Category Archives: Easy Hikes

Sauer’s Mountain Hike, May 2016

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Sauer’s Mountain
Date: May 14, 2016
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 6 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near Leavenworth, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None
Trail Conditions: Dry To The Summit
Hiking With: Emelie and Eric Espling, Craig, Tao, Bill and Mae Yoke, Linna and Rick Freeman & my wonder dog Macho

My wife Linna and I have been doing a lot hikes that either start in snow or at least have some snow on the trail this year and we were due for an arid type hike. Usually the hikes on the Eastside of the Cascade Mountains provide a whole different environment…more pine like trees and no snow in the late spring. I found Sauer’s Mountain goo.gl/fzh3xz on Washington Trails Association and after reading a couple of trip reports it was exactly what I was looking for. No snow, dry with spring green and tons of flowers for Linna to photograph. We also invited a group friends to come along…Emelie and Eric Espling, Craig, Tao, Bill and Mae.

I had a funny feeling that we would see old man Sauer and when we pulled up to the trailhead there he was out in the open ready to direct us where to park. Old man Sauer is in his eighties and you can tell he loves people. This hike actually starts on his land and according to Sauer he built the trail…so I guess you can name the hike and mountain after yourself.

The hike is filled with carved totems, groovy art things and tons of flowers all the way to the summit. There was steepness to this hike but it’s short so it’s relatively easy. The old man will try to sell you some wine when you come back down to the trailhead. This wine is actually comes from his son Steve Sauer winery, Farmhand Winery. I think the old man built the trail so he could push wine sales, I bought one…small price to pay for a beautiful hike.

Mason Lake Hike, July 2013

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Mason Lake
Date: July 7, 2013
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 7 Miles / 11 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,550 Feet / 777 Meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Exit 45, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry
Hiking with: Linna Freeman & Macho the dog wonder.

With all of this warm and sunny weather Seattle has been blessed with, it was time for a lake hike in the mountains. We decided on Mason Lake goo.gl/sc171 off of I-90, exit 45 because it provides an assortment of vitality. You start off with an easy ascent in a cool canopy of young forest followed by a fairly steep traverse in the open for great views and wild flowers. Then an easy descent to a pristine lake just waiting for you.

Annette Lake Hike, June 2013

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Annette Lake
Date: June 15, 2013
Difficulty: 4 out of 10
Distance: 7.5 Miles / 12 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,400 Feet / 427 Meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Exit 47, I-90
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass
Trail Conditions: Dry to Packed Snow At The Lake
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Shudan Zhu, Steve Machin and my wonder dog Macho

I was in charge of picking out today’s hike for my wife and a couple of friends Steve Machin and Shudan Zhu. I chose Annette Lake for its tranquil stroll through the dense forest to the beautiful lake at the base of Abiel and Silver Peak.

I was not the only one that decided on Annette Lake today because the parking lot was so full that people were parking along the road. Even with a full parking lot, the trail didn’t seem that busy. I actually thought about taking a quick dip in the icy waters, but it was more fun to throw snowballs in the slushy waters for Macho to chase.

We ended our day at the Little Sheep Hot Pot in Bellevue…perfect way to end a perfect day.

Lake 22 Hike, May 2013

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Lake 22
Date: May 19, 2013
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 5.4 Miles / 8.7 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet / 457 meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Verlot, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to Snowpacked
Hiking With: Rick Massie, Jacky Cao, Linna Freeman & Macho the Wonder Dog.

I hardly ever do the same hike back to back, but we had a good friend from China that we wanted to share this beautiful hike with.

Lake 22 Hike, April 2013

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Lake 22
Date: April 27, 2013
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 5.4 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet / 457 meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Verlot, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to Snowpacked
Hiking With: Linna Freeman and my fearless dog Macho

I forgot to bring the Nikon camera and we just had the iPhone which didn’t give this beautiful lake justice. This was my first time on this trail and I will be back on a sunny day with a real camera to capture the real beauty of Lake 22.

Most of my hikes this year have been in rain…and this hike like many others I want to make sure I hike them on a summer day; especially when the snow has melted off this lake and trail. More to come….

