Snowshoeing on Mount Rainier

Last week, I told my new shipmates that I wanted to start exploring the area with a hike on Saturday.  There was a sudden twinkle in their eyes and the gears in their noggins started churning on the plan for a most excellent outing to Mount Rainier National Park. 

They told me I would need snowshoes.

This excited me, because I've been wanting to try snowshoeing for a while, and I was disappointed there wasn't any snow on the ground when we arrived in NH for Christmas this year.

There is an excellent outdoor recreation place called Pacific Edge Outfitters at Naval Base Kitsap.  I stopped there on Friday and rented snowshoes and poles, plus some snow pants.  I thought the prices were pretty reasonable.  It cost me $20.75 to rent the gear for the weekend since they're closed on Sunday and I would have to return it on Monday.

We left the Kitsap area around 7 a.m. and started the approximate 2 1/2 hour drive to Paradise on the southern side of Mt. Rainier.  There was a pitstop at Starbucks, then a rendezvous with some members of our group at Krispy Kreme, then another pitstop at the Rainier Basecamp.  By the time we finally made it to Paradise, got suited up, and ready to set forth from the parking lot into the snow, it was 11:15 a.m. 

The snowbanks were about 3 times as tall as our truck.

View of the mountain from the parking lot.  Note how high the snow is on the lodge.

Tunnel entrance into the lodge.

It was pretty cold when we got there, too.  The thermometer on the truck said 31F.  I was glad I rented snow pants and brought my big snow boots.  There were 8 of us total.  Two members of our group had been here before and were experienced snow-hikers.  We got all bundled up in multiple layers of clothing and headed out.

 Time Stamp - Leaving Parking Lot

Snowshoe-Up!

I didn't keep detailed notes on the trail, but the initial timeline went something like this:
11:16 a.m.  Set out from Paradise Visitor's Center parking lot.
11:20 a.m.  Snowshoes on, commence trudging uphill through the snow.
11:21 a.m.  If I were on the elliptical or exercise bike at the gym, then it would have dinged, saying, "Target Heart-Rate Reached, Resistance will change to maintain heart-rate at XXX bpm."
11:22 a.m.  Sweating.  Took off winter hat.
11:23 a.m.  Still sweating.  Took off gloves.
11:24 a.m.  Sweating profusely.  If I were on the exercise bike at the gym, it would be making angry beeps at me, "Reduce pace to lower heartrate."
11:25 a.m.  Burning up.  Took off jacket and removed fleece liner.  Stuffed fleece liner in backbpack, put jacket shell back on.
11:26 a.m.  Doing better without the fleece, but still wishing I had NOT put on that long-underwear and heavy wool socks.  Unzipped jacket.

Actually, from then on it wasn't too bad.  Next time I will definitely not wear as many layers.

On the trail, heading up the Skyline Loop Path clockwise from the Paradise Visitor's Center.

I'm pretty sure that's the TOP of a very TALL tree.

Looking back the way we came.  

Can you see the footprints going waaaaay off into the distance up the hill?

Right here, we are hiking over this waterfall.

(Click the link to see what it looks like in summer.)

The scenery was spectacular throughout, and I'm very glad we went.  Unfortunately, the battery on my Garmin Forerunner is dead, so I don't have a link for you to see our trip stats on MyGarmin dashboard.  Using Google Earth, I think we went approximately 2.1 miles and climbed approximately 800 feet in elevation (starting around 5,400 feet and going up to about 6,200 feet). 

Time Stamp back in the parking lot.

(Elapsed time almost exactly 3 hours.)

We made it back to the Visitor's Center just in time for a Park Ranger to tell us about the National Park.  I have yet to be disappointed by listening to a Park Ranger, and this one was no exception.  His description of previous expeditions to the summit was both educational and entertaining.  They show a 21-minute video at quarter-past and quarter-til the hour, and the video was excellent, too. 

Aside: < rant > Will someone please explain to me why Pepsi has a stranglehold on the Pacific Northwest???  EVERYWHERE we go, it's always Pepsi.  You don't have to read my blog for long to know that I'm a Diet Coke addict, so this has been a frustrating part about moving to the area.  As much as I hate eating at McDonalds, I will now go through the McD's drive through simply because it is one of the few bastions of Coca-Cola products in the state of Washington.

