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Ozette Loop

February 4, 2012 / posted in Adventure! / 14 Comments

Taking advantage of a break in the weather, I headed out once again to do the Ozette loop on the Washington Coast. My primary mission was to arrive kind of late and photograph the sunset, but truth be told, I was feeling rather un-inspired this trip and skipped the sunset.

The loop consists of two trails and a beach walk. This trip is sometimes called the Ozette Triangle due to is shape on a map. Each segment about 3 miles each for a total 9 mile loop. One part of the loop, Cape Alava, is actually the westernmost spot in the continental United States, worthy of a trip in itself.  It is about a 3 hour drive to get out there from Silverdale. There are lots of places on the web that offer directions and route information so I’ll skip that step this time around.

One of my favorite things to do before a hike is to research the area I’m going to. Generally this research is nothing more than an internet search but sometimes a trip to the library is also in order. This time my research was actually post hike since I have already been to Ozette on another occasion. During my research this time around, I did an internet search for “swimming to Ozette Island”. Now I’ll let you know that I’m smart enough not to try something so foolhardy. But you know, hopefully by asking an interesting question, I would get an interesting answer. Because you know, there are no stupid questions. Right? Anyhow, in typical google fashion, I got a lot of hits for the query but one really stood out, “My 40 years on Ozette Island“. When this guy was a young man, him and his friends made a raft using long spike nails and driftwood and paddled out to the island. His story is very reminiscent of a Tom Sawyer type of tale. He even claims to have spent a whole summer on Ozette one year, leaving only long enough to restock his supplies. You really should read his tale because it is very interesting. Poor guy got swept out to sea once for four days because he mis-judged the currents going out there. I highly recommend checking out his story. »Read More

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Copper Creek Hut Overnight

January 29, 2012 / posted in Adventure! / 1 Comment

This was an overnight trip my club sponsored to the Copper Creek Hut, a part of the Mt Tahoma Trails system near Mt Rainier. Conditions were great on the hike in, but the weather deteriorated overnight and the hike out was entirely in the rain. Probably a better option is to ski this trail, but only being 4 miles between the sno-park and the hut, hiking was not too bad. Since the trails are groomed, they are well packed down and the snowshoes I brought were not needed, though some of the folks that came along on the trip wore them anyways. The hut itself was pretty nice to have for the night. We had a hearty lasagne feast for dinner and a big breakfast the next morning. Its a lot of work cleaning up after 14 people but with everyone’s help we got it done. The hut would be a lot easier to stay at if there was running water but since it gets so cold up there, its probably not practical to have it. Snow has to be brought in and boiled for drinking water and to do dishes and is a lot of work. »Read More

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[Sticky]

Welcome…

December 8, 2011 / posted in Adventure! / No Comments

Hi. Thanks for stopping by my little slice of the web. Jay’s Journeys is a place I like to post all the fun things I see or do that I like to share with my friends and family. You might say, “Jay, you are so vain for posting all that stuff about yourself” and you’d be right. This is a vanity site after all. I mean, isn’t that what a blog is for? But all kidding aside, my goal with this site is to have a place for me to record and share all things about my family, my friends, my outdoor exploits and all of life’s journeys. Lately I have been working on becoming a better photographer and am using the site to promote my work.

Have a look around, feel free to comment on anything and most importantly, come back soon. New content is added all the time.

Jay

Kalalau Trail

November 27, 2011 / posted in Adventure!, Overnight Backpacking / 8 Comments

On my family’s vacation to Kauai this year, I had my sights set on backpacking the Kalalau Trail that hugs the along the Na Pali coastline. I’ve been to Kauai 3 or 4 times now and every time I’ve gone I’ve had this trail on my mind. The last time we vacationed here, I brought along my overnight pack and sleeping bag so I could attempt the trip, but due to the rains we experienced that year, I decided to forgo the hike. This time, being better prepared and looking at more favorable weather, I went for it.