Turtlehead Peak Hike, September 2012

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Turtlehead Peak
Date: September 27, 2011
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,000 ft.
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Location: Red Rock Canyon, 30 Minutes West of Las Vegas
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $7.00 Park Fee
Trail Conditions: Dry all the way to the summit.
Hiking with: Myself

When in Vegas, one needs a small hike to workout the excessive food and drink. Turtlehead Peak is a perfect hike to complete this task; it’s only a 30 minute drive due west of Vegas and it has a 360 view on the summit. I did this hike a year ago March with my wife Linna, but this time she decided to stay and shop with a close Vegas friend, Jie Liu.

By the time I started around 11:30 a.m. the temperature was in the mid 80’s and eventually warmed up to the low 90’s. The trail was empty and only saw 6 people on the trail all day. I was up and back in 2 1/2 hours and burned over 1,600 calories.

Waptus Creek Hike, February 2011

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Waptus Creek (Snowshoe)
Date: February 13, 2011
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 600 Feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near Roselyn, Washington
Users Group: Hikers, Horses & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Snowpacked
Hiking with: Linna & Macho

Poo Poo Point, January 2011

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Poo Poo Point
Date: January 14, 2011
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 3.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,650 feet
Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
Location: Issaquah, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Wet, with light rain at times.
Hiking with: Dr. Robert McElroy

I actually wanted to snowshoe today, but the forecast was calling for rain for much of the area including the mountains.  We could have driven to the Mt. Rainier area where the elevation is much higher and got out of our car in snow, but I was just coming off of a cold and didn’t feel like a long drive.  Besides the increased avalanche danger, starting off in rain during a long snowshoe scramble is just dreadful.  My good friend, Dr. Robert McElroy and I decided on a simple, vigorous hike….and something close to home.  We both drove to the Poo Poo Point trailhead and it was still dark yet.  I hopped in Rob’s car to check out his new Android phone until we could see a little light.  

I started off with a jacket due to the light rain, but within 5 minutes of the hike I was already stowing it.  We made it to the top in about 30 minutes and took a small break for food and photo opp.  Near the top, there are some steep short-cuts Rob was taking and my heart rate hit 173….felt like 190 though!

Source Lake Snowshoe, December 2009

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Source Lake Trail
Date: December 4, 2009
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 6 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 700 ft
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: I-90 exit 52; Alpental Ski Area
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Hard pack snow
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Patricia Chow & Garth Heuchert

We met up at Starbucks, exit 17 off of I-90 determine our hike for the day.  The bitter cold was still hanging around, but…it was going to be a beautiful sunny day.  Knowing that Garth brought along his new MSR snowshoes, I thought it would only be right to get into some snow.  There wasn’t any fresh snow for the last 4 or 5 days, so…and the only place to get into snow right away from the care would be the pass area; Source Lake was the lucky winner.  We put on our snowshoes as soon as we got off the parking lot; it wasn’t really necessary…but they provided the traction needed on some slick areas.

Comet Falls, September 2009

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Comet Falls
Date: September 19, 2009
Difficulty: 2 out of 10
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 300 feet
Time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Location: Near Longmire, Washington
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $10 per car access fee
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Patricia Chow & Garth Heuchert.

Since we were staying near Mount Rainier National Park and the weather forecast called for rain all day, we decided to hike Comet Falls.  The trail is under tree canopy for most of the route and has a spectacular view even on a rainy day.  Because the waterfall resembles a tail of a comet, it was named Comet Falls.  This is a fairly easy hike that you could do with the family, kids and beginning hikers.  The trailhead and small parking lot is located on Longmire Road; go early if possible, the parking lot fills up quickly.

There is really not much elevation gain on this hike, but…you do start the hike at 3,600 feet.  Within a 1/2 mile, you cross Van Trump Creek on a small wooden bridge.  You will cross three avalanche slopes after the creek, another good reason to do this in the fall….all the snow is gone.  At two miles you will see the magnificent Comet Falls.  The falls plunges 320 feet with a significant force of mist blasting from the bottom.  Since it was the fall, there wasn’t any snow and the creek level was low enough to walk on the creek bed to get close to the base.  Being this close, it felt as if you were caught in a hurricane with the horrendous sound and gale force winds generated from the 320 foot fall.  After getting soaked from the hurricane like mist and plenty of pictures taken, we headed back down.  For a longer hike, the trail continues another mile to the meadows of Van Trump Park.