Snowshoe Cubed

I realized on Sunday that "Wow, this is my 3rd time snowshoeing in one week." Now, that's a good week. As someone who feels completely refueled by being in the woods I was surprised that it was working against my health.

Yes, as I type this I'm wearing my cozy red robe and pile of tissues next to me. My pattern for this week has been fight off sick, drink immunity nectar, theraflu and then go snowshoe only to get set back again. Don't even get me started on how long it's been since I've ran...my summer version of myself would be soooooo disappointed.



I, of course, have a huge crush on the Tatoosh Range. Here it is behind me. It is just so majestic and powerful looking - it holds it's own in the staring contest it has with Mother Rainier.

It was a big honor to pop the snowshoe cherry with Miss Adams (above) - and I believe she loved every minute of it. Even the hills that she cranked out - she was excelling! Miss Adams is great - she's my fellow singleton who I can trade dating stories with. Oh if you could be a fly on our wall you'd be very entertained...

We started out on a trail...

Miss Adams: So how far are we going?

Me: Umm, ya know, whatever. We'll just play it by ear.

Miss Adams: Did you bring the map?

Me: Hmm. I guess I didn't. But, ya know, whatever. We'll see where this goes.

And for some reason she trusted me. Thankfully we ran into a volunteer who encouraged us to do a kicka$$ loop. Thanks Volunteer! I should volunteer - what an awesome way to spend some free time!

I of course introduced Miss Adams to the best combo in the world: Snowshoe and Cocoa w/Peppermint Schnapps. YUMMERS.

BTW - good job Stacia on peeing in the woods in snowshoes. A feat I have yet to try. The men appreciated the free show. Yeah, I didn't want to say anything at the time but they totally saw you.

The snow wasn't fresh and it seemed winter was dying off but the views were still sooo purty. Thanks Stacia for enjoying this day with me - hope it was as good for you as it was for me!



(Rainier doesn't ALWAYS show herself. She gave us a little peep show on the way out...)

My 2nd day snowshoeing was with my Big Bro's lovely wife Andrea - isn't she just absolutely cute and gorgeous all at the same time? She's like an adorable elf. And I should also mention physically capable of anything so I always feel challenged with her...and humbled haha

There was NOOOOO fresh snow. It was like snowshoeing on an ice chest. "Crunch Crunch Crunch" is what our steps sounded like. Followed by the crashes of ice and snow falling off the trees. I felt like I was in a horrible video game trying to escape a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Or like Frogger trying to land on all the lily pads. Except opposite...I guess.




Look at all the ice covering these branches. I loved throwing things at them to knock them all off and liberating the branches. I can tell Andrea is used to my brother because when she missed a REALLY good hit I got she, without hesitation said, "OK, do it again, I'll watch." I have a feeling she says that to my Big Bro a lot when he does his stupid human tricks that he's a little bit too enthusiastic about....

It was getting more and more foggy as we were heading up and realllly errie. Gosh dangit I should of never watched The Mist. That stupid movie was haunting me. It made it even worse hearing the constant crashes of ice and snow falling off the trees. Sounds just like prehistoric creatures coming to get me (if you seen the movie you understand...) Nevertheless, I kept looking over my shoulder just in case!

Here's Miss Andrea - we turned around shortly after this. She was about to be swallowed by The Mist and I couldn't let her die on her birthday - Big Bro would KILL me.

Happy Birthday Andrea - I love our Birthday Traditions!! I'm so stinking happy Big Bro married you - not only did he bond eternally with the love of his life but he provided a lifelong enriching friend for me in you as well. Yup, you can't get rid of me, I'm a lifer ;)

And for the third trip BMount told me he could make me get close and personal with Tatoosh. "No way." I constantly said. But according to him it's completely possible. For me this is big words coming from a man who has tamed a few beasts that common folk refer to as "Peaks" and "Mountains".

He quickly led me off trail (which I was strangely ok with) through the forest, over a stream and into the holy land known as Tatoosh. I was in complete awe as he showed me his different tools and techniques for checking avalanche conditions.

We even ditched the snowshoes and he showed me "kick-steps" to go up the steep mountain side toward one of Tatoosh's saddles. He of course made it look easy, while I of course realized the difficulty behind it when the snow tried to kidnap my legs more than once. It was awesome.

Now mind you when I have my "lunch break" during snowshoeing I sit on my rain coat (which makes my butt numb anyway), drink my cocoa, endure the wind/snow/rain and sometimes chew on an energy bar.

But BMount blew me away by building a shelter, providing a sitting pad and scrumptious food to munch on. Now THIS is good snowshoeing.

