We were awoken to the sound of Derek Koh arriving at our door step. Half asleep, Jennifer and I stumbled downstairs to greet him. My mother, Derek, Jennifer, and I all walked out the door and drove down to Seattle's Mountaineering Club. We planned on seeing a famous climber present on a climb he had just done in India, but the expense of it didn't seem worth it when free climbing was just next door!
Derek, Jennifer and I then set out to obtain a cup of coffee, and ended up at a Thai restaurant in Fremont I had been curious to try. My curiosity had led us to the perfect destination because not only was the restaurant affordable, it was delicious. Jennifer and I shared a plate of to-die-for pineapple fried rice. And then we ate some of Derek's curry... After dinner, Jennifer and I dragged Derek to the best ice cream place in Seattle, Molly Moon's.
We ended the night on the roof, each of us with a Sierra Nevada in hand.The sky gave off a reddish glow over the city and each of us sat in awe as we gazed over what seemed to be a magical spectacle that was Seattle at night.
Friday
The following morning we woke up early, all ready to race off to Serene Lake. We had packed a backpack full of layers and laid out our clothes and shoes. At the last minute, we decided to postpone our big hike until Saturday; this way Derek could join and we could be a little more prepared.
With a few extra hours now ahead of us, we opted to lounge on the couch for a bit before leaving the house. Finally, we made plans to run to the Seattle REI, the original store, and explore while getting the final few items for Hannah's trip. We googled directions, and they seemed so simple- take Burke Gillmans to University Bridge and follow Eastlake until we hit Thomas and the giant REI. Somehow, however, we managed to completely miss University bridge by about a mile. We realized this when we hit a different bridge almost all the way past campus.
After asking several students for directions ("It's really far THAT way!!"), we turned around and retraced our steps until we found the very-clearly-labeled University Bridge.
We were so happy to find the bridge, that we stopped and took some pictures as evidence. Soon, we were well on our way South. We stopped at a cute local coffee shop to get some water and make sure we were headed in the right direction. They nice employees happily pointed us to the cold water, and gave us detailed directions the rest of the way to REI. They laughed as we complained at the idea of another hill. We protested, insisting that being Arizonan's make each little hill feel like a mountain.
Soon, we arrived at the Flagship REI. The entrance was concealed in a little forest, and walking in was an amazing experience; the giant store was filled with thousands of amazing outdoorsy things and hundreds of outdoorsy people!! We marveled at the books, kitchenware, sleepingbags, and miscellaneous supplies. We each selected Nalgene water bottles- 2 for Hannah, one for Jenn.
After carefully sorting through the many fancy, expensive, backpacking backpacks and ultimately deciding they were a little too pricey, we headed downstairs to the lower level (with quite a bit of elevator trouble) to sort through the "rejects" or sale and returned items. We were just starting to look at the few remaining sale backpacks, when a woman tapped our shoulders and said, "If you are getting a backpack, you should get a Gregory Deva- it will be the best backpack you ever purchase!" After a quick conversation, we went back to our hunt. And, as fate would have it, the very next backpack we picked up was a Womens Small Gregory Deva, marked down from over $300 to $120. Excitedly, Hannah tried on the pack, and proceeded to have the extremely nice REI employee, Ben, test to see if it fit. We learned how to fit a backpack- it's all about your torso length- and watched as Ben filled the pack with weights and pulled all the complicated straps to get it to fit Hannah. Finally, he marveled, "Wow, that actually fits you perfectly!"
Hannah was thrilled to walk out with her steal of a new backpack, and we headed for Ballard Pizza Company, an amazing pizza shop tucked away in the streets of Ballard. Hannah and Jenn, starved, immediately ordered an entire margarita pizza for themselves, and a slice of broccoli-garlic for Mom. After what seemed like an hour, the pizza came, and we devoured as much as we could. The guys working at Ballard Pizza were so nice, and even gave us a free piece of cheesecake after forgetting to add the basil to our pizza. Happy and full, the three of us proceeded to walk down the street to explore Ballard.
We stopped at a cute hair salon to get haircuts- we had finally found a place that charged $30 or less! The lady that cut Jenn's hair went a little crazy and cut off too much- after repeatedly telling Jenn how much she needed a hair cut and how "glad I am that you are letting me cut your hair". Jenn still isn't thrilled with her new hair, but luckily, has fast-growing curls!
After the Avengers, we returned home to have "the boys" awaiting us. "The boys" is how my mother always refers to our two dogs, Bear and Willie. Jennifer and I were responsible for Bear on this wonderful evening, and we took him for an exhausting walk! Not only did we make him run for more than half of the walk, we let him lead us all around Gas Works Park. It was a wonderful way to conclude our day. Being out in the fresh Seattle air, enveloped by the greenery that seems to cover every inch of the city, is always delightful.
Bear ran home, grateful to collapse on the couch after the exhausting work out. Jennifer and I then indulged in leftover pizza and freshly made salad by my mom. We then cuddled into our warm comfy bed and watched Into the Void. Probably not the smartest choice on my part, since the next day we planned to hike into the Cascades! Jennifer fell asleep during the movie, but I had to suffer when the computer died during the last seven minutes of the minutes - RIGHT before the two climbers were reunited. I was quite upset, but also exhausted and ended up simply rolling over and falling asleep.
Saturday
The next morning, we woke up bright and early at 7:15am and prepared for our hike up to Serene Lake! Derek Koh was a little late, but once our bellies were full of Museli (not my favorite...) we were off.
We arrived at the base of the hike and parked the car about a half mile down the road. The parking lot was full of cars, and an unexpected amount of people took off down the trail with us. I am not sure quite how to describe the hike.
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20
 |
| Jennifer and I with the grand view as our backdrop |
I didn't realize how much more this hike had to offer and what else the day had in store for us. I will finish the story tomorrow though! Tonight I need to sleep!
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