Couch to Peak™ Final Hike
This is really a little out of order. I posted about our huge hike up Mount Si earlier in the week but really this hike happened before that hike.
Our final goal in the Couch to Peak series was a hike up Rattlesnake Ledge. We have been up this trail several times but it was a good challenge for those who are new to hiking. I think I have said this before but it is 2 miles to the top with an elevation gain of almost 600 feet per mile – a pretty moderate climb.
There were just four of us for this one. There was a range of physical fitness but everyone did great. We took our time and everyone made it to the top together.
Since this is one of the most popular trails outside of Seattle – even more popular with tourists than Mt Si since it is an easier hike – and the weather was nice so it was very crowded at the top. We had a hard time finding a place to sit to enjoy the view and have a snack. That is pretty typical of this hike though.
There was a large group of tourists at the top who were posing as a group for pictures. It was funny because Chester wanted so bad to go over to them to get his hundreds of pets 🙂 There was a gap in the rock between him and them too big to jump. He kept sitting there inching closer to the edge and making whining sounds while staring at them longingly.
At one point one person came over to pet him and he jumped into the gap to get closer. The problem was that his leash ran out before he hit the ground (which was only about 3 feet down) so he was left dangling in his harness. The man was nice enough to give him a lift back onto the ledge. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, we had a good time and everyone felt accomplished for finishing the series – especially those people who weren’t used to hiking and had a harder time. I felt good too that I set this up so that they could accomplish such a great goal with their dogs and discover a new, fun way to get fit with their pets.
Here are some more photos from the trip
About the Author
Hi, I’m Jessica. I’m a Dachshund sitter, President of the largest social Dachshund club in Washington State, a dog trainer in training, and I’ve been a Dachshund owner for 20 years. I have over 150,000 hours of experience with the breed. When I’m not working, you can find me hiking, camping, and traveling with my adventurous wiener dogs.
GREAT WORK!! Really like your final pic here… they are all wonderful pics!! Im gonna kidnap that cutie pie Gretel (kidding of course), but if she goes missing, look for her @ my place with Clancy!! 🙂 See you guys on Sunday!
Yay! We did it! That picture of Kool, Chester, and Swift cracks me up. Kool’s little teeth are showing. I think that’s my new favorite picture of him!
I love that picture! It’s one of my favorite doxie pictures I have taken 🙂 You should enter the picture in Bark Magazines’s Smiling Dog photo contest.
Wow, you guys did an awesome job with all that hiking, you’re so lucky it’s just on your doorstep! 🙂
I love that last pic, so cute!
Have a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
We are indeed lucky 🙂
I love the pictures of all the doggies and the picture of Kool is too funny, but my favorite is the very last picture of Sienna and her BFF Gretel sleeping side by side after the long hike
Chester is such an attention whore! Lol. The pictures are fantastic!
Thanks. I am getting somewhat better but it just turned out that more of these turned out good than usual 🙂
Oh, my! Look at all those precious, beautiful doxies. You all have gorgeous places to hike. Hugs and nose kisses
More great pictures. I guess if I lived there I would have to take up hiking and get over my fear of heights to see the spectacular views. (I don’t really have a fear of heights, but more a fear of edges…you can see why that wouldn’t be so great for your hikes…lol.) Love the last two pictures of the sleeping doggies. So cute!
Most hikes around here don’t actually have ledges. This one is certainly not for the faint of heart though!