hiking, pnw, travel

Pnw Hike ~ Otter Falls

This was one of our wettest hikes of the 2024 Season. I almost had a mutiny to not do it when we pulled up and it was still dark and pouring rain outside . So thankful for the friends who wouldn’t let me mutiny and encouraged me to still do it .


It was so dark we had to have headlamps on to start so I had to include our pic of starting the hike. You start by walking through the forest for a few miles and navigate a few water crossings. Keep going until you come to the Otter Falls sign and then you go to the left . There is a bit of a hill to navigate over and then you come to a beautiful hidden rock face waterfall .

Heart Rock.. my sweet friend has a gift for finding them

It still amazes me that there are these hidden waterfalls in nature . And yes! It was totally worth it!

STATS
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📍Otter and Big Creek Falls via Taylor River Trail
🧭 North Bend,Wa
🥾 9.5miles RT ( we came in at 9.06 )
🏔️ 902 ft elevation gain ( we gained 1000 )
⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple

Check out our reel of the hike ⬇️

hiking

Mountain Top Goals

So true! Climbing is so much more than just the summit. The discipline that starts before you are even on the trail , the grit to push through when you really want to give up , learning to pace yourself to have the strength and energy for the climb but also enough to make it back down, telling yourself one more step a thousand times and fast enough to finish but slow enough you don’t miss the beautiful details inbetween .⭐️

family adventures, hiking, pnw

Horsetail & Ponytail Falls Hike ~Columbia River Gorge

Horsetail Falls is located in the “Waterfall Corridor “ of the Historic Columbia River Highway. It plunges a 176ft over a basalt cliff and is absolutely breathtaking. This waterfall is easily accessible for all . There is plenty of parking across the street but on sunny days come early because it fills up quickly.

If you want to add another short hike to Pony Tail Falls (Horsetail Falls #438) you will follow the trail to the left . It is a bit steep at first but it’s short so hang with it because when you come around a bend there is a beautiful waterfall that is in sight and feeds the Horsetail Falls. It cascades over a cliff and you can walk behind it . There is a beautiful pool that in the summer we have played in. It’s almost like a hidden pool…So beautiful!

📍Horsetail Falls and Ponytail Falls
🧭 Cascade Locks , Or
🥾 .8 miles RT ( we came in at 1.04)
🏔️ 301 ft elevation gain ( we gained 294)
⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple

Check out our reel with videos below ⬇️

family adventures, hiking, pnw

Pinnacle Peak Park via Cal Magnusson Trail Hike to Fire Lookout Tower

Elevation Hike that makes you work for it! Mt Peak in Enumclaw has two routes .. Long and steady or short and steep . We took the short and steep on this trip .



Once we made it to the top , we enjoyed a break in the beautiful Fire Lookout and snapped some pics. It took us just about 2 hours round trip . Below are our stats⬇️

📍Pinnacle Peak Park via Cal Magnusson Trail
🧭 Enumclaw, WA
🥾 2.7miles RT ( we came in at 2.5)
🏔️ 1299 ft elevation gain ( we gained 1004)
⭐️ Stats based on AllTrails and Apple

Family activity, homeschooling

Valentines Writing Center

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️
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I have really enjoyed the last few weeks of Valentine fun we added to our homeschool day with this cute Valentine mail writing area. It was a creative way to encourage some writing skills and add to the fun of making Valentines.


I added stickers , stationary and some blank postcards for my littles to write Valentines and decorate them. I loved how it turned out and it worked!! The kids protested at first but seriously how can you not enjoy making cards for friends???
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I’m already thinking of other stations this can become after today .. stay tuned!

Book, Review

The Mystery of the Love List ~ Children’s Book Review

Here’s another great Valentines Book to add to your collection ❤️
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The Mystery of the Love List is such a cute story with beautifully illustrated pages.
Pippa’s class makes a love list, a list of all the things they love ,that take up room in their hearts. Pippa finds a list that one of her classmates made, that has her name written down, with all of her favorite things! She has a secret admirer, but who? See if she solves the mystery of the love list and finds a new friend❤️

Gathered thoughts, Marriage

Valentines Day Bucket List

Here’s a fun Valentines Bucketlist for you and your ❤️
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What are you most looking forward to this Valentine’s Day?

Book, Review

Porcupine Cupid ~ Children’s Book

We are always looking for good books to read for the different seasons and holidays . It’s so hard to find unique ones and so when we found this , I knew I needed to share!
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This is such a cute book! Beautifully illustrated and such a cute story of love ❤️. We will be adding this to our personal collection of Valentine books.

DIY, Gift, Marriage

Valentine Love Tickets ~ Perfect Gift for Valentines

Check out how cute these Valentine love tickets are❤️


They are the perfect gift and guess what? They are free! You just need to follow our blog or follow us on Instagram @redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures ,then like this post and comment ❤️ below and I will send your free printable to you. Super easy and your Valentines gift is already done! Yay!!


They are great to tuck into a card or a box of chocolates ❤️ You can use all of them or just a few.. My favorite is the outdoor adventure one… hmmm .. maybe I’ll print 12 of those and have one for each month? How fun would that be!



How will you use them?

family adventures, hiking, pnw

Gold Creek Pond Snowshoe

Gold Creek Pond Snowshoe is a perfect beginner Snowshoe ✨

It’s located 1 hour from Seattle, and offers some of the best winter views . Check the trail conditions and snowfall before you head out. I always like to check WTA and AllTrails for recent reviews of the trail so I know more of what to expect.

Details of the Snowshoe
📍Gold Creek Pond
✅ Snow Park Permit required
🥾 Elevation Gain 45ft (we came in at 72ft)
⭐️ Distance 1.2 mile (we came in at 1.9 )
🏔️ Difficulty easy

Stats are based on AllTrails

One of the bridges we crossed

If you are planning to visit Gold Creek Pond, here are a few things you should know before you go:

It’s in Snoqualmie Pass, WA
You will take the Hyak exit
If the road is closed , add 1/2 mile to your distance.
Dog Friendly
Microspikes /Snowshoes are advised
Roads may be icy and may have snow so be prepared with chains in case they are needed.

Frozen Lake

Check out our Snowshoe Adventure at Whitepass if you want to add another Snowshoe to your list this winter