Category: Adventure

• Olympic National Park 3

  Sol Duc Sol Duc – Day 1 We had a leisurely morning packing up at the Mora Campground (see Olympic National Park 1 and 2). We got ice, gas and coffee in Forks (Vampire-Danger level was still high), then it was off to the Sol-Duc area of Olympic National Park. There were informative signs at…

  melissaminery

  August 4, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, National Parks

  Crescent Lake, Deer Lake, Mink Lake, Olympic National Park, Sol Duc, Sol Duc Falls, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort

• Olympic National Park 1

  Coastal Region Our adventure in the coastal region of Olympic National Park started at Mora Campground. John, Aspen and I awoke and ran the two miles to Rialto Beach. Our first views of the rock formations in the water were through fog. We spent awhile on the beach climbing drift logs of enormous trees; so…

  melissaminery

  July 30, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, National Parks

  Big Cedar Tree, coastal region, Mora Campground, Olympic National Park, Rialto Beach, Ruby Beach, Third Beach

• Seattle

  From its location on the water, to the view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day, to the cultural activities and progressiveness, I fell in love with Seattle. If it wasn’t for the climate in the winter, I would move there in a second. We rented a condominium right on 1st Avenue in the Belltown…

  melissaminery

  July 29, 2022

  Adventure, Travels

  Amazon Spheres, Chihuly Garden and GLass Museum, Elliot Bay Trail, fish throwing, Macrina Bakery, Miner's Landing, MoPop, Museum of Pop Culture, Needle, Pike Place Market, Seattle, Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Great Wheel, Some Random Bar, Sonic Bloom, Space, Taueria Cantina-Belltown, Uptown Espresso- Belltown, Uptown Espresso-Pier 70

• Rainier National Park 3

  July 23, 2021 We broke down camp early and drove to the Sunrise (northeast) area of Rainier National Park. Along with the Paradise, this is another popular area and parking was a concern; we arrived early enough that it wasn’t an issue for us. When we started we were the only ones on Sunrise Rim…

  melissaminery

  July 28, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, National Parks

  Burrough Mountain Trail, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Sunrise area, Sunrise Rim Trail

• Rainier National Park 2

  July 21, 2021 It was a breath-taking drive from the Paradise area of Rainier National Park to the Ohanapecosh Campground. We pulled off at a scenic point, and two women, Sara and Mindy, from Seattle commented on our Yeti. We talked with them for at least 30 minutes and had a lot in common. We…

  melissaminery

  July 27, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, National Parks

  Grove of the Patriarchs, Ohanapecosh Campground, Rainier National Park, Silver Falls

• Rainier National Park 1

  July 19, 2021 After a busy day of hiking up Mount St. Helens as much as we could without having a permit (note-to-self: get a permit!!) and then lots of driving, we finally arrived at Rainier National Park and found our spot at the Cougar Rock Campground, our home for the next two nights. John’s…

  melissaminery

  July 26, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, National Parks

  Camp Muir, Cougar Rock Campground, Mount Rainier, Myrtle Falls, Nisqually Vista Trail, Pinnacle Peak, Rainier National Park, Skyline Trail, Tatoosh Range

• Nelson Rocks

  April 11, 2019—West Virginia Nelson Rocks is a rock formation owned and operated by NROCKS Outdoor Adventures. John and I chose to do the Via Ferrata adventure; neither of us had done anything like this before. For the nerds out there: (1) Via Ferrata is Italian for “iron path.” They were created in the Dolomites…

  melissaminery

  July 23, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking

  double fins, Nelson Rocks, NROCKS Outdoor Adventures, via ferrata, West Virginia

• Katahdin

  July 4, 2019 This would at once be one of the best and one of the worst hikes of my life up to this point for one simple reason: no-see-ums, a family of flies that gets right in your face and can literally make you want to jump off the mountain. John and I stayed…

  melissaminery

  July 22, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking, Uncategorized

  Baxter Peak, Hamlin Peak, Hamlin Ridge Trail, Helon Taylor Trail, Katahdin, Knife Edge, Northwest Basin Trail, Pamola Peak, Roaring Brook Campground, Saddle Trail

• Six Husbands & Sphinx

  July 16, 2022 To finish the #Terrifying25 list, John and I decided to backpack into the Great Gulf Wilderness to camp, ascend Six Husbands trail, summit Mt. Jefferson, and descend the Sphinx trail. The designated site we chose was about three miles into the Great Gulf Wilderness. I was very happy to drop my pack…

  melissaminery

  July 18, 2022

  Adventure, Hiking

  caves, Great Gulf Wilderness, ladders, Mount Jefferson, Mt. Jefferson Loop, Six Hsbands Trail, Sphinx Trail, talus, Terrifying 25 list