When I left my last job and told my co-workers I was moving to the Seattle area, I received a gift. One woman had lived in Seattle for a few years. And while she was there, she bought a stack of guide books. Hiking books, weekend trip books, city books. You name it, she had it. She gave me her stack of guide books and maps when she heard I would be moving. And so I brought those books with me when I drove up here.
I hadn’t thought about them much. Until last week, when I finished the unpacking, they were sitting in a box in some closet somewhere. But this weekend I had the chance to get out and explore a bit. I pulled out the books. And I’m SO glad that I did. My weekend was phenomenal!
One thing I imagine I will love about Seattle is that it’s surrounded by trails and hiking and just about every outdoor activity you can imagine. I’m not sure how this will fare once Summer is over, when the clouds and rain come rolling in, but for now — it’s fantastic.
On Saturday, Steven and I picked a route from the book Walking Seattle by John Owen. There are 19 walks in the book, and we’ve decided to do them all while we’re here. We picked walk 16, Mercer Slough Nature Park in Bellevue. It’s a two-mile nature trail that crosses paths with a blueberry farm and small market.
The walk was beautiful. We meandered along the trail, stopping to take silly pictures, watch canoers along the slough and take in the view of downtown Bellevue from amongst the wildlife. The trail was flat and easy to walk. I definitely recommend it if you’re in the area. Though I must warn you. If you go at dusk, be sure to wear long pants, and don’t lie on the ground. The mosquitoes will eat you otherwise! (I know. Where is my brain sometimes? But seriously, peeps, I just had to get cute pictures in the grass.)
On Sunday, my friend, Christy, and I decided it was time for some adventure. We planned a hike to Rattlesnake Mountain. A friend of Christy’s suggested the trail. And I’m thrilled we took that suggestion. Because the hike was beautiful. And the view from top? Stunning. We loved it.
To get to the trail, we followed the directions from one of my guide books, Beyond Mount Si by John Zilly. The directions were great. Pretty short. Pretty clear. We did pass the parking lot by a short distance, but we quickly realized our mistake and turned around. The parking lot was large. We arrived just before noon, and there were plenty of spaces (though, when we left around 3pm, the lot was overflowing). This hike is a must-do!
Twitter Updates
Great to meet you yesterday! I’ve down the Rattlesnake Mountain hike and Mt.Rainier is a must as well. One good thing about cooler weather is that hiking is easier (not so sweaty!). Glad you’re exploring the PNW.
Hi Alisha! It was so great meeting you yesterday, too.
I am definitely putting Mt. Rainier on my must-do list. That is definitely a great thing about living out here – so much great outdoor stuff to see!
Hi!
Welcome to Seattle! I’m an East Coast transplant and I adore it here. My best friend (who is writing a memoir) told me she reads your blog all the time and so I hopped over to check it out.
Love your optimism and positive attitude!
-AJ
Hi Heather! I just moved to the Seattle area too and I agree that the nature is the best part. My boyfriend and I did Rattlesnake a couple weeks ago in the foggy rain and it was beautiful despite the weather. I hope you continue to have great fun exploring. I know I will!
Andrea – Thanks so much for stopping by the site! I am hoping to come to love living here, too. I still miss SoCal a bit, but I’m really loving all the hikes and outdoor stuff!
Kristin – Absolutely! I’m excited to keep exploring and checking out all the outdoor stuff. Where did you move from? Do you have any other favorite hikes that you’ve tried? Thanks for commenting!!
Haha…I thought of you yesterday, Heather, when I was telling Kat that we’re planning our trip to the Evergreen State Fair. I reminded her that we kinda got rained out last year when we went, and she got this BIG smile, looked up over my head and blurted, “Oh, I LOVE RAIN!!!!” So my hope for you is that you’ll find a little special place in your heart for Seattle rain. You don’t have to live in it forever, but maybe it’ll grow on you a little while you’re here….
Hugs to you! LOVE the new pics on the blog!!!!
I (boyfriend and I) moved here from Chicago. We haven’t had much chance to explore yet so Rattlesnake is the only hike we’ve done. We will be going on some more soon and I’ll let you know what I think
@Noelle – Me, too! I hope I find a place in my heart for Seattle rain (’cause you know I’m going to need it). Funny thing is – I used to LOVE rain. But that was when it was an anomaly.
I’m working on it though!
@Kristin – Chicago is a big move! I hope you are enjoying it here so far. Can’t wait to hear about the places you explore. If you are ever in need of a hiking partner, let me know.
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