wood vines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom- This is usually my turn around spot with kids but today it was a fantastic camping spot!

Amy- I went exploring a lot.

Mom- I let Amy play at camp with her friend and took off for some hiking with my women friends.

Mom- The creek crossing was much easier than anticipated and we got to enjoy this waterfall on the other side nice and close.

Mom- We soaked it in and filtered some water.

Mom- On the other side there were many more campers and we hiked to another "hidden" waterfall.

Mom- In all the times I have hiked this with kids I can't believe I have not pressed on to see these falls. This is definitely the icing on the cake of this trail.

Amy- Me and Lucy played spies for a while. We did well.

Amy- It was super fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom- Back at camp I took some time to read and enjoy the waterfall.

Mom- The evening was cozy and restful and in the morning I again enjoyed gazing at the waterfall before the short trek back to the car.

Amy- Lucy and I walked along a big log.

Mom- Backpacking is the best and I was glad to be out with my favorite hiking partner and our new friends!

A favorite old growth forest hike

We have tried to keep with a hiking rhythm this winter with some success. In December, we were ready for a rainy day hike and headed to an old favorite, Siouxon Creek in Washington.

The moss and the creek were as beautiful as ever- this forest feels like coming home!

This seems like a perfect owl home.

We headed down the trail- first letting Amy and Gil go ahead and hanging back to motivate four year old Analise whose willingness no longer matches her ability.

The creek was rushing and as clear as ever through the old growth wonder.

So green and clear.

Sarah was back in her "Aunt" role. We have missed her hiking with us and having her along also made the day feel grounding. Analise enjoyed the puddles but did not seem to pay as much attention to the creek and beauty of the forest.

There were some small waterfalls along the way. When Amy and Gil got to the bridge they turned around and found us leaving Sarah and I to hike further.

We continued on to explore some other waterfalls.

It was a beautiful, brisk winter day.

The green moss and creek make my heart happy!

Seeing the full waterfalls along the way was really great.

We continued our exploration, soaking it all in!

Gil motivated two girls and eventually made it back to the car after carrying Analise up the last steep hill.

Sarah and I set a brisk pace to enjoy the kid-free time and what was around the next bend.

We took the necessary selfie when finding the waterfall again.

We continued through the forest along the beautiful stream.

I never mind hiking out and back here as I enjoy it so much both ways!

We saw a few of my favorite hairy rocks on our way back and finally made it back to the car just after the others. It was a good and refreshing day.

Siouxon Creek Grounded Old Growth Breath

We took the long drive through farmland into Washington to one of my favorite trails, Siouxon Creek.

It was mid October 2015 and the first really rainy day of fall. I braved the potholed filled road and thought it was so worth the drive as soon as I stepped into this beautiful old growth forest.

We saw lots of mushrooms and moss along the way.

The big trees made me feel at home and like I was in a sacred place.

We continued through the forest toward the creek.

Much of this forest feels like the Olympics and many other special Washington forests.

Analise was not so sure about the rain at first because she was tired and cold.

This forest is incredibly resilient despite the dry year.

The moss was lovely along the trail.

There were a few big leaves interspersed with the evergreen trees.

The creek raged below.

I love this "nurse stump" that another tree had wrapped around.

We had a yummy lunch at the waterfall.

On the way back, Analise had made peace with the rain and was determined to walk through every mudpuddle with her new boots.

I am glad to enjoy the fullness of fall in this lovely place with my girls.