National Forests, State Parks, National Parks and National Recreation Areas run from the northern state border almost to the south state boarder of Washington. This allows us to explore our state in such a unique way.  Each trail we explore is different and has unique treasures that surprise us and take our breath away.   Sometimes with a heavy winter snowfall we need to head south to find an accessible mountain trail early to mid summer.This was our first hike to Mt Pilchuck. I researched trails and had found one that looked amazing, was highly rated on Washington Trails Association.  We also toyed with the Mt Pilchuck trail but determined it might be too steep for me. We packed lunch, threw our gear into the truck and headed down the highway. An hour and 30 minutes later we arrived at the trailhead.  It was packed, not an empty spot in the parking lot or along the access road to the parking lot or the parking lot across the highway.  So as any good hiker would do, we scrapped that idea.  Sometimes hiking a crowded trail isn't worth it.  Another day, possibly during the fall.  Since we had already done a little research on Mt Pilchuck we drove back down the highway until we reached the access road to the trailhead and turned in.  Since it wasn't directly off the highway and you had to drive a ways up the mountain there were less people there.  Pulling up to the trail head, we noticed a fair amount of cars yet still empty spaces.  Always a good sign.  People but not a stream of them. It didn't take long before we had our boots on the trail and were headed up.  This trail offered view of Mount Baker to the north and Mount Rainier to the south.  Once we were mostly above the tree line, we hit snow. At this point I realized that I would no longer be able to go on.  My knees tend to hurt with a lot of down hill pounding.  The uphill would be fine, but coming down I wouldn't be able to get back to the car without pain and hiking backwards.  So I found a very warm, dry out of the way rock.  I pulled out my journal, a water bottle, and placed my camera beside me and I watched the rest of the family continue on the trail.  At first I was a little sad.  The top had a fire lookout tower perched on the pinnacle of the mountain and the view must be amazing.  Then I became reflective and realized that this is life.  We do what we can and then we need to bow out and let the next generation explore, learn, and take over.  I sat and listened to the birds, the sound of the creek and water melted into it, and groups of people chatting as they ascended or decended the trail. Then there were the groups that blared their music as they hiked and it made me feel sad again.  I was sad for myself because frankly I didn't want to hear their music or really any music at all, I had this amazing sound around me.  I was sad for them, because they were missing something and they didn't know and also because they had to be so plugged into "entertainment" that they couldn't enjoy the entertainment around them. I was sad for the other hikers that had to endure that. I get that it's nice to have music, but not everyone wants to listen to music as they hike, that's what earbuds are for.  I guess that growing up not plugged in all the time, gives me an "old fashion" perspective but as I get older, I try more and more to be in the moment and for me that means leaving my phone, my facebook, my instagram turned off and enjoying the now. Periods of silent doesn't bother me, it restores me, it comforts me.  There really isn't a time that it is silent, just the quiet noises are able to be heard.  Within an hour, my family returned.  Taking a break at my cozy spot, Lona plucked a few tunes on her ukulele that she carried up and down.  Which is funny because I was sad about music, yet somehow it was different had the person been playing the harmonica or a guitar or something like that. I guess acoustic music in the woods fit better and it isn't constant.  Hilarious and probably hypocritical as well but that is how I viewed it. The descent was just as beautiful and there were new things to discover as our eyes were pointed a different direction.  As we neared the trail head, there was a gal heading up in ski boots packing her skis and it made me smile.

She's 15 and we celebrated her birthday casual style.  We had our own little family party, having dinner and opening presents.  Then she invited her friends to go boating and roast marshmallows at our house. My last child has turned the driving age.  We are making her wait until she isn't involved in after school sports. She's enjoying being 15 without the driving permit. She understands. The other day she was with her friends and I texted, when are you coming home, thinking in an hour which would have been 10:30. Oh, about 1 am.  We all laughed at the house.  There was no way she was staying out util 1 am! I said 11 pm was her curfew, meaning for that night. A couple of days later she was meeting her friends around noon.  I asked what the plan was and when she was going to be home.  Her response was 11 pm because that was her curfew.  She assumed that since it was 11 pm once it was always 11 pm and she  could stay out with her friends all day.  We had another good laugh.  I never needed to bring this up with the boys.  She is so different from them. I like her friends and so far they are a good group of kids.  We will see how this next year goes.  Welcome to 15 and being young.

