New Years Eve snowshoeing at Gold Creek

After Sarah and I stocked up yesterday at the nearby Tacoma Backpacker's Supply we met up with friends this morning to snowshoe at Gold Creek near Snoqualmie pass. Good thing there was snow! Seriously, it's been unseasonably warm and we grew worried that there would be enough of the white stuff to 'shoe in. Cooler and seriously wet weather the last couple days fortunately dropped some fresh powder and as we gained elevation and drove over the pass we realized we'd be just fine. Just off the Hyak exit from I-90 we parked along a road that parallels the freeway to get geared up. Holly needed a quick visit to the port-a-let and we urged her to do so before we headed out. Little did we remember that it was about a half mile back from where we parked. Model husband Gavin and friend Matt helped us hit the trail a bit sooner and went to retrieve her in Gav's car.

We didn't hike far into the woods but instead took our time and enjoyed just being outside. We found a picnic spot near a lake the feeds Gold Creek that was partially frozen over with snow and slush. We took our time eating lunch and Gav even started to build a ginormous snowman. Kelly and he rolled a base snowball for the man that gain enough weight to make Gav sweat and, due to the temperature, actually steam. That man is a heater, ladies and gentlemen. Once all stacked up it towered above us all and will likely stand for many days (pending punk kids) to come. Sarah and I headed back to the car after a twist of her knee (this time the other one) that would've been painful to continue to 'shoe on. The others did a loop around the lake then joined us for the return ride home.

After winding down a bit at Gavin and Holly's we headed over to Kelly's West Seattle home for dinner and games. We flattened and cut homemade pasta for a tasty dinner before playing a game passed down from Kelly's dad called Cards and Marbles. After that the New Year hit, we toasted with some sparkling wine and continued into the new year with some more gaming. This time around we played some Uno Attack. It's like the original Uno card game but with a machine that randomly deals out cards when someone presses a button. There are also other upgrades that include the ability to swap hands with another player. After we were a couple hours into the new year we all crashed at Kelly's in hopes of avoiding any crashes on the way home.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Comments (2) | To Top

1/2/2006 @ 9:08am

It was a wonderful new years eve hike/celebration for me. It was beautiful up at the pass with all of the white snow hanging off of the pine trees and seemed almost warm as we hiked along. Thanks for the great time and memories Kev. Have a great new year.

by Gavin Jensen

1/2/2006 @ 10:23am

Sounds like you guys had a great new years! Uno Attack is one of my families favorite games as well.

by Jeff