Washington - Land of trees

Well we just got back from an amazing family vacation to Washington state and Cascades National park. We took all of the kids, their spouses, our three grandkids and a friend who served us as a nanny. The first amazing thing was to be able to get all of these households and people to get off of workand school to be able to come. We all flew from DFW to Seattle (can you imagine us all at the airport?) and then rented 3 SUVs to drive to Marblemount, WA. We rented 3 cabins at a place called Grace Haven. It is actually owned and operated by believers as a ministry. They were really nice and the cabins were just what we needed. Our porch looked out on old growth forest which is where I sat each morning for my quiet time.

The first day we hiked 3 1/2 miles up to Cascade Pass with all of the kids/grandkids on special backpacks. It was beautiful and then 5 of us went another 2 miles to the Sahole glacier. Overall it was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. The next day we drove across the park and mountain vistas to a little area with some short hikes to mountain lakes which were really pretty. The last one was a 2 mile hike up to Lake Ann which I did with just my four kids. I think it is the only time I have ever hiked with just them by myself. It was a real special time.

The next day we went white water rafting and while the rapids were not bad enough to even get me scared, it was a spectacular trip. The guides were great, the river beautiful with mountains in the background and we spotted several bald eagles flying overhead. It ended with a steak dinner at the outfitter's place. All in all it ws a great day. That is enough for one blog. I will post pics of the first two days. No camera on the float trip.