  I'm leaving Tuesday for Seattle to visit family and take a trip into the mountains. I once planned to hike the Olympic Mountains' Skyline Trail, but to get my brother, sister, and (especially) my Dad to come along, I picked a site in the Cascades closer to where they live now. So we're headed to Easy Pass, Fisher Creek Basin, and Thunder Creek Basin in North Cascades National Park. My Dad complained a bit about the climb up to Easy Pass, but I think it's a good way to climb first and have a downhill hike the rest of the way. We gain 2,800 feet in 2.5 miles and then go downhill the rest of the way. Tough, but at least it's not tough when you're sore from having already hiked a ways. My brother Gabe also had to mess things up by having a friend get married the Friday of our trip.
So he has to hike out early. Loser. So that's how it goes. You make plans, but when you try to bring along other people, everything gets messed up. Oh well. I'd much rather not take the trip alone.
. . . .
Anyway, I won't be able to post for a long bit, probably from about September 2 &#8212; September 8. But I'll get good material for posts &#8212; lots of pictures, daily trip details, oh and this was some great planning on my Mom's part &#8212; I'm flying into [Reagan] National Airport on September 11. Just doing that should be the subject of a very long post. 
