This isn’t a theology blog, and I’m not really concerned with the history here, other than to say that people have been celebrating this event for a very long time.

Yesterday, in Seattle, the sun set at 4:19 pm.  But it gets worse!  If you don’t live on the very western edge of Seattle, there’s almost certainly a ridge between you and the horizon.  I live on the edge of Lake Union, so that for me, the sun set behind Queen Anne Hill at around 3:50 pm.  Darkness followed very quickly.

Today, the sun sets at 4:20 pm, and every day until June buys us anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes of added sunlight.

I’ve become hooked on espresso since moving here.  I think Seattle loves coffee so much because the darkness breaks our circadian rhythm.  When it’s dark this early and this often, we get and stay tired.  Seattlites have taken to carrying lights, dressing up like Eskimos, etc, and while we truly don’t mind the cold, the darkness gets to us.

So I, for one, am happy to greet a series of days each of them longer than the one before.

I learned about wicking many years ago, when I lived in San Francisco, and spent half my life on a bike.  Despite my incredulity, I decided to try a short-sleeved wool tee-shirt.  It was scratchy, but it pulled the sweat away from my skin like a greedy sponge, so that after I overheated climbing a hill, I wouldn’t freeze in my sweat and the wind.  And it was good.

These days, doing backcountry hiking in the mountain snow, cycling at northern latitudes, kayaking, etc, and fighting the start, stop, start syndrome ( working up a sweat, and then stopping, can be uncomfortable ) has sent me back to give wool another shot.  This time, I tried merino wool.

I went with an Arc’teryx top and bottom, along with a neck gaiter and glove liners, so that when I head out into the wild, my body is covered in wool.  This is comfortable under the goretex hard shell I wear, as long as I’m doing some amount of exercise, or have been recently.  I’ll get a little cold dressed this way if I bike by the Sound at night sometimes – the breeze coming off the 40 degree sea water chills to the bone.  Otherwise, however, this is an excellent setup.

Because of wool’s temperature regulation, slight water resistance, and ability to stay warm while wet, if there’s no wind, I’ll take short walks ( up to an hour and a few miles ) with no jacket.  It’s been about 40 degrees lately in the evenings, and this is very comfortable, even in the rain.

Best of all, wool doesn’t stink.  I’ve had mine for a month, worn it every day while exercising and once a week to the office, and have yet to wash it.

A base layer is the most important layer you’ll wear, as it sits immediately next to your skin, keeping you dry.  My recent experience has shown this to be true in spades.  If you’re just getting into winter outdoor sports, I can’t recommend merino enough as a first base layer.  Skip past the synthetics.

I was going to order a second shirt, as I sweat more from my torso than legs, and found this.  If you’re in the market for the top to a base layer, BackCountry.com has a long sleeve merino tee on sale for $40, which is a tempting enough price that I just ordered one.  The shirt goes down to almost half this for ladies;  just the shirt was $99 from Arc’teryx.  I haven’t received mine yet, but assume that since it’s made from the same grade of the same fabric, so I’m assuming this is a deal.

Merino Wool - Base Layer Top

This cold spell coincided with a week of beautiful sun.  I was drawn out into the sub-freezing temps like a moth to a flame, and I was far from the only one.  As I stood for an hour at the sea shore at the edge of Golden Gardens waiting for the sun to set, countless other people strolled along the beach.

More than anything else, this experience has reinforced something I knew intellectually, but not experientally.  Cloud cover is a giant blanket, trapping in a layer of heat that would otherwise radiate off into space.  Of course this is one reason why deserts tend to be so cold at night.

Several years ago, I was camping with a (now ex) girlfriend in western Colorado.  We kept getting stuck in the rain.  After a few days of wandering aimlessly through a downpour, we put our elementary knowledge of how micro-climates work to work, and spent the next night drying off.  Ever since that experience, I’ve been keen for a free lesson in climatology, when one presents itself.  But I’m only able to recall these lessons when I pick them up in a salient manner – books just don’t help.

PS – Our recent cold spell was caused by an arctic front, and has killed most of the non-native plant species in peoples’ gardens, if these facts interest anybody.    Sure beats last year.

Typical modern snow shoes

Of course all of these have been in the mountains, but the Cascades visible from Seattle melt all of their snow during the summer.

