Overnight backpacking Round 2

After the Husky game on Saturday, Clint and I decided to take advantage of the three-day weekend and head out for another overnight backpacking trip for Sunday night. We had heard that there was a fun hike just off of Highway 2, so we made a stop at REI to get a map and some more instruction. Once we had our route planned and bags packed, we set out for the Dorothy (aw, grandma Dorothy) Lake trailhead.

We had revised our strategy from the last trip to Lake Ollalie (basically - lighten my pack and make Clint carry the big stuff) , and had some new gear to test out as well. We were pretty excited about another camping trip (this was number 3 of the Summer!) and that we were getting some more use out of our backpacks.

I think I had blocked out how difficult the hiking portion of our first adventure was, and I was not at all prepared for how much longer and more difficult this one would be. I had my fair share of crankiness, but overall Clint was impressed with how I did and how unlike "other girls" I am...compliment?

After some traffic in Monroe by the Evergreen State Fair, we finally made it to the packed parking lot and got ready to set out on our trek around 2p.

all set!

reading up on regulations

The weather was perfect, nice and sunny, but not too hot hiking in the shade. The scenery was beautiful, too. We passed over a bridge and could hear the rushing river nearby as we hiked along. The first mile of the hike is all uphill until you get to Dorothy Lake where it starts to flatten out. Not only uphill, but endless amounts of stairs! I felt like I was on a stair master...wearing a 25lb backpack. I was definitely happy to see the trail marker for the lake knowing the hard part was over, at least for a little bit.

Since Dorothy Lake is such a short hike, it is usually crowded with day hikers and overnight backpackers. We took this into consideration ahead of time, so our plan was to continue on to the two smaller lakes just south of Dorothy, Bear and Deer. We passed up a couple camp sites hoping that our longer hike would pay off and that we'd find something more secluded.

The views of the lake were gorgeous. It was pretty cool to be hiking along up above while looking down on the lake. We stopped a few times to get some pictures, and enjoyed the easy part while it lasted.

nerding out with our monoculars

Me and Dorothy Lake

hawk!

We made our way to the end of the lake (about 2 more miles) and prepared ourselves for the steep hike up and over to get to Bear and Deer Lake. We even ran into some hikers going the other direction who wished us luck...great.

forging the river

goodbye Dorothy Lake

fueling up

It was at this point that my crankiness kicked in. I thought we would never get there, and the trail just continued to switch back and forth at a very steep angle. I decided to take it out on Clint by passive aggressively giving him the silent treatment. That would show him. Coincidentally, there are no pictures of this portion of the hike either.

Finally, we got our first view of Bear Lake and my attitude started to turn...sorta. We marched along passing up some campsites (we were determined to find the best) and came up to Deer Lake. We then found an overgrown trail between the two lakes and headed in that direction. We came across some campers who seemed to have found a good spot as they sat on a log and watched the sun set. Clint and I continued up the creek that connected the two lakes and came across the perfect spot. Right between Bear and Deer Lake in our own little secluded area...although it was nice to know campers weren't far off in case we had an emergency.

Bear Lake, finally!

our "neighbors" enjoying the sun set

I've arrived

Once we found the perfect spot, we got down to business in order to have camp set up before we lost light. We pumped water from the creek, set up the tent and blew up our air mats, got the stove out to get dinner started, and made a fire.

brand new headlamp!

nerdy camping toe shoes

filling up our new kitchen sink

On the dinner menu was another one of Clint's expired Backpacker's Pantry freeze dried meals...Phad Thai, mmmm. It was actually quite delicious (or I was delirious from the hike) and we had remembered to bring a flask of sweet tea vodka to wash it down. I was happy to be relaxing by the fire and enjoying the peaceful lake scenery.

Once it got dark, we roasted some marshmallows, put out the fire, and called it a night.

moon rising - one day after the blue moon

After a not so nice night of sleep (I froze, even in my 15° sleeping bag), it was time to get up and enjoy another sunny day. I got our breakfast started, as Clint constructed a stand out of a log for us to hang up our new camping shower. We had filled it up the night before and left it sitting on a rock so that it could start to heat up as soon as the sun came out.

