Meteors and Fog on Mt. Saint Helens

Way back in February, some friends asked if we wanted to climb Mount Saint Helens, you know, that active volcano that erupted in 1980. Of course we did. It was on my bucket list. We drove down to the Climber's Bivouac where the trailhead is and spent a couple of extra days and nights doing a bit of exploring, but mostly eating and hiding in our tent from the rain and chill that made no sense for mid-August. The group visited the lower Ape Caves (huge lava tube) and this fun little trail with a tunnel to crawl through. I picked wild blueberries and huckleberries to throw in my oatmeal. Yum!

The goal for climbing the volcano was to start late at night, climb under the light of a thousand staaaaars (sorry, I had to sing that like Ed Sheeran), and enjoy sunrise from the rim of the crater. Seven of us were in the group including two teenage boys. We started hiking at 11pm Monday night. The first two and a half miles were on a fairly typical PNW trail through tall trees hanging with moss towering over burned and broken stumps. A huge mudslide is visible from parts of the trail. Wildflowers dot the brown earth as if the Mountain is trying hard to make one of her many scars into something pretty.

The tree line marks a stark transition into a boulder field of volcanic rock. Parts of the mountain that blew off in one eruption or another ring the volcano. The way up is marked by wooden posts with reflective tape wrapped around the tops. I won't say it's a path or trail at this point. We were simply looking for a reflective beacon to appear in the beam of our headlamps and finding a way to get there, scaling boulders and winding around ridges. That continued for about another mile and a half. Mike, mountain goat and monkey mutt that he is, decided to go straight up a ridge rather than follow a steep, but semi-defined track to the side.

Rain and mist, clouds and fog came and went. The weather was moody, constantly in flux. The group was damp and cold. We stopped among the boulders to rest and watch meteors streak across the sky during one period of clear skies. The stars were amazing! More than can ever be seen with all of the light pollution at home. The peak of the meteor shower was a few days away, but that didn't make the ones we saw any less exciting.

Shortly after this point, the younger of the two boys was freezing and struggling to move forward. The night had cooled to somewhere in the 30s with gusting winds. He and his parents opted to find shelter and hunker until light to warm him up. The other four of us continued on. Eventually, the mountain plateaued slightly and the boulders disappeared. The fog surrounded us heavily so there was no point in looking at anything above the ground. This is the last mile. It is an ash field with fairly defined paths. There's no getting lost because you just go up and up and up. It's steep, the wet sand sliding beneath my feet. I was glad to have my trekking poles. I strove for one hundred steps at a time.

Finally I reached the rim (first!). It was 515AM. The sky was beginning to lighten, though fog hung heavy and oblivious to the cold winds ripping through it. I bundled the older cold teenager up in a space blanket and went exploring. There was nothing to see, but it felt good to be doing something. At 550AM the sky was light and sunrise had clearly come though we couldn't see it. Now there was some detail in the frozen rim of the volcano. I could see icicles hanging from the glacial outcropping above the crater. It was time to head back.

The route down took less time, about 4 hours. The fog persisted until we neared the boulder field. At that point, there were clouds below and fog above. The view was breathtaking and disorienting. The clouds below appeared to be sloping downward into the volcano on the west side. On the east side, rays of warm morning sunlight stabbed through the cloud layer.

One particularly exciting moment was when a boulder I was standing on rolled out from under me and into the back of my leg. Somehow it turned a different way than I did rather than breaking my ankle. I have some solid bruising. Within a few seconds another rock above me dislodged and barely missed both me and Mike. No one was hurt, but it cleared our tired minds. The tree line and trail back to the bivouac were a welcome sight. The bright greens of the trees and mosses were almost startling after the lunar landscape I'd been staring at for the past 8 hours. I really want to do this hike again when it's a little warmer and a lot more clear. Last time the group we joined climbed St. Helens, the temperature was in the low 80s and it was beautifully summer. Next time, Ms. Volcano, let's see all the beauty you can offer.

*photos in no particular order or even relevance to the story. Sorry, but the first 2/3 of the hike was dark, and photos of nothing are not exciting.

