Northwest Washington Hikes: Damfino Lakes

Do you know the wonders of the northwest? Have you visited every nook and cranny of the rolling foothills of Mount Baker, the lush forests and rocky beaches, and everything in between?

Well, neither have I.

There are so many places to explore, and though it is quite impossible, I look forward to discovering every single one.


However, this has been a summer of very little hiking and camping. Blasphemy, I say! Between work and attending nursing assistant classes, house-sitting and taking care of critters, there seems to have been little time to take a few days off to enjoy one of my favorite activities in the world.

So I finally set some time aside for a lovely escapade in the mountains. Thank god.


Three friends and I, as well as two adventure woofs took off on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, sleeping bags and lots of snacks in stow. Damfino Lakes and beyond was the destination. On the drive, I sang Beatles songs and the two guys debated about Dungeons & Dragons. This topic would be a common occurrence during the trip.

"...and the vampire would call his minions to do his bidding"
"What is the likelihood that a Mindflayer could..."

The air is so clean out in the wilderness. Intoxicating.


The trail began with a steady uphill path, enveloped in green vegetation. About .7 miles in you have the option of going left to (Canyon Ridge Trail), but we stayed to the right towards Damfino Lakes. The trail is well marked.

We saw several groups of people, as it is a very popular trail. All were friendly and adored Clif and Sophie, the two dogs leading the way.*

A mile in are Damfino Lakes, which for some reason I imagined as higher up and made up of glacier water. Not so. My friends and I were keen on the idea of jumping into that glacier lake in our nudey pants in the evening, a dreadful tradition we happily uphold. However, a lovely pond-like lake is what we found. Watch out for skeeters!


Lovely wildflowers spotted the overwhelming greenness.**



Also, this is one of my favorite colors:


The vibrant green against a vivid blue... Ah! So beautiful. The path crosses a vast meadow on the side of a mountain. You'll see the first views of what I believe is Church Mountain and other smaller peaks. This path was punctuated with remarks like "I wish I could cast repel vermin" or perhaps "gust of wind."


The last stretch was an uphill battle, and let me tell you--I was feeling my summer without hikes. The burning in my lungs felt right. How sad is it that I was having issues climbing those stairs? I am ashamed, I tell you. Very ashamed.

These thoughts subsided when we reached the peak of a hill along High Divide trail. Amazing! Three-hundred and sixty degree views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, the Rockies to the north, even Rainier in the distance! This is Lingfei drinking in the surroundings.


That reminds me: This was Lingfei's first camping experience! I wish the bugs hadn't been such a bother, but they were not as bad as they could have been. We decided this was the perfect spot to set up camp, despite the rocky ground. You could not beat the views. Look! Rainier:


Lingfei and I set up the tent as the boys gathered some fallen limbs for a campfire, and then we ate supper in temporary dwelling. Scrambled eggs, grainy toast and cheese, bananas, granola bars, and mango-bean salad was on the menu. Mealtime is always so satisfying when you're camping because you're so hungry that everything tastes delicious. Mmmm.

Woohoo, family portrait!


So we ate, then went to make the fire. Well, honestly the boys did most of that. Let me tell you, Alex makes the best fires, blazing and angry. Beautiful.


Did I mention we went camping on a full moon? No?? There she is rising over Shuksan!


I can't believe I forgot to mention that. The night-sun illuminated the countryside, bright as a bulb. Oh, that's a terrible metaphor. It doesn't do justice. Bright as a... "lustrous shining globe of beauty." I had to ask Alex how to describe it--He did much better. The night intensified his and Chris's imaginations.

Alex: "What would you do if a ..."
Chris: "Probably just ignore it until it went away..."

They're funny.

The four of us slept snugly in our three-man tent, and unfortunately Sophie and Clif had to sleep outside with the insects. Luckily, a slight breeze blew the flies and mosquitos away for the most part.

