She who hikes and climbs

I have been wanting to take my family to Rockport  State Park from the time I went there on a field trip a couple of years ago. It feels like a hidden gem in the PNW with 4 miles of hiking of trails. Rockport is a day time use only park, no camping is allowed due to the risk of tree falls. Rockport is a very beautiful state park, with guided hiking tours if you so desire, a very nice bathroom, and is very quite, and peaceful, making it feel like a best kept secrete.                                        There is a covered picnic area not too far down the path in the above picture. The trail that we took was to the right of the bathrooms and information sign. The trail immediately starts you walking in the trees covered in moss.   ...

Sabbath after church we decided to hike Big Gulch . It is an easy 2.6 mile out and back hike with 311 feet elevation gain. We chose another close, short trail because we were celebrating Miss A's birthday later that evening. Big Gulch was really easy to find,  has a play area, a wetland, and a really nice bathroom with a sink and toilets! No outhouse! (I hate outhouses.)                                                         The trailhead starts after the playground where this big arbor is. You don't go very far before you have to head down these stairs. Which are very nice and don't kill your knees unlike some stairs on trails.        ...

This New Year I decided to join the 52Hike Challenge. Too be honest it sounded a bit overwhelming, because I literally only have Sabbaths to do any hiking, since I have to work every Sunday. But I thought what a good way to make sure we are outside and hiking. Plus it would be great for my blog! The first hike L and I did was around the Arlington Airport Trail. It is pretty much flat the entire 6 miles. But I don't feel like writing about that one, so I am writing this post about Japanese Gulch. Japanese Gulch  was once a housing area for the local Japanese emigrant workers that worked for the Crown Lumber Company in the 1900's, but today it has a dog park, hiking and mountain biking trails. This is thanks to a group called  Japanese Gulch  that decided they wanted to preserve the area instead of having it developed in 2014. After church and potluck I decided that I had to go hiking, it wasn't raining, wasn't too cold, and who cares i...