the weekend.

It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that I have only 3 photos I have to show from the weekend.  It was one of those weekends that was over in a BLINK of the eye while cramming in tons of work + play.

After I got off work on Friday, Hunter and I geared up and had an after hours cross country ski up Emerald Mountain!  There were 1,000 reasons it was the most fun but the top ones being: The entire trail was illuminated perfectly by the full moon which was more romantic than you ever want to hear about, we passed at least a dozen other after dark adventurers and knowing that I live in a city where multiple people want to exercise in the snow + cold + dark on a Friday night makes me stupid happy, I got to mentally check off side trails and markers along the main trail where we had spent mountain biking all summer long and finally: we knew there was beer at the end of the tunnel as we met up with Hunter's dad for brews and dinner when we were done.  The Boat needs fresh snow something fierce, so it really was more like ice skating than cross country skiing but it was so crazy fun and I can't wait for a good dump of snow to head back up again!  

The rest of the weekend consisted of working both Sat + Sun, a fun girls night in on Saturday, few hours skiing up the big mountain Sunday morning and ending our weekend with my company holiday party.  I was wiped out come Monday morning { noon and night }, but feel a little more back in the groove today.  Bring it, week!

p.s. 16 days until Christmas.  Ahhhhh freakout!

p.p.s. I finally got on Twitter!  Got a Twitter account?  Am doing Twitter now?  I don't even know the cool kid lingo much less how the heck to navigate my way through the darn thing, but come say hi if you are a tweettweet regular!

the weekend.

This weekend was pretty good for being pretty bad.  Jaime and Ryan had been planning a Steamboat { #dreamboat } weekend for about a month now but leave it to { that bitch } Mother Nature to go and ruin it all.  It's happened once before with My Mary, so it only makes sense that she had to strike twice. The weather report was calling for, and I quote, "Hazardous and nearly impossible travel." so while I do know it was wise to cancel the trip, I couldn't help but bum all weekend long about it.

We managed to sneak in quite a bit with the cold + snowy + freezing weather and canceled plans.  Saturday we woke up to snow, snow and more snow.  Hunter and I tag teamed breakfast.  He cooked one of his mom's famous meals, and I cooked the potatoes I can't stop making { and eating }.  We snuggled in on the couch for a few Food Network episodes before venturing out to run some errands.  Hunter knew I had a crappy day on Friday, so he helped make it better by surprising me with buying some Christmas lights! We hung a few outside, I broke down and finally bought good winter boots and while I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I own a pair of boots with fur on them, I can't deny they are warm and waterproof as shiiiz.  We put them to use and went for a snowy hike up Spring Creek which got us all sorts of twitter-pated and excited for winter activities.  We've begun planning our ski trips and enjoyed visions of weekend cross country/snow shoe adventures.  Heart eyes for days!  The rest of the weekend consisted of a Stranahan's event at a local taproom, The BARley, late night walks in the snow, cursing at the TV screen { Broncos, I shake my fist at you! } and a loooooong evening soak at the Hot Springs followed by cooking up some homemade pizza.

I swear at any point this weekend I had a warm beverage in my hand, cycling through warm cider, hot chocolate, hot tea and of course coffee.  This weekend was a really wonderful introduction to the winter season. Now! to plan Jaime and Ryan's next visit...

the weekend.

This past weekend was one that will keep me warm for quite a while.  Everything lined up perfectly making for an active/busy/productive/silly/relaxing weekend.

Mary and I spontaneously planned another 12 hour mini-mountin meet up in Dillon.  Even though we talk obsessively every day minute by minute but it wasn't until we met up and I heard her sweet giggle that I was able to realize how much I miss my Mary.  My Mary who has been a sister to me for more than 8+ years.  My Mary who approaches every situation with care and creativity.  My Mary who is so damn lovable and perfectly silly.  We had a really wonderful 12 hours eating, drinking, laughing, laughing and laughing.  I love that girl too much.

