Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of my hiking obsession! Thanks to Tom and Amy‘s willingness to shepherd a couple of couch potatoes into the wild, JK and I found ourselves celebrating Tom’s birthday on beautiful Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park.

I remember eating baked beans straight out of the can, spending the whole trip soggy and cold in my cotton clothing, and limping around the mud in ridiculous shoes. I also remember loving every minute of it.

Five years on and I’m still in love, even when my feet hurt like the dickens, when I’m roasting in the sun on a never-ending hill, or when evil biting flies gnaw on my face (all of which happened during the last week, by the way).

Here’s a short but timely interview I did for The Wilderness Society – it may sound hokey to say that hiking saved my life, but I honestly don’t know where I would be today without trails in my life.

Last weekend it was time for our annual trip to Noble Knob, this time to share our favorite trail with Carlos, Deborah, and our favorite Small Person, Nathan.

In spite of the “mostly sunny” forecast, we spent the approach walking inside of a cloud. A very, very cold cloud. Luckily the trail had lots of eye candy to offer even though Mount Rainier was hiding – all my favorite wildflowers were on display: western anemone, columbine, paintbrush and the always beautiful tiger lily.

We seemed to be right at the cloud line the whole time, and the sun was this close to breaking through…

…but by the time we made it to camp, we were firmly enshrouded in the fog. It felt more like late September than June, and the nutrias, devoid of fur and fat, spent the evening puppy-piled in JK’s sleeping bag. Brrr. Nathan stayed warm in the tent in his sleeping bag and fancy backpacking suit.

But ahh, Noble Knob came through for us yet again! When we peeked out of the tent in the morning, we were above the sea of clouds, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness peaks rising up as jagged islands in the distance.

Now that the sun was out, it was warm enough for Nathan to come out and play. Happiest baby on the rock!

He also got to take a good look at what will likely be his future playground, Mount Rainier.

Wellie and Basil had to pose for photos…

…and I got to engage in my favorite pastime, al fresco reading.

While I reread Wild and Deborah was on baby duty, the boys (minus Nathan) hiked up the Secondary Knob. I took photos of them and tried to make it seem like a harrowing climb…

…but actually it looked like this:

It might have been an easy ascent, but the mosquitoes were ferocious. By the time they made it back to camp, Basil had been gnawed on by so many bugs that his whole face swelled up. Nathan graciously donated some of his Baby Benadryl, and JK and I packed up as fast as we could.

We left the others on the summit since packing up and hiking out with a baby takes a bit longer and we didn’t want to take any chances with Basil. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem bothered by the situation at all, he was his happy self and in full-on explorer mode.

He got lots of sympathy from the White River 50 Mile runners we met along the way, and by the time we got back to the car, the antihistamines had worked their magic and Basil looked almost back to normal. From now on we’ll always carry nutria-appropriate doses of Benadryl (10mg) with us, and put cedar oil on Basil to keep the bugs away. Poor little guy.

When I first started hiking in the Cascades, I couldn’t fathom why some people hike the same trails over and over again. Our state is full of beautiful lakes and exciting peaks, why limit yourself?

Fast-forward a couple of years into my hiking career and here I am, hiking Noble Knob, Panorama Point and Skyline Ridge for the 134th time…and loving it. I’ve come to value the tradition of returning to my old favorites. It might be due to realizing that I will never be an adventurous peakbagger, or maybe the comfortable familiarity of my happy places just makes me feel, well, happy. (Most likely, I’m just so lazy that I prefer not having to do any research before hitting the trail.)

Anyhoo, without further ado, here are my favorite hikes of 2011 – lots of repeats, but all of them wonderful.

Washington favorites:

I remember the first half of the year as a blur of rain and repetitive Tiger Mountain jaunts, but once in a while the sun decided to grace us with her presence. Tom’s annual celebration of aging at Kendall Peak Lakes was a success as always, and towards the end of January he was kind enough to humor us common folk with a non-epic snowshoe to Lake Valhalla.

