Joseph and Dad Climb Mount St. Helen's !

On Saturday July 18, Dad and Joseph climbed to the summit of Mt. St. Helens. It was a 5-mile hike which ended on the rim of the crater from the May, 1980 eruption. The entire north side of the mountain was blown out from that eruption; we hiked up the south side, starting at 6:30am at a campsite at 3500 ft of elevation, and reached the rim (8300 ft of elevation) at noon. While it's essentially "just" a hike (no ropes or crampons required), we signed up to climb in an organized group with guides.

It was a hot day, and a fairly grueling hike. The first two miles were a gentle incline through a forest, then you get above the tree line and climb through boulders for about 2.5 miles. That was the most difficult part of the hike, as there's no defined path and it is fairly steep. The final half-mile is another steep incline, but through soft, sandy soil.

The views from the top are amazing. You can see the other major volcanoes in the Cascade Range - of course Mt. Rainier (which is about 50 miles away), as well as Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. You also look down on the crater, which over the past 35 years has been "filled in" with new rock from much smaller volcanic activity. You also see the destruction from the 1980 eruption, including Spirit Lake, a lake that had been a major tourist destination before the eruption and is now largely off limits, still covered with lots of dead trees blown down thirty-five years ago.

Climbing up the mountain

Joseph, about two-thirds of the way up the mountain

Mount Adams in the distance

Mount Hood in the distance

Climbing up the last half mile

Amazing view at the top - Mt. Rainier, Spirit Lake, and the crater

Success !

Full view of the crater

Joseph at the top

Sunset, July 2015

It's been a hot summer so far, with multiple days above 90-degrees. Mary Jo and John went for a walk by the lake at sunset on a night in early July.

Wilson and Talkeetna Arrive

On Saturday June 27, all five of us went to the Bellevue Animal Shelter to pick out two new kittens. We had several to choose from, and went in a back room to interact with them to decide which ones to take. It was a difficult decision, but we took home a solid black male and a spotted black female. We named the black one Wilson. No one knows why, other than several people in the family liked the name. The spotted one was named Talkeetna, after the name of a town in Alaska we visited (which also has a cat for its mayor). We call her "Keetna" for short.

Since they've been home, they've had lots of fun running around and playing with each other, as well as the assortment of new cat toys which are appearing around the house daily. Keetna has found a hidden cabinet in the kitchen we didn't know existed, and Wilson has created a hidden cache of toys - he carries some away to behind the bookcase.

We've taken a few pictures...

Waiting in line outside the shelter before they open

"Keetna"

"Wilson" coming upstairs for the first time ever!

Wilson

Keetna

Dad, Joseph, and John Complete the Woodinville Wine Ride

On Sunday June 7, Joseph, Jack and Dad completed the 30-mile Woodinville bike ride, organized by the Cascade Bike Club. The route went from Woodinville Washington around the north part of Lake Washington to Mangusson Park in Seattle, and then back. There were over 600 riders participating. It was relatively flat but still a long ride. It was a hot day, but fortunately much of the ride was in the shade.