Mmm....marinated mozzarella and tomatoes. This is something I enjoy at dinner parties or nice restaurants. But now I can say I enjoyed it at Restaurant BMount.

Thanks Brian for being the best mountain guide EVER. And also for letting me kidnap you for longer than intended and being such a good sport about everything. (Yes, I'm very much the youngest child in my family....)

I love you Parson Brown.

Thanks December

What a month! So for all my secret Krista Rose Stalkers out there (yeah, I know who you are) I apologize for my blog absence.
2009 has meant different things for different people - I've met some incredible folks, had new and great experiences, seen beautiful places and learned that letting go of things I thought I needed only improved me. All the blessings have negated all the hardships. Thanks God, you da man.

Here is Schmuck at our Annual 2nd family Christmas Party. I have many favorite things about Schmuck but one of them is how she changed my life by introducing me to wine. See wine in action.

Anyway - Shannon and I decided to do two Christmas runs in the middle of her Marathon training (yes, I think she's crazy too). The week before it was snowing during our "long run" and it felt like running in a picture! My cell phone picture does it NO justice.



I always feel great before my runs...and usually after my runs (rarely I feel great during my runs) but after Shannon and I ran 8 miles in SUPER COLD temperatures we were less than thrilled.

Look at our snowy footprints! A rare seen sight in these lower elevations...it stuck for 5 minutes, it was great.



Our Annual 2nd Family Christmas Party was hosted by the Czech's this year. The dusting of snow set the perfect ambience for it all.

Welcome the new addition to the 2nd Family: Khloe Isabella Rambo. I think Isabella is a pretty name too...wasn't that the formal name of the main character in Twilight? Yeah. Not a coincidence, Mr. Rambo is a fan and I love it. He owns his fanhood - if only more men would be honest about that. I know there are many Twi-Curious men out there....

Doesn't Mrs. Rambo look good in Motherhood? I still remember asking her to sign my 5th Grade yearbook - and now look at her. No thanks to Joey McIntyre who almost came between us. Thankfully we learned the important lesson of Chicks before D*cks. D*mn Straight.

I remember when our Christmas parties involved Saturday evenings, strong drinks, long nights, sticky floors, loud music, embarrassing pictures, etc. But now the years have brought us early nights with kids EVERYWHERE!

How cute are Baby Czech and Baby Schmuck with cars and Elmo? My friends have the cutest kids and I'm perfectly content with them holding that torch so I don't have to (Sorry Ma).

Once again the Avacado Corn Salsa dip was a hit - thanks again Melody - you give me some credibility in the kitchen that I don't deserve!

Dominator being dominated by the Schmuck. Cutest giggler ever.

Thank you Mrs. and Mr. Czech for hosting (isn't Mrs. Czech gorge?). I still think I should write a blog about how we met. It's a great touching story that started with a threat to bodily harm and me loving her right away. *Cue the Romantic Music*

Baby Schmuck stripping - just like his Mama! Did I ever tell you how her and I met in college? I'll just leave that one open for another time...

Anyway - my favorite thing about the Christmas runs were my candy cane tights I got to wear. Just like the Candy Cane Tootsie Pops I like to put in my mouth. Seriously they are SOOO good! My favorite thing about the Christmas season.

The first run was a 5k in Tacoma. I downed my Theraflu and we had a party in our cars waiting for the late start. Shannon was ahead keeping me motivated as always and CortO took off with the wind. (Thanks for the cup again CortO - you da best!)

The next day was a 12k Christmas run with Shannon. Once again my Big Bro and Andrea had me over the night before for pasta dinner, lotsa water, comfy bed and tons of cheers and support the next day. That's one of the many reasons that make them great family and my place of joy.

This is Shannon and I in action. I soon lost her on the major mondo hill climb which I seriously think was half the course. She of course cranked them out and I squeaked them out. Yay!

Shannon and I after the race. If you're wondering: No, I have never gotten black eyes from running or been suffocated in my sleep from laying down. Yeah, I knew what you were thinking...

This kid is thinking "Frah-Jee-Lay....must be Italian!" 10 points if you can name the movie.

Kate and I also redeemed our Warren Miller coupons and went up to Crystal. Oh, how I missed you skiing. Right before I took this picture I got a text message from Kate letting me know she got stuck in the trees. Shortly thereafter I heard in the wind carrying a loud "FFF********CCCCKKKK!!!!" coming from the trees. That's Kate's version of the beacon. She survived thankfully.