Good morning Bear Lake!

home for the night

breakfast time

our shower heating up

Clint setting up the shower stand

completed shower

We enjoyed a nice breakfast, scrambled eggs with another chicken and rice freeze dried meal, before it was time to pack up and head out.

happy campers

Once we were all clean and fed, we tore down the tent and got our packs packed. All set to make the trek back (hopefully it would be a little easier and quicker heading down).

The way back was definitely easier, but my body was so tired from the day before it made it hard to keep picking up those legs. After we made it about half way, we stopped to make lunch. We had one freeze dried meal left, Hawaiian Chicken, so we decided to cook it up instead of carrying it home.

stopping for lunch

We continued the hike and were able to shave off 45 minutes from the day before! Once we got back to the trailhead, I collapsed into my seat in the truck and was ready to be home.

passing by Dorothy Lake again

done!

last car in the lot...

Looking back, I'm glad we went. It was quite the accomplishment, and even though parts were hard, overall I had a great time. It might even be possible to squeeze in one more trip before the Fall gets here, so we'll either have to choose a shorter hike, or I need to get in better shape!

Go Dawgs!

Saturday September 1st marked the start of Husky football season with the very first home game against the SDSU Aztecs. Clint had some friends coming up from Portland for it, so we jumped on the bandwagon with them ahead of time to purchase tickets in a big group so we could all sit together.

It turned out to be a perfect day for an outdoor game, even though it didn't start till 7:30p, but that just gave us more time to enjoy the weather tailgating. The game scene is a little different this year while the new Husky stadium is being built. Games are being played at the Clink which means tailgating is a little more spread out around the SODO area, but the husky spirit is still the same.

That afternoon, Clint and I took the bus from my place down to south side of the stadium to meet up with the rest of our friends. Matt and Gemma who recently purchased an adorable T@B trailer got there early to scope out a spot and get us all set up. When we arrived, we jumped right into the festivities amongst the other tailgaters.

T@B!

Clint and I

checking out the other tailgates

Matt & Duane showing up in style

Baby Lochlan - Dad is a Husky and Mom is an Aztec

Phi Pool boys

stow away

After tailgating, we headed towards the stadium around 7p to make it to kick off. Clint and I didn't get too far when we were sidetracked by friends hanging out at the Pyramid beer garden. We stepped in for a bit, had a beer, visited, then were on our way again. This meant we missed kick off, but when did Clint or I become real football fans anyway? We found all our friends once we made it to our seats, and enjoyed the game from there. The game wasn't entirely entertaining, but at least we were winning.

view from the Clink

sea of purple

nerds at halftime

After the 4th quarter started, Clint and I decided to leave in order to make the last bus back to West Seattle. We had a pretty good lead, plus it was also getting late, so we didn't feel too bad about missing the end. As we waited for the bus just outside the stadium, we could hear cheering and assumed that meant our first win!

So far I don't have any other tickets to games, but am hoping to make it out to a couple more to root on the Dawgs!

West Seattle Farmer's Market

On Sunday, my mom came over and we drove up to California Ave in West Seattle to do some shopping, have lunch, and explore my new neighborhood. We first hit up Talarico's, a pizza place that I've been told I must try. The pizza there not only looks good but is ginormous! They serve either a whole pizza which is 28" (jeez!) or by the slice, which is still 14". We each got our own slice, but probably could have split one and still have some left to take home. It was delicious though, and Clint benefitted from the leftovers.

After lunch, we walked through the West Seattle Farmer's Market and checked out all the fresh produce and other goodies they had. I didn't buy anything this time, but I may need to head back next week when I'm better prepared.

I took a bunch of photos (with my phone...didn't happen to have my real camera on me), and came across quite a few things I've never seen before like cranberry green beans, yellow beans, and peppers that look like tomatoes.

Sunday farmer's market

holy moly!

heirloom tomatoes

taters

huge zucchini

humongous blackberries - maybe for my next pie

After the market, we strolled up and down California and shopped at all the cute boutiques and consignment stores they have. We were pretty disappointed in ourselves for not finding anything to buy, so we headed to the hardware store where Mom found something she needed. Pizza, produce, and hardware, overall a nice little Sunday.

