Cloqualliam Hill

I think I will spell this different every time.  Wow, it's been a while since I made it out to hike but I have been doing a lot of fishing, real estate photography, kitchen remodeling and taking my kid to the doctor. More on that later. 

Back to the same old boring hill for me, I don't love it, but it is good exercise and I always get total solitude here even on 4th of July weekend.

I was hungry by the time I reached the top of the hill as I had skipped breakfast.  I did a time-lapse movie at my lunch spot.  I kind of want to do that at all my lunch breaks from now on.

Someone else has discovered my spot and left this behind

 

Not much happens in this movie but it is relaxing and gives you a good sense of the place and the season.

We recently figured out, with NO HELP from his doctors that my kid has Elhers Danlos Syndrome.  I've been working hard to get him diagnosed and he will soon have his dx.  It took two years to get in to see the genetics department at Seattle Children's Hospital. They concure that he probably has EDS but are running genetic tests to rule out other connective tissue disorders. 

My son probably has the hypermobile variety of EDS and a fairly severe case of it.  This explains we he struggled so much in school starting with head aches in second grade. It explains he sore joints, headaches, GI issues, photophobia, fatigue and bendiness. 

It is hard to get EDS diagnosed, is it rare or is it just rarely diagnosed?

Cloquailliam Hill 2

 

This dog has started greeting me at the start of this hike. I keep trying to convince them to hike with me.

I found a new bald hill to climb and the walk starts at the same gate!  The walk is nicer but the view is not as good since hill #2 is smaller.

I had to cross Cloquialliam Creek on a missing bridge and that was a little bit exciting.  There are many ways to spell Cloqualiam.   

I did not have complete solitude, there was a wood cutter on the road. But being Memorial day weekend I guess that's okay. 

7 miles 500 feet elevation gain

Creek Crossing

A better access but off a private road so not an access

Today's Goal

Lunch time

My home made backpack that I made the week my spouse died
is still going strong.

I could just barely see a cow from my lunch spot

Some nice layers

Threw away my windscreen for the flight home from 
New Zealand and have not replaced it yet. Had to make one from rocks and wood. 

Cloqualliam Hill

 

I'm still just going up what I call Cloqualliam Hill once a week.  I have not hit the actual trails yet.  I really do hate crowds of people and dogs.  But now that I am dogless I might take some bus trips up to Mount Walker again.  Gas is so expensive and my monthly budget has so little wiggle room in it.  My lifetime budget is looking good, but my monthly budget is hellish. 

It took getting all that wonderful COVID unemployment for me to realize just how poor I am.  My son and I are living well below the poverty level now.  

My son is looking for   jobs, he is disabled with EDS.  There has always been something causing him pain but he had a pretty normal childhood.  Things are getting worse for him now, but at least we finally have a name for it.  He still has not been diagnosed, we are working on that.    My son is 18 and has lost his survivors benefits since he can not find a school in Shelton to take him for 20 hours a week, the requirement once a child turns 18. He had a nice accommodating GED program in Aberdeen, but the program in Shelton will not accommodate him at all.

My son is looking for pet sitting and housesitting jobs.  He can pet sit exotic pets of all kinds and small dogs.  He can not handle large dogs.  He is neat and tidy and can do light housework, so he could be an excellent house and pet sitter.

I've started trout fishing again, something I have not done since my childhood!  My daughter wanted to fish but wanted someone to go with her so I got advice from grandpa (my father who writes books on fishing)  and then translated that advice to my daughter and now she is catching trout.  

I'm catching trout too and using them to cut back on my food budget.  I think I've eaten more meat this week than I have in any other week during my adult life.  I'm eating trout nearly every day.  I've found a good spot close to home. That spot is in the photo above.  It can be tricky to cast there, but with patience I go home with dinner every morning. 

I don't like catch and release fishing, I think it is needlessly cruel. So I eat what I catch.

CQL Hill in the rain with a macro lens third hike with Tato

Wow what a wet day this turned out to be.  I have decided to try to hike every Sunday and Thursday and am leaving my calendar open on those days.  

It rained harder and harder as I climbed the hill. By the time I was ready to set up my tarp for lunch it was pouring and I began to doubt the wisdom of my plan.  To stay warm by sipping tea under my tarp.  My pants and shoes were soaked.  I should have worn rain pants and boots.

It took my a while to find a perfect spot to pitch my tarp but once I found a good spot pitching it went pretty fast.

I had hot coffee and hot ravioli I added fresh onion, Thai basil and hot sauce to the canned ravioli and it tasted good.  While I at the ravioli I warmed up another cup of water for decaf tea.  After my food and my second cuppa I felt really good.  I always seem to feel really good if I have a second drink after my meal.

The rain stopped a bit and it got brighter just in time for me to hike out.  I was a bit cold by the time I was done but not chilled to the bone.  A hot shower at home warmed me right up. 

7 miles with 1,000 feet elevation gain

Worm macro

                                                      Worm being too long
 

Cloquallum not a Loop Hike in the fog to start the year.

9 miles 700 feet elevation gain

Check out this Yew wood spoon that Phil made for me!

 

Sage knew it was hiking day so I had to sneak my pack out the back door.  She is not well enough to hike anymore, she has a bad heart. 

I decided to go back and do the same loop but counter-clockwise.  I wanted the best view to coincide with lunchtime this time.  So up I went, up the logging road but there was no view at all.  The spot I had in mind was totally socked in with fog.

It was cold and windy and I did want to get my feet wet on the brush crashing section of the loop, so I decided to double back instead of completing the loop this time. 

As I as heading out I saw a truck so I jumped into the bushes and hid.  I almost always hide when I see a car or truck on the logging roads when I am alone.  I was only able to get about two feet off the road and was not really concealed as the truck went past.  The truck said "champion" on the side at it appeared to be commercial.  The driver never saw me.  It is amazing how easy it is to hide from passing cars.  Drivers don't look to the side much.   But even deer hunters who drive slow and look to the side never see me hiding.  

So far every time if I see the car first I get away without them seeing me.  A few times a car has come up on me and surprised me and I had no time to hide, but that is very rare.

I hide because I don't want to talk to anyone, I'm out there for solitude.  I don't want my chain of though destroyed and I don't want to risk negative interactions.  The way to 100% avoid negative interactions is to have none at all.

I figured the truck would be back soon, cars on these roads often due and this truck seemed lost and even more likely to come back.  I decided that was a good time to head into the woods I had been eyeing and have my lunch break up in the trees out of sight from the road.

I had a nice lunch break, but I was wrong about the truck coming back, I never did see that truck again.  This was my first time hiking on this road and seeing another person.  My perfect record of solitude on the route has been destroyed.

I am moving to New Zealand in late March.  I need to get back into the National Park and do some of my favorites hikes there.   They days are getting longer now so I can drive further.  Also Sage is not fit enough to hike so I may as well go enjoy the park where dogs are not allowed.

Witches butter fungi

Foggy view