Wine and Beaches in Westport, WA

When I moved to the PNW and started my first grownup job, I was assigned a mentor. Adraine was awesome. She knew how everything worked in the shipyard, was well-respected and had fantastic fashion sense. To top all of that, she was a mechanical engineer when women engineers were rare, pioneering the way for those of us to come. She's been through the sexism, the cold shoulders, the changing workforce, and thrived. I know I'm making her sound old; she's not. When she offered her Westport condo for a weekend, I couldn't say no. I rounded up some of my favorite ladies and chose a date.

Five of us, including Adraine, drove out Friday night to the beautiful Washington coast. Westport on the Sea is a condominium complex on the sea (obviously) next to a state park and the tallest lighthouse in Washington. It's home to lots of charter fishing, sandy beaches, and crashing waves. There are a whole bunch of these condos for anyone to rent as well as many that are privately owned.

I woke up early Saturday and went for a run on the beach and park trails right outside the condo, stopping here and there to pick up perfect little sand dollars and dip my toes in the frigid water. It was a dream! A foggy marine layer hung over the water and the waves thundered against the beach. Cathy and Melissa put together a delicious breakfast while I was gone. Three of us headed out for a beach walk while Kate and Adraine hit the gym. I think I walked about 8 miles that day. My neck and shoulders burned through the marine layer.

For lunch we visited the beautiful Westport Winery. They have delicious food with gluten free options (YAY!) and a ton of wines. Adraine and Cathy are members which means free wine tastings!! Splitting my samples with Kate meant I could try about 12 different wines. I like the reds, while she likes the dessert wines. Each wine had a sassy description and a song pairing. The Smoky Nor'wester was my favorite. It's description was "Maserati intensity, like a good spanking." The song: Life's Been good to Me by Joe Walsh. It was perfect for my mood and the weekend.

The grounds at the winery are gorgeous. There are different themed gardens, a large chess set, and a mini-golf course. I want to go back and play wine-drunk mini-golf. We wandered around the tiny town, checking out souvenir shops and buying candy.

Cathy, Adraine and I decided that we just had to pay a visit to the hot tub.  The pool was crowded with kids and vacationers, the BBQs well used and wafting grilled meats. Everything about it screamed SUMMER! After our soak it seemed totally right to practice our handstands on the lawn before heading back. We made a gorgeous salad for dinner and played games until the wee hours.

Sadly, we had to leave fairly early Sunday morning to go spend some time with our spouses, but I had the most fantastic time with good friends, having great conversation, and doing whatever came to mind at the moment. Many thanks to all the amazing women who joined me and especially to Adraine for her company and a great place to stay.

My First (and Probably Last) Marathon

I did it! I achieved one of my lifetime bucket list goals: to run a marathon. This actually feels like a great achievement not because I managed to run 26.2 miles, but because I spent four months steadily working up to it. I ran three to four days per week for FOUR MONTHS! Some people are amazing runners and that kind of volume is not a big deal. I am not. I run because I want to, because the time alone allows me to work through my thoughts without distraction.

Anyway, back to the marathon. Emily and I chose to run the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. The race started at the Space Needle, ran through the 99 tunnel onto the Via Duct and past Pike Place Market. We ran through Pioneer Square and Columbia City to loop around a beautiful park on the waterfront called Seward Park. Finally we ran along the water to the I-90 bridge, over the water and through the tunnel then back to the Century Link Stadium. The morning was overcast and cool with a bit of misty rain here and there, in a word: perfect!

Mile 15 was particularly powerful. It began with a series of pictures of people who had died of cancer or were dying of cancer, people who had runners honoring them. After an appropriate break were pictures of military men and women who died in service with their names, ages, and date of death. I forced myself to stop reading their ages and look only at their faces. So many were so young. They died before they even had a chance to live. The pictures were followed by a long line of military members with American flags.

