Summertime Activities in Z-coils

Hi everyone,
I hope your summertime is as eventful as mine has been so far. A couple of weeks ago I trekked up (and down) the Pacific Crest Trail to the Kendall Cat Tracks in my Z-coil Cloudwalkers. It was exhilirating doing the 3500 feet elevation gain when I viewed the Mt. Rainier panaroma, then the marvel of the cut granite cat track. How did they haul out all that granite? I assume a diamond stone cutter was used, but how many men (women?) did it take to haul up such a massive one to cut away part of the mountain for the cat track I traversed to see Mt. Stewart? It turns out Mt. Stewart is the largest granite mountain in North America. I have not heard that on jeopardy lately.

For my birthday this past Saturday I actually convinced my eighteen year old computer/indoor lover son to accompany me on another backwoods summer outing. This time we camped out two nights at Cape Alava. The nine mile loop was level, but three miles of it was in sand and loose beach gravel. I was pleased to find out it could be done in Z-coil Sidewinder Sandals. We saw the Indian petroglyphs in the beachwalk carved in the rock. We timed it for low tide so we did not have to see them from the rope pulls. The wild life was abundant including several eagle sitings, a large sea lion population, a red topped wood pecker, friendly deer, a flock of multi specied birds feeding on the smelt or herring (they looked like egrets, cormorants, cranes, and various seagulls), many tide pools abundant in marine life-not to mention the cacophany made by a lot of crows. What a trip! It looks like it might be the last outing with my handsome son until his summer break from ASU next year.

Since my son leaves next week for ASU, I decided to sell my condo in Mercer Island and move back to Magnolia. It is a little closer to work and no freeway driving.
I will probably not be writing until my return from Europe the last week of August. My wonderful staff Karalee, Robin, Anne-Marie, Dorothy, and Clint will be holding down the fort while I am away. I leave next week for Italy and Germany for World Youth Day acting as a chaperone for a group of youth from my church. I will return with many stories I hope to share later.

Have a great summer!

Chao, Lotchie