Little Si

Hiking is a fond childhood memory I hold. I remember scampering up hillsides with my brothers, marveling at huge trees, delicate wild flowers and the beginnings of a longstanding family tradition of head dunking in icy mountain streams. Fortunately, I married a man who loves the outdoors. So, last Saturday we embarked on our first little family hiking excursion. Choosing the right hike was a bit of a challenge as we had to take in to consideration the challenges of packing an infant on your chest up a steep hillside and of course the every 2-3 hour hunger pains Owen was bound to feel. With all that in mind, our first stop was Snoqualmie falls. This beautiful spot is a mere 25 minutes from us and sadly neither of us have ever hiked to the bottom of the canyon before. Little did we know, the trail is closed for the next three years...guess it would have helped to know that before driving out there. So, we popped in to the gift shop, stole a glance in their "hiking with kids" book and found our next destination: Little Si.


Snoqualmie Falls

With determination in our eyes, warm sun on our shoulders, and a content Owen strapped to me we began the trek up the side of Little Si. Now, I've been pretty good about getting back in to a work out routine since Owen's birth but somehow free weights and elliptical machines can't compare to carrying a 12lb baby up the side of a mountain. So, in the moments where my lungs screamed "Darn you for forgetting your inhaler" I reminded myself that there are families with 6 year olds coming back down the mountain and I have 20 years of learned determination on them I should be able to make it to the top! So between that and daydreaming about doing this all over again when Owen is old enough to hike himself, we made it and what a beautiful sight it was!

The place

Dear Owen,

Two weekends ago we took you to Winthrop for the first time. You were 8 weeks old and I sat on the couch and told you about how this cabin is every little boys wonderland. It is a place where you will have grand adventures of exploration in the wilderness. You will learn about snakes, lizards, bugs and fish. You will come to respect the beauty, power and peace found in nature which is nourishment to the soul, especially to a boy's. You will bond with the men in your life as they teach you all the wonderful things there is to know about fishing, hiking, hunting and making spectacular fires on which I will enjoy roasting smore's. I can't wait to watch you explore, grow and learn about the wonders this place holds. But till you are big enough to experience them yourself, here is a smattering of images of the things that await you.




You will find snakes galore. Daddy and your uncles are commissioned to teach you the ones you can catch and the one's you run away from. As you will learn, catching wild things often results in biting.





You will be awed by these hills and mountains and will spend countless days and hours exploring them.


You will come to love the freezing waters of the Lost River. Papi will pass down his wisdom as to how best to ford the rushing waters. Daddy, your Uncles and Papi will teach you how to fish these rivers with it's sparkling pools and running rapids. I have no doubt you will become a mighty fisherman.



But for now you are tiny, so I will soak up the moments of you sitting on our laps as we tell you of what's to come.

The face of a baby...

Apparently when looking at a baby one must make this classic face: big wide eyes with a slightly puckered and open mouth. Most likely this face will also be accompanied by cooing or some other ridiculous noise. I have fallen victim to this particular face myself many a time in hopes of eliciting expression from Owen. After documenting Father's Day I realized that almost every person I took a picture of ended up making this particular face as well. Oh the things we do to connect with these tiny little people.