More rain, more Tiger Mountain, even more rain, and then April brought a fantabulous ski/snowshoe to McClure Rock that made me forgive Washington (for the time being). In June we once again spent my birthday weekend on Iron Peak. Booze and cupcakes for all (except for Wellie, who was stuck in the cone of shame [and who probably shouldn't have booze or cupcakes anyway])!

Look, a Tiger Mountain hike made it onto the favorites list! Poo Poo Point was the perfect place to celebrate the summer solstice. The following weekend we returned to the Teanaway to summit Bean Peak and thought summer had arrived for sure.

In July we were pleasantly surprised by the charming Goat Lake trail and took our first alpine lake swim of the season – Wellie too! The most unique sunset of the year happened below us on a night hike of good old Bandera Mountain.

Late July and early August brought so much sadness, and the hikes we went on helped keep me going during that period. The day after the attacks in Oslo, we carried the Norwegian flag to the Thorp Mountain Lookout. After returning from Norway in August, we said our final goodbyes to JK’s dad on Noble Knob.

We kept the hiking therapy going on a relaxing swimming trip to Lake Valhalla and a much-needed night under the stars on Skyline Divide – a new trail for us but one we’re definitely adding to our repeat list.

My favorite hike of the year was my solo backpacking trip on part of the Wonderland Trail in September – it was a great confidence-builder, and I had time for lots of soul-searching about what I hope to achieve and experience in my life. Later that month, Dani and Tom took us on one of their repeat favorites, Hidden Lake Lookout.

In spite of (because of?) all my soul-searching, Josie and Karen had to come dig me out of my little depression hole with the promise of beer and rafting at Snow Lake. Still not feeling quite human, I decided not to join them on the Grand Enchantments Larch Expedition, but I got my own golden tree fix (along with the rest of the Washington hiking population) at Ingalls Lake in October.

In November JK and I took our Norwegian guests to Panorama Point to show off our magic volcano before finishing our hiking year off quite nicely in December with a Christmas cross-country ski trip to Chinook Pass.

Out of state favorites:

Aah, our trip with friends to Hawai’i in February could not have come at a better time. We left Seattle in a snowstorm and spent 12 glorious days on Maui, snorkeling with turtles and drinking mai tais. We had time for some hiking as well, most notably the Sliding Sands Trail on Haleakala and the mystical bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail. How did I never blog about this??

In May we flew back to Norway to attend my best friend’s wedding. We added some adventure to the trip by traveling up north to Lofoten to hike and camp. The weather was absolute shite and I was pretty miserable with a sinus infection, but I still have fond memories of sleeping in a tent on Bunes Beach in the howling rain.

Our September trip to Santa Barbara brought more sunshine, and even though it can barely be called a hike, I loved visiting Anacapa Island in Channel Islands National Park. I notice I haven’t blogged about these trips either, because I suck.

After a couple of years away from red rock canyon country, in October Josie and I returned to the southwest for Karen’s epic surprise birthday trip. It’s hard to pick my favorites from this vacation, but I’ll go for the freezing hike through the Zion Narrows and the otherworldly sightseeing in White Pocket. Have I blogged about either of these? No, of course not. I’ll post 17 trip reports of rainy runs in the Issaquah Alps, but nary a word about the most beautiful places I have ever seen. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

JK’s non-Ingunn favorites:

I know, that’s preposterous, right? While I would like to think that any trip without me would contain only hardship and misery for JK, he claims to have enjoyed his disgustingly sunny ski tour in the Baker backcountry and his solo ascent of Reinebringen in Lofoten. Sure, whatever you say, JK.

There you have it, another year of adventures big and small, old and new. Time to delve into 2012!

Sometimes last-minute, totally random adventures are the best. Summer arrived late in Washington, and I was faced with an absolutely fantastic stretch of good weather…and no one to play with. JK volunteered to dayhike somewhere with me and then leave me to my own devices before picking me up a couple of days later. I decided on an area we rarely get to explore, since dogs (even Wellies!) aren’t allowed – Mount Rainier National Park.

I randomly chose the Northern Loop Trail from my guidebook, and scored walk-in permits for the exact two camps I wanted.