Having resigned myself to the weather, I’m considering buying a pair of snow shoes.  I had a set in the past, but these were stolen during my last visit to British Columbia.  It’s becoming obvious that I won’t be able to cover as much ground as I’d like to, though, unless I get myself another pair.  I’ve tried to convince a few friends to get ( or rent ) a pair and join me on the snowy trail, but nobody wants to start a new hobby that they might not like.  So why am I boring you with this?

The national park service has free, guided snow shoe tours of Mount Rainier.  If you can get yourself to Paradise – and this is a lengthy ordeal because they stop maintaining the road inside the park – everything else you need is there.

The park service will lend you the shoes, with two styles to choose from.  A typical group has about 20 people, which is larger than I’d prefer, but makes for a very safe trip.

Canadian lovers

On a clear day you’ll see glaciers, and the most intense shade of iridescent blue shining through narrower chunks of snow.

You’ll learn the basics before setting out – not just how to use the equipment, but also things like the fact that it’s very dangerous to walk up to a tree.  The branches block falling snow, and gravity pulls more snow to level the surface – but it’s far weaker, and less dense, immediately around the trees.  You’ll sink through here, while the snow out in the open will hold your weight easily.

Of course, the tours don’t start until mid December.  This is maybe a premature post, although, as I explained, winter is very much on the mind lately.

Here is information from the national park service’s page on winter recreation at Mount Rainier.  ( That’s a mouthful! )

Ancient snowshoes

Ranger Guided Snowshoe Walks
Join a Park Ranger to learn the art of snowshoeing and discover how the plants and animals of Mount Rainier adapt to the world record snowfalls.

When: Snowshoe walks begin in mid-December and run through March. Between mid-December and early January, walks are offered daily. After early January, walks are only offered on weekend. Walks start at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m..

Distance & Time: Snowshoe walks cover approximately 1.2 miles in 2 hours.

Group size: Snowshoe walks are limited to 25 people, eight years old or older, on a first-come, first-served basis. A sign-up sheet is available at the Jackson Visitor Center information desk one hour before each walk.

Organized Groups: Snowshoe walks are available to organized groups of up to 25 people by reservation only. Group snowshoe walks begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information call (360) 569-2211, ext. 3314 or visit the Longmire Museum or Jackson Visitor Center.

Equipment: For an enjoyable snowshoe walk, you will need

1. snowshoes: Snowshoes can be borrowed from the park for a $1.00 per pair donation (donations defray the cost of snowshoe maintenance and replacement) or you may use your own snowshoes.
2. hat
3. mittens
4. suitable boots (you will sink into the snow even wearing snowshoes)
5. sunscreen
6. sunglasses

Shockingly, it’s usually very easy to find parking within a short, level walk to Kerry Park.  But that would defeat the point, wouldn’t it?    Kerry Park is midway up Queen Anne Hill, and the best way to get here is to park at the base of the hill and hoof it.  The ascent is about 1/10th of what you would encounter on any respectable mountain trail, but a good workout ( or warm up ) nonetheless.  Depending on where you park, you’ll be walking up hill for as long as 15 minutes, which will get your heart pumping a bit, and make your doctor happy, as well as giving you the feeling you’ve accomplished something.

Below is a map;  there are two red push pins that show Kerry Park.  Pin “C” is the section of the park most locals are familiar with, while Pin “A”, on the other hand, is a bit closer to the childrens’ playground which is a less well-known part of this park.  Kerry covers an entire block, although it’s along a steep hillside, so most people are only aware of the top “strip” of grassland, the one with the phenomenal view.

How to find Kerry Park

This is a terrain map, and you can see from it that a steep hill begins near Roy or Olympic.  The map doesn’t show well that even this is not the base.  I recommend starting from Western or Elliot Avenue, wherever you can find parking.  This will add about a mile to your trek, but will also force you to climb perhaps another hundred vertical feet.  Also, parking near Mercer can be quite difficult, thanks to its proximity to the clubs and restaurants of Lower Queen Anne.

Here is a panoramic format photograph I’ve borrowed from Wikipedia, showing the daytime view from the park.  In the background, one can see the glaciated peak of Mount Rainier, reminiscent of Switzerland, which leads to the title of this blog post.

Kerry Park Daytime Panorama

For what it’s worth, this photograph is by a person named Forrest Croce, who seems to have a more interesting night image of Kerry Park, which isn’t available on Wikipedia.  ( I look to Wikipedia, Dear Reader, with the knowledge that I can’t be sued for using images I’ve found there. )

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that this is an illusion – Kerry Park is the one and only place where it looks like the Space Needle is actually in the middle of downtown.  In fact, it’s several miles away – but here, it’s between the viewer and the sky scrapers.

