January 10, 2014

Cle Elum, WA’s Teanaway Valley: The Search for an Iceless Hike

Here in Washington State our skiers, snowboarders and all around winter enthusiasts are a little bummed with the lack of snow. Ski resorts are closed. Festivals are being cancelled.

As we drove past Snoqualmie Pass last weekend en route to a quick getaway in Cle Elum, Washington, instead of the usual winter scene of clean white powder, we saw rocky mountains and hills mixed with whitish-brownish slush. Though we did see a few kids tubing down one hill, thanks to some artificial snow, the rest of the area looked more like Seattle when we get a little dusting: Thin layer of white with lots of green grass poking through.

On the bright side, we were blessed with very little traffic and we anticipated some nice hiking conditions. Yes, aside from worrying about the ski resorts losing money and the small towns suffering from lack of ski commerce, we were okay with the scene since we really weren’t after any ski-related activity. Just looking to enjoy a quiet, unplugged day or so in the mountains.

After getting situated in our cabin rental, we set off to explore the Teanaway Valley and find a suitable hike. First we headed west just a mile or so from the cabin. When the paved road turned to dirt and gravel, we were met with a clean sheet of ice suitable for skating, not driving and certainly not hiking.

We continued on anyway, and thought we’d found a great spot when I saw a sign marking the national forest area and a hiker symbol pointing us toward a trail. We got all geared up, packed Bergen into the carrier on Slaed’s back, and in the time it took me to grab Norman (the dog) and organize my belongings, the boys had taken a spill. The trails here were just as bad as the roadway.

Bergen was fine, protected by the pack, just a little shaken up, while Slaed endured a few scrapes on his knee along with some bruising and soreness. Wonderful dad and husband that he is though, he agreed to continue on to try to find a spot that was a little less icy.

So we ventured back and tried another direction…and another…and then another only to find ice everywhere. It became obvious why we had only seen a handful of people. No snow, you can hike. With snow, you can snowshoe. With ice…that’s a little trickier.

On the way to one of these ventures, we did notice one white minivan parked just outside of a trail entrance, and even though we ignored this spot initially, it gave us hope that we could at least go back and explore it’s hiking possibilities.

You can probably guess that’s exactly what we ended up doing. Thanks to a nice open meadow-valley of an area that receives plentiful sun, we were able to create a hike (of sorts) for ourselves. Now it wasn’t completely iceless. We still had to dodge some slick spots and did our fare share of slipping, but no more falling.

And when we finally didn’t have to worry so much about a skating rink at our feet, we had a chance to enjoy the view. Aside from a bird or two, we curiously saw little wildlife, but for some reason I felt as if a cougar would come around to meet us at any moment! Oh, and we did run into the owner of the minivan. Just a loan hiker out for a nice walk. He was smarter than us though–he had hiking poles!

Have you ever run into less than favorable conditions on an outdoor adventure? What happened?

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More Hiking Adventures:

January 8, 2014

Travel Well, Get Outdoors Often: 9 Ideas to Plan an Adventurous Year

I don’t know about you, but I love dreaming about the new year ahead and pondering what adventures and changes the future holds. I appreciate the blank slate we’ve been given and a chance to make things different, if we so choose.

In the travel and outdoor realm, which of course is the most fun for me to plan, I’m thinking about the year as a whole and how I can drive more fun and adventure into all the nooks and crannies that make up the days, weeks, and months of 2014.

While I certainly don’t want to limit our adventures, as a springboard, I came up with 9 categories to help me plan and focus:

1. Travel somewhere new. As simple as exploring a town close by that I’ve never bothered to visit, to hitting the road or the skies to a grander, further locale, I’m so excited to travel to places I’ve never seen before! Hint: Plans and details for a Caribbean vacation are nearly complete.

2. Revisit a favorite place. There’s a reason why you fall in love with places, so why not enjoy even more good times? We’re thrilled to have Orcas Island, Washington in our plans again this year. Golden, Colorado and Phoenix, AZ are also on the repeat list.

