Blissfulbritt

- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 24, 2026
  1. Look at me posting twice already in one month?! I’m writing this on a day where I did little to nothing. The extent of my accomplishments were washing my bed sheets and vacuuming the house (I tend to vacuum daily or every other day so I don’t know if this actually counts as an accomplishment.) I felt like I needed to do more…and whaddyaknow the urge to write struck!
  
  2. It’s been a busy month and a half. Some of what I did was great, some was exhausting, some was exhausting AND great. Because I have slight undiagnosed OCD, we are going to go in order of how things happened. Even though none of you will have any idea which order I go in.
  
  First up – my dad came to visit. He has come to Washington the past three years, and this year we tried to search for new activities. We spent a day in Seattle, went whale watching, ate our body weight in baked goods at my favorite bakery, and Duncan experienced his first ever visit to Olive Garden.
  
  He doesn’t want to return any time soon. LOL
  
  Whale watching company. Highly recommend.
  
  I absolutely got my idgaf fashion attitude from my dad. This hat is 2 sizes too big, but the sun must not prevail.
  
  3. A few days after my dad left I had a birthday party to attend. For a small child. Whom I had never met. Honestly, it ain’t no thang. It was nice to see my friend who is in charge of said tiny human. I met her and her husband in Germany (they were also working with me, and they are also from Washington), and I hadn’t seen them for a few years.
  
  One of my roommates who I lived with in Germany also now lives in Washington, and she was at the birthday party too. So while I might not know what exactly one does as a children’s birthday party without having children of my own, it was nice to see some friends. I was socially zapped after this though. One on one? I thrive. I will talk your ear off and make you feel like the Belle of the ball. Big groups? Catch me in the corner trying to hide or seeking out any house pets.
  
  4. I briefly mentioned in my last post that Little had a fleeting issue recently. He has since been back to normal, but every single time something happens big or small I am convinced it will be the last thing to happen. I live in a state of constant low humming anxiety, and something I have always wanted to do (to ensure I don’t wait until the last minute) is to make my own paw prints.
  
  When my last cat died the vet clinic was kind enough to make two paw prints for us, but if Little doesn’t die naturally I plan to have an at home euthanasia. Because of that, I don’t see paw prints happening unless I do them myself. I also don’t want to wait to do them until he is gone, so I bought some air dry clay. It was SO easy to do.
  
  I plan to make more, but wanted to ensure I had one really good one. Kinda morbid topic, but it’s the reality of life with a pet.
  
  I’m obsessed.
  
  5. Speaking of pets…did anyone reading ever play Neopets? For those who don’t know what I’m taking about, Neopets is an online game that originated in 1998. I played this game right when it came out and I have fond memories of playing at home, and while on vacation with my cousins. I can’t remember when I stopped playing, but it was somewhere in the early 2000’s.
  
  Imagine my surprise when my friend told me she created a new account and has been playing. Currently. As a full grown adult. I had no idea this was still a thing, and while I am not one to typically play games of any digital variety I have been OBSESSED. My inner child is healing.
  
  My name is Brittany, I am 37, and I am playing Neopets almost daily. This is my confession.
  
  6. A group of my friends decided to attend a renaissance faire this month. I had never been to one, but I decided to see what the fuss was all about. Here is what I learned:
  - Similar to what I mentioned about the kids birthday party…I don’t thrive in large groups. We spent most of the day walking in circles without doing much of anything.
  - I have since discovered there are much better faire options, but this one was definitely not my scene. It felt more like a giant farmers market with white tents. They had some shows, but we didn’t stop for any which I would have liked to.
  - Whoever decided for a ren faire to be in the middle of the summer is diabolical. It was so hot. I got sunburned.
  - Turkey legs are a no no. I cannot ever eat one of those again. It made me so sick.
  - I loved dressing up. Probably the only positive overall.
  I would do it again, but maybe with just Duncan. Thankfully I didn’t really have any expectations so I don’t feel like I missed out on anything, but overall this trip was not worth the time or money for me.
  
  7. On weekend days when we don’t have any plans, Duncan and I like to go to Barnes and Noble. I will get a coffee, we will sit in the cafe and chat (or if it’s football season he will watch a football game while I browse books), and we will typically run random fun errands after.
  
  On a recent trip to B&N I noticed a quiet older man (probably in his 70’s) with a bright red beret sitting near the cafe. As we walked past him I realized he was an author with a table set up to showcase his books. I have seen these author tables many times, and because I am a sucker for the library I never bother approaching because I know I won’t buy any books.
  
  As I sat drinking my coffee I couldn’t stop watching this man. He was sitting so patiently, with his hands in his lap, quietly smiling as people walked past him. And that was the problem, most everyone just walked right past him. In the hour that we were sitting in the cafe I saw two people approach him, read the back of one of the books, put the book back down, and walk away.
  
  I knew then what I had to do. I don’t know why, but I felt like I had to buy one of his books. Who knows if he already sold some that day, but all I could think about is what if he doesn’t sell a single one. I am being ageist and I will be the first to admit it, because if this has been a younger man I wouldn’t have thought twice. But something about him being older, and having less time to see his books in the hands of other people I just felt sad.
  
  So I went to talk to him, and unfortunately for me he had four books…all non fiction…all subjects I couldn’t care less about. He lit up talking about them, so I chose book one of a two part series about the life of Ernest Hemingway. My plan is to read it, and then donate it to a Little Free Library so someone else can read it next. He signed the book for me and wrote 2069 as the date, so maybe he is a time traveler and will remember me when I make it to 2069.
  
  8. After a month and half of no hiking (mostly because of schedule conflicts with me and my main gal Caitlin) I finally got back out for a hike. For some reason, we chose one of the hardest hikes in the area, and my calves were sore for a week. A FULL WEEK. Hiking has not been very enjoyable for me this year, and during this hike I was mad at myself for biting off this much after not hiking for a while.
  
  We hiked Mount Ellinor from the lower parking lot. There is also an upper lot, but I wanted more mileage. Go figure. The first half of the hike is relatively mild, and most of the elevation is saved for the second half, but by the time the trail turned more vertical I was crying inside. The hike isn’t long, but the last mile gains over 1200′ in just that one mile and I was tapped out.
  
  Of course, now that a bit of time has passed I want to do it again. BUT, not unless I have been hiking regularly. The views were stunning, but truth be told I hardly paid attention to them because I was starving by the time we made it to the top.
  
  I think I was mostly frustrated because I thought I would feel ok on this hike. Even if I haven’t been hiking and even when a hike is steep, I usually feel ok going slow and steady. This one still felt like all the hikes I did a few months ago where I felt like I had bricks on my feet. I was disappointed thinking I was on the other side of my iron deficiency, but I am not fully out of the woods yet. Still, I am glad we did it.
  
