Hello, hikers,

My forgetfulness and some snowy road conditions on the final approach to the Boulder River trailhead made for a late start...my apologies once again! Once at the trailhead, Janice, her gaggle of children.... Forrest, Fischer, and Scout.....Nancy, Susan, Jen, and I headed down the trail..By the way, this was a record number of hikers enjoying the day! Snow dotted the terrain, as we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the rushing Boulder River to our side. Wide and flat, the way lead us to a beautiful falls, and some of us slowed our pace here enjoying the scenery and waited for the rest of the group to enjoy a snowball fight and other horsing around activities! On we went to a bit more elevation gain and trees that were dumping their load of snow and water on us as we passed under them. Due to our late start and a prior commitment, Nancy and Susan bid the rest of farewell as they headed back. The remainder of us eagerly looked for that perfect lunch spot...ah, a snow covered log..this will suffice! Resting our weary bones and enjoying a variety of snacks and lunch items, the temperature started to cool us off....pack it up and head back! The kids with more energy than I'll ever have again pelted the group with snowballs. Going back afforded us views that we didn't take time to enjoy on the way in..the neighboring mountains of Darrington, and the snow covered hills surrounding us...it's winter. Forest and I broke away from the rest of the pack and made the parking lot first, patiently awaiting the rest of the hikers and retaliation time...... it was snowballs down the shirts for those that pelted me on the trail....the lesson learned..don't dish it out if you can't take it! All in all, a good day was had by all. Please consider joining the group when we hike the Iron Goat Trail on Saturday, January 7th.

Happy Holidays,
Kathy