Pacific Northwest Hiking
40 Before 40- Forty Incredible PNW Hikes Before I Turned Forty
Last birthday my mind started thinking about the inevitable — that come March I will turn 40 years old. I must admit that the prospect of me turning 40 did not bode well for me. After moping around a bit, I decided to celebrate it instead. My friend who was also turning 40 jumped in on the idea and we decided to do something together!
Needless to say, we started with grand plans: hike to Mt. Everest base camp, climb Machu Picchu, backpacking through Europe etc. Very soon we realized that preparing for these big adventures was not very practical with our kids, a demanding job and an otherwise full plate. This was also the year when Covid’s delta variant was wreaking havoc on human lives. There was no assurance that unrestricted travel would resume in time. Finally, in July we decided to embark on completing 40 hikes before turning 40. We had ~32 weeks to do it but we knew that we could do this. Since we were in different cities, we decided to meet up for a few hikes and do the rest on our own schedule.
In the process, I again fell in love with Pacific NorthWest where exploring never stops! I can now claim I am a true PNWesterner as I have gotten really good at layering :)
I have recorded all the 40 hikes I did in my 39th year of existence. It was a nail-biting finish. Huge kudos to my family who helped me stay focused. Every time I would think of deferring a hike due to not-so-ideal weather, my husband would run a math problem by me and make me calculate the number of hikes left, and the number of weekends I had to achieve it. I would more often just set off for the hike instead of solving the math :
· Hike 1: Dirty Harry’s Balcony
· Hike 2: 4th of July mountain*
· Hike 3: Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge*
· Hike 4: Dungeness Spit*
· Hike 5: May valley — Tiger Mountain*
· Hike 6: Rattlesnake Ledge trail
· Hike 7: Poo Poo point trail
· Hike 8: Poo Poo point (again) sunset hike
· Hike 9: Longview Peak and Far Country Lookout loop
· Hike 10: Snow lake trail
· Hike 11: Little Si trail
· Hike 12: Bullitt Fireplace trail*
· Hike 13: Marymere Falls trail*
· Hike 14: Hole in the wall from Rialto beach*
· Hike 15: Whittaker Wilderness Peak
· Hike 16: Skyline loop — Mt Rainier
· Hike 17: Tradition lake*
· Hike 18: Margaret’s way view
· Hike 19: Poo Poo Point, WA
· Hike 20: Trail of Ten Falls, Oregon
· Hike 21: Anti-aircraft Ridge trail, WA*
· Hike 22: Mirror Lake trail, WA*
· Hike 23: Sky country trail, WA
· Hike 24: Mount Si, WA
· Hike 25: Poo Poo Point, WA
· Hike 26: Neighborhood hike :)
· Hike 27: Rattlesnake Ledge
· Hike 28: Willapa river trail, WA*
· Hike 29: Poo Poo point
· Hike 30: Soaring eagle park trail*
· Hike 31: East lake Sammamish
· Hike 32: Pico Canyon trail, CA
· Hike 33: Santa Clarita morning hike, CA
· Hike 34: Torrey Pines State Beach, CA*
· Hike 35: East Lake Sammamish
· Hike 36: East Lake Sammamish — evening walk
· Hike 37: Twin falls trail*
· Hike 38: Teneriffe falls, WA
· Hike 39: West Tiger Mountain 3, WA
· Hike 40: Talus loop trail, WA
· Goal celebration: Maui, HI
* — suitable for young kids
My app companions — Apple fitness, AllTrails, WTA, Strava
Hike 1: Dirty Harry’s Balcony
What a great place to kick off an exciting goal! Views from the slope and the balcony are splendid
Hike 2: 4th of July mountain
Nice quick hike in lake Chelan area
Hike 3: Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge
Awesome views throughout the trail
Hike 4: Dungeness Spit
It’s a 10-mile out and back hike, I ended up looking for shells and crabs with my kiddo mostly!
Hike 5: May valley — Tiger Mountain
Nice and quiet place for a quick hike
Hike 6: Rattlesnake Ledge trail
A super popular hike, with great views at the top
Hike 7: Poo Poo point trail
My tryst with this hike begin that day and would happen many other times :)
Hike 8: Poo Poo point (again) sunset hike
Felt good to finish it under 2 hours this time
Hike 9: Longview Peak and Far Country Lookout loop
Popular running trail
Hike 10: Snow lake trail
Picturesque alpine lake, stunning views at every turn. One of my favs and would go back every year
Hike 11: Little Si trail
Got there really early as it gets super crowded. Foggy morning, loved the cold morning mist
Hike 12: Bullitt Fireplace trail
Good for a quick workout
Hike 13: Marymere Falls trail
Must do with kids in Olympic national park
Hike 14: Hole in the wall from Rialto beach
Classic PNW beach hike!