  9. For the past few years I have been wanting to try my hand at growing potatoes. I never ended up doing it because gardening scares me. I often laugh on here about my fear of slugs, but unfortunately it’s a legit fear, and leafy green areas are slug city. This year I decided to give it a try in an elevated planter. I cut 4-5 gold potatoes in half, let them sprout, and then planted them.
  
  Within just a couple days they were THRIVING. The green stalks shot out of the dirt and I am SO excited to harvest them when the time comes. They have been brewing under the dirt for about two months now, and I cannot wait to see what they look like. Overall this was SO easy. I started small with just a few potatoes, but I know potatoes grow like weeds so I anticipate I will get a decent little harvest.
  
  Best part? Not a single slug. Going to go knock on wood…
  
  10. Lastly and most recently my step mom and my younger brother came to visit!! My brothers wife also came, and I got to meet her for the first time. This was such a special and delightful visit. I hadn’t seen my step mom since she came to visit me in Germany in 2019, and I hadn’t seen my brother since 2016!!! INSANE. We kept it low key sharing some lovely meals, and going on beautiful walks. Lots of chats, and lots of photos.
  
  It’s bittersweet because I often wish I lived closer to more family. It’s just my mom, my sister and I here in Washington. Most of my family lives in Arizona, and I daydream about having a big family nearby to spend time with. Then the daydream is shattered when I think about living in Arizona. Nope. My cold blood could never. Although…no slugs in Phoenix…
  
  My cup is full after seeing them all.
  
  Q: What’s your confession?
  | 13 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Gardening, Hiking, Little
- April, May, June
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 15, 2026
  
  This is going to be a long post. Grab a beverage, a snack, or a maybe a lap cat to cuddle. In my last post I shared a few highlights from November – May, but there were a few things I missed. In an attempt to keep my online diary up to date I’m going to share a few more things. I hope to find a more consistent blogging schedule, but truth be told I will likely stick to writing whenever the mood strikes. Here are my adventure highlights of April, May, and June.
  
  April
  
  Duncan and I celebrate five years of shenanigans, and we went to our favorite little mountain town for an overnight. We went for a hike, we ate at a new hole in the wall diner, and I went for a 2 mile run along the river. We also of course walked around town and I got myself a cupcake. Any excuse to go to Leavenworth is a good excuse in my book.
  
  This trip was right before I found out I was iron deficient. We had done this hike before, and it definitely felt much more difficult this time around. I was at the end of training for a half marathon, so it should not have been as difficult as it was, but that’s iron deficiency for ya! Either way, this hike is stunning every time we do it.
  
  May
  
  In May we went back to Leavenworth for my half marathon, which I have already shared. We also managed another hike, and this one was brutal. We’ve done this one many, many, maaannnyyy times. It’s not an easy hike by any means, but again, it should not have been this hard for me. I have been anything BUT patient with myself as I crawl my way out of being iron deficient, but I am working on it. This hike was so rough on my system I had a little cry.
  
  Nothing like a summit snack to make me feel better though.
  
  Perfect timing. Poncho taking a poo.
  
  June
  
  This one was a busy one. I got three hikes in, and one went so incredibly awful I wanted to scream and kick a concrete wall. The awful hike was the easiest hike I have done this year. We’ve done this one many times as well, but I felt so fatigued it was not a good time. Being at the top was nice, but I have had a hard time enjoying hiking this year so far because of my fatigue.
  
  Didn’t I say I was sharing highlights? LOL.
  
  Thankfully a couple weeks after this hike I was feeling a bit more energized, and I wrangled my pal Caitlin for a last minute trip to Mount Rainier. We typically go to Rainier in September, but decided to go earlier this year. There was still a ton of snow on the trail we hiked, so much that I got a wicked sunburn on my legs.
  
  This was my second time hiking the Skyline Loop trail, and this time we went counterclockwise which was the move. Less people, and a more gradual incline. I will never make the dumb dumb mistake of skipping long pants when there is snow on the ground. A snow burn is no joke.
  
  Hard to see, but if you zoom in Adams is on the left, Baker in the middle, and Helen’s on the far right.
  
  New pal.
  
  I am officially a member of the sun hoody club. I have been hiking in sun shirts for years, but this year I switched to sun shirts with hoods. I’m not playing around anymore with my sun exposure. Mountain Hardwear has the perfect sun hoodies for people with short torsos like me. I love a good “cropped” shirt and these are amazing.
  
  Not sponsored, but it should be. I just love their stuff.
  
  I also spent a week in June cat sitting two amazing, wonderful, adorable cats. I was devastated to find out a couple weeks ago that Scout, the grey cat had to be put down after he began having some health concerns. I met these cats in April, and cat sat them for a weekend then as well.
  
  Collectively I spent so little time with them, but I was surprisingly very affected by the loss of Scout.
  
  I am booked to spend Labor Day weekend with them, and now it will just be me and Suki. It’s amazing how quickly we can bond with animals, and while I am happy Scout is no longer suffering, I will miss him terribly when I go see Suki next month. Rest in peace sweet Scout.
  
  Suki on the left, Scout on the right. The perfect little harnessed beans.
  
  Speaking of cats, my bionic man had a mini hiccup of what was likely an IBD type flare. He had a day of multiple pukes, but thankfully it was short lived. I gave him three days of meds to calm the fire, and we have officially started regular sub q fluids for him at home. His blood work showed his kidneys have actually slightly improved (still in stage 3 kidney disease, but improvement is amazing), and the bi weekly fluids should help keep the kidneys and even the digestive system happy.
  
  I am forever finding the right cocktail to keep things humming.
  
  Still reading?? Good, almost done.
  
  Annnndd lastly, the final of the three hikes in June. Every single hike I have shared in this post I have done before. It was the season of repeats for me. I think I needed to know what I was getting myself into, although as I mentioned that didn’t help me much on some of them. The body is going to do what the body is going to do.
  
  Thankfully this one wasn’t too brutal physically.
  
  Mentally it was a bit tough for a moment. We saw a mama bear with two cubs right on the side of the trail. Just when we thought she was gone we kept going and BAM she was not gone. She was in fact closer to us and we stopped and walked the other way. Eventually a solo hiker visiting from the east coast caught up with us, and we hiked together to pass the spot where we saw the bear. The bear made her way into the brush and we didn’t see her again.
  
  I am irrationally afraid of black bears, but any bear with cubs is a different story.
  
