Neverending supply of up

I've made it through hike number four, and it's only the first weekend in Feb! I'm pretty excited, but in truth, I'm just worried I won't get the opportunities later in the year, so I'm squishing in as many trips as possible. Today I hiked Tiger Mountain, up Chirico Trail, a 4 mile round trip with a 1700ft elevation change. There was a lot of up.

My friend Jessie and her dog Annie made the trip with me. The only downside was an asthma issue from my allergies. I didn't have my inhaler, since this is usually not a problem til the spring. I guess the warm patch we are having might have made some spores shoot off or something. I solved this with benadryl I keep in my pack, but it meant after I returned from the hike I more or less passed out for hours. Still, it was better to be able to breathe.

The hike give some of the most beautiful views of the mountains and the cities on this 55 degree sunny day. My photos don't do the real view justice, but they are good for the memories.

Mount Rainier in the sun!

Jessie and Annie.

I couldn't get tired of this mountain.

Mount Baker to the north.

I'm on top of the world!

Squak and Cougar Mtns, with the Olympics in the far back.

Lake Sammamish.

You could not pay me enough to jump off of the paragliding ramp.

Even though, I have to admit it looks like fun.

Such a good trip. I'll definitely do this hike again, though maybe I'll try the meandering way next time. 1700ft in 1.8 miles was a lot of up. With this hike and my other three of the new year, I've hiked 21 miles and 4100+ft. Pretty cool for a lady with a bum hip!

I'll need to update this blog on other aspects of my life besides hiking, but not tonight. It's dinner time now, then maybe time to catch up on Hulu and work on thesis.

Cougar Mountain with the family

I got to go hiking with my family on Saturday, which was hike number three for me. I was really excited to go with my parents, and I had a great time, though the hike was a little too long and a little too steep. Hopefully my folks will trust me enough to go hiking a second time, even though my guidebook pushed us a little too hard the first time! We hiked somewhere I hadn't been before at Cougar Mountain, and were able to see some really pretty scenes. Wesley loved his first hiking experience, too!

Wesley loved drinking from streams.

Mom and Dad with Wes at the viewpoint.

Can you tell he loved being outside?

Second hike in January

I'm sticking to my goal, with 2 of my 24 hikes out of the way. The few people who read this blog are probably bored, because I put these pictures up on my Facebook account already, but I like having the blog to act as a journal. This hike was to Fragrance Lake, outside Bellingham. It was just shy of 5 miles, and I did it with my friend Alisha in the pouring rain. One of the prettiest hikes I've been on, but I couldn't take photos of some of the best sites, since my camera did not like the cold and the rain. Still, I got some good ones before it decided to rest for the day.

It was enchantingly beautiful.

The last hike reminded me of Narnia- this felt more like the Lord of the Rings.

This hike was worth the soaked clothes.

View of the San Juan Islands on a windy, foggy day. Coming back this summer to see it on a clear day will be a must.

One of the few photos I have of the lake before my camera shut down. It was small and serene, and the trail goes all the way around the lake, with some beautiful rock formations along the way. This has to be one of my favorite hikes so far!

First Hike of 2012

I took a snowy 7 mile hike with my friend Jessie at Cougar Mountain. It was a great way to start the new year, and one of the prettiest experiences I've had. Here are some highlights:

Stream by the meadow.

The waterfall in winter.

The whole thing looked like Narnia.

From one of the viewpoints.

A pretty and peaceful start to my New Year's Resolution.

Peppahs

More delicious foods this week. I was in a comfort food mood, so I decided to make a healthy version of jalapeno poppers. I took light cream cheese, tomatoes, and fake beef, mixed them up, and stuffed them in halved jalapenos. Baked at 350 F for about 15 min, and totally delicious results.

To make 8:
4 jalapenos
2tbsp light cream cheese
1/2 roma tomato
1/2 cup soy "beef"


Okay, now I have to admit it, I liked them so much I decided to make another version as a dinner food. I can't say I changed it much: halved a green pepper, and added in salsa too. Baked at 350F for 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 green pepper
1/2 cup soy meat
1/4 cup salsa
2 Tbsp light cream cheese
1/2 jalapeno, diced


I love stuffed peppers. I think there is something awesome about food that is it's own bowl, requires very little prep or clean up, and typically is pretty healthy. I'm loving having time this new year to get creative with fun, low cost food.

Food time

Food time is the best time, especially when you have time to make good food! I have decided to take winter quarter off to write my thesis, and that means I've actually had time to enjoy life. I feel guilty if I don't do something athletic or productive every day, and I have time to make recipes that are more complicated than a granola bar. It is wonderful.

I'm going to share my obsessions for the week with you:

Fake scrambled eggs (tofu scramble):
This is due to my egg allergy. I'd always heard nutritional yeast tasted like egg-y, nutty, cheese, but I never tried it. So this week I got around to it, and made my new favorite breakfast food.
Ingredients (serves 2):
1 half onion
1/4 green pepper
1/2 jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
1/2 block tofu
1/4 cup salsa
salt, black pepper
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 Tsp tumeric
olive oil

Dice onions and cook on medium in a 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Add diced green pepper and jalapeno and garlic after two minutes. Allow the veggies to soften and cook before adding tofu chunks. Stir and add in salsa. When food is cooked turn off heat and add seasonings and yeast. Stir and serve.

You can forgo the salsa and put a diced tomato in the "eggs" too.

I also made a fantastic warm lentil salad, I was given the original idea from Yoga Journal, but I changed it up a bit:

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
3 stalks celery
2 cups diced root veggies
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons diced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp wine optional (I used white wine)
Juice of half a lemon

Rinse 1 cup brown lentils, then boil in 2 cups water with a pinch of salt for 25 minutes.

While that is going, roast 3 stalks of celery, and two cups finely chopped root veggies (I used half an onion, half a sweet potato, and 1 carrot) with two cloves garlic at 400 F for 20 minutes.Before roasting the veggies add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a half teaspoon of thyme, salt, and pepper (also 2 tablespoons wine if you have it), toss with your hands to evenly coat all the veggies.

When the lentils and the veggies are both cooked, mix them together with 3 tablespoons diced fresh parsley, and the juice of one half of a lemon. Stir up, and eat while warm.

Vegetarian superfood!

I should probably get ready to go to yoga, so I'll have to write more later, but I have more recipes to share. Happy Eating!

First day of the rest of your life

I like this phrase. It is meaningless to a certain extent, as each day except your last qualifies, but that makes it very hopeful to me. I thought I'd pop in with my resolutions today, and maybe update more later as time permits.

In 2012 I'd like to go hiking once for every year I am old; twenty four hikes. I like this goal- it has determination, it is concrete, it's healthy, and it is something I love.

I'd also like to continue to ride Starla three days a week, and exercise (cardio or yoga) three times a week.

Finally, I'm going to try to spend 10 minutes a day cleaning something (drawer, fridge, purse, etc), just to start getting my life in order.

I suppose these sound like dull goals, but they are my tangible list. I hope to work on becoming the best person I can, become more open to new ideas and experiences, be kind to others, and live life to my standards. Honestly, my intangible goals are the ones that mean the most, and what I'll try to strive towards this year. I'm going to elaborate more on these later, I just thought it would be nice to get something briefly out for New Year's Day.