Pacific Crest Trail Hiking and Exploring Leavenworth

If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve seen some peeks from this past weekend. My mom visited us for the first time since we moved and we spent the weekend exploring Washington and making the most of her time here. 

On Saturday, we decided to drive from the Eastside of Seattle, through the Issaquah Alps, into Snoqualmie Pass, down to Leavenworth, and then back through Stevens Pass for a full day of mountainous scenery.

We began with a hike along a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail in the Snoqualmie Pass region, just across I-90 from Snow Lake. Rain lightly drizzled and fog descended down past the peaks of the mountains, which bestowed a quintessential Pacific Northwest feel upon our hike. 

We hiked for 3.5 miles and climbed approximately 500 feet. The trail began crossing up the mountain; ski lifts dangled over our heads, as this part of Cascades is popular for skiing during the winter months. After 3/4 of a mile, we were away from the ski slope and entered into the woods. 

The rain over the past week had dampened the trail and the mud squished beneath our hiking boots. There were a few felled trees along the trail, which added some fun obstacles to our hike. Originally, we intended to hike down to Lodge Lake, but after two miles (the WTA website said the lake would be at 1.5 miles in from the trailhead) we only saw glimpses of the lake and it began to rain harder, so we decided to turn around and finish our mountain drive.

It was so much fun to hike with my mom! Now we need to just convince my family to move here so that we can have family outdoor adventures together all of the time. 

We arrived in Leavenworth mid-afternoon and immediately searched for a spot for lunch. Leavenworth is a German village at the Eastern edge of the Cascades in Washington. Since we’re all German descent and love good German food, we opted for a lunch of bratwurst and German beer at the Leavenworth Sausage Garten (which had a dog-friendly outdoor beer garden). I had currywurst (bratwurst seasoned with curry spices) for the first time since I spent a week in Berlin, and it was just as delicious as I remembered. 

After lunch we walked for a few miles around Leavenworth, including a stroll through Waterfront Park on the Wenatchee River. 

These trails just called for a run. I’m seriously considering signing up for the Leavenworth Half Marathon next October. The course includes these trails and ends at the Leavenworth Oktoberfest. 

Charlie enjoyed the trip as well! He was so excited to see his grandma and spend time with her. 

Leavenworth was utterly beautiful in the fall! Ryan and I already have plans to visit again for the German Christmas Market on Thanksgiving weekend and for their Oktoberfest next fall. I could live here. It’s not a far drive from Seattle, but it provides such a break from the crowds of Seattle and Redmond/Bellevue. 

Leavenworth reminded me so much of where I studied abroad in Germany. I spent a semester in southern Germany, near Stuttgart (not far from the Swiss Border). My dorm was nestled in the Swabian Alps, which were beautiful but did not compare to these mountains. 

[Tweet “Hiking the PCT and exploring the German village of Leavenworth via @thisrunrecipes #pnwonderland #hiking #travel”]

Questions of the Day:
What’s your family’s heritage? —> I’m German and English on both sides. 
Do you get to see your family often?
What did you do last weekend?