  There we have it. I am writing this a month and a half after the last adventure, and thankfully starting to feel a bit better overall. My day to day life is much easier energy wise, but the bigger hikes and running are still wiping me out. I am slowly but surely trying to get back into a groove. I signed up for a relay race back in April before I knew any of this iron nonsense, so I am hopeful I can get into the groove enough to run a 10k with little repercussions.
  
  The race is in one month. Wish me luck.
  
  Q: Do you have any irrational fears? I don’t actually think being afraid of bears is irrational. I do however think being afraid of slugs is irrational. I am very much afraid of slugs.
  
  | 38 Comments Tagged Hiking, Iron Deficiency, Little, Running
- Six Months Later
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on June 20, 2026
  Well…I didn’t intend to take six months off from blogging, but here we are. I had every intention of sharing my final two hikes of 2025 and continuing on my merry blogging way, but every time I thought about writing a hike recap I just…didn’t want to. Weeks went by, then months, and then winter did its wintry thing and I had minimal motivation for most everything. I knew I would be bit by the bug again eventually, and I was willing to wait until that happened.
  
  SO. I’m not going to word vomit every little detail of my life the past six months, but I will share some of the heavy hitters. I hibernated a good bit during the winter, and there isn’t much to report from those few months, but as the frost thawed and the flowers bloomed life became more exciting (and a bit shitty, but that’s life right?)
  
  First and foremost…because I know we are all dying to know…yes, I did take Little to see Christmas lights in December.
  
  Homie wasn’t vibing like he used to, and I think these days less is more for our car rides. He seems to become a bit nauseated and less interested in longer rides. In fact I don’t really take him in the car much at all these days, but I couldn’t let tradition die. This was one of three highlights for my winter months. Another highlight was a bike ride with my pals. I had ridden this route before, and I knew of all the Little Free Libraries.
  
  I convinced them to stop at every single one.
  
  I found a book on this ride, which speaking of reading – I have been struggling to get into a groove lately. I read 70 books in 2024, 52 in 2025, and so far this year I have read 17. 2023 Brittany would be so proud of 17, but I have been struggling to focus on most things that require mental focus right now. Thankfully there is a reason for this, but I will get to that.
  
  The third and final winter activity I was jazzed about was doing some good ol’ community service with my pals. My workplace “adopted” a section of a local trail system and we have had monthly volunteer sessions where we go and maintain the trail. In Jan/Feb/March this was spending two hours picking up trash. It was surprisingly satisfying, and also loads of fun. So much so, that I bought my own grabby device and wrangled some pals to do this unaffiliated with work (but we do all work together, minus our family members.)
  
  Just call me Brittany grabby hands.
  
  Ok, let’s move on to Spring. Two major highlights happened during this time – I celebrated Little’s 18th birthday, and I ran my 9th half marathon. One of these events went much better than the other. Little is the light of my life, and it has been such a gift to see him thrive in his 18th year of life. He is doing amazingly well these days and his birthday was nothing short of wonderful. I bought him a birthday crown, some treats, and he got some time outside.
  
  The back patio has since been pressure washed, it no longer looks like it does in that last photo. But even the grit and grime of winter couldn’t stop Little from rolling around like a hog in the mud. He must be drinking the youth juice because I swear his zoomies have become zoomier in his old age. I’m not complaining, I love nothing more than running late for work because I had to oblige the king during his morning zoomfest.
  
  It should go without saying Little’s birthday was the event that went smoother than my half marathon. I started training for my half in February, a tradition I have maintained for the past three years. A spring half marathon keeps me active in the winter, but from the start of my training I struggled. I could not find my energy, and every long run became progressively harder. Something similar happened to me last year, but that time it didn’t hit until halfway through my training.
  
  This is my favorite photo of all time. Random insertion before the melodrama.
  
  I’m not one to quit, so I pushed through every run and just let my pace get slower and slower. Last year I let my slower pace bother me, but this year I let every expectation go and all I wanted was to finish a run without wanting to die. I finally got to the last few weeks of my training, and I was convinced this had to be my last half marathon for a while. My training was too much of a slog, and something wasn’t right. Normally, I blame any excessive fatigue on my autoimmune disease. This has worked well for me in the past, but this time it turned out to be something else.
  
  Honestly, it’s probably a combo of things (including autoimmune chaos), but it’s validating to know there was something else brewing too.
  
  I went to the doctor at the end of April for a massage referral and while I was there I decided to mention in passing I was struggling with extra fatigue than usual. I thought maybe it was hormones, I’m 37 now and we all know what’s just around the corner, but as it turned out I am severely iron deficient. This nugget of news was like a light bulb going off. Suddenly everything made sense. I now believe I have been in this deficient state since March 2025 because I never quite got my gumption of energy back.
  
  Kitchy lil Leavenworth cafe. Not enough coffee in the world could get my through my runs.
  
  My half was scheduled a week after my doc apt. Every fiber in my body wanted to skip the race. Running felt awful, I didn’t want to drive the three hours to the town I was running, and my motivation was at an all time low. The cherry on the cake was when I discovered there were only 28 people signed up for the half. TWENTY EIGHT. This is literally my worst nightmare. I chose a half in Leavenworth, which is a HUGEEELY touristy area and I was convinced it would be a popular race. WRONGO.
  
  So now, even if I wanted to do the race and let myself walk I was terrified of being last. This is NOT to say there is anything wrong with being last, but it’s an irrational fear I have and my anxiety was through the roof. Ultimately I got over myself and ran the race. Well, I ran/walked/ran/walked. The race was a looped course which was amazing because I got to see Duncan multiple times throughout, and I had him walk with me during some of the moments I needed to walk. I ran more than I anticipated, but I also walked over 25 minutes of the race.
  
  Viewz from the loop. Honestly how could I complain? Well because I was dying, but still.
  
  I managed to finish the half in 2:31, and I BEAT FOUR PEOPLE. I hardly saw anyone for the majority of the last two laps, just me and the volunteers I bantered with. I thought this would be tough, but being alone actually made it easier. I was able to just focus on myself and do whatever I needed to finish. At the end of the day I couldn’t not run this, I had to get my cow bell medal!
  
  I’m very proud of my time, and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t think twice about it. It wasn’t the pace that was the issue, it was how difficult it was to put one foot in front of the other. It was how hard I had to work to get air into my lungs, and to move my legs that felt like lead. These situations continue to give me perspective on running as a whole, and I hope to find my way back to runs that are enjoyable. Running doesn’t always need to feel easy, but it sure as heck shouldn’t feel like running with anvils on your feet.
  
  Big shoutout to Duncan for rewarding me with not one, but two gluten free cupcakes from the downtown bakery I love. That’s really why I made the three hour drive. Since the race, I have been obsessed with finding ways to increase my iron reserves. It’s been a month since my race, almost two months since my initial doc apt, and I’d be lying if I said I felt much better. I have been on a few hikes already this season and the first two were really difficult. I am currently taking supplements and have increased my red meat intake, but from my non stop research I know this is going to be a long and slow journey.
  