Case-in-point:  The Cafe in the Paradise Visitor Center

Recommendation:  Bring food and beverages with you, or be ready to shell-out movie theater prices at the Visitor Center.  $3.23 for a soda the size of a medium at McD's, seriously???  < / rant >

To end on a positive note, we were able to stop at the REI in Tacoma on our way back and take advantage of some of their end-of-winter sale prices.  Then we had some dinner at a Mexican place I hadn't tried yet and was very good.  I owe some of you a review of the various Mexican restaurants I've tried so far on the peninsula though, so I'll cover that in another blog post to come.

In the meantime, if you would like some beginner info on snowshoeing, check out the REI website here.  Next on my snowshoeing to-do list is Hurricane Ridge.

Opening a New Chapter

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!

My blog posting has been light because I've been traveling back and forth to multiple Navy schools over the past several months.  Now that I have finally reported to my new Permanent Duty Station (PDS), I figured I should update the banner info on my blog.

For those of you (CW) who relied upon my blog to remind you of things like getting your uniform ready for sub ball, doing your taxes, or picking up your Mass Transit Benefit at the Pentagon, please accept my apologies.  I have been delinquent on my public service announcements.  Hopefully you weren't really relying on me to tell you when to submit your taxes. ;-)

Judging by the number of hits on my blog for Google searches like, "what to wear to the submarine ball," you can tell it's that time of year again.  This post is too late to help most people since the Submarine Birthday Ball has already happened in most places.  I attended the Submarine Birthday Ball in Omaha last week, and it was very nicely executed.  Last night was the officer Submarine Birthday Ball in Seattle, and my wonderful wife and I had a great time.  Next Saturday is the enlisted Submarine Birthday Ball in Seattle.

BT BT

Under the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," I discovered there is a new website for arranging household goods shipments.  The new Defense Personal Property Management (DPS) website isn't as user-friendly as the previous SmartMove website was, and it has been a frustrating process so far.  Here are a few quick lessons learned for anybody else getting ready to execute a PCS transfer and ship household goods:

1.  Start early.  After you register on the DPS website, they say it can take up to 72 hours to complete your registration (just so you can log-on to the website).  It took me 3 tries to get my registration processed through the DPS website and get logged on to where I could start submitting my request for HHG shipment. 

2.  Pack out dates.  Unlike the old SmartMove website that showed you a calendar with what dates were available, the DPS website just asks what date you want to move.  I entered a Monday that I wanted the packers to show up, figuring they would pack Monday and Tuesday then load the truck Wednesday. 

Nope. 

The date you enter on DPS is the date you want your house to be empty, not the date you want them to show up and start packing. So if you enter a Monday date, then the packers will be coming to box your stuff up on Thursday and Friday the week before.

3.  Call and confirm they receive your application.  After submitting the move application online, I received an automated email response saying it was received and that I needed to fax in my orders for them to process my application.  The next day, I faxed in my orders.  The day after that, I called to confirm they received my fax.  The gentleman I spoke with on the phone said, "Well, yes, we received your fax with your orders, but we don't know why you sent them to us because we don't have any application for you."  So much for the electronic submission and the automated confirmation email.  Recommend calling to confirm they receive your application.

That's all for now.  More to follow as we explore and get to know our new home.

Oh, and don't forget to submit your income tax return.

Paddle Log #23: Hickam Beach

For my last weekend on the island, I made an effort to get out and enjoy Hawaii while it lasted.

View of Kaneohe coming out of the H-3 Tunnel

Saturday I took two of my shipmates on a drive around the northern end of the island.  We visited Tropical Farms and Waimea Valley.

As I've stated on previous visits to Tropical Farms, every time I got there I learn about some new fruit that I'd never heard of before.  This time around I got to learn about the Star Apple.  It looks more like a plumb on the outside, but when you slice it open you see the star pattern on the inside.

Star Apple

We stopped and had lunch at the famous Giovanni's Shrimp Truck as we drove around the northern end of the island.

Mmmm, Giovanni's :-9

I continue to be amazed by the quantity and variety of tropical flowers I see at Waimea Valley.  Every time I go, I notice some spectacular new flower that I hadn't previously seen there. As usual, I took a ton of pictures, but I'll just share three of them here:

 Not sure what this one was.

