Our kitchen and living room look out over nearly 180 degrees of the Cascade Mountains. Making coffee in the morning sunlight, I can hear them calling as clear and loud as a gong. My birthday pressie from Jacob was a pair of hiking boots. After years of watching me tromp about in old sneakers, soaking up whole mud puddles, and getting poked by the tiniest pebbles, he’d had enough. While my new kicks won’t see me moonlighting for The Sartorialist anytime soon, they will float me through 12 hours of hiking with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.
Last Saturday, we took them for their first spin, driving the quick hour to the Central Cascades. This area is crisscrossed by hundreds of hiking trails, dangling promises of mountain views, sparkling lakes, waterfalls, the Snoqualmie river, and acres of lush green forests.
From this embarrassment of … Continue reading
