Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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In the early 1990s, when I lived in an apartment on Olympia's west side, I loved looking west to the southern peaks of the Olympics. You had a great view of them from Budd Inlet over the marina when walking along East Bay Drive. The Olympics felt immense, yet very close, making sense of the "gateway" term often used to describe Thurston County. Indeed, a few more years in the Olympia-Lacey area provided all the priming I needed to get me ready to leave the crowds and hustle off the Interstate 5...
What a pleasant surprise to arrive at Lake Isabella State Park the other day and see that the main trail system was 99% litter-free. I also noted several cars at the trailhead parking lot - I was expecting none - and soon realized that good ol' Lake Isabella was embracing the first waves of spring 2022 as a most healthy and welcoming park. From the surprising sample of visitors I saw, I estimated the park playing host daily to dozens of hikers and dedicated dog walkers. I hadn't visited the park...
Snow level will determine if this Saturday's TrashMash adventure leads us to the trailheads on Mount Ellinor. My gut says we'll not make it that far, but if we do, we'll be visiting two impressive (but lesser known) waterfalls as part of the excursion. Upper Big Creek Falls is a short hike down what used to be a logging road before it collapsed under a landslide. The access point is between the lower and upper trailheads to Mount Ellinor, down a short spur with decent parking. For serious...