Birchbox Redemption

So, I think Birchbox may have redeemed itself. I mentioned last month that I was debating if I should cancel on them, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I had also brought it up to one of my coworkers, and she just happened to be a Birchbox member as well! We decided to bring in all our loot to work, and ended up making some trades. She liked a few of my perfumes (which I never wear) and the bath salts while I ended up with a full size bronzer (which I love and use everyday now), green eyeliner, and some self tanning wipes (yikes, those were a bust). She had been on the fence about giving up on them as well, but we decided to stick it out since we had so much fun sharing what we got.

This month our contents were exactly the same. There were some good things in there though. A razor, facial cleanser, hair styling product for pillow soft curls, another perfume sample, and a small jar of body lotion.

Good job, Birchbox. See you next month!

Danielle & Earl's Summer BBQ

On Saturday, Earl and Danielle threw a Summer BBQ party, and luckily Clint and I were in town. We had camping plans that had fallen through when his buddy hurt his back pretty bad. Although that sucks, it was nice for us to spend a relaxing weekend at home.

The party was a blast. Earl had constructed a Husky themed beer pong table that of course Clint and I dominated. Okay, Earl's team was pretty good too, so maybe we both dominated. They also had delicious cocktails, a whole spread of yummy BBQ goodness (burgers and dogs), and the best part? s'mores on the fire pit for dessert once it got dark...so basically we got to camp after all.

We spent the night playing games (Apples to Apples), watching the dogs run amuck, and laughing...a lot. Earl and Danielle have the perfect house for having get togethers, and the are the best hosts ever! Thanks again for such a great time!

Husky beer pong, and Mercer

urban campfire

Stella & Dot trunk shows

I have been having so much fun as a Stella & Dot stylist, and so glad I made the decision to just go for it! Within my first month, I have held 2 trunk shows and am well on my way to earning back everything I invested to get started.

I've also developed a healthy addiction to jewelry. I browse the website daily and keep adding things to my wish list. Luckily, I've hit a few "jumpstarts" which are ways for stylists to earn money to go towards jewelry samples in their first two months. So far I've racked up $500 and have been ordering jewelry like crazy. It's fun to have such a large selection, and makes picking out an outfit in the morning actually fun!

My first trunk show I held was for myself. You're allowed to have two per calendar year, which means you not only get the commission from the sales, but also get to reap the rewards as a hostess. Double the benefits! I invited some of my coworkers over to my new place, and we tried on jewels while drinking wine. That trunk show is actually still active online, so I've been continuing to add any other orders I get towards that.

The second trunk show was for my sorority alumnae group. We meet once a month, so I thought it might be fun to bring my new jewelry collection to share. I was surprised with how much interest there was! Since I couldn't be the "hostess" for this one, I set it up so that whoever makes a purchase will have their name thrown into a drawing. Once the show closes online on Sept 14th, I'll draw a name and that girl will earn the rewards to shop for free jewelry and for half off. Any Chi O's out there that want to get in on the action can shop here and I'll be sure your name gets added to the mix for a chance to win.

I've also gotten the chance to spend more time with Danielle, and we've been having a great time. She's also been a such a big help, and fun to have someone to do this with.

the new jewelry stand Mom found for
me at Goodwill that I painted

Betty Crocker y'all

As I mentioned before in Brynn's wedding post, she had pies in addition to a wedding cake.  About a month before the big day, Brynn asked if I would like to bake a pie to bring, as she wanted the pies to be homemade from some of the guests. I thought this was such a cute idea, and was happy to contribute! Only thing...I've never baked a pie. Well that's not true. I baked one in the 6th grade for Home Ec class, but I've never done blackberry pie, which is one of my favorites. It happens to be one of Brynn's as well, and blackberries are now in season.

My plan was to bake a pie to practice to make sure I knew what I was doing, then bake a second one the day of the wedding to bring. That plan didn't exactly (pie) pan out. I procrastinated...of course...and ended up having to just go for it the day of.

It was actually a lot of fun, and the pie turned out to look pretty good! I did get to sneak a taste at the wedding, so I know it was edible, too. Now that I know I can do it, maybe I'll get around to baking pies more often.

ingredients

here goes nothin...err...well, everything actually

ta da! I'm a baker :)