The October 2008 issue of Backpacker magazine, rates the Kalalau Trail as one of America’s Ten most Dangerous Hikes. I’ll admit, the possibility of doing one of Americas deadliest trails held a certain mystique for me, and I’d be a liar if I said that article wasn’t part of the reason I so badly wanted to hike it, even though I know Backpacker can be over the top sometimes. My interest in Kalalau might have also had something to do with the proximity of where the trail was in relation to where we were staying on the island in Princeville. Or maybe thinking the hike was a once in a lifetime thing even though I’d been to this island several times now. I mean, one of the hikes on Backpacker’s list is in my home state and I have never hiked it or really given it more than a passing thought. The Muir Snowfield on Mt Rainier in Washington is on the list. What makes Kalalau different? Why have I been so drawn to it? »Read More

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Snowshoeing Hurricane Ridge with Hayden

November 20, 2011 / posted in Adventure!, Family, Photography / No Comments

Hayden and I went up to Hurricane Ridge for his very first snowshoe trip. I’d purchased some snowshoes for him the year before but it seemed that I could never find a good weekend to get up there with him until now. I think he did pretty good for his first time out and I can’t wait to get back up there with him. I recently bought him a new overnight pack and I am ready to get him out this summer for an overnight trip or two. He is really growing up quick.

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Ancient Lake Overnight with the PWC

September 24, 2011 / posted in Adventure!, Overnight Backpacking / No Comments
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My friend Steve from the Peninsula Wilderness Club had enquired a few times about the Ancient Lake hikes that I sometimes go on. For Steve and me, this trip was a long time coming. Since it gets very hot and dry, Ancient Lake is not usually a place one goes for a hike in the summer. This however was the only good weekend for either of us since we both had major projects going on. We planned this trip well in advance.

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The Devils Loop

September 6, 2011 / posted in Overnight Backpacking / 2 Comments
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On Labor Day weekend this year, I co-hosted a backpacking trip around Jack Mountain in the North Cascades/Pasayten Wilderness with fellow PWC club member Kevin Koski. Joining us on the trip was another friend and club member, Isaac Sun. Originally another group of people from Hawaii that saw the trip announcement on-line was going to join us but due to a work conflict, they pulled out at the last minute.

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2011 Weekly Green Mountain Hikes

September 1, 2011 / posted in Adventure!, Day Hiking / No Comments

This year, starting in May, myself and Doug Savage of the Peninsula Wilderness Club made a pledge to sponsor weekly hikes up Green Mountain every Thursday night after work. In the first few weeks we didn’t have many folks show, mainly just a few friends. By the end of the season, we had as many as 28 people show up. I contribute the success of these hikes mostly to Doug’s outgoing nature and willingness to pack large bottles of wine to the summit. Not sure what will happen next year when he is out of town for work most of the year. Another contributing factor was Soon. I had never met Soon before she showed up for our second outing but Doug knew her. When she starting doing the hikes, word got out about her excellent cookies. Perhaps she will co-sponsor the hikes in 2012 with Doug out of town? Below are photos of some of the highlights of the 2011 weekly Green Mountain hiking season.
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My first time in the Enchantments

July 25, 2011 / posted in Overnight Backpacking / 4 Comments

July 23-25 2011

On the weekend that I was supposed to hike the Chinook Pass to White Pass portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, I instead took advantage of space on a fellow Peninsula Wilderness Club member’s Enchantments permit. This year the snow has been excruciatingly slow to melt off and I figured it would be a safer bet to go to the Enchantments than to try and route find my way through 30 miles of snowy terrain. Joining me on the trip as my hiking partner was Craig Mecklenburg. The permit holder was Megan Thompson (no relation) and her father Russ Childers. The Enchantments are a set of high alpine lakes located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness just SW of Leavenworth Washington. They are often called the most beautiful of Washington’s high mountain lakes. Obtaining permits for the Enchantments involves a lottery system and they can be hard to get. The best permits are for the core Enchantments, but anything is better than nothing. The permits we had were for the Snow Lakes zone.

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Duckabush thru North Fork Skokomish backpack

July 8, 2011 / posted in Overnight Backpacking / 6 Comments

I was supposed to do this trip on the previous weekend but since that was the 4th of July and I had priorities with family, I put it off until this weekend. I have hiked up the North Fork Skokomish countless times, either to do the Staircase Rapids loop or to go up to Flapjack Lakes. Even stayed at Camp Pleasant once. I had never set foot on the Duckabush until this trip, so this was to be a new adventure for me.

