It's Just Over the Next Bridge....Right?

18.  Eighteen bridges.  That's how many Hanna and I crossed along the trail up to Talapus & Olallie Lakes on our hike yesterday. 

Walking the "tilting" bridge.

Not that we are complaining...those bridges were awesome (although a few were a wee bit scary...like the single log one and the one that leaning at a 45 degree angle)...none were rickety and they were mostly in excelled repair. And they saved us (mostly) from tons of thick mud...for the mountain was covered with mud from our recent rains.  In fact, I took my first tumble of this hiking season in that thick mud...I wouldn't let Hanna take a picture, but I'm sporting a few new scrapes and bruises this morning.  Yay!

It was a terrific hike nonetheless, obeying all the rules of  Lorien's Ideal Hiking.  It was a slow and steady rise...no really steep sections, just an even, moderate workout all the way up.
  There are several trail guides for this hike and they say it's anywhere from 4.4 to 6.5 miles long (I think it depends on how far along Lake Talapus you walk and if you actually head up to Lake Olallie.  Lake Olallie is another 1.4 miles round trip from the far tip of Lake Talapus and my phone GPS had us at 2.23 miles when we first reached Talapus...so I'm going to put this hike at 5.5 miles.  The total elevation gain to is 1220 ft...really. :) 
Hanna and Penny were once again my hiking partners...and they were terrific.

  Hanna is the perfect hiking bud. She doesn't insist on talking on the tough "up" sections so it allows me to focus on my breathing and footing rather than being polite. She poses for pictures willingly...well, mostly.  

But she is willing to get goofy and has a lot of fun.  On the way down...she is a charming conversationalist...able to talk about just about anything I throw her way.  She rarely complains and is always 100% supportive of her partners.  She is a beast on the trails.

Penny, as usual, was also a terrific companion on the trek.  She was sporting a brand new hiking leash...which Mommy loves (it doesn't pull or bind at the waist like the last hiking leash) and she got her first "off-leash" opportunity on a hike.  

When we had walked around Lake Ollalie looking for a good picnicking spot, we found a huge pile of logs...Penny loved jumping around on the logs, sniffing every crevice and playing.  Unfortunately, just as she had tuckered herself out exploring, Hanna and I were done eating and ready to hit the trail again...enjoying the scenery:

The trails were beautifully maintained, with only a few sections that were muddy (like where I bit it) and the bugs were not as hungry as they were at Rainier.  By the end of the day, it was really, really hot and humid...and we indulged in a much-deserved soy strawberries & cream Frappacino at a local coffee joint. :)

Penny says: Sponsor my Mommy!

 

Hike-a-Thon stats to date: 25 miles and $222 dollars raised. I'm falling way behind in the fund raising part...I guess I'm going to have to buck up and do some direct mailings...but it's all for a great cause! Please feel free to send this on to anyone you know that loves hiking and might be willing to pledge a few dollars to help us maintain Washington's amazing trail system.