A Fine November Hike
We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner, during which our son surprised us by suggesting that we take a hike together on Sunday. So, we drove east on I-90 to North Bend and hiked a new trail up to Rattlesnake Ridge. (There are few, if any, rattlers in Western Washington - the place got its name when a surveyor heard seed pods rattling in the wind and was scared shitless that it was a rattler.)
It was a gorgeous day once we got above the inversion layer that was blanketing Seattle. The kid (22 now) led the way up the trail at a really rockin’ pace, and for the first time in my life (heretofore spent walking at his pace, carrying him when he just wouldn’t walk another step) I felt like I might not be able to keep up. Since I’ve spent a lot of breath trying to get him to hike or bike or stuff with us/me, I wasn’t about to complain about a silly thing like the pace.
We egged each other, the three of us (my wife is a rock climber and no slouch on the trail), up the trail and ended up walking/climbing a long way on snow. We got sweaty-hot on the hike up, then shivery when we finally stopped climbing and ate lunch. There were some great views of the Snoqualmie valley along the way.
Picture 1: Early primates crouch in the cold and eat their meager repast.
Picture 2: Looking across the valley at Mt. Si.
Picture 3: Looking back toward Seattle and the inversion layer.
