Adios, Seattle

Hi All, 

I wanted to add that we will miss you all so much and we'll think of you often as we embark on this journey!  I also have to laugh because have a feeling that these first two posts are a pretty accurate representation of what to expect from us in the next few months. Jeff will post beautiful photos, and I'll give an undue amount of attention to the food we've eaten. 

That said, I am moderately disappointed that the Safeway sandwich only got a parenthetical note in Jeff's post from our Mt. Pilchuck hike last Sunday.  In the true spirit of international travel, we woke up after a super fun night with friends and shuffled into a grocery store in search of some budget-friendly nourishment. And there it was: a glorious 15" of thick, hearty bread, slabbed with deli meet, cheese, and lettuce. For $7.99, that sandwich was a dream come true, and it was a worthy companion to us the rest of the day. We had part of it for breakfast in the car on the way to the trailhead, we talked and laughed about it on the hike, and it fueled my run down the icy Pilchuck road on our way out that evening, a glowing memory to match the bright wedge of high beams lighting my path.  Alas, we didn't get a photo of our sandwich friend, but here's a pic of Caribou, getting ready for his visit with his grandparents in California!

 Also, many thanks to Dave & Megan for the great Patagonia bus game.  Nandu nandu.

Hasta Luego Washington

Hello, and welcome to High Pursuits, um I mean HyperSuits. This is Jeff and Kate's blog for our grand South American adventure.  The packing and planning are well underway and we are in the stages of saying a sad farewell to our friends and family. We realized quickly that we also wanted to say goodbye to some of our tallest and oldest friends, the Cascades!

Our quest began on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  After sleeping in and recovering from the infamous Night of Nog, we finally rallied to tackle Mount Pilchuck off the Mountain Loop Highway. The drive was uneventful (except for the purchasing of a giant sandwich from Safeway) and we arrived at the frosty trailhead at 3 pm.

Ice and snow covered most of the trail slowing our progress, and we could quickly tell that we would be racing the sun. We slipped, slid, and scurried the 3 miles to the top, enjoying amazing views of the Cascades, Puget Sound, and the Olympics.

We acquired the summit just in time to watch the sun hide behind the Olympic Mountains.  Some pictures were taken and we said farewell to our beloved mountains before the wind and twilight drove us back down.

Despite the ice we managed to stay on our feet the whole way to the car and were back at the trailhead by 6pm.  We finished our giant Safeway sandwich as we drove back to Seattle, content with our goodbye.