Of all the mountains I’ve hiked lately, I feel as though this one is a necessary climb for anyone living in Washington. For obvious reason.
After a weekend full of activity I found this climb to be somewhat difficult. My legs were heavy, and it took every ounce of energy I had to push me up the steep gradients. Thank goodness for cookies.
Tunnel into the trees.
I focused on taking a few more photos along the way opposed to just the photos at the summit. The journey to the top is just as exciting.
This was the first hike of the year that I had moments where I wasn’t enjoying myself. I know it was because I was tired, but it just goes to show not every climb is full of mountain glitter and confetti.
Alas, once I made it to the top it was all worth it. As always.
If you recall from a hike I went on a little over a month ago (under life lesson number five), I almost had to fight a bird for my sandwich. This time, I decided to try and feed the bird myself, because only when I OFFER you my food is it OK to take it. Never without approval.
They circled, but didn’t take it. How rude.
So I set it down, and then they took it.
Kind of hard to see, but there he is with the cherry in his mouth.
Despite my moments of weakness this hike was the perfect cap to my fantastic adventurous weekend. I destroyed an entire Chipotle burrito afterwards, and enjoyed a sunset ferry ride home.
I’ve decided to try educating myself on the local wildflowers and plants on my hikes. I now know the names of the two flowers in this post, and will for sure bust out this knowledge on my next hike!
Q: Do you ever look up wildflowers/bird types/tree types etc..? Having this information makes me feel all “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Blissfulbritt 
43 thoughts on “Mount Washington”
katalysthealth
I totally went to the beach last night, and a Seagull literally swooped RIGHT onto one of my high school girl’s towels and snatched a fully wrapped burrito, from right by her leg! In seconds there was a swarm in the air attacking that bird and that burrito was GONE in 20 seconds flat. It was all sorts of disturbing!
Brittany
HAHAHA OH MY GOSH!! I am dying, for real this was so funny. I would have been SO MAD! Birds are so fearless sometimes!
Davida @The Healthy Maven
I recently found out my friend knows Bill Nye the Science Guy and I freaked! I used to love that show! I only look up trees to see if I need to take my allergy meds. Turns out I’m allergic to everything in the West ughhhh
Katherine
THIS IS SO COOL! I love all your pictures of the way up, BUT the summit is pretty incredible too. Girl, feeling weak or not, you did it!! That’s so amazing (And you totally have bragging rights now). The whole time I was climbing mountains on the east coast, I wished I had a shazam app for bird sounds or an app where you could take pictures of trees/plants/wildflowers and identify them! We were googling trees the entire trip xx
Brittany
That would be THE best app ever created….
jessielovestorun
Good for you on passing up the usual chipotle bowl that everyone & their grandma gets & going straight for the burrito. I knew I liked you from the first post I ever read. Which damn, I can’t even recall when that was?? Hmmm…
The Vegan 8
As always, love your hiking pics, they are so beautiful and breathtaking! That is a cool photo of the bird eating the cherry. You are seriously like the hiking queen. I never look up flower names, I like to look at them but too lazy to learn what they are unless I’m using specific ones for an occassion.
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
OF COURSE when you try to feed the birds they leave you alone. Isn’t that the way life works? Haha. As usually, beautiful pictures. You have an eye for capturing the little beauties you find along your hikes. I’m sure your legs were heavy because of the running this past weekend but I bet it did an awesome job shaking your legs out.
Sarah @ Feeeding the Brain and Body
What a coincidence that you are posting about this! I have always been interested in Bird types and even have several bird books, but I have only recently been enthused by different wildflower and tree types. In fact I have been scoping out a good field guide to get so that I can better identify them! These pics are great!
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill
So many beautiful pictures! I can’t wait to get some hikes in during my August trip!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Mmm, you made me want a Chipotle burrito. I could eat those like they’re going out of style, which they better not be, because I love them. Beans, veggies, salsa…mmm what’s not to like.
Every hike is not the best hike, but every hike is a good hike. You make me want to climb mountains.
Amy @ A Desert Girl
I love that you are educating yourself on the flowers you see on hikes. That’s a great way to connect with your hikes even further! That sunset from the ferry is gorgeous. Have you hiked Mt Constitution on Orcas Island? I did when I visited PNW in Sept of 2011. I enjoyed it – although we did have fog and a minimal view at the top.
Brittany
I’ve actually never been to Orcas Island!! I need to go!
Aja
That looks like a beautiful hike. I don’t know anything about types of birds or flowers, but they’re still pretty.
Food, Booze, & Baggage
Really nice photos! The flowers ones are cool and it is fun you are trying to learn more about what you are hiking along side 🙂 How sweet to feed the bird!
lucie
You should write an ebook on your mountain climbing adventures – I would be the first one to purchase a copy! Also, have you own a film camera? Every time I look at your photos I can imagine the dreaminess that a film camera and a roll of film would produce at the top of those mountains!
