Less than two years ago, I was worried I might never be able to engage in my favorite physical activity again -- hiking in the mountains. But thank God, an operation got me back on my legs. Here are the ten best days of hiking (not necessarily the best hikes, in order) from 2023.
Crater Lake, with the family. Elevation loss / gain: 800 feet. Roundtrip, 3 miles. Highlights: the view, a good day with the family, and swimming in one of the most gorgeous lakes on this solar system. I drank a little of the water, too, and haven't mutated into anything yet.
Alpine Lakes backpacking: Trout, Copper, Little Heart, Big Heart, with John and James. Elevation gain / loss: 4000 feet? Roundtrip, 14 miles. Highlights: camping in the same spot we camped at fourteen or so years ago, overlooking Big Heart. Swimming in each lake. Sore back!
Chestnut Pine Hot Springs, Taitung, Taiwan. Elevation gain / loss: 3000 feet. Roundtrip, 11 miles. Steepest "trail" I've ever "hiked" at the end, with one-inch r-bar set vertically on both sides of trail, cotton mittens or rubber caps on tops of r-bar to grab.
Lake Ingalls, Mount Stuart, with John. Elevation gain / loss: 2600 feet. One of the most beautiful hikes I've been on. The first three miles are steadily up but not too steep, with mountains and cliffs visible from the get-go. At the past, the view becomes incredible, with 9000+ foot Mount Stuart towering above golden larches in a huckleberry-strewn granite landscape. Plus there's a lake, though that takes a scramble.
Gnostic Basin, above Mount Cristo. With John. Elevation gain / loss: 3200 feet. 10 miles. Quite steep. Foggy Lake at the end is cold but swimmable.
Gem Lake, Snow Lake, alone. Elevation gain / loss: 2700 feet, 11 miles. Alone. So tranquil. So beautiful. Yes, I swam. So cold.
Christmas tree hunt, cross-country skis, with John and James: two miles. Highlight: perfect grand fir. Wasn't too heavy. Fit just right. Still fresh.
Talapis -- Ollalie -- Rainbow Lakes, blueberry hunt. A class hike, close to home. Blueberry haul a little small this year, but still enjoying in oatmeal, pancakes.
Mount Rainier, Highline Trail. The fact that I had to squeeze this beautiful hike at ninth spot this year, to a never-before visited spot above Paradise, tells you how good this year was for hiking. Highlights: aside from the fellowship and the scenery, peach milkshakes on the way down.
Ptarmigan Ridge, from near Mt. Shuksan towards Mt. Baker. This is another hike that deserves much higher ranking. This was also part of high school backpacking trip from 45 years ago, and where Alvin Plantinga recalls a mystic experience in a storm. Absolutely spectacular.