 Ruellia Chartacea

Finger of God

We got to Waimea around 4:30 and they supposedly close at 5 p.m., so we didn't bother taking our swimming suits in with us.  However, the staff didn't seem to be in any hurry to push people out the gate at 5 p.m.  I think they just close the entrance and don't let anyone new in at 5 p.m., but there were still plenty of people swimming under the waterfall when we left.

 Waimea Falls 

(standing in front of my eldest son's favorite rock)

Sunday I made a point to get out on the water one last time.  I wanted to try Kaneohe, but the forecast called for scattered showers all day on the windward side.  So I went to Hickam instead.

Hickam Beach

You aren't allowed to go very far from Hickam Beach.  You pretty much have to stay inside the box formed by the taxiway and the runway of Honolulu International Airport (see Garmin track below).  Even though it was a fairly short paddle, I'm glad I got one last trip out on the water to enjoy warm water and the peaceful lapping of the water against the kayak hull.

This is as far as you are allowed to paddle away from the beach.

It was cool to watch the jets taxi by to the runway. Actually, as I sit here finishing this blog post, I am in the San Francisco airport.  Just this morning, I was on a plane just like that, looking out the passenger windows toward Hickam Beach.

On item of note:  In hindsight, this is an excellent spot to take your kids and give kayaking a try.  It is a lot easier to get in and out here and not have the winds pushing you away from the marina like at Rainbow Marina on Pearl Harbor where I first tried kayaking with my eldest son. 



Stats for the paddle log:

• Date: 27 February 2011
• Time In: 3:20 p.m.
  
• Time Out: Approx 4:00 p.m.
  
• Elapsed:  40 min
• Moving Time (GPS): 34 min
• Stopped Time (GPS):  6 min (had difficulty getting watch to stop after getting out of the water.  Had to rinse with fresh water and dry off before it would accept the "stop" command.)
• Mileage (GPS): 1.8 miles
  
• Sea State: 1
• Winds: Very little
• Air Temp:  77F
• Water Temp: Not sure.  Warm.  Bathwater.
• Current:  None.
• Gauge Height:  N/A.
• Avg Speed (GPS):  3.2 mph
  
• Max Speed by (GPS):  4.5 mph
• Rapids?  None. 
• Hazards?  None.
  
• Kit: Rental kayak (Ocean Kayak Scrambler). No hat, NRS paddling gloves, short sleeve shirt, swim trunks, Keen sandals.
• Configuration: Solo.
• Route:  Put-in at Hickam Beach Kayak Rental hut, clockwise around the rectangular basin formed by the Honolulu Airport taxiway and runway, then counterclockwise back to Hickam Beach.
• Other comments (such as wildlife spotted): Many crabs on rocks, coral, sergeant fish.

Paddle Log #22: Kailua to Mokulua Islands

Ahhh, it's good to be back in port again after almost three weeks out at sea.  It was a very busy time with no days off and not much in the way of sleep, so it was nice to have this weekend off to rest.

So what did I do to relax? 

Went back out to sea, of course!  Well, this time under my own propulsion.

A friend of mine and I went to Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks and rented a tandem kayak to paddle out to the Mokulua Islands and back.  It was a beautiful morning on the water. 

Normally, the winds around here are from the northeast (hence why this is the "windward" side of the island).  More often than not, it will be cloudy on the windward side of the island with the clouds bunching up against the Ko Olau mountain range, and it will be bright and sunny on the south side where Waikiki and Pearl Harbor are. 

Not today.  Oddly enough, the winds were out of the south-southwest today, so it was cloudy on the south side of the island as I left the naval base, and it was gorgeous over on the (normally) windward side where we were planning to go kayaking.

Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks has kayak rental down to a science.  They have an incredibly smooth process for checking people in, moving you on to watch their safety video (which is very informative, funny, and entertaining), check out your gear, head down to the waterfront, and get paddling.  It is all very well orchestrated, and I was amazed at how many customers they were able to process in a very short period of time AND with friendly and professional service to boot.

 Standing on Flat Island, looking back toward Kailua in the background.

On our way, paddling from Flat Island to the Mokulua Islands.

The Mokulua Islands are a bird sanctuary, so you can't leave the beach.