Brittany
What a fun idea!! I’ve thought about how cool it would be to write an ebook for food, but never thought about my climbs! Excellent idea.
I do not own a film camera, in fact I don’t even know much about them! I have a dSLR I use for my food photos, but most all of my hiking photos are just iPhone shots because that’s all I carry with me!! I trust your photography tips though because your photos are UUHHMAZZING.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
Wow – so beautiful!
When I was hiking in the Alps last week, my guide was really knowledgeable about all the local wildlife and flowers and it was really interesting.
Ashley
I totally would have eaten that cherry if the bird didn’t — I used to HATE cherries and now I’m obsessed and they’re always expensive here. But Washington is like the land of cherries so I’m sure you get a ton of them there.
My dad and I looked up the flowers we saw on a hike once. We were actually staying in a resort town so we did it the old fashioned way by looking it up in a guidebook at one of the stores but it was still cool to find out what we had seen along the way!
Brittany
YES!! I actually need to get to the bookstore to buy myself a “real book” to look these things up in. I had a friend that owned a PNW wildflower and plant book that I used to look things up in, I want my own!
P
One of the classes I took in college mentioned how to classify mushrooms. I thought that was some nifty info to store in the noggin for later use 😛
Rach @ This Italian Family
You are such a smart lady! I hardly know the names of “regular flowers” not to mention wild flowers. I love that you are driven to learn more and educate yourself. Way to be. 🙂 And yes, totally not acceptable to steal food. Only when it is offered, is it okay to take! That goes for birds or people. 😉
Luv What You Do
I need to visit Washington!
I’m hoping to do some hiking in California next month!
Ellie
I never have looked up an animal I’ve seen on a run because usually I forget about it. I also am familiar with the local birds so I can identify most of them from sight. I get more distracted by the deer who get so close it’s unreal!
Life After Swimming
Whoa those views are just stunning! You definitely earned that burrito!
Christina Does It All
BEAUTIFUL! Ps I am emailing you soon so be expecting it! 😉
Brittany
YAYAYA!
Mellie Dee
haha they’re scared!!that’s why they didn’t take it! I know I say it all the time butttt seriously jealous of those views!
apartmentwife
you lunched with the birds! how cute are you? thoreau would be proud.
moderngirlnutrition
Your pictures are PERFECT 🙂 And haha Chipotle is the best after a good workout!
Amy
What a strange bird!! And I’m now obsessed with Chipotle. Their burrito bowls/salads are awesome! 🙂 That takes a lot of guts to keep going and make it to the top when your legs feel like led. I don’t hike as much as you (that needs to change now that my parents have a cabin in Tahoe, and P.S. COME VISIT SO WE CAN HIKE!), but I’ve had runs where my legs are dead, and it hurts so bad. Yay for you for still having moments where you enjoyed yourself!
sincerelylily
Guuuuuuuuush….. these pictures are priceless. I’m convinced you might live in the most beautiful land of all. Maybe I can convince the husband to take a job out this way….
Love that you tried to feed the bird via hand and he was like ‘um no.’ Probably a good thing so you didn’t get bird disease are your finger pecked off.
UM- Yes!!!! to learning the birds, trees, plants, etc. What an excellent venture for your mind and actually useful since you are engrossed in nature all the time. I used to be reeeeeally into astronomy and space…. I should get back into it. And then together we would know all – except for mabye oceanic stuff, thats a whole nother beast.
Brittany
Please move to Washington and we can be best friends and explore, and discover out passions in life and really make ourselves happy and full of LIFE!
Yea, I’m glad I didn’t get bird disease. I look tough and fearless (not really) but I was actually totally scared when the bird got kinda close.
When you move to WA we can learn about oceans and be a TRIPLE nature threat!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
As unknowledgeable as I am about specific bits about nature, I certainly appreciate its beauty. As much as I dislike rain, I am loving what it’s doing to the grass & trees here…they’ve never looked greener!
Gorgeous pics of your hike, especially the sunset one!
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Melanie
What an absolutely beautiful hike! I love that sunset picture. I also love that cute bird with the cherry. Too bad he didn’t eat it from your hand though! 😦
Choc Chip Uru
What a gorgeous hike, I wouldn’t want to leave! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Cindy
The white flower looks like some kind of Trillium. I don’t know the yellow flower. I went to forestry school for one class so I know all my pine trees by the taste of the needles. Bleah!
Brittany
Upon first glance I thought the white flower WAS a trilluim, but after looking it up I discovered it’s actually called a bunchberry. It has four leaves instead of the three on a trillium!
Tasting the needles!? That’s…kinda cool..and gross at the same time. HA.
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
A gorgeous hike ending with a trip to Chipotle?! Perfection. If only I had mountains closer than a 3 hour drive… or Chipotle closer than a 3 hour flight 😆
Amalia
I love looking up birds, trees, and wildflowers when I hike! I actually bought a book about all the birds in British Columbia. I found a stellar’s jay when I was hiking in Tofino, it was great! I love that you look things up too.
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