Lovely Twin Peaks

Okay, so I wrote this up and then gave it the title...and now it's making me giggle. Sorry - I always have my mind in the gutter. Anyway...yes, the word lovely. Here's its definition:

        1) Charmingly or exquisitely beautiful

        2) Having a beauty that appeals to the heart

        3) Delightful, highly pleasing 

It's not an adjective I use much, maybe never while hiking. The mountains are "amazing" or "breathtaking"...but lovely? That's a word that describes a different sort of chord. But as we hiked the hills of the Twin Peaks trail, we must have said "lovely" a dozen times. Those heart strings that appeal to "delight" and "charm" were being plucked in way that no other hike has. It was a wild flower fantasy come to life. 

And though 95% of the folks on the trail with us were on bikes, every single one of us had the cheesiest grin that shined out like a kid whose lap is full of puppies. Though Heidi and I felt a little like trespassers - invading what was clearly a biker's heaven that us hikers have never heard of. But everyone was so kind and cheerful, I mean, this was the best day ever! As one lady passed us on her bike, she explained that her husband was probably wondering what was taking her so long. "I'll just tell him I was going the speed of flowers," she said with the same ear to ear grin we were all wearing.

Can't stop smiling!

You can never have too many flowers, but you can have too much sun. Poor Heidi hit a wall with nausea and dizziness after we pushed up a very steep short cut to try and get to the mountain view another biker had told us about. 

Steep is always hard - but better with flowers :)

This is why I will continue to advise people to use a hiking umbrella. It is so multi-purpose: saves you from rain, hail, sun, and also works great as a peeing shield. Yep, you know how you haven't seen anyone for at least an hour, but as soon as the pants are down...I swear it's a law. (Murphy's, actually.) Heidi wasn't hiding behind any sort of tree; in fact, she was perched up above the trail on full display - like a monument to urination. But, I had her back (or butt in this case) and ran over with my umbrella to save the day. The biker coming through found it quite amusing.

This looks like a good place to pee, haha

I'm coming Heidi! ;)

Speaking of the bikers, the one who gave us directions up to the mountain view also told us not to worry too much about the plethora of intersecting trails because the main "road" is always the "truth" to getting down. That may be true, but according to Heidi's map app she had blessedly downloaded, it was not taking us down to where our car was. Trying to decide from the assortment of trails that would help get us there, we decided "Prepare to Die" was the best choice. What is wrong with us?

As soon as there was a different trail we could veer off on that didn't involve a biker's death wish, we quickly did so before one came through and landed on our heads. Maybe there are rules about "bikers only" areas we were unaware of?

We finally made it back to our car, thankfully without wasting too much time being lost; which was very important because we still had a two hour drive to where we planned to backpack for the night. I'll tell you about that next time; until then, Happy "lovely and death free" trails! 

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TWIN PEAKS:

1) Bring a good map or reliable app - unless you are prepared to die, because you could be out there for days. And they are building even more trails!

2) Bring a 4-wheel drive. The bad section of road to the trail head isn't long, but you'll be glad you have one.

3) Don't wear head phones and pay close attention to where the bikers are, then get out the their way quickly. This is clearly their turf.

4) Heat exhaustion is real, and heat stroke can be deadly. Bring lots of water and if you start feeling nauseous or dizzy, find shade and take a break with food and water. (Which we did and Heidi was all good to go.) I know I fared better because of my umbrella, so seriously think about using one! (Plus they make for a cute picture!!)

BONUS THING TO KNOW:

If you want to see some wildflowers but don't feel like driving any further than Leavenworth, there is a strange little "trail" (abandoned road, really) just off Hwy 2 between milepost 92 and 93 called "Tumwater Botanical Area." In my mind, "Botanical Area" means "gardens" but this is most certainly not the case. Don't get your hopes up for anything too "lovely" - though you will see flowers and get a decent work out in. Or you can just go a half mile up and back down like us ;)