3. 3-day weekend getaway. For some reason we let a couple of those 3-day weekend gems in 2013 slip away from our radar, and didn’t have any trips planned. I’m hoping we can capitalize on the extra day off opportunities and get out of town.

4. Hometown Adventure. I have to say, we’re pretty much pros at the this one, but I feel it’s important to continue seeking out places in the Seattle (and the surrounding area) that we haven’t been to (or taken Bergen to) yet. In particular, there are some food and restaurant adventures we need to take!

5. Hike. Hiking (and walking) is our favorite outdoor activity to do as a family. It’s simple and we need little equipment or planning. I want to continue to explore the trails of our near by state parks and city parks too. I also want to work on Bergen’s stamina as a little hiker and increase his time and distance on his own two feet before we surrender him to the backpack carrier.

6. Road Trip. I love the freedom that a road trip provides. Within reason, you can stop when an opportunity (via attraction or food option) arises. You can choose to travel fast or slow, close or far. At this point, road trips to Oregon and Idaho are in the works.

7. Change up the mode of transportation. I’m thinking we need to add more ferry boats rides, but what I’m really dreaming about for this year is a high speed boat like the Clipper that will take us to Victoria, BC! We’ll also continue our annual train trip down to Portland, OR.

8. Challenge yourself with a new outdoor sport or activity. The new sport or activity remains to be chosen for me, but the possibilities are endless! I know for sure that 2014 will not go by without me trying stand-up paddle boarding!

9. Do what you love outdoors. Walking, hiking, camping, biking, swimming, exploring…I’m so thankful that we have our health and the ability to get out there and enjoy ourselves.

10. ??What are YOU dreaming about for 2014??

Do you make goals or resolutions for the new year? What’s on your list for 2014? Please share!

Printable version: New Year, New Adventures Planning Sheet 2014

January 6, 2014

New Year, New Adventures: Support Your State Parks

Happy New Year!

A fresh new year definitely has me thinking of things I want to accomplish in 2014, but I also can’t help but think about the goals, aspirations and new ideas that began around this time a year ago. One of the goals we made as a family was to visit more of our Washington State Parks.

We kicked the year off and set the goal in motion with the purchase of the Discover Pass. In fact, it was one of my Christmas gifts to my husband, Slaed, but a state park pass also makes a great new year’s gift for yourself or someone you love. So many goals come to mind that it would help with:

Fitness
Health
Travel
Exploring the outdoors
Beginning a new outdoor sport or activity
Education

Our Discover Pass brought us to places all across our Puget Sound region in 2013:

To be honest, we were surprised to learn we only visited a total of 10 state park units, but we did visit several of the parks more than once with Moran being the most frequented. And besides, 10 (+) is a whole lot more than years past.

A side effect of our interest and enthusiasm for our parks is that we now seek out state parks in our travels outside of Washington. Our trips to California, Wisconsin, South Carolina this year all included visits to at least one state park gem.

With a brand-spanking-new pass for 2014 ready and waiting, we’re anxious to see what the year will bring in terms of state park adventures. Looking back on the year, we really didn’t venture past the Cascades to any of the parks in Central and Eastern Washington. Seems to me that a new goal may be taking shape!

Are you motivated to visit more state parks this year? Why? Tell us about the state parks near you!

December 17, 2013

Keep the Holiday Season Fun and Festive: How to Make Time for Adventure

Let me state the obvious. The holiday season is a busy time. Many of us have so much more on our plate (literally and figuratively) right now. When you think about it, all of it eventually leads to good stuff, but when you’re in the thick of it, it can be down right dreadful.

Take gifts for example. Thinking of a loved one, and picking out something you know they’d truly appreciate, want or need is such a joy. Standing in line at the post office with an impatient toddler to send that gift can make you pretty frustrated and kill all that delight you had in the first place.