The rest of the weekend was filled with working + beer drinking + football watching + final mountain bikes of the season (him) + spending time soaking up the sun with coffee and bailey's in hand while reading Julie and Julia (her) + bed and breakfast cooking (us).  It's Monday now and the snow is aggressively falling and will continue to for the rest of the week,
but (!)  I feel so warmed from the memories over the weekend (cliche) that I don't mind the snow one bit (truth).

the weekend

in no particular order

full days working

new book reading

brewery visiting

breakfast cooking 

cleaning + organizing

curry making

friends binge watching

meal planning

hammock laying

We also logged a few hours bundled up in blankets and hats enjoying a bottle of wine in our backyard on Friday night.  No questions asked it stole the show as best moment over the weekend.

//so summer.

Happy first day of Fall!

While I am welcoming this new beautiful { and not to mention my very favorite! } season with wide open arms, I do want to share a few memories and moments over these past few months that were just so summer to me.  Moments that made me pause, smile and give silent thanks to the constant beauty and love that surrounds my life.  These are the tiniest of moments that would stop me in my tracks and think oh summer - you are so good.

---

The lightest scent of sunscreen on my still warm from the sun body

---

Riding home on bikes at night with friends in town.  Looking up to see the crisp black sky littered with stars and my best friend Sara behind me and hearing nothing but her constant giggle

---

Sitting in the creek that cuts through our backyard still sweaty after biking 7+ miles while snacking on a handful of peanuts,  Hunter at my side and watching the trickling water ripple over my feet

---

Enjoying a beer in the backyard with a group of friends and seeing a momma and it's baby moose snack on the trees in the field next to our house

---

Legs dangling off the top of the boat and splashes of water spitting up hitting my toes

---

Watching the stars in silence on a camping trip with the company of Hunter, Lindsey and a good beer

---

Reading a good book while laying in the backyard with freshly brewed sun-tea with { you guessed it - the creek again } the trickle of the creek in the background

---

Losing any and all sense of time while being surrounded with the beauty of Steamboat and showing my best friend Jaime some lesser known Steamboat hiking trails.

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Headed down the road in the van, reggae music blasting, windows down and the rush of adventure pulsing through our veins.

---

Logging hours upon hours of mountain biking throughout the summer

---

I will be back later this week sharing more specific summer memories + trips + photos but I really wanted to give these tiny little moments their own story on this ol' blog.

the sweet season :: broken down v.4

making :: lake powell plans, denver plans, amos lee plans, birthday plans, camping plans.  

cooking :: roasted sweet potatoes + roasted tofu to be eaten cold with a { large } side of sriracha for lunches!

drinking :: lemon + mint + cucumber infused water 

reading :: done with joy luck book club starting the snow queen with a side of this is where i leave you

wanting :: a generous salad, cup of decaf coffee and flask of bailey's to get through this thursday + friday.

looking :: at a sky full of stars.  it wasn't until my dad visited us here in steamboat from ca and stopped dead in his tracks while walking home one night after noticing the sky littered in stars do i now notice and smile up at them every single night.

wasting :: away the cool summer evenings with a breeze and new book.  

sewing :: i may potentially help fix and sew a friend's dress.  i need my mary's help!

wishing :: my parents a happy anniversary.  they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary a few weeks ago!  watching those celebrations and milestones in their lives come and go mean so much more to me as an adult as it did growing up.  i love their love.

enjoying :: dabbling in design again after taking 7 months off.

waiting :: for the weekend and time spent with rou!

liking :: the signs of summer that have been surrounding us lately.  sun-kissed cheeks, the slight smell of sunscreen that follows you everywhere, reading in the grass by the river in the backyard, salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner, falling asleep with the windows open and the breeze drifting in.  ahhh....sweet summer.
playing :: softball each wednesday night.

wondering :: why i thought i would grow my friendships with friends from work over playing softball.  have you seen me throw a ball lately?  correction: have you seen me attempt to throw a ball lately?! 

loving :: biking to work.  such a refreshing way to start the morning and a determined way to end the work day.
hoping :: the kraut i have fermenting is worth the wait and the testing of my cooking patience.

marveling :: at the concept of applying yourself and seeing yourself and your life grow.  novel concept, eh?  

smelling :: burt's bees chap-stick

wearing :: a skirt that i purchased in college about 9 years ago.  i was in a rush on my lunch break and needed a few outfits for some upcoming weddings.  i quickly bought two skirts only to discover once i brought them home that they are maternity skirts.  my sister and i laughed for what felt like ages over it.  i feel closer to her when i wear this skirt.  i love this skirt.