I started out nervous. I’ve backpacked solo before, but only for one night…and on a trail I already knew. This trip would cover all sorts of new ground for me.

JK accompanied me as far as Skyscraper Mountain, then released me into the wild on my own. I loved it. Going at my own pace, stopping wherever I wanted, strolling past flowers and glaciers and marmots and, oh, that big volcano.

I moseyed on up to my first camp by Mystic Lake and had dinner (ugh, those Mountain House meals are way too big for one person) and a swim before snuggling up with my Kindle in the tent. Bliss.

Right before dawn, I woke up to the sound of bugling elk (I didn’t know this until I asked the ranger “What’s the animal that sounds like a cross between a coyote and an elephant?”) and the oh so familiar nauseating pounding of a migraine – the aura must have occurred while I was sleeping, so it was too late for my medication to be effective. Ugh.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to make the climb up to Yellowstone Cliffs that day (or the 16-mile hike out the next day), so I spent some time looking at my maps to find a bailout option. In the end I decided on a very easy downhill day to Carbon River Camp, then keep following the Wonderland Trail out to Mowich Lake the next day – via Spray Park or Ipsut, depending on how I felt.

Luckily the ranger patrol cabin by Mystic Lake was manned (and handsomely so). The ranger radioed in to change my permit and to get someone to contact JK to tell him to drive to Mowich instead of Sunrise. Thank you, ranger man!

Now I just had to stagger down to my next camp. I lazed around with the myriad marmots (and mosquitoes) along the way, but spent most of the miles worrying about crossing the Carbon River on the evil suspension bridge. I had seen photos of the Tahoma Creek suspension bridge before, and assumed that this one would be just as horrifying.

Fortunately I needn’t have worried; the bridge was fun, even for a weenie like me. Huzzah!

I made it to camp at 1 PM, no other humans in sight. I collapsed in my tent and spent the rest of the day reading, sleeping, drinking as much water as possible and trying to eat something.

The next morning I woke up feeling so much better. I felt hung over from the migraine (or maybe it was from all the drugs), but good enough to chose the high route over Spray Park.

The day started off with over 3000 feet of elevation gain, so I decided to wear my Merrell Pace Gloves – I had brought them to use as camp shoes – to lighten the load on my feet. This worked brilliantly; even in my sickly state I felt great during the climb. I think I can thank those shoes for making me feel so light on my last TNAB, too.

Soon enough I made it to Spray Park and was greeted by bug swarms of biblical proportions – I finally got to show off my fashionable new headwear – and lots of dayhikers. Clearly I was getting closer to civilization and the end of my journey.

I tried to freshen up and wash off the trail grime by swimming in Mowich Lake, but when JK arrived to pick me up he assured me that I smelled as if I had hiked the entire Wonderland Trail. And I really do wish I had. I loved the trail, bugs and migraine and all. Next year, perchance?

My friend just posted this on Facebook and I found it fitting, given the title of my post and all:

‎”Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

In light of everything that’s happened lately, I’ve been reevaluating my life and my priorities.

I moved here in 2006, severely depressed. In 2007 I discovered hiking, and it sparked a new interest in, well, living.

Since then, my life has pretty much revolved around being outside in the mountains. I spend the whole year planning for the summer. I spend the whole week waiting for the weekend.

The problem with this is that I am devastated when those plans don’t work out.

When it’s raining, I spend the day stewing over lost hiking opportunities instead of going into Seattle to spend time with long-neglected friends.

When I’m injured, I obsess about missing out on the more challenging trips on my To-Do List instead of fully enjoying the easier, gimp-safe trail I’m on.

I want to truly enjoy my life and be here now without constantly wondering if there’s something better out there that I could be doing.

I want to make my everyday life feel fulfilling even though I am still not allowed to get a job or an education in this country. *mumble grumble*

I want to find the motivation for midweek endorphin boosts that don’t require a drive to the mountains.

I want a home (and a life) that’s inviting enough that I don’t feel like I have to get away from it every weekend.

I want a balanced life, both in and outside of the mountains.

I want to find smiles like these every day.