Silver Falls State Park

For our last outing before school starts again we met up with Jeremy, Carri, and little Autumn for a visit to Silver Falls. We hiked the canyon loop trail and viewed all the beautiful waterfalls. Autumn and I sang songs together and had some good laughs.

Backpacking Mt. Adams

Sherri and I finally got an opportunity to go backpacking together this summer. We decided to explore Mt. Adams wilderness and some of the Goat Rocks National Forest. Since my family carries a curse that plagues us with rain any time we go camping, it was no surprise to see thunderstorms dominating the forecast this week. There was no stopping us though, and we ended up having a great time. The clouds parted enough each day for us to get some spectacular views. Wildflowers painted the entire landscape, and waterfalls were rushing fresh with new rain. The glaciers on Mt. Adams were stunning, somehow managing to hang onto the steep slopes. As we hiked through the Goat Rocks, we passed by numerous alpine ponds that were home to a fair share of mosquitoes this time of year. However, on our return hike we passed through an ominous fog that kept us nearly bug free. Each night we slept to the sounds of distant thunder and more than occasional tapings of rain drops on our tent. We spoiled ourselves a little by watching a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls on an I-Pod hanging from the top of our tent…it helped us fall asleep.

Caroline is Back from Iraq

Sherri and I headed up to Fort Lewis to welcome Caroline back home. It has been 2 years that she has been stationed in Iraq, and her family has missed her very much. We are very excited to be able to spend time with her again.