noticing :: my hair color is fading after coloring it last month for the first time in 1.6 years!

knowing :: the few hours i commit each week to my women's mountain bike clinics are paying off!

thinking :: ahead to my weekend in denver and i'm gitty with glee at seeing so, so, so many of my favorites.

feeling :: so many happy and nalsalgic emotions as i start writing blog posts for amie's wedding.  

bookmarking :: so, so many quick pickled recipes and tutorials.  i need to get over myself and just do it already!  pickle me.

opening :: a can of whoop ass. <----------- clearly i couldn't think an answer for this one.  but really, who doesn't open a can of whoop ass every morning?!

giggling :: at some humorous texts bouncing back between myself and a very dear 9 month pregnant girlfriend back in denver.  old friends are the best medicine.
needing :: to post this blog post already, i've been dinking around with it for 3 days now!

sweet season post volume one and two and three

See ya later, tourists!

We all know I'm wild about small town living, but what I am not necessarily wild about is small resort town living the week of a holiday.

*2 parts cluster, 1 part f!ck. 

Our first reaction was to get the flock out of dodge for the 4th of July weekend until we realized that he had a dozen+ friends coming into town, and I had 2 super duper uper special friends coming into town. We decided to split the difference of getting out of dodge, and fighting the crowds in dodge and ended up on a 24hr backpacking trip 

{ first of the season - yahoooooo!!! }!  

When we were living in Bremerton and would head out for a 1-3 hour drive to arrive at our backpacking trailhead location, Hunter would always say to me "I can not wait to take you backpacking in Steamboat and show you how many options there are within miles of Steamboat!"  It's not that I didn't believe him, I was just totally floored how right he was { don't tell him I said that }.  I worked until 5p Thursday and we were all packed up and on the road by 5:13p.  We drove for maybe 15 minutes before arriving at our trailhead, and just like that we were backpacking!  Our hike in was about 3 miles, and the trail would weave in and out of seeing downtown Steamboat, to seeing nothing but hills and trees for miles and miles.  Before we knew it and a mere hour and some change later, we had set up camp with an absolutely incredible view.  Ahhhh.....

We had an unbelievable sunset on Thursday night.  Think oranges, purples, reds, yellows fading out to light blues.  We watched it all on the tippie top of a rock bluff while we each enjoyed an IPA that happened to sneak into our backpacks.  

It.  Was.  Glorious.  

We also were able to sleep in the tent with the "windows"/screen unzipped for the first maybe 6'ish hours of sleep until it started to sprinkle.  

It.  Was. Glorious.

The next day we slept in { doesn't it always seem that while camping you wake up either at 5am or 10am?! }, had breakfast, Hunt went for a little stroll around camp while I relaxed in the hammock with a book.  

It.  Was.  Glorious.  

We then packed up lunch/snacks and headed out on what ended up being about a 5 mile day hike.  We saw dozens and dozens of butterflies on the hike, which I was totally not expecting!  Butterflies like backpacking, too I suppose.  We were about 3 miles in to our hike when Hunter happened to look across the field and says "Hey, I've been here before.  There are waterfalls back in those trees!  Let's check it out."  I'll be honest to say I was hesitant that we would find a waterfall, but { yet again } he was right!  We climbed up to the waterfall and hunkered down for some lunch, washed off a bit and simply soaked up and enjoyed the scenery. 

It.  Was. Glorious.

After our hike back to camp, it was hot hot hot and the bugs were annoying annoying annoying, so we decided to head back a little earlier than planned.  I'm incredibly thankful we did because about 10 minutes after we made it back to the truck a pretty crazy thunder/lightening/rain storm rolled in!

It was such an amazing 24hr getaway from reality, tourists and traffic.  I'm so excited to do it again 

{ and again and again and again! }.

*I totally stole this from a Someecard, but let's pretend I was crafty enough to think of it myself.

the weekend

in no particular order

game of thrones watching

brunch cooking

brunch devouring

spending hours meal prepping/fermenting/cooooooking

bike riding.  mtn and road

bbq'ing

beer'ing

baby holding

cards against humanity playing

laughing

beer'ing

beer'ing

cloud watching

cooking

game of thrones watching

Camping makes me so happy.

