slip sliding away

Things for Thursday

• I’ve been cramming my brain away with body pump choreography for this weekend’s training.
• We stayed out crazy late (almost 11pm people!) at some friends house last night while they serves us tasty seafood bisque… mmm bisque.
• I got a solid 6 hours of sleep last night, like a rock.  Surprisingly I feel great physically, just a little sleepy.
• Taught sports training last night and only had 1 gal.  Lucky lady it was like her own personal training class!
• Tonight I’m teaching cycle and am ready for a good sweat.  Nothing makes me sweat like cycle.
• My main exercise this week has been practicing body pump choreography and then teaching, nothing else.
• I really want to go run.

And with that, I’ve gotta run.  Sleeping in leaves me with less time in the AM, so I’m handing it over to my auntie again with a pacific northwest hike.

Hike: Ashland Lakes (WA)
By Arlene

Autumn at the Lake Shore

It was very apparent that summer is over and that I am not in the sunny south of France anymore. Our first decision on getting out of the truck at the trailhead was to don rain pants and rain coats. We were going to be hiking in the Mount Pilchuk National Resource Conservation area, which is one of the wettest regions of the Pacific Northwest, and it lived up to its reputation. The hike is relatively easy (5.5 miles with only 800’ of elevation gain), but it was made a bit more challenging by the slippery board walks which were some of the longest we have ever encountered on a trail.

One of many board walks on the way to Ashland Lakes

Kudos to the folks who have put in so much work to maintain this trail. There were all sorts of bridges, boardwalks, and stepping stones to get us through the swampy sections of the trail.

These tree slices covered with wire mesh made excellent stepping stones

We had been alerted by a trip report from the Washington Trails Association that a Discover Pass would be needed (not the usual Northwest Forest Pass that we have with us at all times). We were able to get a one day pass and print it for this hike (and will order one for future hikes). While it’s not fun to have to purchase another pass, I am constantly impressed at how much resource has to go into maintaining trails as well as the privies at the trailheads and signage to and on the trail. Our trail passes are some of the best recreation value we purchase each year.

I am pleased to report that we made it to the lakes with no major slips, falls, or injuries. We encountered only one person on the hike; a young many who was hiking out after spending a wet night at the Lower Ashland Lake. After chatting with us a bit, he headed on, leaving us with advice to, “be careful, those boardwalks are slippery.”

Upper Ashland Lake in the rain

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