Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

This is purely an eye candy post--I spent a couple of weeks in Maine with a friend back in October, some of the time on the coast, some at a cabin on Webb Lake near Blue Mountain State Park. I'm not going to try to make a narrative of this--just share a bunch of pretty pictures :) Leaving the smoke-filled lowlands of Puget Sound  The coast Near Brunswick, ME Warm enough to work outside! Christmas Cove, ME The Gulf side of Christmas Cove Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival Lily approved of the corgi pumpkin! Inland Classic Maine home with a glorious tree! Brunswick Commons Crystal Spring Farm open space, Brunswick Webb Lake Tumbledown Mountain Tumbledown Mountain and Webb Lake Fog on Web Lake from Blue Mountain State Park Hope you enjoyed this little excursion through the best season of the year!       ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2023  As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated. Don't miss a post-- Follow us !  

Today we are back in the Alpine Lakes wilderness on a very special overnight pack trip I did in late September. Why special? Well, this was not only a return to a place I dayhiked 30 years ago and vowed to revisit on another fall day, but it was my first solo backpacking trip in nearly as long--since I married in 1994. More significantly, it was my first solo backpack since losing my husband. It was kind of a test, because solo hiking is something I need to be able to do, given how hard it is to find trail partners who are a good match. I've been doing some car-camping alone (in transit to places, for the most part), so I was pretty sure I'd be fine, and I was. Rachel, Rampart, and Lila Lakes The hike was a single night, about 5 1/2 miles in (and 2300' up) past Rachel Lake to Rampart Lakes. The big attraction is the fall color--mostly in the form of mountain blueberries and a couple of other bushes that turn pretty brilliant colors. The drive from Seattle is pretty short (a

This is a three-night backpack trip I did with my brother-in-law back in September, in Washington State's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I had meant to do an additional two nights but that was when the Bolt Creek fire blew up and closed US 2 over the mountains--where I had intended to come out. I of course didn't know that at the time, but the sudden increase in smoke where we were and still more to the north where I wanted to go meant retreat was the right option. Day 1: Tuck and Robin Lakes  The hike in from the trailhead at Tucquala meadows (a good 3 hours from Seattle, more if the road hasn't been graded recently, but always fully passable to a Prius) to Robin lake is about 6 1/2 miles--and better than 3000' up. It's a stiff hike, in other words, with a full pack on a hot day (remember, I was carrying food for 5 days, and we weren't able to start hiking until late morning). The first several miles of trail is well-graded and climbs gradually past Hyas Lake,  then