I feel lucky though. I feel lucky and thankful because in the midst of our holiday to-do list, we have found little ways to keep things merry and bright. And merry and bright in our book means making time for adventure, mostly in the form of spending time outdoors.

Making Time for Adventure in the Busy Holiday Season

Create a shopping adventure

We love heading downtown and can get so much accomplished because all of our stops are in one central location. Plus we’d rather shop Pike Place Market, and the surrounding local shops than deal with the mall. Downtown areas of small towns, art and craft festivals, and neighborhood business districts are also super festive and places where you can find unique gifts.

What helped us recently was having a plan. We had a specific list of stores to get to and gifts in mind for purchase. I strapped Bergen (2 years old) to my back, and we were able to journey around easily. Since we knew exactly what we were after, there wasn’t a lot of waiting around, which meant the little guy was content.

It also helps when there were 2 adults, so at one point Slaed was able to run into a store while Bergen and I took a break to play and enjoy the holiday scenery.

Have goals for getting your holiday tasks accomplished, but also make fun a priority.

At the beginning of a big holiday task day (or the night before) we make a realistic list of all we want to accomplish. Any thing from post office runs, picking out a tree, buying gifts, and grocery shopping is on that list, but FUN is also on the list, and it takes precedence.

Wake up early

Weekdays, I’m always up at the crack of dawn, but during this busy holiday season, I’ve also added weekends to my early waking habit. We are truly blessed with a little one who sleeps in, so I’ve tried to take full advantage of that, and use that time to write Christmas cards, wrap presents, and generally get organized for the rest of the day.

By getting so much accomplished in the morning, our day is more open and less stressful. And you guessed it, we can work in more time for fun.

Build-in adventure

I talk about this in our everyday life as well. Whenever we have an errand or to-do list task, I think and scheme about an adventure close by that we can build in. It can go the other way too. If you have a fun holiday festivity you want to go to, think about how you can build-in a task on the way or in the area to accomplish from your to-do list.

Make adventure a reward

Accomplishing the daily to-do list is huge for us. It’s a great feeling, and we find it reason to celebrate, so often we have a contingency that when all is checked off, we get to do something fun. Last weekend, it was luminaries on Saturday and walking along the Seattle waterfront on Sunday.

How do you make time for adventure and fun during the busy holiday season?

More Holiday Fun and Adventure:

December 13, 2013

Christmas in the Southeast: Celebrating through Georgia and the Carolinas

We had quite a travel adventure in the Southeast part of the country to celebrate and visit with our loved ones for Thanksgiving. As with most of the country, Thanksgiving trickles right into Christmas, and this was evident even more so this year. Not only are Thanksgiving and Christmas closer together on the calendar, but it was also our only chance to celebrate the holiday with our east coast family and friends.

That’s a lot of festivities to squeeze in, but the region certainly helped out by getting all dressed up for us! Allow us to take you along on our journey, and at the same time, we’ll show you how the Southeast shows off their Yuletide spirit.

After landing in Atlanta, we traveled just north of the city to the little town of Lawrenceville. This was to be just a stopover hotel stay before making our way to the Charlotte area to visit with family. We drove into town in search of dinner; however it turned into much more!

We noticed streets closed down and residents running toward the town square, so we quickly found a parking spot and followed the crowd. To our surprise a Christmas celebration was happening complete with a tree lighting, caroling, parade, and visit from Santa. And to top it all off, the three of us got to try boiled peanuts for the first time. Bergen was a huge fan, but Slaed and I are pretty sure we will stick to the roasted variety.

Next up on our tour of the southeast takes us to North Carolina and the adorable small town of Waxhaw. Waxhaw is just south of Charlotte, and very close to the South Carolina border. My sister and her family will soon call this community home as they are building a house here, so naturally we decided to take time to play, shop, eat, and just explore!