Hike 15: Whittaker Wilderness Peak
Quick trail workout
Hike 16: Skyline loop — Mt Rainier
Jaw-dropping, absolutely stunning — MUST!
Hike 17: Tradition lake
Great kid-friendly hike, storyboards on the trail makes it extra fun for the kids
Hike 18: Margaret’s way view
Forested mostly, nice workout
Hike 19: Poo Poo Point, WA
The day we thought we could squeeze a hike before school pickup and had to run back to make it in time :)
Hike 20: Trail of Ten Falls, Oregon
Mid-goal meetup time! Such a fun trip with my partner in crime. We went to the beautiful Silver Falls State Park. It poured the whole time, we were soaked but enjoyed every second of it. And yes, there were 10 falls and all of them were gushing in full force. Must visit!
Hike 21: Anti-aircraft Ridge trail, WA
Lovely hike to do with kids in the Cougar mountain
Hike 22: Mirror Lake trail, WA
Long drive, pothole-ridden gravel road to the trailhead, but I would do this over and over again. Great family hike, once we hiked past the beautiful Cottonwood lake we were rewarded with gorgeous views of the mirror lake
Hike 23: Sky country trail, WA
I was in such a hurry to finish this hike and get back to the rest of the weekend, so hit the Cougar mountains as always
Hike 24: Mount Si, WA
It was about time to hit some steep terrain, so hit the Mount Si trail on a perfect Saturday morning. Can see Mt Rainier on a clear day. Scrambled up the rocky haystack, to find a perfect rock to sit on and enjoy our snack!
Hike 25: Poo Poo Point, WA
I call it the backyard hike, never get tired of this place. Who would, when the views are different every time. The weather was in the upper 30s and it was a reminder to embrace the upcoming cold, wet Washington days
Hike 26: Neighborhood hike :)
The weather was spectacularly bad and I was getting nervous if I would be able to finish 40 hikes in time. Took my always wise husband’s advice and hiked the neighborhood. I live on a plateau, so the walk down and up the hill is always a decent workout
Hike 27: Rattlesnake Ledge
When I started hiking in summer, this was one of the first trails I had visited and it is always fun to go back to a trail for more than one reason. Different weather, new view and the satisfaction of doing the hike faster than the last time :)
Hike 28: Willapa river trail, WA
Lazy weather, lazy vacation somewhere near South bend. This is all I could do with my family after a heavy breakfast :)
Hike 29: Poo Poo point
Boy, I go here often! It was a frigid morning, snow on top.
Hike 30: Soaring eagle park trail
This is an easy trail, not much of an incline. Probably more fun to bike. But hey, no weather can stop me from going to this one.
Hike 31: East lake Sammamish
The deadline is nearing and I have to cease every opportunity. I remember wrapping up my last meeting of the day and dashing off to ever so beautiful, Lake Sammamish. Quick run/walk.
Hike 32: Pico Canyon trail, CA
Warm vacation weekend in California! December is the best time to hike in Southern California. Nice hike walking thru remnants of a ghost town Mentryville, had some interesting CA oil history.
Hike 33: Santa Clarita morning hike, CA
Another hike to soak a cool December morning
Hike 34: Torrey Pines State Beach, CA
Morning hike in perfect San Diego weather.
Hike 35: East Lake Sammamish
First workout of the new year, 2022! Kicked it off right in my neighborhood lake, Lake Sammamish on a cold morning
Hike 36: East Lake Sammamish — evening walk
Another walk/run in my beautiful city
Hike 37: Twin falls trail
Any trail in the Olallie State park is gorgeous!
Hike 38: Teneriffe falls, WA
Absolutely gorgeous, must visit in spring
Hike 39: West Tiger Mountain 3, WA
Nice incline, coming back down can be tricky when the trail is muddy
Hike 40: Talus loop trail, WA
Nice and easy in the Mt Si area
Goal celebration: Maui, HI
Waihee Ridge trail and Pipiwai trail
And what better way to celebrate hiking 40 awesome places? Kicking off more hikes for the next year in one of the best places to hike, Maui!