  I can’t help but wonder if this has happened to me multiple times throughout my life. I was iron deficient in my early 20’s, and it tends to be a common theme for people who do higher intensity sports (running, cycling.) Back then I blamed it on being vegan, which likely was a huge factor (I still don’t eat red meat much), but it was possibly a combo of running and diet. Who knows, but what I do know is something wasn’t right and I am thankful to have an answer. I’m only running 1-3 miles right now, and very sporadically.
  
  I’m doing everything I can to ensure I have even the bare minimum energy to get my hike on this summer.
  
  Wow, a race photo I don’t hate. Little did this guy know I wanted to cry tears of exhaustion and happiness because of my cupcake.
  
  So that’s my update. Now I know why it’s been hard to focus on things, why I have limited motivation, why the world was a little extra dull, and why my running has been hot garbage for a longgg time. My work days are a bit brutal too, I manage for an hour before being absolutely gassed, but the years of practice acting normal during excessive fatigue have been paying off (lol.) I eventually get a second wind halfway through the day, but I look forward to all of that ending.
  
  I have a three month follow up next month to see if the supplements are working, and I am trying to stay optimistic. I only occasionally wallow reading reddit stories of those who have been struggling for years despite diet and supplement changes.
  
  I’m hoping to get back in the swing of blogging things. No promises, but I have been hiking which is always fun to share. I managed to scorch the ever loving life out of my legs after hiking in the snow this past weekend. What a rookie mistake. Shorts on top of snow…whoops. Alright, that’s all for now. If you made it this far thanks for sticking around. Also, big thanks to my pal John who checked on me not once, but twice via e-mail. Appreciate you friend.
  
  Q’s:
  - Has anyone else experienced iron deficiency? Please tell me it will get better…
  - Whatttt is new with everyone?! I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on.
  | 63 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Iron Deficiency, Little, Running
- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 8, 2025
  
  1. As per usual I fell off the face of the blog for a month. Not because I didn’t have things I wanted to share, but I just couldn’t muster the motivation. I have two more summer hikes I want to share (because this is my online diary and I like to refer back to my posts after time has passed), but I cannot be bothered with those right now.
  
  Instead all the things in between.
  
  2. I’ll start with my most funny tidbit…for Halloween this year I decided I would go to my coworkers party. And by “I decided” I mean Duncan wanted to go. This is out of character for us both, but I happily agreed to go. I knew I wanted to do a couples costume, but after I couldn’t figure anything out Duncan suggested something I couldn’t say no to.
  
  The party was meh, I wouldn’t do it again, and I likely won’t dress up again for a while, but this costume will go down in history as my favorite.
  
  “Come play with us Danny…forever, and ever, and ever.”
  
  I also dressed up at work this year because I was able to recycle the costume I bought last year for a Halloween themed 10K run. Can you find me?
  
  3. I am stoked to report I have a new vet for Little. If you’ve been here for a while you will know my most recent vet left the clinic we went to, and I was planning to ride the wave for a while without a vet. Duncan ended up helping my coworker/friend with some plumbing a few months ago, and my friends wife happens to be a vet.
  
  We were able to hang out for a full afternoon and she later offered to do a home visit for him in order to legally prescribe him drugs. Little is an absolute tyrant at the vet, so this was such a blessing. She did want us to come in for some blood work (we did that this past Wednesday and she was so good with him), but she is willing to do simple stuff in the comfort of his own home.
  
  This is a huge weight off my shoulders as I was worried what would happen next after he ran out of his meds.
  
  4. Speaking of the black fur ball, I bought a window bird feeder over the summer specifically for him to watch the birds. He barely noticed it until just recently, and watching him watch the birds brings me so much joy. My friend Caitlin is a big bird fan, so I have been able to ask her to identify birds for me along the way, and I can now identify a handful on my own. This is adulting.
  
  5. I recently discovered the “the five year stranger theory” which says something along the lines of: “in five years, most of the people you see every day will be strangers again.” I can’t stop thinking about this, and I often find myself thinking about people who have come and gone in my life. While this is a normal part of existence, sometimes I find it sad.
  
  I’ve also been thinking a lot about friends I had when I was young, and how I no longer talk to any of them (I often miss my high school best friend, but I wonder if we would have anything in common these days.) I can’t remember the last time I talked to some of them, and of course in the moment we never realize it will be the last time. I look at some of my coworkers right now who I greatly enjoy being around, and I know in five years the reality of us still speaking is low.
  
  Unless of course I am still working where I am working…
  
  6. Which leads to me to this…I have been working at REI for five years. What in the world happened. When I moved back to America from Germany in 2020 I wanted a job that I would work for maybe 6 months while I figured my shit out. Five years later I am still there, and still figuring it out. LOL. In all reality I don’t want to move my cat, my job is flexible, and I get the workdays/hours I want. So it just works.
  
  It was a bit of a running joke with two other girls who were hired with me that we were all going to hang on until we got our five year pin. We got our pins…and we are all very much still staying for a bit. LOL
  
  7. Over the summer Duncan and I went to see my favorite artist Gregory Alan Isakov play beautiful music. During this concert we discovered a new to us artist named Dean Johnson, who happened to be Gregory’s opener for the night. We enjoyed him, he is local to Seattle, and my friend Caitlin adores him. Dean was playing a concert in Seattle recently so Duncan, Caitlin, and I went because tickets were cheap.
  
  The concert was great, but he had way too many openers (three of them.) This caused the concert to run into the late hours of night, and we didn’t get home until after 1 a.m. I think it took me a full 24 hours to recover from being awake that long. This is also adulting.
  
  8. I don’t frequent Goodwill, but after a recent visit I found two items I could not pass up. It was as if they were placed there just for me to find. Ironically I had to debate if I really needed them, because I don’t like having too much stuff, but in the end I am so glad I bought these.
  
  I lived in Garmisch for two years, so these had to come home with me.
  
  9. If you are a Trader Joe’s fan I suggest you run, not walk, to buy yourself a bag of their Maple Brown Sugar flavored almonds. These are some of the most delicious almonds I have ever had. The experience of eating them reminds me of the scene from Willy Wonka where Violet chews a piece of gum that tastes like a full course meal.
  
  The almonds taste like I’m eating a waffle. At first chew I taste the butter, and then the flavor morphs into pure maple syrup. Thankfully I don’t turn into a stick of butter like Violet turning into a blueberry…
  
  10. Duncan and I ran a Turkey Trot this year. Last year I ran it solo, but this year I wranged him into doing it with me. He’s not a runner, but he did great! He insisted we take our photo after we ran, and the rain mixed with sweat had us looking like swamp creatures.
  