We've logged one night of camping so far this Spring and Mother Nature tried her damnest to play a trick on us. She gifted us with a massive rain + thunder + wind + lightening storm but we managed to outsmart her with a dinner of chips and salsa in the tent (forgoing our planned dinner of fajitas on the grill) and a very, very early bedtime.  We had plans of mountain biking the next morning, and mid storm Hunter says to me "We'll be able to tell the second we unzip the tent tomorrow morning if we'll be able to bike or not."  And sure enough, this was our view the next morning.  Biking...game on!

We have a few camping adventures planned in the upcoming week and I could just tinkle I'm so excited.  It's time to get dirty ya'll.

::a few snaps from a sliver of our camping/backpacking adventures last summer!::

*My body is a wonderland.

Over the past few weeks, I feel that I've accomplished quite a bit as far as physical activity goes.  I won't bore you with my most recent round of knee pain/injuries but about 3 months ago I was in so much pain, couldn't even run a mile.  Heck, I had a hard time walking on the treadmill!  I went back to my trusty PT office here in Steamboat and was matched with a therapist + student therapist who I truly felt understood my injury and pain miles over any therapist/chiropractor had in the past.  Since seeing them, I am so proud of myself with the big and little goals I've reached.  Like...

...biking 20+ miles while volunteering for The United way through work.

...setting out on a mountain bike ride with 9 extremely advanced { and amazing } riders and feeling so proud of myself for my ability to keep up to the best of my ability and while not giving up { dang you hills! }!

...turning around the next day and biking 6 miles through the desert of Utah with Hunt.

...committing to 3 runs/week in preparation for a 10k!  My biggest accomplishment during my training was running 5 miles after work one evening with minimal pain + struggle without stopping!

...completing a 10k last weekend under the time I had set for myself to run it in and again, without stopping the entire 6.2 miles!  

...getting to the gym at least 4 mornings a week before work.  It's the best and most relaxing { yes, relaxing! } way to start my day.  There are no photos to accompany this one because aint' nobody got time for that at 6am.

Some of these might not sound like much, but I am celebrating even the smallest accomplishments. When you struggle to complete one mile of running, you celebrate the heck out of those 6.2 miles when you can!  I'm really excited about keeping this momentum going while growing my mountain bike skills + keep up growing my running mileage a few nights a week! 

*Sorry I'm not sorry for the blog post title.  I've had that line stuck in my head whenever I would think to sit down and write this post.  I just had to let it flow, yo.

We're baaa-ack!

7 days later we've returned far more tan, with about triple the amounts of scrapes/bruises and thanks to limitless hot running water, finally as clean as we were before we left!

Enjoy these placeholder photos and will be back soon with more pictures + stories!

Happy Saturday, friends!

"Umm, excuse me? Is that your home?"

When Hunter's dad came to visit us a few weeks ago, his trip was part to visit us to check out our digs and part make a very special delivery all the way from Colorado.  

That's right folks.  A 1989 VW Camper Van, and yes it's as amazing as it looks + sounds.

There have been a few vans that have cycled through the Maddox family, but this one they've had since Hunter was about 4 or 5.  At the risk of sounding cornier than corn on the cob { that didn't really work out }, I feel so honored to have been lent this van for the summer.  It's really added extra spontaneity and so many memories to our days.  One of my favorite parts of traveling in the van is there is no rush to your trip.  Not only because you physically can't zip from one destination to another { the comfortable speed of this guy is about 65mph }, but also when you are cruising along you just feel life dialing itself back a few notches.  I love it.

We've been pretty joined at the hip with the van ever since we've gotten it.  Have a day off?  LET'S GO CAMPING.  Want to drive to Baimbridge Island to do wine tasting?  LET'S TAKE THE VAN.  Have 3 days off?  LET'S JUMP IN THE VAN AND HEAD TO SAN JUAN ISLANDS.  Thankfully Ryan and Lindsey + my parents trip followed right behind Bob's trip, so we were able to take them for a spin in it, too!

