Friday Fun Hikes

Today I'm linking up with Helene for Travel Tuesdays! I have been so blessed to be able to do a little traveling so far in my life, and a lot of days when I get stressed and think I'm too far behind in life, I think over some of my adventures and realize 'Hey, I'm not doing too shabby.' But don't worry...they're all in fitting with the spastic, awkward-adorableness that you've gotten used to in The Unreal Life ;)

A few summers ago, I had the good fortune of living and working in Seattle, Washington for philanthropy-guru World Vision. We had to work a minimum of 25 hours a week to get paid, but we didn't get paid any extra for working any more. So, of course, some of the interns and I decided to take every single Friday off and explore a new spot of Washington.  Best. Decision. Ever. We called them "Friday Fun Hikes."There were four of us 'regulars': Me, Mathias, Kelsey and Stephen. New people would come in and out every week, but the four of us were troopers all summer long.

Funny story about Mathias:

He would ask the same three questions to every single person, every single hike. 

-What was your favorite day in high school?

-Tell me about your "community"--by which he meant friends, family, etc

-What is your favorite movie?

While these questions annoyed me to no end, Mathias also knew that if he brought exceptional snacks for the hike, I would still come. (I'm talking like...Farmer's Market plums, goat cheese, sausage and once he even bought like a Bunsen burner type thing so he could grill for us. On a rock. In a stream. By a waterfall.)

Funny story about Kelsey:

Kelsey and I were both from the Midwest, and began calling all other women on the trail "Northwest Women." They were intense. They would run up these mountains, while Kelsey and I were huffing and puffing and breathing up a storm. Sometimes they even ran with babies on their back. We were convinced they were an entirely different breed.

But now the real excuse for this post: I just want to show off some pictures!!! =)

(Video of the view from the top. Please excuse the moment where I'm a 

total dufus and decide to start taping sideways.)

Mt. Rainier
This one is deserving of a post in itself. We showed up completed unprepared. Read: leggings, tennis shoes and shorts. The ranger thought we were crazy, but we decided that we had driven for too long to not play around on America's tallest mountain. We slipped and fell and ran around the snow like small children, had a group of 'serious' mountain hikers ask us if we were lost and OK, until eventually we were so exhausted that we spread out a tarp and took a nap. On Mt. Rainier. It was the only time I got tan all summer (go figure) and I have to admit that it continues to be one of the best days of my life, ever. Until Mathias told us we needed to leave him in the forest so he could 'be with God' (AKA get over a girl) and that he had a tarp, can of tuna, and a knife. We did. He survived.

Midwest kids finally feeling at home--SNOW!

Lost, again. In shorts and tennis shoes on America's tallest mountain. We are by no means the smartest cookies.

The view from our nap spot.

The best nap I've ever taken.
(And I've taken quite a few)

People who actually knew what they were doing.

If you want to read more about my time in Seattle, check out 'Sentimental Seattle.' And for stories of the adventures that got me there, check out this post about my road trip =)