Ouch...

NOTE to Self....When going on a motorcycle ride and you decide to not wear your jacket, PUT on sunscreen! OUCH...my sunburn is still hot today after yesterday's motorcycle ride. :(  Happy Monday everyone!

Snoqualmie Lake Hike

If you are looking for a good overnight hike I would recommend this one. We started at the beginning of the trail head which was just past Middle Fork Campground. We hiked about 4.5 miles until we reached Otter Falls. We went up the side of the mountain to reach Otter Falls (it's tricky to find, just look for the piled rock formation). Then we ate lunch and continued on for an additional 4 miles to Snoqualmie Lake. I must warn you, the final 2 miles (by my watch 2.5 miles) it's all up hill and very rocky so take your time. There were multiple camps to pick from and we found ours immediately. It was right next to the lake and it was a large area perfect for both of the tents far enough away from the fire pit that I didn't worry about something catching on fire.

Once we got everything situated I boiled us up some water so we could eat our food. I had to do this quickly because the storm was coming.  It started with thunder and then came the lightning and rain.  We knew it was coming so we rushed into the tent and ate our food in the tent and watched the storm hit.  After about an hour it let up so we went back outside and started looking for wood to build a fire.   We had a pretty impressive fire, which was nice.  It kept us warm which we roasted marshmallows and drank our spiked hot cocoa.  It was a great trip.  We look forward to many more overnight hikes!

Checkout the hike map on my hiking blog at: http://hikearoundwashington.blogspot.com/2013/08/snoqualmie-lake-trail.html

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten Free Hiking Food

As I prepare for our overnight hike I have to take into consideration that I cannot eat a lot of the same foods as others.  And I don't think it's fair to prevent them from eating  gluten when it's my stomach that's the problem....so I've decided to come up with some alternatives for myself that are simple and easy to make ahead of time before you leave on your hiking/camping trip.  The best part is that they are simple to make and there are also some great options in the stores.  Don't worry I will tell you all about them. 

First, let's start off with a food list.  These foods are easy to find at any store and are light weight.  You can even make your own recipes with these foods instead of buying them at the store.

Food Ideas

Popcorn
Nuts
Beef Jerky
Celery w/ peanut butter
Trail mix (raisins, peanuts, dried fruit, etc)
Canned Tuna
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (use gluten free bread)
Granola gluten-free
Chocolate
Marshmallows
Quinoa Cookies
Mountain House dried food (they have gluten free meals)

Tiny Watermelon

Watermelon & Zucchini

I have a watermelon & Zucchini, but the watermelon is already twice it's size from yesterday, more pictures to come....hopefully in a few weeks it will be ready to eat.  Can't wait!!

Garden Fresh

I was so excited to finally get some veggies from my garden.  I planted late this year so the fact that I am getting anything is exciting.  I made sure to enjoy our fresh veggies for dinner by cooking up sauteed zucchini, green peppers, and onion and seasoned it with fresh basil, garlic, and pepper.  It was delicious!!