  After we ran we of course ate a feast for dinner courtesy of Duncan’s mom. This was the first year in as long as I can remember where I didn’t cook 50% of the meal myself. It was a treat having someone else cook, and Duncan’s mom could give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money. All right, ta ta for now.
  
  Q: What’s your confession? I think I need to start asking: “what’s your tidbit?” Doesn’t need to be a confession, most of my “confessions” are just random blobs of thought.
  
  | 34 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Halloween, REI, Running, Turkey Trot
- Lake Tour: Rachel to Lila to Rampart
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 3, 2025
  
  In October of 2021 I went for a hike with some of my pals that was somewhat difficult. I chalked this up to the fact that I was in peak fatigue week of my cycle, and I have been wanting to revisit this trail ever since. I had to show it who was boss after all. I managed to wrangle my pal Caitlin into doing this trail with me, and in typical Brittany fashion I wanted to do more than I had done the first time.
  
  The trail starts at the Rachel Lake trail head. From here you hike to Rachel Lake (duh) where you can either decide to stop, or to continue on. If you decide to continue on you will eventually come to a fork in the road. Go to the left and you hit Rampart Lakes (this I what I did the first time, and then went back down.) Go to the right and you hit Lila Lake. I was unaware of Lila Lake the first time I did this hike, but once I knew she was an option I knew I wanted to go to Lila AND Rampart.
  
  And of course Rachel, she is the first real beauty along the way.
  
  Rachel from above.
  
  I made sure to hike this trail during a high energy week of my cycle, but little did I know this would not make a difference. This was just as hard as it was the first time I hiked it, and it will be another couple years before I go again. The trail from the parking lot to Rachel Lake is non stop climbing over roots and stumps and big steps that were rough on the entire body going up and going down.
  
  Parkour hiking aside, this was one of my favorite hikes of the season. We decided to go to Lila after Rachel, and this was all new terrain for me. The weather was perfect, the trail was quiet, and once we hit Rachel the rest was pretty easy. There was a bit more climbing, but overall the hard part was done.
  
  The trail continues even further past Lila Lake, but this was a perfect spot for us to stop and eat lunch before continuing on. We dabbled with the idea of swimming at some point in the day, but we never ended up making that happen. We saw a few other hikers while sitting at Lila, but overall we had most of the trail to ourselves.
  
  I typically preface the option of adding extra side quests to my hikes with a psychological spin. I say something like “let’s just get to X and if we are still feeling good we can shoot for Y too.” I say this knowing damn well the likelihood of us doing both are very high. Since Caitlin is my main hiking partner, she’s the one I usually say this too.
  
  It’s typically more of a mind game thinking of the whole hike as one option, and breaking it up like this makes it easier to digest. Hence the psychological spin.
  
  Most of the time Caitlin is game for whatever, but once in a while she is a bit more hesitant. She felt the fatigue after the climb up and was less enthusiastic than I was about continuing on to see Rampart Lakes (a network of many smaller lakes.) After it was all said and done she thanked me for pushing her because Rampart Lakes are equally beautiful.
  
  This mountain was our focal point of the hike, we could see it from each lake we hit.
  
  We clocked 13 miles for the day with a little over 3000ft of elevation. The side quest to Lila Lake added about 3 miles to the total for the day, but it was more than worth it. I think of all the lakes for the day Lila was my favorite. I could have sat there all day snacking. After a full day we finally made our way back down.
  
  My desire to do “just one more thing” is not restricted to hiking. When I am traveling I try to do as much as I can in one visit as well. I figure if I am visiting somewhere far from home I won’t likely return for a while (if ever), therefor I might as well maximize my time and see ALL THE THINGS.
  
  Another perfect summer hike (we did this one mid September, I am way behind on my hike posts.) Thankful for all the beautiful places to explore just a few hours away from home.
  
  Q: Are you like me when it comes to maximizing as many things possible in one trip?
  
  | 18 Comments Tagged Hiking, Rachel Lake
- Grand Valley to Moose Lake to Badger Valley (Loop)
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on October 16, 2025
  
  Say that title five times fast…this hike was just as wild as the title of it. Let’s just jump right in! The goal of this hike was to get to Moose Lake, starting at the Obstruction Point trail head (in the Hurricane Ridge area) of Olympic National Park. My friend had warned me that the road down to the trail head was sketchy, but overall my anxiety meter stayed low.
  
  If he can manage the road, so can I.
  
  The road to the trail head did have some steep drop-offs, but it wasn’t nearly as sketchy as I anticipated. I get the heebie jeebies driving (and hiking) on thin roads with steep drop-offs, but this one I could easily do again. Hiking down to Moose Lake…maybe not so much. I’m being overly dramatic because that’s who I am, but in all reality hiking DOWN at the beginning of the hike is absolutely not my scene.
  
  I would much rather get the hard climb out of the way first, but I am still glad we did this hike. The first half of the trail from Grand Valley to Moose Lake is beautiful. Open plains, wide terrain, sweeping views of the Olympics, what more could I ask for? (Someone we passed said they saw a bear, but thankfully we didn’t see it.)
  
  Caitlin and Duncan accompanied me on this hike, both of whom had hiked this one before. After the epic views started to get further away from us we began to descend more and more drastically. Going downhill for me is often harder than going uphill. I slip more, I use leg muscles that are often neglected, and it’s a bit of a mind game going down knowing you’ll have to go right back up.
  
  We made it to the lake after a couple of hours and enjoyed some food while I debated if I was going to swim or not. I did not swim because I was being a big fat wimp, but I should have swam to waste more time before the suck fest began. I think most people go back up the same trail to keep this hike an out and back, but we wanted to do the loop version, so we continued on the trail.
  
  From Moose Lake we headed towards Badger Valley. Aka hell on earth in that moment. The trail was a bit neglected in some areas, but nothing unmanageable. Once we hit the incline, I wasn’t sure we would ever get out of there. All three of us were tired to begin with on this hike, and climbing up was brutal (honestly the stats don’t even make this seem that hard, but man were we dying.)
  
  It’s always nice to suffer with others when we are all in the same stage of suffering. After what felt like forever we came to an opening of Badger Valley and my goodness was it beautiful.
  
  We couldn’t tell where the trail finished, but we just kept putting one foot in front of the other, passively complaining to each other (all the while laughing at our shared masochism), and daydreaming about what we would eat when we finished. Finally we made it to the top of the never ending incline and victory was ours.
  
