Hiking at Wallace falls state park, Gold bar

So I was looking towards North to North-East of Seattle after my little trip to windy Little Si.
I narrowed down on Wallace Falls state park - Infact, almost all places I am hiking at this spring break is from this webpage. Mr. Pinyon has done a great job of putting together places that you could go to for hiking or backpacking with the added condition that they be accessible by the bus-system in seattle.

{\Diversion into bus-systems in Seattle}
So far, I have used the following bus-systems to go around Seattle on different hikes/road trips:
1) The good old King County Metro - Serves the heart of Seattle and also touches the outskirts of Seattle such as North Bend, Carnation, Kent, Bothell, etc.
2) The Sound Transit (named after the Puget Sound River system that form the backwaters of the Pacific): Good point to point service. For example: University district to Everett takes just 32 minutes - a distance of around 25 miles.
I have used the Sound Transit on a biking trip to Lake Kapowsin, where I travelled to Tacoma by bus and biked from there to Lake Kapowsin.
3) The Community Transit: Serves most of the northern outskirts of Seattle with a Hub at Lynwood. Can be used to get to places such as Granite falls and Gold bar.
I took CT 271 to get from Everett to Goldbar (wallace falls state park located here)
Other Transit services I have noticed:

4) Skagit Transit: Used to get around Skagit County with places including Bellingham and Mt. Vernon.
Skagit Connector: This bus (90x) connects two counties: Snohomish County (Everett) and Skagit county.
I could use this bus to access places such as Mt. Vernon or Caymon islands (through a transfer bus), both wonderful places to visit and ot hike. But the only problem is this bus is available during weekdays. This bus also has limited service from Everett Station- early mornings and late afternoons.
5) Island Transit: Can be used to get to beautiful islands North and North-West of Mt. Vernon such as Caymon Islands.

{\End Diversion}

Start: I started out at 12:30 pm from Seattle. Caught the ST 510 to get to Everett. From there I caught CT 271 to get to Goldbar, this bus takes 1.5 hrs and gives you great views of the infinite mountains that crisscross across this region. Only problem was that it was raining and I had to contend with rain drops on the window of my bus!

Once at Gold Bar, I had to walk for 30 minutes to get to Wallace falls State Park.
Below is a video that describes the walk:



Inside the state park, the first awesome view was of the roaring Wallace river that begin as Wallace falls from the heights of this park. A few rapids on the way made for a delicious and delectable scenery :d



Moving ahead, I went to hike the falls. It took me close to an hour to hike all the way upto the upper falls. I liked the middle falls best, below's a video of the middle falls:


Coming back, I got some great views of the mountains near Goldbar as the sky cleared up. Unfortuantely I screwed up my digicam settings or the camera itself got screwed, so the pics didn't come out well. Suffice to say, this was a great trip despite the persistent rain I had to endure during the trip.

An ode to Mount Si

Mount Si (pronounced sigh) is an extremely beautiful mountain located at North Bend, around 15 miles from Seattle.
This short poem was inspired by its beauty:

Oh Mount Si
Your beauty makes me cry
The breath taking views you offer
Will not make me defer
My pending trip until next summer
Coming soon, yes I am, to take back wonderful memories over and over

Last weekend, I made a trip to the Little Si, the younger sister of Mount Si. The views from Little Si are breathtaking too. The howling wind at the top made it a little difficult, but what the heck it was amazing all the same. Posted a short video below (not great quality):

Life update

It's been a long time since I have updated this blog....on anything :-) So, thought I had post an update on running and life in general:

1) I have been running regularly (2-3 runs/week) over the past three months. But the runs aren't anything to brag about distance wise or time wise. All I can say is, I am on a comeback trail and its different!
2) I have been sleeping earlier and more regularly over the past two months than I have during the past two years.
3) Right now, my spring break has begun with 10 days break. I am going to catch up with hiking, climbing and ofcourse running. In fact, this saturday, weather willing, god willing, and my willing, I should go climbing up Tiger mountain (3rd time around).
Last quarter was pretty useful as I took some pretty nifty courses that added to my database and web skills.
4) Life in general is more smoother than it has been in the past few months. I know you can't make out much from the previous statement, but suffice to say that I had some real tough times out here in my personal and professional life, and I am glad I managed it well.
5) I am moving out from a 5 bed room house to a 1 bed room apt. Huge shift in both costs :( and environment :)

Ok, that's it folks. Will post something on hiking or running the next time. Meanwhile take a look at this video, if you haven't already.