During our visit, we hit up the playground, with remnants of Santa’s visit (in the form of artificial snow) left behind from the previous night, and then started to make our way over their local coffeehouse to warm up. The railroad runs through the center of town and our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Just as we were ready to cross over the foot bridge, the train payed us a visit! You can probably guess that Bergen (2 years old) was the most excited.

Making our way back down to Georgia, to breakup the mini road trip, we stopped in Columbia, South Carolina. We knew the Riverbanks Zoo would be the perfect spot for Bergen to burn off a little steam. We also did our homework and knew that our admission would be free thanks to the zoo’s reciprocal relationship with our Woodland Park Zoo back home in Seattle.

We were very impressed with everything this small zoo had to offer, and felt that the exhibits were well designed and made for easy viewing. Needless to say, they are decked out for Christmas and we can only imagine how pretty it must look at night with all the lights twinkling, bonfire going, and all their other cheery festivities. We just happened to be walking by when one of the staff members was testing out the snow machine. Made for some fun memories of dancing around; with Bergen wondering why his parents were so giddy!

Our last stop on the Southeast tour was Augusta, Georgia to visit our dear friends who have recently relocated there. Though my hair wasn’t thrilled with the 100% humidity, we were happy to put our coats and hats aside and enjoy balmy temperatures. Augusta has so much natural beauty with pine trees everywhere and hanging moss adorning the oaks. We especially loved visiting the Augusta Canal and learning all about their lock system along the Savannah River.

What really got us into the Christmas spirit though was stopping by the Surrey Center not far from where all the Masters (annual golf tournament) action occurs. The chic women’s clothing store, Soho not only had a Christmas tree made of coke bottles, which we kept Bergen at least 10 feet away from at all times, but the owner also fashioned a tree using just deer antlers. Such a fun way to show off the uniqueness of the town and surrounding area.

Where are you celebrating the season this year? Have you discovered any new towns, cities or communities? We’d love to hear from you!

December 11, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide for the Young Adventurer

This year more than ever, maybe being the mom to an active, curious and busy 2 year-old has something to do with it, I’m determined to be thoughtful and intentional about my gift giving. This is especially true for the young people in my life and on my list. At the same time though, I don’t want to over-think and make the whole process more complicated than it needs to be thus creating more stress and negating the reason for the season.

I want to give gifts that will be useful. Items that the kids actually need. Presents that will actually make an impact on their lives, help them grow, or help them enjoy the things they love even more. Little contributions that will enrich their lives, feed their imaginations, and allow them to experience the world.

All those conditions made me think of 4 easy categories to help me give great gifts to the little people in my life.

Books

In my humble opinion, one can never have too many books. I love this advice from the master himself:

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” -Dr. Seuss

My background is in education, and more specifically literacy, so choosing books for little ones comes naturally, but really all it takes is a little browsing to find a book you think will inspire and entertain. Lately during our weekly library visits, while Bergen is perusing a stack of books, I cozy up to a shelf and just explore. I learn about so many titles I never even knew about!

If you have kids in your life that love the outdoors and may even be budding travelers, I put together a list of book recommendations for Junior Adventurers and Wanderlusters.

Gear to Help get Kids Outside

Raising an active boy means I get outside a lot. It’s just what we do, what makes sense, and what all of us most enjoy. But really, I believe it’s essential for everyone, even if it’s cold, rainy, snowy, stormy, all of the above, or anything less than perfect weather.

So where the gift giving comes in is figuring out how to not only inspire your loved ones to get outside, but also keep them warm, dry, or safe from whatever element they need protection from!