But this blog post is about a different Mount Washington, one that’s a bit smaller, but more of a foothill than a singular peak.  Along the western front of the Cascade Range in Washington state is another Mount Washington.  Ours is a bit more difficult to find information on.

Yesterday, I got a late start.  Once I stumbled out of bed and finished the morning routine, I went to REI and got a pair of winterized pants (to be the subject of a future blog post) and then headed out in want of a trail.  Because I had taken such an unusually long time to get started, I went to Exit 38 – the first “real” hiking available after Si.  From here I parked in the Twin Falls lot, just as the last car was leaving, around 1 or 2 pm.

The trail starts with a short but steep warm-up, then dumps you onto the Iron Horse.  You pass a sign almost immediately, on the left but aimed at people walking in the other direction.  About 200 feet down the trail is a small, unmarked trail to the left.  I’ve passed this a few times before, never thinking much about it or where it might go.  Yesterday I decided to find out.

It ascends steeply to the summit of our MT WA, as a sign two miles up the trail announces at a small trail junction.  At first, the trail is covered in gravel, which thins out to dirt and fallen, decomposing leaves.  Eventually you start to cross small streams – many of them are probably seasonal – and hike past some waterfall vistas.  If you have a water purifier, there is much to drink.

At about 2,000 feet ( the trailhead is at 1,200 ) the trail becomes covered in snow.  It’s not an immediate transition, but rather there are splotches here and there, until about a mile further, when the change is complete, and the ground is blanketed in white.

Most of the trail is through fairly dense woods, but, every now and then, there is an exposed view.  You’ll pass many cliffs, some of which face openings, others simply hidden by trees.  As you get higher, the wind gets more and more extreme – yesterday the gusts hit 40 to 50 mph.  Much of this is because there’s so much open space to the west, allowing stronger currents to build up, with little shelter.

Unfortunately, I did not make the summit.  The sun set before 4:30, and I had to leave time for a long rush back to the trailhead.  I got to about 3,000 feet above sea level, above the Owl Hike Spot.  There were great views, though I never got to see Chester Morse Lake, let alone Rainier, which would be visible from the peak on a clear day.  This, however, is not the season for clear days.

The trail is unmarked, and virtually undescribed.  I’ll have to come back with more time, and reach the summit.  In the meantime, I was able to find these two trail reports:

• Hiking Snoqualmie: Mount Washington
• Mt. Washington | Hiking with my brother…

Worse, there could be a storm.  Last night’s wasn’t as severe as the previous night’s storm, with wind speeds reaching an astonishing 80 mph in Seattle.  ( That’s according to the radio weather report I heard, anyway. )  Normally a bike ride is a very tempting form of exercise within the confines of a city, but less appealing in the rain, and even less so in the wind.  Biking against the wind is as strenuous as going up hill, but less rewarding – though I guess you don’t sweat as much.  On the other hand, nobody wants to go for a long walk, in their neighborhood or in one of our countless parks, when it’s miserable out.  A lot of people can be bothered to get out for some exercise, but want to stay close to home.

So what’s the answer?  A gym membership?  Hardly.  I have one of these, and use it occasionally ( so as to feel like I haven’t wasted my fees ), but gyms are indoors.  I love exercising, and do it for its own sake, but I’m a hiker and not a weight lifter because I have a strong need to be outside.

Fortunately, Seattle is a hilly city.  I happen to live at the bottom of one.  Last night, I identified a three-block hill in my neighborhood, with nothing but minor streets to cross.  I walked to the top, and down to the bottom, 16 times.  This added up to a very small 4 miles, and 1,200 feet of ascent ( give or take – this is from memory ).  Walking laps up a hill isn’t entertaining in the least, and the scenery doesn’t change, but if you like hiking in the alpine country, this is good practice.

That’s my meager suggestion for the day.

I was forced to abort my Snow Lake hike this weekend.  Just reaching the trailhead was quite difficult, and the beginning of the trail was buried under what must have been a foot of snow.  This was fine, I thought.  But plodding through snow is exhausting business, especially when more of it is falling – the one and only time snow in this region is light and puffy, like in Colorado.  It generally holds your weight without any problems, but, when it’s new and not packed yet, you’ll break through every few steps, and have to pull yourself out before continuing on.