Rainier was so beautiful for holiday snowshoeing. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, Rainier was showing herself off just the way I like it. The snow was a bit icy and crunchy - I wish the conditions were different for the snowshoe virgins but that's the best thing about virgins: they don't know how much better their first time could of been.

My fav thing about Shannon and Laura is how close they are...like dogs.

I mean, look at this sun over the Tatoosh Ridge! We must of taken a buttload of pictures here just being so stinking excited by our surroundings. Poor CortO: "Ok, can we get going?" He has a lot of patience with the ladies...

Rainier Rapping.

So wonderful Laura was in this position about 4 or 5 times. I have never seen a snowshoer before fall with such a graceful "timber" over and over again without any prompting. CortO brought to our attention a highly probable theory of snipers in the trees. She got away this time snipers...

Taking in the views....

Corto: Oooohhhhhh

Shannon: Ahhhhhhhh

Don't think I'm mocking this mouse's death by posing with him. I used to have pet mice and I loved them dearly. Now this mouse's memory will live on and on and on. I think I'll call him Coal. RIP Coal. Thanks for the memories.

Seriously my favorite part of snowshoeing is the cocoa and peppermint schnapps. Yummers. Thanks LauraD for the great mix too! And thanks Highlander (of Ashford) for allowing us to continue our buzz with yummy Hef's!

The sun was going down, making the snow glow and glitter like a Cullen (that reference was for Rambo). Thanks again Rainier....

Stay Beautiful! PS - has anyone ever stayed at the Longmire Inn? I need to take a Luv Hunk there and get cozy!

I hope 2010 brings many blessings and beautiful memories to everyone. And for the love of God can I start going to bed before Midnight? I need motivation. Bed motivation. The promise of latte's in the morning just isn't enough..never has been. Open to Suggestions.

Four Wildcats and a Lumberjack!

Rawr (x4)! and Chop! Chop! It was a must need weekend for just the girls. Leave the men and kids at home and let the girls go frolic at Big D's cabin!

We were all stoked for snowshoeing, drinks and relaxation and were not disappointed!

(Schmuck, Big D, Me, Czech & Rambo)

On the way up to snoeshowing we did not see one....

But two foxes! Look at the freaky eyes on this one. I've never seen foxes chilling in the parking lot before. Is this why the rule is "Do Not Feed the Animals?" 70 feet from this fox were little kiddie-o's playing. Hopefully foxes don't want to take on that chewy challenge...



And we were off! (Schmuck strutting above). The snow was so soft, fluffy and deep. It was pure bliss! Really I am a sucker for hiking but there is something so tranquil and blissful about snowshoeing and with my best girls it was even better.

But the best part of snowshoeing is the cocoa and peppermint schnapps at the turnaround point. It was awesome here because we saw some skiers hike their way up and ski down thru the trees. Bad to the a$$. I don't know if I'd be dedicated enough to do all that work but I gave them a "Right on Dude!" anyway.

The BEST Schnapps is this 100 proof delight from Canada. Canadians know ALL about what is best to drink in Winter and I trust them dearly. I don't know the name of it right now. But it's blue. So look for that: Blue, 100 & Canada next time you have the need.

But.....

Rambo couldn't handle the Schnapps. She thought it tasted like toothpaste. Yes, this is the same girl that the first time visited me at CWU (Pre-Wildcat) she drank all the guys under the table. It's a travesety. At least her kids are cute.

Let's take a moment and take in the sights...don't you wish you were here?

Oh you do?

Then call me!

Because this is the PERFECT way to spend a Saturday night!

But....

There's more! After a long day of hiking/snowshoeing the best part about the cabin is coming back for some good food, drinks and games that we can't understand (well half of us couldn't). No TV, no cell reception - just the basics of food, spirits and good times.

Schmuck VERY much has this concept down as you can see....

Now a lot of the pictures that were taken I have decided to ban from blogville. However since I am a Mandatory Reporter I feel it my ethic duty to publish photographic evidence of the malicious mischief commited by Rambo. See wine glass above.

I'm a little.....

....teapot....

...short and stout....

*ahem* A super big thanks to Big D's family for letting us, yet again, make many memories at the cabin. Only good things happen here.

And thanks to my women for all the laughter, encouragement, spunk and memories. These girls have heart, warmth and they're awesome cooks. The last being one of my favorite qualities. I'm super lucky to have them all in my life.

And thanks to their husbands/boyfriend for taking care of the kids and letting the wives/girlfriend have another old-fashioned b*tches weekend.

PS - Schmuck TOTALLY beat Big D on the first try. Never happens. Oh yeah Big D, I found your kryptonite ;)