  We started this hike around 0945 and finished around 1645. Seven hours including breaks and stopping at the lake. Hard to say the full stats on this one because my watch officially shit the bed (I have since received a *new* refurbished version of my same watch for free, shout out to Garmin for being so great), but from Duncan’s watch this was 10.5 miles total with somewhere around 2800ft of gain…but like…all in one spot.
  
  Which we all have done much worse, but some days the body just says “nah, not today.”
  
  This is absolutely my favorite kind of type 2 fun. In the moment it can suck, but I LOVE finishing a hike like this. I will remember this one for a while. Thankful for two people who like to suffer with me. I won’t be going back to Moose Lake for a while, but I will likely explore some of the other trail possibilities from this trail head. Or maybe I’ll just go back to Moose Lake, it’s amazing how quickly I forget suffering.
  
  Q: Where do you find a sense of accomplishment?
  
  | 16 Comments Tagged Hiking, Olympic National Park
- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 30, 2025
  
  1. Time for another rapid fire, minimal transition post where I can brain and photo dump multiple things that have happened in my life the past couple months (we’ve had a lot of EMC posts lately.) This post will be cat heavy. Is that anything new though? I don’t think so.
  
  Speaking of cats…has anyone been seeing the trend on social media where people are buying their cats a concrete slab? I try not to fall prey to these things, but I HAD TO TRY IT with Little. I bought a 16×16 concrete slab for just under $6 and hoped for the best. Naturally, my cat was beyond disinterested in this. It’s fun watching videos of other cats loving the slab, but mine barely even sniffed it. HA.
  
  2. Duncan and I went to hike Mount Si recently, his first time. This hike is notorious for Canada Jay’s dive bombing hikers for their snacks. I’m not usually one to feed the wildlife, but look…us not feeding them won’t change a damn thing here. People will never stop. Instead, we can opt to feed them species appropriate snacks like bird seed.
  
  Or, like in the photo below…we can pretend to feed them, only for them to see an empty hand. I call this photo: “disappointment.”
  
  3. You won’t be able to tell from any of the photos in this post, but my hair is the longest it’s been since 2017. The downside of growing out a pixie cut is that it grows really wonky. I had a mullet/rat tail like section that was longer than the majority of my hair, and this week I’d had enough. I cut the mullet myself, only to ask my mom to help me. It’s not perfect, but at least most of my hair is “even.”
  
  I will get a proper haircut eventually. LOL.
  
  4. A while back I agreed to watch my friends kid so she and her sister could go to a concert. The time came, and I had a blast from the past evening. We started with perler beads, where I made the most beautiful creature known to man. Then I introduced her kid to the wonderful world of the N64 (I went easy on him.) And we ended the day with a jump on the trampoline. FULLY equipped with a net, just like the one I had as a kid.
  
  Safety first.
  
  Perler bead LITTLE!
  
  5. My Garmin watch was acting a fool recently. The elevation gain on my hikes was constantly messed up, it was no longer accurately recording my distances for hikes or runs, and it was just all around spazzy. I contacted Garmin to see if there was anything I could do to help this, and they offered to send me a free exchange.
  
  The watches they use for this are refurbished, but I figured anything was better than what I had.
  
  The watch I received was as good as new initially. Unfortunately it had some pixelation issues, but they immediately fixed the problem and I’m getting another “new” to me watch. Black and Decker needs to take notes…(see number 9 in that post.)
  
  6. Back in February Duncan bought tickets to see my favorite artist for my birthday. The time came, and we set off for the concert at the farm. While I LOVED seeing Gregory Alan Isakov, I don’t think the outdoor concert scene is for me. I was wildly distracted (and annoyed? even though it’s totally in their right?) by the people constantly walking around.
  
  I was spoiled seeing Gregory for the first time with the Seattle Symphony (LOOK AT that baby child in that post, I wish I could go slap her and tell her to relax her freaking forehead in those photos. This is why my forehead is now wrinkled.) A background symphony is now my standard – inside, no one moves around, acoustics on POINT.
  
  I still had a good time and I’m glad we went. Greg (we’ve met, so naturally we’re on a first name basis. We’re basically besties) was fantastic as always.
  
  7. If you’ve been around here for a while you will remember this post from a year ago. The specific call out in that post is the hubcap story. I lost a hubcap, but it wasn’t the first time. Because this had happened before, when I saw a rogue Toyota Camry hubcap on the side of the road sometime around 2014 I picked it up and stored it for when I needed it.
  
  I ended up needing it last year, and sadly I have since lost that replacement hubcap. I recently had to get a new tire (my third one this year wtf) and when they put the hubcap back on it must have been the final straw. When Duncan and I parked at the Gregory Alan Isakov concert I notice it was missing. That free hubcap lasted me a year, and I will call that a win.
  
  I am back on the hunt for another rogue hubcap on the side of the road, wish me luck.
  
  8. Recently at work we received a random one off Nalgene that we don’t typically carry. I already own a Nalgene, and I use it for hikes where a glass jar will not be a good idea (I exclusively drink and eat out of glass. Yes, I’m one of those.) Because of this I did not need another Nalgene. One is more than enough. However, this Nalgene was very cute and I made a comment about it to my coworker.
  
  I expressed to him how much I liked it, but I didn’t need two Nalgene’s. He knew we likely wouldn’t be getting anymore of these and he decided to buy it for me. This made the Nalgene suddenly very special, and I am reminded of the magnitude of a small gesture. This made my day, and now I can just rotate between the two Nalgene’s I own. Or I can give my other one away. So many options.
  
  9. I’m getting the itch again to sign up for a half marathon. I truly don’t know what is wrong with me. I swore after my last one I would not run another one for a WHILE. That one destroyed me not only physically, but mentally as well. Somehow after the summer season passes I tend to forget how much I abhor the last few weeks of training for a half.
  
  I might try to start training earlier and run exclusively throughout the winter. Maybe that will help?
  
  10. Last, but most certainly not least Duncan and I went on a triple date recently to Ziggy’s Cat Lounge. I went here once last year, and this time it was just the six of us in the room. We had a magical time, and I was reunited with two of their resident black cats. They recently got ANOTHER resident black cat (named Binx, how fitting), and they were all so sweet.
  
  I managed to capture a photo of Duncan in his element…feeding wild animals (this is a call back to him being Snow White on Mt. Si with the bird.)
  
  My favorite thing about this visit is that all of us own cats and are very happy with the cats we own. Sometimes cat owners just want to have coffee and socialize together in public…with other cats.
  