Some Gear Ideas:

Rain and snow suits
- Oakiwear Rainsut
Rain boots
Long Underwear
Gloves, Mittens & Hats
Fleece of all kinds
- Kowalli Carrier Cover
Backpack
Water Bottle
Larger ticket Item Adventure Gear for Babies

Some Play Ideas:

Sidewalk Chalk
Bug Box
Balls of all sorts
Heavy duty trucks
Tools like shovels, racks & buckets
Balance Bike

Toys and Supplies to Foster Independent Play and Activity

I recently read a post on the Mama Natural site about raising a low media child, and the list of suggested toys really stuck with me. First I was proud to have already incorporated many of the ideas into Bergen’s play area without even really giving it much thought! Second, I got a bunch of ideas for how to improve and make the space even more beneficial for his development. And finally, I realized these ideas will also be super helpful in choosing gifts for all of the the other little people on our list, which inspired me to come up with these suggestions:

Kitchen Supplies (food, containers, pots & pans, stove, refrigerator, sink)
Dress-up Clothes
Musical Instruments
Blocks of all shapes and sizes
Vehicles (trains, cars, trucks, boats)
Art Supplies (crayons, special pencils, special paper & sketchbooks, paint, clay, brushes, stickers)
Author Kit (blank books, pencils, pens, extra paper, sticky notes)
Puzzles

Experiences

Kids may get excited about that shiny, sparkly (and noisy) gadget, game or toy at first, and play with it for a day or two (or maybe just a couple minutes), but the experiences you can give a child with their family and friends will stick with them forever. The little ones may not *remember* per se, but the time spent together allows for so much more than a toy or “thing” can give. Learning, bonding, peaking interests, inspiring, sparking curiosity, and expanding horizons is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the benefits experiences can generate.

Zoo or Aquarium Membership
Garden Membership (Japanese, Botanical, Conservatory)
Museum Membership (Children’s, Art, Music, History)
National Park Pass
State Park Pass
Sporting Event Tickets
Swim Lessons
Help with a vacation or trip (hotel stay, excursion, restaurant)
Coupon Book chock full of deals on tons of experiences (Chinook Book, Entertainment Book)

Do you have any ideas to add to any of our categories? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

More Ideas from my Outdoor Family Blogger Friends:

Ride On! A Junior Cyclist’s Christmas Wish List – Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies

A Skiing Family’s Letter to Santa – Brave Ski Mom

An All Weather Gift Guide for All Year Adventures – Crag Mama

Holiday Gifts for Outdoor Conscious Families – AKontheGO

Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Families – Tales of a Mountain Mama

Gifts for Outdoor Loving Mothers – AKSkedaddle

Five Great Christmas Ideas for the Outdoorsy Kid – Rain or Shine Mamma

Holiday Gift Guide – Go Adventure Mom

Outdoor Gifts for Teens – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Toys for Babies – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Stocking Stuffers – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Gifts for the Whole Family – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Toys for Elementary Age Kids – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Gifts for Adventurous Parents – Bring the Kids

Top Outdoor Gear to Get Your Kids Ready for Winter – Bring the Kids

All I want for Christmas…Gifts for the Active Family – Active Kids, Active Family

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Outdoor Enthusiasts – Adventure Tykes

Best Gifts for Outdoor Families: Books Edition 2013 – Tales Of a Mountain Mama

Holiday Gift Guide for Tykes – Adventure Tykes

Stocking Stuffers For Everyone – Adventure Tykes

50+ Holiday Gift Ideas for Nature Kids – Go Explore Nature

Have you ever run into less than favorable conditions on an outdoor adventure? What happened?

Related Posts

Do you make goals or resolutions for the new year? What’s on your list for 2014? Please share!

Related Posts

Are you motivated to visit more state parks this year? Why? Tell us about the state parks near you!

Related Posts

Making Time for Adventure in the Busy Holiday Season

Create a shopping adventure

Have goals for getting your holiday tasks accomplished, but also make fun a priority.

Wake up early

Build-in adventure

Make adventure a reward

How do you make time for adventure and fun during the busy holiday season?

Related Posts

Where are you celebrating the season this year? Have you discovered any new towns, cities or communities? We’d love to hear from you!

Related Posts

Books

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” -Dr. Seuss

Gear to Help get Kids Outside

Toys and Supplies to Foster Independent Play and Activity

Experiences

Do you have any ideas to add to any of our categories? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

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