Hello hello! I am back with an update! So to fill everyone in, Jenny and I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for Seattle transplants who could not make it home. The dinner was a great success and we all had a good time. The next day I set off to Chicago for work and holidays and was lucky enough to spend the month in Crystal Lake, catching up with friends and family.
Fast forward to post Xmas and I arrived back in Seattle. My friends Mark and Kevin made the trek out to Seattle for an adventure and celebration of NYE. To spice things up we went camped a few nights out in Olympic National Park. We spent the first night camping on the Pacific Ocean (really great), and the next day we ventured through the Hoh Rain Forest (and through a few miles of snow) to a campsite on the Hoh River. The hike took us through ancient forests with the biggest trees I've ever seen. Spectacular. We had planned on hiking about 7 miles into the park, but with recent snowfall amounting to about a foot of snow on the ground we were only able to hike about 5 miles in. Now when they say "rain forest" what they really mean is that there is absolutely nothing dry- nothing. So when we decided to build a campfire out of the surrounding pieces of wood we quickly found a fire would be a tall order. Two hours later our suspicions came true. No fire.With the temperature below freezing we whipped up some hot whiskey waters (amazing), and a delicious hot meal with a camp stove.
After our camping adventure we jettisoned off to Seattle with just enough time to prepare for NYE in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. We had a few drinks at a friend's place and off we went to The Old Peculiar- it's a great bar. A night full of dancing and beers with a taxi ride home and NYE was a wild success.A great way to start the year.
Please enjoy these pics!
World famous indeed!
Not excited about being food
The tent! (field testing proved it needs some work)
Teaching how to wax skis
There's not much to it!
Thanksgiving
5 pharmcists and a bird
Our first turkey!
Amanda and Anthony playing Ticket to Ride- Really fun board game
Radio stuff
More radio stuff
This is the view at one of the radio sites I visited- that's Mount Rainer from ~50 miles away
Another shot from the radio site
Making the tent floor- the hole is where the pole stands
Pike Place Market
Kalaloch Campground- On the Pacific Ocean
Hey Mark and Kevin!
Me and Mark (pre coffee)
Looking South
Again
Big trees the whole way up and down the coast
That's one big tree
Went to the Hoh Rainforest- on the tail
The place was stunning
Go to the Hoh Rainforest
and hug a tree
Lots of bear tracks everywhere!
Sunny day in the rainforest- rare from what I can gather
big trees and waterfalls everywhere
TIMBER!
The view from our campsite
Camp- there was a bit of snow on the ground
Attempting to start a fire- failing miserably
Pasta in spicy red sauce with italian sausage meatballs. A meal fit for kings!
Me and Jenny in front of Pike Place
Feathered Friends down parka- could used this camping
Went to REI. Had a good ol' time.
Look, Mom! Safety first!
Kevin and Mark on the ferry back to Seattle
Buddies since pre-school!
Happy NYE!
The view of Seattle from Queen Ann
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