  Q: What’s your confession?
  
  | 16 Comments Tagged Cats, Concert, Early Morning Confessions, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hiking, Little
- Klahhane Ridge
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 18, 2025
  
  I. Am. So. Behind. My posting has taken a back seat to anything and everything else in life. Which is absolutely fine, but when I have a handful of hikes I want to document in my online diary it’s much harder when I am months behind. The hike I want to share today is from July 27th, nearly two months ago. This is a hike I had heard about a few years ago, and finally got around to prioritizing.
  
  Duncan and I set out to hike the Klahhane Ridge in Olympic National Park. I had been to this area of the park before (the Hurricane Ridge entrance), but only a couple of times. I had forgotten how breathtaking this part of the Olympics were, and no matter which hike you embark on from the Hurricane Ridge area you will see sweeping views of mountains and trees.
  
  The Klahhane Ridge trail has two starting locations. The steeper and more direct route begins at the Switchback Trail. For a longer and more gradual trail to the ridge you can start from the Hurricane Ridge main parking lot. We chose the Switchback Trail, which only has maybe 5-8 parking spots, so it’s best to arrive early.
  
  We arrived before 0730 and easily snagged a parking spot. We saw a few other hikers, but had the trail mostly to ourselves on the way up. The trail to the ridge from the parking lot is short, but once you are on the ridge there are multiple options for continuing on. My main goal was to hike this trail until we were able to see Lake Angeles.
  
  We could have hiked all the way DOWN to Lake Angeles, but this means we would have had to go back up (obviously.)
  
  The ridge itself is mild, but for someone like me who is afraid of thin trails with drop offs there were a few spots that gave me pause. I managed to get past them, and then we entered the back side of the ridge where there were open meadows with zero drop offs. We sat for some lunch before continuing on to where we could see Lake Angeles from above.
  
  Overall the trail was very quiet which was surprising for a Sunday mid summer.
  
  Lake Angeles from an aerial view.
  
  I would have loved to continue on to the bottom of the lake, but I have hiked to Lake Angeles many times before and ultimately did not need to see it again. It wasn’t worth the effort of going down and then back up. Although my ego always wants to “complete” a trail. This trail had multiple branch offs for somewhat of a choose your own adventure trail so I didn’t feel tooooo bad skipping the lake.
  
  We turned around and walked a little bit on another trail before calling it a day and heading back to the car. We ended with just over 8 miles, and just under 3k feet of elevation gain for the day.
  
  One of my favorite things to do when visiting a national park is checking out the visitor center. Sadly the Hurricane Ridge visitor center burned down in 2023, but they do have a smaller ranger station down the road. We stopped in here on the way out to browse the trinkets before heading back home. I don’t typically buy anything, I just like to look.
  
  We ended the day filling up our bellies at Red Robin. Somehow this place doesn’t leave me feeling like a total bag of garbage after eating their food, and for that I go every so often. I can’t say the same for Duncan, but that’s likely because he drank a milkshake meant for two despite being sensitive to dairy. LOL. Alas, sometimes it’s worth the pain.
  
  Q: Do you like national park visitor centers?
  
  | 21 Comments Tagged Hiking, Hurricane Ridge, Klahhane Ridge, Olympic National Park
- Early Morning Confessions
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 25, 2025
  
  1. I have to sneak these Early Morning Confessions posts into the mix when I have a lot to share, don’t have the mental bandwidth to make multiple separate posts, and am eons behind in my posting. Then again…who even cares/knows if I am “behind?” Does anyone even read this blog anymore? Beuller…Beuller…
  
  2. Summer has been in full swing over here, and for me that means go, go, gooooinggg. I try to be mindful of how much I bite off per week to prevent any type of burn out/flair ups, but for the past few weeks I have been living the epitome of YOLO. From friends visiting town, to nice weather, to the FOMO of summer ending I have been trying to do it all.
  
  Duncan and I have been trying to get out on our bikes more this year, and we have spent a few weekends going to an island near us where it’s safer to bike. We have biked here twice lately – one 15 miler and one 20 miler. In the middle of each ride we stopped to have a baked good and some coffee. It’s the little things for me, like finding a gluten free treat at a new to me coffee shop.
  
  3. I went blueberry picking recently and came home with 3.5lbs of berries. I have since made two batches of muffins, and I cannot get enough. The first batch made 12 muffins, and I ate 9 of those within 3 days. Can’t stop, won’t stop with the muffins.
  
  4. Good thing I have been hiking more than anything this summer (after those muffins), and I had a few back to back adventures this month. First I had a friend visiting who I met while working in Yellowstone. He is one of those hardcore masochists who never seem to run out of energy. We went for a 14 mile hike passing by one of my favorite alpine lakes.
  
  We had a full 8 hour adventure and it was so lovely to catch up on life.
  
  Next I went for a hike with a girl I met in Germany, she was one of my roommates! She has since moved to Olympia, and is close enough for occasional get togethers. I dragged Duncan with me on this one because she and he are two weirdo peas in a pod. Obviously I am also a part of this pod, but it’s always a special treat with I can combine people in my life smoothly.
  
  We hiked Mount Storm King, giving us beautiful aerial views of Lake Crescent.
  
  5. Something that really grinds my gears is when the egg carton is not evenly distributed with the remaining eggs. Like…when someone pulls from one side exclusively and the entire carton is off balance when you pick it up. If I stumble onto a carton like this in the fridge I will move the eggs around until they are well balanced within the carton.
  
  6. Piggybacking off of confession #4, the same weekend of my Storm King/Lake Crescent hike I went back to Lake Crescent that Monday for a bike ride with a few of my coworkers/friends. We planned to bike this section of the Olympic Discovery Trail, and we managed a good 28 miles of fun. This time instead of an aerial view of the lake, I got to bike right next to the lake.
  
  We stopped at a tiny yet grossly overpriced general store where I bought a canned version of Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew. It was delicious.
  
  If you look really close you will notice my handlebars are tilted WAY TOO FAR DOWN. I rode like this for too long before adjusting them.
  
  7. All this business (I have also been working more) has left me with minimal mental energy to read lately. I have managed to finish a few books this month, one of which delighted my entire soul. I read All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, and I cannot wait to read each book that follows this one. What a joyful man. I laughed, I cried, I raged (the farmers of the 1930’s have no chill), and I learned a thing or to about veterinary medicine. 10/10.
  
  8. While I have been active the last few weeks, I have made sure to prioritize quality time with my best pal. Call me crazy, but I can tell a difference in his well being when I am away from home for too long (hence why I don’t go far), and I prioritize spending time with him as much as possible.
  
  9. Buckle up for this one, I am about to pop off. I would be remiss if I did not share with the public the chaos that is Black and Decker customer service. Yeah, I am about to be THAT PERSON. Last summer I bought a portable AC unit after decades without. I’m a Washingtonain, we don’t need AC. Alas, I decided to bite the bullet. I used the unit for around two months last summer and tucked her away.
  
