Beautiful day and I don't have to work. Yippee!!! Time for the next hike of the summer, so early this morning I picked up my little sister and we headed off east of Seattle to Issaquah for a hike at Rattlesnake Mountain. It was a gorgeous morning and as we drove across the I-90, the sun glanced off of the water and sparkled. We got to the Rattlesnake trail head about 50 minutes after we had started. The parking lot was relatively empty and we only saw a few hikers at the beginning of the trail.
Ready, set, go! Look at those trees!
It was actually a bit chilly, but as soon as we started walking we built up a sweat. This hike is moderately easy with a bit of a strenuous climb towards the top, but there is a well paved and well marked path. There were 3 trials that we could choose from. Rattlesnake mountain which is the most popular path was 1.9 miles to the end, East Peak 4.3, and Snoqualmie Point 10.2 miles . Compared to Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene, this hike was cake, but the view at the top was fantastic! Hiking to the top we took note of the foliage and the forestry. It's amazing to me how Washington has so many different types of trees and each place you go there are different ecosystems and plants, so interesting! Also, as you climb higher in elevation, the types of trees also change. It was a good 40 minutes of hiking when we finally reached the top.
Top of the peak!
Awesome views!
I am as high as the mountains!
The view again, was awesome! We did a 360 degree turn and could see something different on each turn from Snoqualmie Valley, to Mount Si, to Mount Teneriffe, North Bend, and even the parking lot where we parked our car! We took a break at the top and brought out our snacks to munch on. For some odd reason, there are squirrels that like to hang out at the viewpoint as well and they obviously have been accustomed to humans as they ran straight up to us begging for food. I know we're not suppose to, but I threw out a bit of a cracker once just because he was so cute looking.... bad idea!! He came back 2 more times and each time got closer and closer to us. I screamed the last time because it was so sneaky and came up behind me. After that attack I literally grabbed my bags and ran. If you go hiking up Rattlesnake, beware of the crazy squirrels. The climb back down was quick and we passed many people heading up. I was glad we had started off early to miss the traffic that would be up at the top.
Our snacks as we sat and admired the view!
Crazy squirrel, look at him!
We were done by 10 am and feeling satisfied, decided to fill up gas at Costco and grab some smoothies. What a great idea because turns out that when we got to the food counter at Costco, we discovered they had just launched their new gelato line!! 3 scoops in a waffle cone for get this, $1.50!!!!! What????? Flavors to choose from are pistachio, mixed berry, and stracciatella, YUM! We both liked the mixed berry the best, but the other 2 were good as well. Refreshed, we happily headed home.
Our first look at the gelato!
No ways!! I'm totally going to be back for more!
I'm absolutely loving summer in the Pacific Northwest! What's better than a good hike and gelato except maybe an ocean to jump into to cool off, but I can do without that for now. Happy playing!
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