mercer slough and pretzel tree trail

Sunshine is here! Okay, well, there still are some rainy days, but I feel less like complaining. We've taken advantage of the sun and gone on a few hiking trails recently.

I have to admit, this year is a little bit difficult for us in terms of hikes. Sam is too big to ride in a backpack, but he is too small to walk very far distances. This summer we're only able to go on extremely short, easy hikes. (That being said, do any locals have some good recommendations for such hikes? We know our options are extremely limited this summer.)

Admittedly, going on short, easy hikes isn't my favorite type of hiking. I hardly feel like I'm getting any exercise. And, obviously, easy hikes do not include great vistas or waterfalls, because the trails have hardly any elevation gain. Boo. But at the very least, I hope we're instilling a love of nature (and setting a hiking tradition for future summers) with Sam this year.

That being said, here are two new hikes (walks?) that we have done this summer.

A few weeks ago my friend and I went for a walk around Mercer Slough. We started our walk near the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center, thinking that there would be some fun activities for kids in the Visitor's Center. There wasn't too much to see in the center right now, although there is a promise for some new interactive displays in the distant future.

The trails right next to the center aren't very long, so we walked down to the Bellefields Nature Park trails, since the trailhead is just down the street from the center. The trail is nice and fairly shaded, but there are lots of mosquitoes because of the nearby water (see picture above, on left). I don't think I would do this trail again without bug repellant.

Today we went on the perfect hike for Sam. I'd recommend the Pretzel Tree Trail (Squak Mountain State Park) for anyone with a 3-5 year old. This trail is an interactive trail with little signs that tell a story about a field mouse. Sam loved the story. He would excitedly look for the next sign down the trail so that we could "turn the page of the story" (his words). The trail has no elevation gain, but is in a really beautiful setting with gorgeous trees. You can see the "pretzel tree" behind Sam's head in the image on the right. I know we'll come back to hike this trail again.

There are some other trailheads at the same location as the Pretzel Tree Trail. Since the interactive trail only took about 20-30 minutes to complete with Sam, we decided to hike up the Center Peak trail (toward the summit) for a little while. It seemed like a really nice hike (although too long and steep for Sam). Hopefully we'll come back another time. Here is the trail map to Squak Mountain, for anyone who is interested.

I hope we go back and in this area again soon. The trails were well maintained and yet relatively isolated. We only met a few people on the trail this morning, which is surprising for a sunny Saturday. We passed the Poo Poo point trailhead on our drive out to Squak Mountain (down Issaquah-Hobart Road), and it was overflowing with cars. I'm glad we didn't go there today.

78 minutes of summer

I have to admit, I'm a wee bit jealous when I see Facebook friends commenting about their outdoor activities this summer. The summer here has been really cold so far, so much that a meteorologist decided to calculate how long Seattle has sustained a temperature of 80 degrees (or warmer) this whole year: a total of 78 minutes.

That's it, my friends. 78 minutes. And if you calculate how long Seattle has been at 75 degrees, it's not much of an improvement: 18 hours and 45 minutes (in other words, less than a day).

As you go to the beach and eat popsicles on your front lawn, I'm bundling up in sweatshirts. It's raining right now, as I type this post. I can't even count how many times I've been tempted to turn up the heat in our house, but have refrained out of sheer principle. One shouldn't have to turn on the heat in the middle of July!

Someone should have told me to lower my expectations for Seattle summers. When we moved up here, our first summer was hot enough to melt paint off of a canvas. But I have not been impressed with the summers we have experienced since then. Meh.

Here are pictures from two of the warm-ish days we experienced this summer, which both took place over the 4th of July weekend. We took advantage of the clear skies to hike the trails at Franklin Falls and Little Si. I'm posting these pictures for my own sake. I need to remind myself that the sun actually has the potential to appear around here.

Okay, so Sam and I did wear sweatshirts when we hiked to Franklin Falls. But we also wore shorts, which gives an indication of the "hot weather" we experienced that day.

Little Si on the 4th of July.
We look like we belong in a Gap ad with our solid color tees.

expectations: to have or not to have?

Over the past few weeks I have been developing a theory about expectations (expectations that are met, failed expectations, etc.). It seems like I am a much happier person when I go into situations (or approach life in general) without certain expectations for what will take place. Obviously, when those expectations are met, I feel a sense of fulfillment and pride. And I like that. But when my expectations aren't met for whatever reason, I end up feeling frustrated. I even get frustrated if small expectations are not met - silly expectations that have no real consequence, like finishing a book by the end of the day. I've noticed that sometimes I even get frustrated when something exceeds my expectations - not because I'm upset with results or outcome per se, but I'm irked at the fact that I had mentally prepared for something else.

Case in point: I had anticipated that J, Sam and I would have a fun and adventurous weekend together. But because of various things, it didn't end up being the weekend that I hoped. And even though we had a nice weekend and did get to do a few very fun things that I didn't anticipate at all (like the American Idol concert!), I still feel a little irked and unfulfilled - merely because my original expectations were not met.

So, what to do? In theory, I think that I would be a happier person if I went about without any expectations of how events/projects/work/life would occur. But is that even possible? It seems like part of human nature to expect and anticipate things. And in a way, I know that my own personality also thrives on expectations; I love feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes after expectations are fulfilled.

What do you think about expectations? Do you think that expectations give you a greater sense of happiness or frustration?