  Three months ago we got the unit back out, and she was acting like a basic fan. Blowing air, but not frigid air. After talking with Black and Decker customer service they advised me that the compressor was likely shot and they would send me a new one free of charge. EXCELLENT, what great service I thought.
  
  A full month goes by and I finally receive a new unit. I immediately knew something was wrong when I saw how mangled the box was. I then saw someone else’s address on a shipping label elsewhere on the box, and when I opened the box I found a dirty unit that smelled of a woman’s perfume. It’s ok, I’m fine, it’s 90 degrees when I received the used replacement, but I know mistakes happen.
  
  I call and get a new agent, he is clearly mortified and ensures me he will make it right and send me a new unit. Another month goes by, I am following up each week, and after my third follow up he informs me they don’t have my unit in stock, but they can send me an upgraded one. Ok, sure, fine, but maybe you could have let me know this instead of waiting for me to reach out?
  
  I get the new unit, I open the box, and the HOSE THAT CONNECTS THE UNIT TO THE WINDOW (to blow out the hot air) IS BROKEN. At this point I can’t help but laugh, I don’t even know what is going on anymore. I tell them what happened, and they offer to send me a new hose. SURE, GREAT, that would be swell, by the time I get a working unit the summer will be over, but YES PLEASE.
  
  Fast forward to two weeks ago, which is now over three months since this all started. I haven’t heard anything from them despite them telling me they would send me a tracking number for the hose. Then I suddenly see the package on my steps and I am pumped. Finally this will all be over, and I will be able to chill my bones in the hades heat of the summer. I open the box, and IT’S THE WRONG HOSE. The hose is still missing one of the end pieces, and the other end has a piece meant for a different unit.
  
  I have reached out YET AGAIN, and they are sending me the “correct” hose. I ended up taping the broken hose to attempt to make it work in some way, but I have lost my ever loving mind at this point, and I will never be buying another Black and Decker item in my life. Thank you for listening. That is all.
  
  10. My mom left her interior light on over the weekend recently, and when she went to start her car next her battery had died. Duncan and I decided we would change her battery ourselves (mostly Duncan), so we took the battery out of her car and took it to O’Reilly’s for them to test the battery. It was shot, so we bought a new one and Duncan put it in. Meanwhile I changed out her cabin air filter.
  
  This was incredibly liberating, saving money always gets my serotonin flowing.
  
  Alright. That’s enough for one post.
  
  Q: What’s your confession?
  
  | 60 Comments Tagged Biking, Duncan, Early Morning Confessions, Hiking, Little
- Mount Townsend Loop Trail
  
  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 14, 2025
  
  Alternatively titled: A birthday to remember.
  
  My dear pal Caitlin recently turned another year older. When I asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said she wanted to go for a hike. We didn’t necessarily want to go far from home, but we did want to do something new to us. We discovered there was a looped version of a trail we had both done many times, but neither of us had ever done the loop.
  
  This was a no brainer as this trail would take us on new terrain, we would pass by a lake, and it would give us a solid 11 miles of hiking. We set out on the Mount Townsend Loop trail around 0930, and we had the trail to ourselves for nearly the entire first half of the hike. After a few miles we got to Silver Lake where we planned to stop and possibly swim.
  
  It was here I decided to surprise Caitlin with a birthday cupcake.
  
  Mine got a bit smooshed.
  
  It took me longer than expected to submerge my skin into the frigid water, but as always I am glad I did. Caitlin jumped in too, ate her cupcake, and we ate some food to prepare for the steeper sections. As we continued on towards the top of the loop the trail became familiar, and the sun felt significantly hotter.
  
  This is when things started to get a little hairy. We had checked the temps before starting this hike because Caitlin wanted to bring her dog Poncho with us, and both of us saw that it was supposed to be a high of 65 or so. It turned out to be much warmer than this, and when Poncho started to slow down we worried it might have been because of the heat.
  
  (Poncho has gone on many hikes with us, she is a seasoned hiker dog, so her slowing down is always cause for alarm.)
  
  We managed to find a section of the trail with snow, and Poncho came back to life almost instantly. We were certain we were out of troubled waters, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. We blissfully savored the views from the summit of the loop without a second thought of the chaos to come.
  
  We managed to get a bit of a way down the summit towards the back half of the loop when we started having troubles with Poncho again.
  
  It started with her slowing down, and eventually she wouldn’t walk at all. She would sit and have little interest in continuing on, and we both still thought it was due to the heat. Caitlin would cover her fur in water, give her extra breaks to drink water, and eventually Poncho would start walking. This continued on until the stops got longer, and this is when both Caitlin and I started to worry.
  
  We were still 3 or so miles from the car, it was getting later in the day, and Poncho did not want to move. Caitlin tried carrying her over her shoulders a few times, but ultimately Poncho was too heavy. We played a game of start stop and gave Poncho as many breaks as she needed, but during one of our breaks Caitlin noticed something was wrong with Ponchos paw pads.
  
  We later learned that what had happened was essentially like the human version of a blister. Her entire paw pads on two of her paws were peeling off, leaving a tender layer of exposed skin underneath. We didn’t know this at the time, and all we were focused on was getting Poncho back to the car. After multiple hours we got to the end of the trail onto the gravel road where we still had a mile walk to the car. From here I let Caitlin stay with Poncho and I booked it to get her car.
  
  I was on such high alert from the anxiety of my mental spiral that I had my bear spray in my hand the entire time. I was convinced a cougar, or a bear, (or a man lol) would find me walking alone and my wandering mind got the best of me.
  
  I got the car, I drove back to the gals, and all was well in the world again. Poncho was down and out for a few days, but the vet wrapped her paws and gave her some happy drugs to help with the pain. She is good as new now, and thankfully Caitlin decided on the warm days of summer Poncho will stay home for these hikes. She also bought some doggy booties which I can’t wait to see her in.
  
  This trail was beautiful, a 10/10 and likely one of my favorites in this area, but it was skewed by the scary moments with Poncho. Both Caitlin and I would like a redo. Caitlin will remember her 31st birthday likely forever, as the one where Poncho had a rough go. I skimmed over this day in a very brief blog post, but in the moment it was really scary.
  
  We finished this hike around 1700, over eight hours after we started. Thankfully we both stayed calm and managed to get pupperoonie out safe and sound.
  
  Q: Have you ever spent your birthday in a less than ideal situation? My most recent was 2024 when I had to take Little to the ER on my birthday. Thankfully birthday are less exciting the older I get.
  
  | 34 Comments Tagged Birthday Hike, Hiking, Mount Townsend
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