The sunrise in the morning was as spectacular as the moonrise the night before, and she brought with her a blanket of blue. Pure, intense blue. The downhill hike back to the car took much less time than the way up. Obviously. The dogs took a dip in the lakes. Sophie is the queen of swimming, and Clif always loses on the way to the stick, but they share. It's cute.


I definitely recommend this one. Serene. Easy. Accessible. One more picture!


From Bellingham go east following the Mount Baker highway. Travel 31 miles to the Mount Baker Service Center*** where you can purchase a parking permit (only five dollars), then travel two more miles on the highway turning left on Canyon Creek Road. Follow this well-maintained back road for 16 miles. After the bridge, be sure to stay left at forks in the road. The trailhead is marked and there is a privy.

This is a dog-friendly trail. Don't forget doggy bags!

As always, pack out all wastes.

*Perhaps I am making that up because I am biased--They actually startled several people on the way. Attack dogs!
**Did I mention the northwest is very green? I think I've pointed that out too many times.
***You may want to stop in and fill up on water, use the restrooms, etc.

Four Little Chickies

Well, I guess they're no longer little chickies...

But big news! One of them laid her first egg.



This is a major milestone.

Congratulations!

I bet it was the fat black chickie. Hen.

There are three black chickens, and one of them is about three times as fat as the other two.

She's very cute.

And fat.

Also, that is not actually where I found the egg.

Obviously.

Woohoo, eggs from free-range chickens! I ate it for breakfast with mozzarella cheese.

Mmm.

Pineapple-Chicken Curry

Tonight I fed some nerds, some very dear and beloved nerds playing Magic: The Gathering.


Curry for dinner, and cookie dough balls for dessert. Yes, I am a (semi-)grown-up, but I still love eating cookie dough. Just make your standard Tollhouse cookie recipe, stick some toothpicks in them, freeze them for a while, dip them in melted chocolate chips, and there you have it! Delicious.


It was fun. That is all I have to say for tonight, aside from try this sometime. It's good stuff; filling, flavorful, and fun to make.


Pineapple Chicken Curry

2 c. rice
5 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 potatoes
1 c. sweet yellow onion, sliced
1 c. sliced carrots
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cans coconut milk
2 T. yellow curry paste
1 can pineapple

Begin cooking the rice as instructions dictate.

Boil the potatoes until they become soft and tender. Cool and proceed to cube them.

In the meanwhile, cook cut chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked. Set aside. In the same skillet, saute potatoes, sliced onions, and carrots adding water as necessary. When vegetables are tender, combine chicken. Spice with curry powder, cinnamon, and salt to taste.*

In a large pot, add sauted veggies and chicken along with the coconut milk and curry paste. Bring to a boil than reduce to a simmer until thick. Add the pineapples with the juice. Enjoy over the cooked rice!

Gourmet S'mores

Sometimes, I just hate wearing pants. That's why you might find me wandering around in just a t-shirt and my underwear. It's only a problem when I'm forced to go out in public, or when the UPS guy rings the doorbell and blushes crimson when I answer the door. You know, skirts are okay when you have to, but some instances don't allow that. Skirts are inappropriate in some areas of life, such as my place of employment where long black dress-pants are part of the uniform. It's so nice at the end of a shift, the part after I bike home where I walk into the door and immediately unbutton those stupid pants. Aaah.

Sometimes, I go goo-goo over adorable dogs. Even less adorable dogs, I suppose: those little kick-me dogs who wear ridiculous outfits and make yippy noises--yeah, they're still unresistible. Parks are horrible because I want to go visit with every dog around. It's like my mother and babies.* Yeah... I have two woofs; Jojo is a five or six pound yorkshire terrier with a bad haircut and a tendency to smile.** Clif sleeps in my bed and hogs the covers. I allow this because he is my pup--my year and a half old german shepard-boxer pup whom joined the family by accident. Lucky him. He licks the floor clean when I spill and eats socks. He also plays fetch and loves swimming, despite his clumsy frolicking in the water.


