Summer is Made for Hiking

I'm not sure when I decided I like hiking. Maybe it was around the same time that I decided I enjoy running. Or maybe it was when I discovered it was an activity that my dad and I can enjoy doing together (side note: I did not enjoy hiking when I was a bratty kid living at home). Or maybe it was when I learned to just enjoy being out and moving in this beautiful world. Or it could have been when I discovered that consistent hiking gave me a perfect excuse to buy another pair of trail shoes, Smartwool socks, wool pullover, jackts, etc. Whenever, or whatever, it was, I am grateful for it. And I'm grateful for summer and that summers here in the Inland Northwest seem to be created just for hiking.

Some of the hikes I've gone on haven't been very successful. Like the time that my dad and I, along with my brother and his 4 kids (ages 9, 6, 3, and babe in arms), oh and 3 dogs, missed the main trail head on a trail that was supposed to be maybe 5 miles round-trip. Yeah, that was not awesome. I'm pretty sure that we wound up hiking somewhere between 8-10 miles that day. But we survived and my dad went back a couple of months later and found the actual trail head. It is a much better hike when you start at the actual trail head.

This summer's hikes have been pretty great. First up was a hike with my favorite to two guys, David and Carson. We were camping for a couple of days at Priest Lake and decided to hike up Lions Creek to the natural waterslides. The drive to the trail head is not a fabulous road, lots of potholes, washouts, and I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt the drive without having a high-clearance vehicle. The trail is nicely marked and a pretty easy walk. There are a couple of small water crossings that are either easy to jump over, rock hop, or cross on logs. The day we hiked in was early in the season and the water rushing over the slides was flowing too forcefully to allow sliding, but the scenery was spectacular and the time spent with my boys was awesome.

That hike that I mentioned earlier...the one that didn't go so well? Well, Dave and I accompanied my dad one sunny Saturday to give it another go. This time was more successful because, as mentioned, my dad went back to find the actual Deep Creek trailhead. Glad he did, because it is a nice hike with some gorgeous views of the Spokane River and the surrounding area.

My mom runs a sewing camp in the summer for my young nieces. A nephew or two usually comes to hang out with my dad for the week. It wouldn't be a complete week with Grandpa if there wasn't a hike involved. This year's hike was the Pulaski Trail with my dad, 2 nephews (two of the four children who had been with us on the unsuccessful Deep Creak adventure), and the babe in arms who was now big enough to ride in a baby backpack. Fortunately the Pulaski Trail is a nice easy grade for most of the 2 miles, but the last 1/2 mile is where the significant portion of the elevation gain is found. The trail is usually wide enough to be 2-3 across and there are several historical signs along the way that tell the story of the Pulaski Trail.

All of these hikes were great warm-ups for the hiking that we would do on our trip to Kauai. That trip requires its own blog post.

Hold please for Kauai