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.
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?
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Beautiful and so peaceful. Can’t beat that combination.
You really can’t! 🙂
German, English, and Irish. Alex is German and Irish. We are going to have ginger babies. There is just no way that we won’t, with his mom’s red hair and ginger in my family, even though my immediate family is blue eyed blonde and much more Nordic.
I love that Leavenworth is such a British name, and it is a German village. Kind of like how Vail Village is very nordic, but not at all!
Blue-eyed German ginger babies! It is interesting how Leavenworth has a British name, since so many of the other places out here have Native American names like Snoqualmie and Sammamish. I guess it all has to do with settlement!
Wow, looks like such a beautiful and fun hike! I love the different areas you get to explore. That picture of Charlie is great 🙂
Thank you, Angie! 🙂 Charlie is so expressive in photos 🙂
I’ve been to Leavenworth! Years and years ago, but I’ve been there. The food looks great! I spy a salted pretzel. MY FAVE. As usual, I love all your photos. My family lives close to us but I don’t see my parents too often. I keep typing out and backspacing my explanation, but I guess it’s too long and personal for a comment section! HA ha! Andrew’s parents live close by and I would die without them. I love them so very much. Andrew was born in Belfast, and I am English/Scottish descent but just barely.
Salted pretzels are a must with German food…or really whenever good ones are available! That’s so nice that Andrew’s family lives near you!
This looks like my ideal weekend! What a beautiful hike, even if it was a little squishy 🙂 Best way to top it off is with a beer! Dog friendly beer gardens are the best.
You would love it out here in Seattle then! Dog friendly beer gardens are the best – except Charlie always gets upset that he doesn’t get any beer haha! 🙂
It looks like you had such a nice time together! I do see my family often, my parents live real close by so it’s nice, they are a huge help with my son too. I am german too!
We did! That’s so great that your parents live near you. And yay for German!