Evidence

Sidenote about my Garmin:  I forgot to start my Garmin Forerunner before we got in the water.  Paddling out through the surf we took a good amount of splashing and wave slap.  The Forerunner uses a touch-screen, so when I tried to activate my Garmin on the way paddling out, the saltwater on the watch just drove the touch-screen nuts.  I locked it (pushing both side buttons at once locks or unlocks the touch-screen) and waited until we got over to Mokulua Island.  I rinsed it with fresh-water and let it dry out in the wind, then I unlocked it and activated it for the paddle back to Kailua, so that's why my Garmin Connect data isn't complete for this trip. 



Overall, we had an excellent morning getting some exercise in the fresh air with some saltwater splashed on us.  We wrapped it all up with a stop at the legendary Boots & Kimos for some banana pancakes with macadamia nut syrup.  Mmmmmm.  :-9

Stats for the paddle log:

• Date: 20 February 2011
• Time In: Approx 10:35 a.m.
  
• Time Out: 12:35 p.m.
  
• Elapsed:  About 2 hours
• Moving Time (GPS): unknown - technical difficulties with watch
• Stopped Time (GPS):  unknown - technical difficulties with watch
• Mileage (GPS): Approx 4 miles
  
• Sea State: 1
• Winds: 8-10 mph E observed in Kailua (Intellicast), but overall winds from SW made for a cloudy day on the south side of the island and a clear day here in Kailua.
• Air Temp:  77F
• Water Temp: Not sure.  Warm.  Bathwater.
• Current:  None.
• Gauge Height:  N/A.
• Avg Speed (GPS):  3.2 mph (at least for the second half paddling back to Kailua)
  
• Max Speed by (GPS):  5.0 mph (I'm pretty confident we didn't exceed this paddling out INTO the swells on the way out)
• Rapids?  None. 
• Hazards?  Waves breaking over reefs.
  
• Kit: Rental kayak (unknown model). NH ballcap, NRS paddling gloves, long sleeve shirt, swim trunks, Keen sandals.
• Configuration: Tandem.  I sat in back, S sat in front.
• Route:  Put-in at Kailua Sailboards & Kayak rental, headed out into surf and over to Flat Island.  After a brief stop at Flat Island, we paddled southeast parallel to shore and then out to the north Mokulua Island, paddling into 3 foot swells crashing into the bow.  Rested on the island for a bit.  Paddled back toward the shoreline, then northwest parallel to the shore back to Kailua.
• Other comments (such as wildlife spotted): None.

Bucket List: Climb Koko Head

One hike climb that was on my to-do list most of the time we lived in Hawaii in 2007-2008 was Koko Head.  (Check out the gorgeous aerial photo of the Koko head crater on wikipedia.)  I never did it while we lived here because it was above the level of difficulty for my two little boys (at the time anyway), and there were plenty of other hikes to do around the island that I could take the boys with me.

Now that I'm back on the island for a fairly brief period of time, I made a promise to myself that I would conquer Koko Head while I was here.

You may recall a couple of posts ago, there's a wonderful view into the Koko Head crater from the trail going up Makapu'u Ridge. 

This time I had a completely different perspective of Koko Head.  There is a set of railroad tracks that were used to take supplies up to an Army coastal observation post during WWII.

Warning:  If you go climb Koko Head, be advised there is a bridge you have to cross which is open between the railroad ties down into a ravine.  This might freak out someone who is afraid of heights or who has small children with them. 

This turned out to be quite the stairmaster-type workout.  The picture above was taken from a horizontal position to show you the slope of the tracks going up the hill.

On the way up, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my chest.  I couldn't believe there were people passing me - RUNNING both up and down the tracks.

The view at the top was worth it...

That's Makapu'u Ridge in the distance.  

In the foreground is the other side of the Koko Head crater.

Hanauma Bay

Diamond Head

I foolishly thought that going back down would be easier than going up.  Going down was like a thousand squats.  It's not like Makapu'u where you just walk down a flat, paved trail.  Coming down those railroad ties was one careful and deep step down at a time.

Did I mention it was 1,083 feet of elevation gain in just 0.8 miles?  It took me 50 minutes to get to the top and 35 minutes to come back down.  Here are the Garmin stats with the altitude profile.

Today my legs are a bit sore and my right knee hurts, but I'm happy to cross Koko Head off of my bucket list.

Paddle Log #21: Pearl Harbor

Deja vu.  Back where it all started.  Almost three years ago, my eldest son and I went kayaking together for the first time here at the Rainbow Marina on Pearl Harbor.

For exercise, I've been running almost every morning since I arrived here three weeks ago, but I have been taking Sundays off to do something different like the Makapu'u Ridge and Olomana hikes that I wrote about last week. 