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Hiking the odd trails of Green Mountain

July 2, 2011 / posted in Day Hiking / No Comments

I was supposed to hike the North Fork Skokomish over First Divide and out the Duckabush this weekend. Lingering snow in the upper elevations and prior commitments were cutting my 3 day weekend short so I decided to stay local. My favorite option to stay local and still get a few miles in is Green Mountain.

I have been working on a wiki style field guide for my hiking club and I needed to record some info from some of the lesser known trails on Green Mountain. I brought along my gps and recorded tracks for the Plummer Trail, Beaver Pond Trail, Powerline Trail, Wathora Trail and a trail I didn’t even know existed called Tasi’s Connection Trail. All in all, a fun, not too strenuous hike with some variety I usually don’t get when hiking Green Mountain.

If you are curious about the work I am doing on my club’s website as far as the wiki/field guide goes, you can see the field guide here – http://www.pwckitsap.org/fieldguide/ or for the Green Mountain part in particular - http://www.pwckitsap.org/fieldguide/Green-Mountain. The Field Guide is a work in progress. Suggestions to make it better are always welcome.
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Tyler Peak and almost Baldy

June 26, 2011 / posted in Day Hiking / 4 Comments

Four of us, Soon, Paul, Isaac and myself, went up the Tyler Peak trail on Sunday June 26 2011. We did a loop, first summiting Tyler Peak where we had lunch. Afterwards, we worked ourselves across the ridge towards Baldy. When we reached the point that drops down towards the Maynard Burn trail, Isaac and Paul decided to try to summit Baldy while Soon and I stayed behind and relaxed for a bit. We gave them an hour to summit and return but I think the snow slowed them down. Thick clouds also covered the summit when they neared and discouraged them from continuing on since the views would be limited.
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Buckhorn Pass – Peak 6470

June 19, 2011 / posted in Day Hiking / 5 Comments

On Sunday the 19th of June 2011 (Father’s Day), I sponsored a trip up to Buckhorn Pass and beyond, up to the un-named peak (peak 6470) on the Tubal Cain Trail. This was a nice high country trip into the alpine. I will refrain from calling it an early high country trip because by this time of the year, the whole trail should be pretty much melted out. This year, we have seen a very heavy snowfall year and a very cold spring. Much of the mountains of the Pacific Northwest are still blanketed in snow. High country trips like this should be easy to come by by now, but I will take what I can get.
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Mount Saint Helens weekend with the PWC

June 12, 2011 / posted in Day Hiking / No Comments
Looking into the crater of Mt Saint Helens from the rim.

Another climb of Mt Saint Helens this year with the Peninsula Wilderness Club.

We drove down on the afternoon of Saturday the 11th of June and set up camp at the Marble Mountain Snow Park. Isaac, Paul and I, who all rode together, went off to explore the upper Ape Cave while everyone else socialized around camp. We had a great time clambering over huge rocks that were once part of the cave ceiling but had collapsed and left a big jumbled mess to get around. There was also the waterfall section, which is a 9 foot tall headwall that one has to scramble over. We had a good time exploring and we even saw a bat flitting around the entrance to the cave on our way out.

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Ingalls Creek

June 4, 2011 / posted in Adventure!, Day Hiking / 2 Comments

I headed out to Ingalls Creek with Cheryl and her daughter Stephanie on this first warm day of the year. This has been the year of the seemingly never ending winter and this was a nice hike on a beautiful day. I’ve never seen as much trilium as I did on this hike. We saw Calypso Orchids, Trilium, Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Paintbrush, Lupine, Glacier Lilies, Tiger Lilies (not yet bloomed), Silvercrown, Western Serviceberry, Red Flowering Currant, Ballhead Waterleaf, Oregon Amenones, Pioneer Violet and a few more of which names I am unsure of.

Ingalls creek is a good spring destination due to the large variety of early blooming wildflowers. As the trail follows along the creek, you’re hardly ever farther than earshot of its cacophony of cascading waters and turbulent rapids, in fact at times it’s hard to hear anything above the roar of the water.
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