My summer vacation

Dayhike at Twin Falls.


This hike was another great one! It is approximately 4 miles roundtrip when you add in side trips and ventures off path. The elevation gain is not too rigorous, although the trail goes up and down some, so you will revisit some of the same uphill treks you just accomplished.

The trailhead is close to I-90, exit 34. You will have to pay $5 to park, and the money goes to keep up Washington State Parks. Bring exact change.

Also, it's a pretty popular hike, so be prepared for lots of other hikers. Can't use a jogging stroller, but we saw a lot of people with baby backpacks.

The trail goes along the river through very nice forested areas. There are several places at the beginning where you can go down to the river and wade. Then you climb up and up, catching a few small glimpses of the falls. The first significant feature is an overlook very close to the falls, providing an excellent view. Go further up and cross a bridge over the top of the falls, affording wonderful views of both upper and lower falls, and the river below. Another 1/8th of a mile beyond, there is one more viewing area where you get closer to the upper falls.

The kids did great, mostly because there was so much to see and do. They climbed rocks and tree stumps, petted friendly dogs, and raced around looking at natural points of interest both close up and from a distance. During one rest stop, we met a family of chipmunks who appreciated our cracker offerings, and one was bold enough to come close and take the cracker right out of my hand. Michael was patient, and was also able to feed a chipmunk directly.

Later, Michael and Rick climbed around on some rocks while Connor took a dip in the river.

It was our longest hike together yet, and we took about 5 hours to do it! Lots of energy breaks and timeouts to wander on the river bank, climb rocks, and have lots of fun.

See our slide show!

On our way to Mirror Lake. We're still fresh!


Lots of great rocks to climb on the way.


We took lots of energy breaks.


Well worth the hike!


Another lovely view of the lake.


Wading in the lake.


Go around the lake, and you can see the valley you came from.


The outflow from the lake. A hidden treasure.

This hike was definitely more taxing than the ones we've been on before. First of all, it was a good 50 miles away from home. The last 10 or so were on unpaved road that has seen better days, so it took us about a 1/2 hour just to get close to the trailhead on that stretch. Like some other hikers, we didn't actually drive to the trailhead but chose to walk the last 1/3 mile (uphill) or so because the road got so rugged.

The trail began in an area that had been clearcut, so it was sort of like bushwacking. I joked that we should've brought our machete. After ~1/4 mile we entered the forest and the trail got much better. We kept going higher and higher through the forest, taking many energy and water breaks. Then, the trail passed a small, shallow lake. This was pretty, but not the end of the road. We went another half mile uphill, with lots of big rocks and boulders for the boys to climb and lots of peace for the adults. There were a few places where the trail crosses some little mountain streams and mud patches, but the water is pretty low and it wasn't too difficult for either kid. In fact, it was pretty exciting for them.

We arrived at Mirror Lake, a blue-green oasis in the middle of an Eden, with a rock face for dramatic effect on one side. We took our shoes and socks off and splashed around a little bit, had a lunch break, and wished we'd brought bathing gear and floaties.

We have been to relatively few places in the world that you can't drive to. We felt privileged to enjoy this piece of paradise that hardly anyone (in the larger scheme of things) has ever seen.

We continued to follow the trail past the lake to where it flows out in a waterfall. We did not let the boys see most of the waterfall, as it involved some rock climbing and I'm just not comfortable with that for Connor, even though I'm sure Michael could have made it. Instead, we took turns going down to look. The first level was a picturesque "water curtain" over some rocks. That's as far as I went, but Rick said he climbed down farther to a less picturesque but bigger waterfall.

The trail continued down in what we now believe was a loop, but we headed back the way we came not knowing for sure, and not having a lot of water left. Going downhill took about 1/8 the time as going uphill, of course.

We estimated about 3 miles round trip with ~700 foot elevation gain. It definitely was a challenge for us all, but truly wonderful!

Michael at Asahel Curtis Nature Trail.




Connor at Asahel Curtis Nature Trail.






This trail was not all that amazing. It is a 1-mile loop very close to I-90, so you can hear the traffic sounds. Also, the trail is still a work in progress, bound to be an interpretive trail with 12 stations. We decided to make this a treasure hunt, and looked for interesting leaves and sticks to bring home and talk about. Also, the kids wrote down the number of each station as we reached it, and we had my little voice recorder so we recorded some of our thoughts about what we were seeing.

The trail is easy for 4 and 5 year olds, pretty close to town (exit 47 on I-90), but we probably won't return.

About Asahel Curtis, outdoorsman, photographer.

Soccer champ!

Big Four Ice Cave.


We had an overnight at Gold Basin Campground just about an hour and a half east of Seattle. We went with another parent and her 4 yr old son, so the kids had one more child to pretend to shoot. They all had a ball, and then the next day, we went to Big Four Ice Cave -- a glacier-like structure at the foot of a mountain. Every winter, there are several avalanches in the area, so there is a build up of snow and ice. Then in the summer, the ice melts from the bottom up, forming caves. It was a good mile up to this attraction, just right for 4-5 year olds. Very cool thing to see, too.

The campground was well maintained, and there was a choice of sites midweek. The only problem was that the best sites were the farthest away from the flush toilets. I, personally, am not crazy for outhouses. We had lots of long walks to the bathroom, and one final drive over at the end of the day.

All the sites were interesting, but the driest ones were nearest the river. The river was rather shallow and there were lots of interesting rocks to look at and stack up into interesting formations. The kids explored the first day, and went wading the second day.

If you ask the kids, their favorite part of camping is probably the campfire. They threw leaves and sticks in the fire to see what they look like when they burn.

After a night of camping, we went on the hike to the ice cave. Hikers are warned not to go in the caves, because the ice does melt and shift. We did not go in, but we went up close to the mouth of the cave, like everyone else visiting. It looked like if the cave were to collapse, it would simply collapse on itself, not come outward. However, at one point we heard a terribly loud rumbling roar from the cave. My friend and I each grabbed the smaller kids and took off (Michael ran on his own). It was the most frightening sound I can remember. Examining my pictures of the glacier before and after, I do not see any difference, but I'd guess that somewhere inside the ice shifted.

A most exciting day! See our slide show.

On our way to Franklin Falls.


The falls, well worth the hike!


A giant tree on the way to the campground.


The best part of camping is the fire!

Day trip to Lake Cle Elum.


Connor enjoys a dip in the lake.


Fun & games on the beach.