It is hard to believe it is time again for a year recap but well, here it is.
Another name for this recap could be All-The-Blog-Posts-I-Didn’t-Write-In-2024 but as always, I hope to do more detailed posts of some of these experiences. There will be a second recap post tomorrow that highlights non-outdoorsy memories and you will see some overlap because intersection is a real thing. It is all about balance these days for me!
So grab a mug of hot cocoa and here we go…
January
January was a month of repeat hikes, mostly ones I have done multiple times like Index Town Wall, Barclay Lake, and Wallace Falls State Park. But I have to say that my favorite memory was visiting my sister Heather at her home near Scott Lake in Tumwater and watching my nieces throw rocks out onto its frozen surface. Scott Lake is private but nearby Millersylvania State Park is an alternative.
February
I have two favorite memories from February. The first was a visit to Elizabeth in Battleground, WA and a hike we did at nearby Lucia Falls Regional Park. I am always jealous she lives just a few minutes away from these rugged waterfalls.
The second was a trip I took with my son to Breckenridge, CO. This was my first visit and we went mostly so he could use his EPIC pass to snowboard at the ski resort but I made the most of our time with fat biking between Breckenridge and Frisco, snowshoeing along the Colorado Trail and hiking to visit Isak Heartstone. We only used public transportation on the trip and stayed a few blocks from downtown so it was easy access for both of us.
Despite all the fun, I did learn that I don’t do super well at high elevations and will have to do something differently next time. Around day 4 my heart started racing while trying to sleep, very disconcerting.
March
March was another mundane outdoorsy month with a snowy visit to Silver Falls State Park being the most notable. I had started getting in some miles for a bike ride I had signed up for in April and I don’t usually take a lot of pictures on those.
April
April was again mostly bike riding in preparation for the McClinchy Bike Ride around the perimeter of Camano Island. It is a hilly one! I got some elevation from riding to and from the Mukilteo Lighthouse as often as I could and then a few practice rides out on Camano. The hubs signed up this year, too!
It was a little more wet than last year but thankfully we were done before the full deluge rolled in.
The most fun memory, though, was discovering that there are marmots along the Columbia River in Wenatchee! I was over hiking for the balsamroot but did a bike ride on the Apple Capitol Recreation Loop when I saw this cute furry animal sunning himself. I didn’t tell him he is mostly food for golden eagles, he probably already knows.
May
May had two highlights, the first being a work party out at Kayak Point Regional County Park. The park had been closed for a while as improvements were being made and Washington Trails Association was helping with the trail that goes from the upper parking lot down to the lower beach access area. It was a lot of laying gravel and many, many stairs so my knees needed a lot of recovery after this activity. This was my fifth work party with WTA so I earned my green hat!
The second highlight was being down in Oregon around Mount Hood when it became possible to see the northern lights. The camera did most of the work but it was still a very cool experience.
June
June started with a bike ride from home over to Whidbey Island and Langley. This is a highlight because they have now begun construction on the road that gives us direct access to the ferry terminal so we most likely won’t be able to make this ride until the spring of 2026. I love this ride because it is about 18 miles round trip and yet feels like a world away. We also rode a bit on the Waterman Shoreline Preserve trail stewarded by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust to get back to the ferry terminal in Clinton.
The end of June brought summer vacation and this year it meant a trip to Greece with Elizabeth and her family. Her husband’s childhood friend, Steve, is from Greece and this was the second time they have gone over with Steve to visit. The trip was two weeks, the first one I spent with them on the island of Lemnos in the north Aegean Sea. It included relaxing on the beach and visits to historical sites.
July
Still in Greece at the beginning of July, I traveled by myself over to Northern Greece for a 9 day trip on buses and trains from Thessaloniki to Athens. I visited Mount Olympus National Park, the monasteries of Meteora and the hills of Delphi.
July wasn’t done with travel yet. The second half we had our annual family camping trip to Banff National Park. I camped a few nights at Lake Louise and a few more at Tunnel Mountain in Banff. I loved being able to bike up to Moraine Lake on the road that is closed to regular vehicle traffic. This meant getting up to the lake before all the trails are overwhelmed with people! Staying in Banff meant I could take advantage of public transit and my bike to visit downtown and Canmore (where my family was staying) as well as a trip up to Sunshine Village Ski Resort and the Great Divide Trail.
I also got to hike with my family on some trails around Lake Louise, including the one of to Lake Agnes and the tea hut.
This was my second hike that day so it didn’t hurt to be able to soak the toes in Lake Louise after. Not pictured are the scores of people all around me.