Since it was the Rock 'n' Roll marathon, there were bands set up along the course. The most memorable were a drumming troop set up under an overpass which made the beats reverberate through our bodies, a mariachi band on top of an overpass, and the Army band set up at mile 25.5. The Army band had the greatest energy and totally made the last little bit of the race amazing. I crossed the finish line all smiles. (Our time wasn't 5:44, it was 5:17)

 It was a great experience. Em and I limped away from the race with sore knees and hips, but I couldn't have asked for a better running partner. She waited for me through numb feet and tight calves and we worked through some knee pain together near the end. Thanks sister for your patience and friendship. Much love!

Springtime in Rain City

Hi! Its been nearly a year since my last post. Emily let me know that the day she flew into Japan was one year from the day of the horribly destructive 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that has killed nearly 10,000 people to date. Over 17, 000 more are still missing. I have checked up on everyone I know there and I am pleased to announce that everyone is safe, though frightened and many without regular transportation or power. The impending nuclear disaster has many people leaving the country. I am glad to know that as of now, everyone is still safe. My heart goes out to them.
For life back in Kitsap county, I am doing just fine. About 6 months ago, I bought a beautiful condo in the tiny community of Manchester directly west of Seattle. It's a 1 bedroom 1.5 bath and about 1280 sq. feet. I have a nice view of Mount Rainier from my balcony. In front of the building, is a boat launch and the view is panoramic of the Seattle skyline across the water plus Vashon and Blake Islands and Mount Rainier. Stunning! Its been absolutely perfect for me. Because the kitchen is so massive and well-lit, I've even been trying to develop my cooking skills. They're minimal at best, but I am learning. Mom moved out here in July and we have had a great time exploring Seattle and Western Washington. We went to the rain forest and La Push beach, Friday Harbor, and Anacortes. She and I bought a joint membership to the Seattle Art Museum and have had fun going to plays, symphonies, and dance performances. STOMP! was an incredible percussive dance. We had so much fun watching the performers use garbage cans, brooms, and even lighters as musical instruments. If you've never seen this group, watch for them. So worth it!
Springtime is finally arriving here in the rain capital. It is gorgeous, sunny and warm outside. I'm hoping it'll stay that way. Last summer was cold and wet and the winter was quite the experience with power outages, snow and ice, rain, rain, and more rain. I'm ready for the sunshine.
I found this little bit of text saved but never posted from November 1st. I figured I would post it now. It's fairly descriptive of a typical morning in my life: "The rain was coming down again. It had broken for a beautiful Halloween day and begun again just after trick or treating. Impeccable timing. This wasn't the misty wetness characteristic of Seattle, but a cleansing rain, the persistent kind that lasts all day and leaves huge puddles everywhere. The precipitation splashed off my windshield and the hood of my car as my wipers worked to clear the glass. I was careful not to hydroplane, knowing that a wrong move could send my pretty car skipping like a rock into the Puget Sound. I reached the parking area and stepped out into a wide muddy puddle. It was going to be a chilly day.
As I walked to my morning ferry, I wished for the millionth time that I owned a rain coat. My cotton jacket was already half soaked and my jeans, well, I should know better now. I looked out over the water to the Shipyard. Work. It looked smaller than normal through the sheen of rain. The water would be absolutely placid, reflecting the industrial lights on a dry morning. Instead the tiny drops turned the surface of the Sinclair Inlet to a well-textured mass, the tips of tiny waves illuminated by the more powerful beams. The 6:05 Seattle ferry was coming in to dock, brightly lit against the dark sky and water. Ripples from the large watercraft began reaching the small dock as the Annapolis ferry neared the dock to pick us up.
As there was no fog, the sense of isolation was absent. Instead I noticed the puddles on the ground and the people standing uncomfortably around me while we waited for our ride. One gentleman was impatient, looking like he might bolt at any moment. Another was almost asleep on his feet waiting for our little boat to arrive. It came through the pre-dawn light with its single lamp, bobbing in the wake of the larger ferry. We boarded the boat, dodging umbrellas and the rivulets of water streaming off them. It's a short ride, only five minutes or so, but I had time to doze lightly, still mostly aware of the world around me. "
Anyway... that's my life: early mornings in the rain, all day at the shipyard, dinner and maybe a visit to the climbing gym, sleep, repeat.