#Walking Bud Blancher Trail - Saturday Snapshots

After my recent hike up Little Si, I needed something less strenuous. The Bud Blancher Trail (near Eatonville, WA) was just perfect. Formally opened in 2014, the trail accommodates walkers, bicyclists, and runners. Our route covered 4.5 miles (round trip) on a mostly level, crushed-rock path.
[Click on photos to enlarge.]

Newly-constructed bridge over the Mashel River

Here's our group of 14 walkers. 

A great place for a family picnic.
Our group ate at restaurants in nearby Eatonville after our walk.

A serene spot by a pond to 
sit and contemplate nature.

This was a fun walk. The pace was brisk but not heart-pounding, and there were lots of opportunities to take photos and to have conversations with other walkers. Afterwards, the group split up, with some lunching at Bruno's and others (my group) at Cruisers Cafe in Eatonville. Delicious sweet potato fries and milkshakes, and we'd burned off the calories in advance!

More info here: Bud Blancher Trail

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

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To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) 

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Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. 

#Blooms & Berries on Pacific Northwest #Hikes - Saturday Snapshots

I've been posting quite a few photos lately of trees, mountains, rivers, and people from my hikes and walks. I also take pictures of plants. So here are a few blooms and berries I've captured recently. 
[Click on photos to enlarge.]

Common Yarrow - Achillea Millefolia

Hardtack - Spirea Douglasii

Thimbleberries - Rubus parviflorus

Salmonberry - Rubus Spectabilis

Red huckleberries - Vaccinium parvifolium 

Purple sage - Salvia dorrii var. carnosa
 (I think!)

A mystery.
These berries were the size of English peas.

I identified these plants by checking this website, as well as others:
Turner Photographics - Wildflowers
Let me know if I got them wrong!

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, 

click HERE or on the box below.  

To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) 

have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. 

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. 

Dialogue - Smart Girls Read Romance

I'm over at Smart Girls Read Romance today, blogging about how much fun it can be to write dialogue.

Come on over and say "hi!"

Here's the link:
Dialogue, Y'all

#Hiking Little Si - Saturday Snapshots

I've been having so much fun on my hikes and walks! Here are a few photos from Little Si - my most challenging hike yet. [Click on photos to enlarge.]

The Washington Trails Association (WTA) website says this:
"A sharp incline awaits you as you depart the trailhead, threading you through a few winding switchbacks and well-beaten paths, but do not despair! The hike eventually levels out to reward you with some respite from the calf-burning first quarter mile." 

I apologize for the fuzziness of this photo, but I'm pretty sure I was shaking from the "calf-burning" incline. The trail was steep, laced with rocks and tree roots, and slick with rain. Are we having fun yet?

Huge boulders and sheer rock faces lined much of the trail. I've been told that rock climbers love to tackle them. From the WTA:
"As you continue through this temperate slice of woodlands, you will pass short tangential rock climbing paths, a prominent scree slope, and a boulder field to the west before swooping around the slope at the 1.3 mile mark to make your final push toward the summit."

We stopped for lunch at a sheer drop-off near the top. 

Then we made our way to the summit. My legs were definitely shaking by this point! (The young people with their phones were playing PokemonGo.)

We used a completely different set of muscles to work our way back down. By then we'd been rained on, and the path had even more slick places. Kind of scary to me.

Although comments I found on hiking websites said this hike is good for families, I wouldn't recommend it. Surely it wouldn't be safe to take a child up to the sheer drop-offs near the summit or expect little legs to clamber over the boulders on the path. In some sections, it felt like we were taking stairs two treads at a time!

I'm proud of myself for completing this walk. Even though it's classified as "easy," it was a challenge for me. Perhaps on a dry day it wouldn't be so difficult.

Wikipedia says: "Little Si is a mountain in the US state of Washington, named after its taller neighbor, Mount Si. It has an elevation of 1,576 feet. and lies on the western margin of the Cascade Range just east of the town of North Bend." 

Links to more info: 
Washington Trails Assoc. - "Little Si"
AllTrails.com - "Little Si Trail"

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, 

click HERE or on the box below.  

To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) 

have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. 

Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you.