Sometimes, I have a hankering to make s'mores. Camping has many great perks, but making s'mores over a campfire after a long, sweaty, dirty day is one of my favorites. However, these urges to make the gooey, sweet treats might come at a time when erecting a campfire isn't plausible, so I make due with the oven and the flames of our propane stove. You could also try the microwaving method, that works too, but nothing beats a golden marshmallow toasted to perfection. Though nothing compares with campfire s'mores, these "ghetto s'mores," or inauthentic s'mores and pretty fun, and my boyfriend likes 'em.***


Gourmet S'mores

1 graham cracker, divided in half
2 mini Hershey's bars
2 large marshmallows
chocolate sauce, to drizzle
raspberries to garnish

Oven directions: Melt chocolate on cookie sheet in oven set to broil keeping the door partially opened when fully heated. Use spatula to spread on s'mores. Remove from oven. Place marshmallow on top and put in oven until marshmallow expands and browns slightly. Garnish my drizzling chocolate sauce over top and adding raspberries.


*Except... well, not weird. Okay, maybe a little weird, but in a different way.
**Yes, she smiles. It looks like an innocent, sweet snarl.
***I don't eat them ever, just give them away. That's what I do.

Peanut Butter Love & Fluffer Nutters

I don't think this is any secret, but peanut butter by the spoonful, straight from the jar is perhaps the best snack in the world.

Period.

Peanut butter mixed with honey. REAL peanut butter. Add some mashed strawberries or bananas, top it off with raisins.

PB&J. Duh.
PB&Banana. Mmm.

Fluffer nutter, anyone? Start out with a slice of bread, lather on some peanut butter, then add a layer of marshmallow fluff. Try it! Just do it!!


Do you like chocolate? Peanut butter loves chocolate. They are a perfect marriage.

I made a birthday cake for my friend this summer. A Peanut Butter-Chocolate Marble Cake, in fact.*


Only after the fact did I learn that my friend is mildly allergic to peanut butter, but previously I had made some delicious Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting that he raved about.**


This picture isn't the greatest (okay, it's not even remotely nice), but I'll blame the lighting.We were in a pit of a garage; We call it the Pit, and dark scary things happen in the Pit. Namely all the rat droppings my friends and I might find on the couches and the rotten food we'll discover every so often under them.

Anyways, I've found some recipes that celebrate the prized peanut butter, and they must be tested.

Examine:
Peanut Butter-Banana Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies. Notice that there's TWO peanut butters in its name. Also, I love stuffed goods.

I would never eat these Peanut Butter-Bacon Cookies***, because I don't eat beef or pork (nor turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.), but I have so much fun making food with bacon. My friends like bacon, so that's acceptable.

It may not seem like it, but I really am some sort of health nut. I like baking for other people (but we'll get into that later). Sometimes I like making things for myself, and I've made some versions of this relatively healthy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Mousse recipe.

I also want to make some of those peanut butter rice crispie bars with the milk chocolate frosting. Fond memories of that treat.

Yes, so to conclude, I recommend you now try the aforementioned fluffer nutter. It goes something like this:

Fluffer Nutter
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted or untoasted
peanut butter
marshmallow fluff

Spread a thick layer of peanut butter on one slice of bread, then spread an even thicker layer of marshmallow fluff on the other slice. Bring together. Enjoy. Amen.


*Are you wondering why there's only one giant, fat candle on this birthday cake? Well, of course it is not because I had no birthday candles... No... See, there were two layers of cake for each decade he's been alive, and one candle for the year... Uhm... Yes. 21. Yes.
** It's also the same story with pineapples; He's allergic to the fruit, but he can't resist that one either.
***Okay okay, I'll be the first to note that many of the recipes I share are from two other blogging folk. I just think Sugar Plum and Joy the Baker are delightful, fun, and great bakers. So sue me. And/or recommend some other great food artists. That's an option too.