On an evening like this I think I live in the most beautiful place in the world. We drove down a dead end road with signs posted, "slow, baby geese" at the corner. Pulling up to the boat ramp, we quickly unloaded the kayaks and gear and then John parked the truck. Our friends were already there and had their kayaks by the water ready to go. Within 10 minutes we were in the water, talking as we paddled across the little bass fishing lake.  The local volcano was framed perfectly between the trees and it felt remote.  Slowly we made our way across the lake around clusters of lily pads, quietly talking and then remaining silent and talking again.  We tuned into the rhythm of the lake as the water soothed and calmed us to the core. The boat gives me a little freedom that standing on the shore just doesn't do and I feel like I can see and feel the lake. I have become part of the life of the lake instead of the observer.  Slowly we made our way back to the boat ramp and our connection to the lake dripped away as our kayaks dried in the sun.

As I get older, I more often openly rebel against trends. It seems as though everyone jumps upon a bandwagon and I run the other way intentionally.  I don't know why, I just feel this rebelliousness in me that refuses to like a particular trend. A few years ago there was this trend about choosing a word for the year and embracing it. It may still be something however I could never find a word or even the desire to do so. And then this word came into my life: Hygge. It is more of an idea than a word really. There are blog posts, books, magazine articles and Pinterest lists on the idea. It has become a trend to hygge and it is a trend that I am embracing. Hygge is a Danish word yet as I think back to my childhood, I see aspect and moments of hygge.  It is the lunches eaten outside, the days of summer biking to the pool, the excitement of Christmas presents under the tree. It is the afternoon nap on Saturday. The first truly warm day of spring, the crisp autumn mornings that turn into a hot autumn day.  Its the evening meals with everyone around the table talking and laughing. The word may be Danish however I truly believe that every culture has a way of connecting with each other and the moment at hand. I think as we get global, faster pace, needing to accomplish, make everything beautiful and branded we forget to be real. I struggled for many years to find the "joy in the mundane" because everywhere I looked I was reminded to spin plates. Reading books and articles on Hygge, I'm encouraged to be present in what I am doing.  Enjoy the suds on my hands as I wash plates, smell the fragrance of the clothes as they come out of the wash, feel the warmth of the clothes from the dryer on a cold day, remember the memories created with the hiking shoes from the day before they piled on the floor. This word is encouraging instead of demanding. It reminds me that mundane is only tedious if I make it that way. I can slow down and see small beauty in everything. I'm reminded of what I enjoyed as a child.  I didn't care about our kitchen counters as a kid.  I just wanted the rice krispe treat on the counter that my mom made.  I didn't care about matching towels in the bathroom, it just felt good to wrap up in a warm towel after my bath.  I didn't care about a beautiful photo perfect camp, I just wanted to camp, play in the water, make instant oatmeal in the morning and smores at night. Somehow I had lost my way and hygge is reminding me of the relationships and memories attached to them. It is less about a perfectly plated gourmet dinner and more about who I am having dinner with.  So yes, I am jumping on the hygge bandwagon, but more of how it encourages me to slow down, live life as I am, be comfortable in me.

Lona wanted a low-key day as far as her birthday was concerned.  She wanted to hang out with her friend, go to the lake and have a bonfire. Her plans had changed drastically. At first she wanted to go to Skagit Valley to the drive-in and watch movies at a drive, go go-karting, and camp. Then it changed to tubing and wake boarding on the lake which was much better for all of us. Some of her school group was able to make it to the lake and they tubed. They tried wakeboarding and Isaac R. was able to ski.  I think it was his first time so we were very excited for him.  Lona just made everything look easy but she's been doing it for years and years.  Hopefully we get to go again before the summer is over.