This week I wanted to get out on the water.  I had originally intended to do a longer paddling excursion out of Kailua, but I had too much studying to do and a 3 hour test to take.  So this afternoon I just took a quick break, went down to the Rainbow Marina, and checked out a kayak to get some exercise and enjoy some time on the water. 

It was partly cloudy out, which was nice to give me some shade.  It was also pretty windy - 12 to 14 mph winds according to Intellicast.  That stirred up some chop on the water.  Of course, the marina is at the windward side of the harbor, so you have no choice but to go downwind first and then fight your way back against the wind coming back.  You can see it on my Garmin where my average speed was about 4.0 mph as I paddled down wind.  Then when I turned around and started paddling back, you see my average speed dropped to about 3.2 mph. 

It was a good workout paddling into the wind.  After I paddled back into the lee of McGrew Point, I just loitered in the basin there enjoying the sound of the waves lapping against the hull, watching the water and the feeling the wind. 

It was a short excursion, but it was a much needed break from studying.

Stats for the paddle log:

• Date: 23 January 2011
• Time In: 2:23 p.m.
  
• Time Out: 3:46 p.m.
  
• Elapsed:  1 hours 23 minutes
• Moving Time (GPS):  1 hrs 5 minutes 
• Stopped Time (GPS):  18 minutes
• Mileage (GPS): 3.6 miles
  
• Sea State: 1
• Winds: 12-14 mph NE (Intellicast)
• Air Temp:  79F
• Water Temp: Not sure.  Warm.  Bathwater.
• Current:  None.
• Gauge Height:  Not sure.  Seemed about average.
• Avg Speed (GPS):  3.3 mph
  
• Max Speed by (GPS):  5.3 mph
• Rapids?  None. 
• Hazards?  None.
  
• Kit: Wilderness rental kayak (unknown model). Flop hat, NRS paddling gloves, short sleeve shirt, swim trunks, water shoes.
• Configuration: Single seat.  Only me this time.
• Route:  Put-in at Rainbow Marina.  Examined the chart at the boat house and determined where the restricted areas were.  Paddled to the red buoy north of Ford Island that marked the edge of the restricted area.  Harbor security got nervous about me and sent a boat out to make sure I wasn't going to go past the red buoy.  I told them I knew the boundary and that I would not cross it.  Turned around at the red buoy and paddled back into the wind.  Did an extra lap in the basin next to the PACFLT boathouse.

• Other comments (such as wildlife spotted): A couple of local birds that I have not yet identified.

Olomana Hike

Aloha and Happy New Year everyone! 

I'm in Hawaii for some training courtesy of the U.S. Navy.  I don't get much sympathy for being separated from my family when that separation involves sunshine, shorts, t-shirts, and sandals while my family is bundled up and shoveling snow in Virginia. 

There isn't much free time in my schedule here, but I am getting out to do something adventurous each weekend.  Last weekend I took some of my classmates to hike Makapu'u Ridge at sunrise.

Sunrise over Molokai as seen from Makapu'u Ridge. 

We had a good glimpse of the Dragon's Nostrils, too.

 Self-portrait with KoKo Head in the background.

This weekend, three of my classmates led me on an excursion to hike Olomana. 

Did I say hike? 

I should have said climb.

1,600 feet of elevation gain up a narrow ridge with several hundred foot drop-offs on either side.  Check out the altitude profile from my Garmin.

The trail started off easy-enough, but then there were several spots with pretty steep rock-faces that required pulling ourselves up a rope.

 There are drop-offs of hundreds of feet on either side of this ridge.

There are actually a series of three peaks in Olomana.  The first peak is the highest, and that's as far as we went.  It is possible to continue hiking the ridge down from the first peak and back up to the second and then the third peak, but those are advanced and even dangerous to attempt.

That's the third peak.

The views from the top of Olomana were extraordinary...

 View Northwest to Kaneohe and up the Windward side of Oahu

 View Northeast toward Kailua

The trip back down the ridge was tricky, but we were careful and took it slow.

It rained a little bit on our way back down, and the trail toward the bottom got pretty slick and muddy.

I slipped.

I do NOT recommend climbing Olomana if it has rained recently or is expected to rain soon.

Overall, this was a most EXCELLENT adventure - great exercise with a great view.