Awesome trail , literally as NO one around except us, while sometime it is scary , it was equally trilling as well as we were told Black bear were spotted in parking lot last week.

Trail is filled with mystery, and every next turn bring some suprise too. We happen to check on big green leeches, bees , lots of different types of mushrooms, and different types of flowers.

Things we didnt take and missed...may be beer spray to boost of confidence, else with 10 yrs old and my wife with no one to even shout for help...it was quite adventurous and fun ;)

This 1.8 mile walk through the forest to the stream is beautiful - but it was the surprise at the river's edge that made this one of those adventures that I will never ever forget.

I arrived at the lowest part of the trail - where it reaches the sandy flat part of the river and heard splashing.  And then more. And then I saw silver reflections in the water.  And to my absolute amazement I saw dozens of salmon spawning.  These rough and tough miracles of nature had made their way up the river for over ninety miles to reach this sandy bottom. 

I treasured the moments. 

Note: The Trail of Cedars was closed, maybe it requires some winter cleanup. 

We went up to the Newhalem-Diablo area of the North Cascades looking for some short hikes. Right now it is very quiet since the campgrounds are still closed. Our first trail to hike was the River Loop trail that starts at the Newhalem Visitor Center. About a quarter mile in there were a couple trees across the trail. The second one proved to be a problem so we turned around there. After finding the Trail of Cedars closed we headed up to Diablo Lake and the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center and had lunch on the deck overlooking the lake. From the southeast corner of the dining hall we did a short walk on the Peninsula Loop Trail. 

A great wander in the shade of the forest, we hiked this on a sweltering 90+ degree day while camping at Newhalem. It is a great trail for the kiddos, just watch any wild little ones near some of the river access points. If you do the loop starting from the campground, it is pretty much flat. If you go to the Visitor Center, you will have a descent sized hill to hike up. Its not hard but in the heat it was not our favorite part. After the trail, stop in the air conditioned visitor center to become a junior ranger and climb on the giant slug!

This summer, my four-year-old son and I are hiking to raise money for Washington Trails Association. Please consider donating to one of our Hike-A-Thons at the below links. Thank you and Happy Hiking! #hikeathon
https://give.wta.org/jennifer
https://give.wta.org/james