A few weeks ago, we took it up to the San Juan Islands.  We had an hour or two before our ferry, and I had a little work I needed to finish up so we pulled into a little park for me to work.  

cut to photo of my office view:

continue

A little girl and her dad pulled up next to us.  The little girl was so cute and comes up to the door and asks "EXCUSE ME?...BUT IS THIS YOUR HOME?"  It struck me as so flipping adorable, but so brave too.  I loved it.  We asked her if she liked to camp, and she said yes.  Then we explained that it's kinda a big tent on wheels.  

Don't worry, I don't actually lay down while Hunter drives the van.  The above left photo was taken while we were parked and waiting for a ferry a few weeks ago.  It really has been the perfect accessory to our already incredible summer adventure.  Plus, at least once while we are cruising around I picture widdle Hunter and Aaron hanging out in the backseat while their parents coast around in the front seats.  It brings the biggest smile to my face.  

We head out on Thursday for a week long vacation with our beloved van.  Hunter has 8 days off, so if you need us, we can be found on any interstate/highway between here and Oregon.  No promises on exactly where we'll be, but you are sure to hear about it all when we return!

Things I really think you need to know on this lovely Friday.

1. I am currently inhaling blueberries, raspberries and cantaloupe this morning.  It's a huge deal for me because I've never been a fruit girl.  I live and breathe by my veggies, but lately fruit is the first thing I turn to.  SHUT YOUR EARS CAULIFLOWER AND CABBAGE.  YOU CAN NEVER BE REPLACED.  Also, I can never spell cantaloupe correctly on the first try.

2. My friend Julia knows how much I love the raspberries from Central Market in Poulsbo.  She lives in Poulsbo and text me yesterday saying she picked up some for me and was bringing them to the Farmer's Market.  I volunteer/work for/with Julia at the Market on Sunday and Thursdays and I thought it was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of her, which makes sense because she is an incredibly sweet and thoughtful gal.

3. We watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close last night.  I read the book a few weeks ago, so it was still on the forefront of my mind while watching it.  I took away 2 main things: I should never expect movies to be as good as books and I need to start reading happier books.  I guess I took away 3 things, the third being never watch a movie with someone when you've read the book and the other person hasn't.  Sorry for the constant correcting of the plot line and basically ruining the movie for you, H.

4. I simply can not get enough of this song lately.  Repeat, all day err'day.

5. Over the weekend I'm hoping to finish a project I've been working on for a few months now.  Keep your fingers crossed for moi!

6. We were out for a 2 night, 3 day camping trip this past weekend and it was incredibly dreamy.  The entire trip out felt like one huge hug from Mother Nature.  The only way the trip would have been more perfect was if the bunghole who had the last camping site before us didn't take it upon themselves to leave CRAB SHELLS spread all.over.the.site which made it smell unpleasant to a girl who doesn't care for seafood to begin with.

Here are a few snaps from our getaway!

June Visitors :: Bob's Visit!

June kicked off the month of visitors for us here in Bremmer.  Sadly, our first guest has already come and gone - wahh!  We got to hang out with Bob { Hunter's dad } from Wednesday-Sunday and had a really lovely and enjoyable time.  It was incredibly comforting to have him here.  I thought a dozen times over in the days we got to hang out with him, that it really made what we are doing so much more real.  Having a familiar face around, one we lived with for 3 months, to marvel at the beautiful and easily accessible open water.  To comment on the dozens of eagles we saw while he was here, and the stunning green forest where we went camping { a direct quote from our camping trip "I really hate to repeat myself, but it really is so damn beautiful here."  It made me feel so much better about the repeating adjective that keeps popping up in my blog posts as of late : }.  To take in the weather and city the same way we took it all in a short month and a half ago.  To point out things that have gotten so regular to us lately, and remind us that where we live really is freaking incredible.  He said a few times "This is where you guys need to be right now.  You are doing it right.  It's so vastly different that where you were in CO or WY, and this is an adventure of a lifetime."  While he was here we rented a condo on the beach in Long Beach, WA.  Took our time picking the perfect camping spot while stopping for wineries and fresh local markets along the way. After exploring a new city; Port Gamble, and making it back to Bremerton we were able to show off some of our favorite spots in the city.  Der Blokken then later Anthony's for dinner.  Walking a quick walk across the bridge to The Boat Shed for brunch, then taking a tour of the Turner Joy a quick stones throw from our condo.  We walked and walked, watched the ferries come in and out.  Sat outside soaking up the sun and taking our time drinking a few beers at Bremerton Bar and Grill.  We spent a lot of time on our patio just admiring the view; I swear Bob could have sat there for hours on end just watching the boats/ferries drift in and out.  We ended our time together with a trip to Toro Lounge for some tapas, and an early bedtime for all.