When traveling between Lake Louise and the town of Banff, I hiked the Johnston Canyon hike along the Bow Valley Parkway. This is an incredibly popular hike (like most in national parks) and I was able to get there early enough that the parking lot was not full. The waterfalls were nice but I can’t say it was that much more spectacular that Wallace Falls State Park. A good portion of the trail is built out from the canyon wall so you have a lot of congo line as people wait to pass each other.
We took the Banff gondola up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. Yes, I could have hiked it but then I would have missed the fun of riding up with these cuties.
The views were amazing and smoky. Wildfires were raging up around Jasper, the day after this picture I would wake up to the ashes of its town raining down around us.
I also rode my bike to Canmore on a multi-user trail with stunning views of the peaks along the highway. There may have been a condo at the end with a pool to cool off, the temps were in the 80s!
August
August brought a new family member, Gary picked up a canoe at our local garage sale. Because July was so full I was staying near home, making this first time I had been in town for the annual event on the first weekend of August. I was looking at yarn next door and Gary spied the bright blue hull of the canoe across the lawn. We took it out for a spin to Jetty Island.
And as promised in The High Divide And Seven Lakes Basin, Darn It, I did make it back out on the High Divide for four days and this time I had views! Aside from the crowds at Lunch Lake, the hike and camping was filled with solitude.
September
September’s highlight (other than my birthday) was a camping trip to the San Juan Islands. We enjoyed a combination of hiking and bike riding . I have been to the islands a few times but not for about 20 years. We stayed on both Lopez and San Juan, visiting several trails and state parks. San Juan Island is also a national historical park, designated in 1966 but expanded in 2013. We made stops at both British Camp and American Camp, learning about events like the Pig War.
October
The San Juan trip was in place of our annual Cascade Loop trip, I wanted to hike more trails on the top 100 classic hikes of Washington list. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t sneak in a few solo trips over the Cascades into Wenatchee and the eastside. I camped at Leader Lake and stopped at trails along SR 20 that I knew would not have the crowds up at Rainy Pass. It didn’t lead to epic views but it did mean solitude and not having to start hiking in the dark. A few of the trailheads lead to longer backpacking trips I hope to make some day like the Devil’s Dome Loop.
I also ventured up on forest roads around Mission Ridge with the golden hue of larches. This spot was a back route into Clara and Marion Lakes.
November
I didn’t do too bad at sharing highlights in November with The Queets And The Sams Rivers: A Confluence and our A Southern Oregon Coastal Road Trip, Threemile Lake Trail Dunes Loop And Sea Pickles but one of my favorite pictures was when I found a mermaid’s purse or skate egg sac on the beach in Moclips. I just don’t see this every day!
I also had a wonderful visit with my friend Kari who lives over near Sequim, WA and we took several walks including one to Mount Walker that I had not hiked before. The weather was not conducive to views of higher Olympic peaks but it was nice to catch up with her none the same. It has been a few years since we have hung out together, the last time being a holiday party at her house.
December
I also got a few posts out in December but I think my highlight will be taking my friend Keashia out to her first time at Barclay Lake. She hasn’t done a lot of hiking up SR 2 and this was a perfect hike before a winter storm moved in. She thought we were just going to Lord Hill Regional Park so the mountains were a nice surprise.
I hope you enjoyed looking back at some of my outdoor adventures of 2024 as much as I did, and I hope you had your own share of memories filled with nature experiences. I feel both blessed and privileged to be able to get outdoors in the way that I can.
Tomorrow’s post brings memories that are making me smile when I look back at what 2024 had to offer but are not necessarily outdoor adventure related. And it may be a bit heavy on the finished knitting projects!
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Nearly happy new year Shannon! It is fab to see that you had such a fabulous cycle-filled year outside! I hope 2025 will be similarly awesome! 😀
p.s. I didn’t even know you were in Canada during the fires in Jasper – It’s such a sad loss isn’t it. 🙁
Same to you, Josy! Those wildfires were so horrible, hard to imagine what it was like for those who lived there. It was surreal to be in the bustle of Banff at the same time the town of Jasper had basically disappeared. I even felt bad when washing all the ash off my car knowing it might have been someone’s home!
Interesting use of the words “mundane hikes” — what a great year!!!! I would love to see Delphi..
Delphi was wonderful, especially the museum. Even the drive there was beautiful.
Looks like you had a great year. We saw Northern Lights in Minnesota too. There is an installation of the giant trolls by the same artist in and near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. too, about 45 minutes from where we live. We saw all of them (about 5 or 6?).