Worse, there’s a danger here, because you can’t see what’s beneath your feet.  There are rocks along the trail, and it would be easy to sprain an ankle – making for a hellacious hike back to the car – by falling through the snow in just the wrong place.  This idea sent me back to whence I came.

I have an old pair of snow shoes, thought about them briefly, and decided they wouldn’t be needed.  Especially given that I was trying to reach a place called Snow Lake, I feel a bit like an idiot.

So I was fascinated to find the Eastlake neighborhood listing of parks and points of interest (POIs) on the web.  Besides, I’ve loved geography and mapping since I was a kid, and the hand-drawn map (which I’m stealing, below) is great!

Lake Union and Portage Bay

But the point isn’t just to show a cool map, and I’d even like to go beyond the fact that, with a little reading, you have a complete list of public docks from which you can launch a kayak, canoe, inflatable, or any other boat you can portage over a short distance.  The real point is that there are a number of local parks that need volunteers to help maintain.

In this death-recession, the city is cutting back on everything it can.  They’re asking people to “adopt” (ie clear) storm drains, so there’s no way most parks will get the maintenance and upkeep they need.  Over the long term, some of these may find themselves in danger of being shut down, or, less worrisome, “only” being less pleasant.  If you live in the area, enjoy the water (even if by land), and have some free time, you can help yourself, help your community, and feel good for volunteering.

So, without further ado, let’s look at your opportunities and mine for volunteer work here.

• Steam Plant Public Dock – This is the dock across the street from the Zymo Genetics building, at the section where you need to climb down, then back up, a flight of stairs.  I’ve used this dock to get out of the boat, and mess with the deck storage that’s not accessible from the kayak.  There are lots of parking lots nearby, so it would be a decent place to set in.  It’s not clear what type of volunteerism is needed here;  the page reads “To help in the effort to keep this section of the lake open, call 329-0429.”  ( That probably means a donation? )
• Propeller Park – I think this is the most exciting option on the list, because this park doesn’t exist yet.  And it won’t exist without people who are willing to turn a great idea into reality.  If you can roll your sleeves up and help break ground, 322-5463 is the number to dial.
• Terry Pettus Park – I use this park quite often, and have a friend who puts his sail boat ( more of a dinghy, really ) in the water here.  It’s a quaint little spot, set back from the road – almost invisible, really – at the border between industrial and residential Lake Union.  The wood is falling apart, however, and at least one bench is unusable at this point.  The neighborhood committee feels that the shrubs are overgrown and that the park should be more open – I disagree on that note, personally, and think this gives an “on the water” ambiance, even for those on land.  You feel isolated from the city, especially from the roadway.  Still, it’s a great park, and it needs a little tender love and care.  If you’d like to turn some elbow grease into a revitalized park, call the folks at 322-5463.
• Gas Works Park – I hesitate to list this one, because it’s so well known and well loved.  But then that’s probably a great reason for many people to get involved.  While the park itself is in great shape, there are plans to install a camera obscura and interpretive center.  I would feel better about lending my hand to a less developed park, but I’m sure many readers will feel otherwise.  The Friends of Gas Works would love to hear from you at 325-8119.

A spit ( or sand spit ) is a long, narrow sand bar stretching out into the water.  Essentially it’s caused by the waves pushing sand and other sediment around, but that won’t be on the test.  What matters is that The Dungeness Spit is North America’s longest, amounting to about 1.3 million square yards.  ( So says Wikipedia. )

From the Air

The spit is about a 5 mile hike in each direction, so a 10 mile round trip.  Along the mainland shore are cliffs so that the grandparents can have a short walk, without reaching the point of exhaustion, and in the water are many, many kayakers at every time of year.

I hiked this last in September, and saw a pod of gray whales swimming off shore.  At first there were columns of (what looked like) smoke rising up from the water, then overturned canoes.  These moved around the water, and it became obvious that right before each smoke stack rose up, a little “pfffft!” sound would emerge from the water.  Oh, how I wish I had been in a kayak then!

The spit is outside Sequim, pronounced Squim, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  You’ll get the feeling that you’re standing in the middle of the end of the ocean, surrounded to the south by the majestic Olympic Mountains, and to the north by British Columbia.  Much as I hate the word, this landscape is truly epic.

From Seattle, you would take the ferry and then head north.  This Google Map will help put the area in perspective.