It really is so very easy to get hung up on such small details while living miles and miles away from close friends and family, but having Bob here was such a fantastic and much needed reminder to embrace where we are, not only location wise but also in life, hold on to it with both hands and enjoy the stories and memories we are making to share for years and years to come.

On Friday {!!!!!!!} our dear, dear friends Ryan and Rou come until Monday!  Hunter and I have a few { actually just one big } tricks up our sleeve to really add some punch and adventure to their time here, but we'll be spending our days camping, kayaking/paddle-boarding, laughing, juicing and many things in between, I'm sure.  Then, the last week in June my parents come for a long weekend!  By then we will be tour guide masters!  We also get to celebrate their anniversary with them which will be extra special!

There are a lot of !!!'s in this post, and I'm quite alright with that.
Cheers, friends!

Chicken Soup for the Backpacker's Soul

If I were to ever write a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, it would be entitled Chicken Soup for the Backpacker's Soul.  In it, I would write about the truly healing powers mother nature, hiking with 30lbs strapped to you including everything you need for 72 hours on your back and not to mention how peaceful and serene the wide open space hugs you while putting everything in life into perspective.  Everything.

All the planning that goes into our backpacking and camping trips is done by Hunter. He researches areas, maps, picks the place and plots how to get us there quickly and efficiently without missing out on any of the killer views.  Buuuuuuut....I have a secret for you.  It's not that I don't listen to him when he describes to me where we are going....it's just that I trust him so much in what he picks that I get too excited and end up not listening to details.  I don't know if it's because I'm an over-sharer of details, or that sometimes Hunter can be an under-sharer of details but these are the two things I knew for sure about this trip before taking off: We were going to drive through Forks, WA and that we would be close to the coast.  Something Hunter failed to mention, or that I completely failed to pick up on was that the hike?  WAS ON THE BEACH. ON the beach.  Waves crashing 2 feet from us, dodging sea shells and seaweed.  Seagulls for miles.  We drove half the way the first night and camped out about an hour from Third Beach, and drove the rest of the way the next day to arrive at the trail head.   After reaching the trail head, after all was said and done we knocked out a 2 night, 3 day 17 mile backpacking trip.

And it really was three of the best days of my entire life.

The trail ended up being about 70% on the beach, and 30% up the cliffs into the rain forest.  We had to keep our eye on high/low tides to get through some areas of the trail though there were situations where regardless of how low the tide was just had to climb up into the forest.  And by climb, I mean use the ropes provided to pull ourselves up because it was too steep/uneven ground to simply walk up it with no assistance. Sometimes I think it would be a kick in the pants to put a voice recorder in one of our packs to not only record the conversations we have on the trial, but to also get how many times we use the words "beautiful, stunning, gorgeous,  ohmygoshlookatthatview" to explain what is before us.  I can only tell you guys so many times from so many different hikes how breathtakingly beautiful it is up her before you are like YEAH B WE GET IT.  IT'S BEAUTIFUL.  FIND A NEW ADJECTIVE.  However, I don't want this blog to be read like a recommendation letter from Joey on friends Friends, so I really try to refrain from using a Thesaurus as much as possible when explaining things like this to you guys...so though I've said it before in describing other hikes, I'll say it again.  

It was beautiful.

