Now that we have 6 month old baby Tyler, I have to plan out hiking logistics a little more than before. Since he is not sleeping through the night and not even taking reliable naps yet, my energy has been hovering at a MOMbie-zombie level since about December. Although I've been exercising enough to finish my first 10k a couple of weeks ago, I still am not at my pre-pregnancy fitness level yet. I have carried Tyler in a front carrier for several 5+ mile hikes with minimal elevation gain, but at 20+ pounds he is getting a little heavy (and warm) for a front carry up a thousand feet with some rocks and roots to navigate. Although he is likely ready to go in the frame carrier, I didn't want to try it out for the first time with him on Rattlesnake Ledge, so he stayed home with Andy while Jake and I went out for an adventure.
Because of the easy drive, the large parking lot and well-maintained trail that can accommodate lots of people, and of course the incredible view, Rattlesnake Ledge is one of the most popular hiking trails along the I-90 corridor. Since the large lot and even overflow lot fill up every weekend, I decided to take Jake on a Friday, the only weekday he doesn't have swim lessons this summer. When I checked the forecast, it predicted a cloudy but rain-free day. These are my very favorite types of days for hiking! Clouds often deter some folks, so the trails are less crowded. Plus, it keeps the hike cooler, which is a total bonus.
However, when I woke up Friday morning, I saw that weather.com indicated it would be a sunshine plus one cloud in the morning but a 3 cloud icon in the afternoon. I had some concern about the ledge being obscured in the clouds, which would take away from the view. Last fall we went to the top of the Skyline Trail at Mt. Rainier. Normally there is a spectacular view of Rainier, but when we went, this was our view:
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| Labor Day 2015. 5 months pregnant on Mt. Rainier's Skyline Ridge Trail |
However, Friday was really the best day of the week for our busy summer schedule. Plus, the mountain isn't exactly going anywhere. If we "only" got to do a great hike in great hiking weather, we could always come back again! So, with dark clouds in the sky and a couple of misty droplets speckling the windshield on 203, we set out to Rattlesnake Lake.
When we arrived at the Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area, Jake wanted to check out the ledge with the binoculars at the Education Center. Although I was eager to get on the trail, the whole purpose of taking him out to explore is to foster a love for being out there. If a 10 minute detour would help get him excited for the day, I was fine with a side excursion.
While I saw clouds over the ledge that could possibly totally block our view by the time we got up there (like our experience on Mount Rainier last fall), all he could see was real people moving around on the ledge and he was so excited he would soon be one of them!
After Jake finished scouting out our destination, we drove back to the trailhead at the north end of the lake and started on our way.
Near the start of the trail is a large boulder. Jake had fun pretending that going under the overhang was like going in a cave. Then we had fun taking silly pictures. Jake is so strong!
Up ahead, he found another small rock cave.
Wait, where did he go?
He discovered all kinds of stumps, logs, and rock for jumping off of.
One thing that is fantastic about this hike is that the first half to two thirds are really easy. Although we steadily climbed, the path wasn't steep. Neither of us broke a sweat or felt any muscles burn for the first hour and a half. We stopped here after about 10 minutes or so because I realized I had forgotten to put on bug spray. Thankfully I always carry my hiking essentials so we had some on hand, even though I hadn't been thinking about it. Since stopped, it was a good opportunity for a couple of crackers & some water. Isn't it great how few people were on the trail on this cloudy morning?
Equipped with a layer of protection from mosquitos, we set out again. As we passed this mossy boulder with ferns on top, Jake noticed it looks like an alien's head. Do you see it?
I carried a topographical map with us, and I could tell that the couple of switchbacks near the end of the trail would be steeper than the lazy meander of the first part of the hike. We stopped at a part of the trail that had a wider area off to the side so that we could rest, hydrate, and re-fuel before the last part. You can tell how exhausted Jake felt after the first 2/3rds of the hike. Of course, even if he had been tired, the kid will never pass up the opportunity to climb up & jump off of something. I told him to knock himself out because it looked like the upper part of the hike would be too narrow and steep for forest parkour.
Ladybug! We saw lots of millipedes and slugs on the way up, but this was the only ladybug that Jake touched. Granted, it was dead so it couldn't fly away, but Jake thought it was really cool to check it out up close.
We had a nice little picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, applesauce pouches, and a piece of candy I let him bring. After we hiked down, drove back to the Rattlesnake Lake Education Center to check out the binoculars again as well as shoot ping pong balls around the room in the clear vacuum tubes. If you're not up for hiking up to the ledge but want to check out Rattlesnake Lake sometime, I highly recommend going to the Education Center next to the SE part of of the lake. The beach is great for wading or throwing rocks and there is a flat wheelchair/stroller accessible path that runs along the east side of the lake: http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/2015/09/rattlesnake-lake.html.
BEFORE YOU GO
1. There are no fees or permits, or admissions fees to worry about. Everything here is totally free!2. Check out the website for official info and hours:
http://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/OurWatersheds/CedarRiverWatershed/RattlesnakeLake/index.htm
3. Trail map:
http://www.seattle.gov/util/cs/groups/public/@spu/@conservation/documents/webcontent/strolling_200312081358153.pdf
GETTING THERE
*Address: 19901 Cedar Falls Road SE, North Bend, WA 98045*Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/iaEgn
*When entering the Rattlesnake Lake recreation area, parking for hikers heading up Rattlesnake Ledge is immediately on the right.
*The north end of the lake, by the boat launch, is the parking area for the Rattlesnake Ledge trailhead: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/rattle-snake-ledge. Because it is such a fun hike, it is really popular on weekends, especially in the mornings as hikers set out. If the parking lot and the overflow lot are full on the north side of the lake, people often park on the shoulder of Cedar Falls Road leading into the park.
*There are restrooms with running water at the Educational Center and sani-cans at the Rattlesnake Ledge trailhead. Check the trail map for all locations.
*Once parked, follow the signs to the trailhead. Everything is well signed.
