Lago del plato

No, I wasn't on my way to Europe in this photo - but I was gearing up. My first long camping trip was to the warm, beautiful shores of Silver Lake. We stayed in Portland on the way down, but I didn't get to take any leftovers home from the Montage. Probably just as well, they might have shaped mine like a cat - I think that would make me lose my appetite. We got to Silver Lake a bit later than we had planned on, then realized we wanted more than just a weekend to spend in the quiet, rustic cabin. Mandy and Dave were excellent hosts, keeping us well-fed with tri-tip and chocolate chip cookies. Each morning we'd get up fairly early and have a quick breakfast before heading for the canoes and a trout-filled lake. As the breeze started to pick up we'd head back for some lunch, a few rounds of cribbage, a nap, maybe a hike and, of course, cookies with milk. Another nap would follow a refreshing swim in the cool, mountain-fed water, then back to the canoes. After dinner we tried night-fishing with glow-sticks, which turned out more entertaining than productive. Curled up with a bottle of hot-chocolate and some blankets we watched for shooting stars as the gentle lake waves rocked us to sleep in the bottom of the canoe. I probably could have slept all night like that if Kelly hadn't been startled by what turned out to be a flock of Canadian geese. It was a bit eerie to hear the noises echoing off the rocks, but seriously...girls. The short trip ended all-too-quickly. We packed some of the trout I caught in a cooler with a couple bags of ice. We ended up needing the ice as badly as the fish as we descended into the valley. Emily is a good girl, but she is a bit lacking in the air-conditioning department. I introduced myself to Kelly's pseudo-niece, Lilly, then spent the rest of the drive home desperately searching for milkshakes. Tired, sweaty but grateful for such a marvelous weekend, I drifted off to sleep and dreamed I was still floating...

Lago del Nieve

We decided to sneak in an after-work hike, despite the iffy Spring weather, so we headed up to Alpental. During the winter this is a ski resort; in the summer it's packed with day-hikers on their way to Snow Lake, Gem Lake and various peaks. When we arrived, there were only about 3 other cars in the misty parking-lot. The hike in was pretty gradual, but snow still covered portions of the trail. Atop the trail summit we could look down on the lake - which was almost entirely covered with ice and snow, the far bank obscured by clouds. A true snow lake. No trail wound its way down the slope so we picked and skidded our way down to the bank. A waterfall broke some of the ice and snow near a rocky outcropping where we stopped to have dinner. Campbell's Chunky Split Pea soup never tasted as good as the batch we warmed up on the little campstove. We sat contemplating the peaceful valley; the only sound was the splash of the waterfall, as all the other people had already left. They may as well have taken all of civilization with them, as quiet as it was. The fog that made my whiskers droop and left little droplets in Ryan's spiky hair began to permeate our fur, so we headed back. Kelly struggled up the steep slope, following Ryan's methodically-kicked steps. Damp, tired, and smelling like trees we strode the last few feet to the parking lot as the sun dipped down below the mountains.

Otro Intento a Otter Falls

I missed the first attempt Kelly made at finding the elusive Otter Falls with her mom around Easter. Since she doesn't always have the best sense of direction I volunteered to go along as navigator while she and Ryan searched for it again. Kelly decided to use the hike as training for the upcoming Enchantments trip, so I found myself stuffed inside a backpack full of the water and bags of rice she was using for weight. It was so crowded that I couldn't maneuver around to give directions when she pulled her pickup into the wrong trailhead. So we went the wrong way. Again. Sigh. The trip was not a total loss, however, as we found a trail to one of Washington's many Rainey Lakes. The trail got cold in the middle of what is probably a swamp after the snow melts. We didn't find the lake, but we did find plenty of snow. On the way back down I stopped to chat with a couple dogs, who were escorting another hiker, which is the only reason we found out where the trail went.

¡Piratas!

Ahoy mateys! The weather was beginning to get really nice so I stowed meself away on a wee sailboat to catch a sniff of fresh air. Majestic Mt. Ranier in the background, a bit of salty, sea-breeze to fill the sails and refreshing rays of warm sunshine - what else could a mouse want? After the sun went down I treated some of the crew to a tasty dinner at the trendy Dahlia Lounge. Rumors of fairies living in the dimly-lit interior proved to be false, but the bread was quite good. I had to eat most of it so that Ryan wouldn't. The whole fleet of pirate ships were on shore-leave for the grand-opening of the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Pirates of all shapes and sizes attended the event, equipped with beach balls for pre-show entertainment.