The rain forest, the ocean, the views...oh my heavens the views!  The animals/birds we saw on the trip seemed to be never ending, too. Including, but not limited to: a few dozen seals, a raccoon { though we saw far more raccoon footprints in the sand than we did see an actual raccoon which was only 1 }, *a whale so many different types of birds, slugs, a snake, a mouse, and dozens of eagle sightings!  Not necessarily saying we saw dozens of eagles, though I would say it was at least 10+, but they were active little buggers and flew overhead pretty much every step we took.  The part of the coast line we were at was sadly scattered with litter.  SCATTEREDDD with litter!  Not only were there oh so many fishing buoys washed up, but we saw everything from buckets, lighters, TIRES, water bottles, wrappers...man you name it we saw it.  Hunter mentioned how this part of the coast was getting a lot of trash washed up from the tsunami in Japan.  I briefly thought it was kinda cool how some stuff I was seeing was all the way from Japan, but there was such a small chance to really confirm it until we found this detergent looking bottle at one of the campsites with Japanese written all over it!  So cool.  

We lucked out on a campsite we would refer to as "having all the bells and whistles".  One thing that really amazed me, and still amazes me is how much work strangers have put into assuring the campsites were something of "luxury".  They had built swings out of the ropes, tied up hammocks, clotheslines, so many fire pits/seating areas.  I really loved the effort that was put in by people for future people to come, sit and enjoy.

Ok, ok!  Enough talking.  Prepare for photo overload.

:: the photo is stretching funny, but it was the moment i realized we'd be hiking on thiiiis close to the ocean! ::

:: views ::

:: a lunch break turned laying in the sand turned feet calling out for that water :: 

:: wonky ass rope ladder to conquer! ::

:: every step i would scream AM I HALFWAY THERE YET?! ::

:: one of manymany crow sightings ::

:: so many fishing buoys! ::

:: self-flying kite.  we called it backpacking tv ::

:: that's what i call a swing with a view ::

:: had to have been a looooong trip for this here bottle ::

:: can you spot the seals? ::

:: three words; my. happy. place. ::

:: another favorite of the campsite; people turned the buoys into little characters!  we made cleatus who is on the very end next to hunter.  these guys made me laugh so hard each time i looked at them! :: 

:: fishnet hammock ::

:: campsite! ::

:: sunset the first night; hunter wins the award for the two best photos of the trip!  this is #1 :: 

:: late night stroll ::

:: we went for a day hike the 2nd day, and see that little circle up on the tree trunk?  that is what we had to look for while hiking on the beach to tell us it was time to climb up into the forest for a bit. ::

:: h trying to find where the rope is to guide us up.  gives a good scale of what we had to climb up several times on the hike! ::

:: a day spent flying a kite on your own private beach ranks pretty damn high in my book ::

:: second best photo of the trip! ::

All in all, it was a huge massive ridiculous hit, and I'm itching to load up my backpack and do it again.

Peace.

*The humpback whale.  I could have just left this out completely, but it was such a big part of our experience I would have felt remiss to just ignore it.  When we went to get our permit from the ranger before heading to the trail head, he mentioned to us that a whale had washed up over Memorial Day.  Clearly it was no longer alive, but he didn't make a big deal about it and though I was sad my first whale sighting { besides at Sea World } would be one that was dead, I still thought it would be kinda cool!  When we were at the trail head getting all our gear in order, a father/son couple had just come off of the trail and we were chatting with them about how it was.  We asked if they saw the whale and they both laughed to each other and exclaimed "The whale!  Everyone is talking about the whale.  We didn't see it, and everyone we passed on the trail hadn't seen it either."  Hunter and I both kinda assumed that the tide had taken it back in the ocean and really didn't give it a second thought.  There was one area on the beach where a mudslide had knocked several trees over the beach so we played a really fun game of tag/dodge-ball getting through the trees while avoiding the water and started walking about a few feet when we both, almost at the same time, noticed there was a very large something in the rocks that wasn't surely wasn't a rock.  Hunter had me stay behind so he could confirm our suspicions and sure enough...it was the whale.  Not that I need to splash how natieve I am all over this blog, but when the ranger had talked about the whale being washed up, I really seriously imagined that a beautiful black and white whale would be lying on the beach looking like the little bugger was sleeping.  Let's just say it most definitely wasn't black and white anymore, and it surely wasn't just sleeping.  I really hope that sooner then later the tide takes it back under because that isn't anything hikers need to see or smell.