Top 10: Most popular NON-travel posts (Unpublished #2)

This is Part 2 of a previously unreleased "Best of" series from January 2014, based on page views for my 2013 posts.  The 2014 page hits haven't been tallied yet.  My new blog content still isn't quite ready.  We've been celebrating baby Levi's first birthday since last Thursday with all of our might!  In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to have a look back.

Links look like this.  Last week's "Honorable mentions: Most popular non-travel posts" is here.  And the list of Top 10 travel posts (from 2013, *snicker*) is coming next!

10.  Blog Changes: Twitter Feed and More

A throwaway post about the latest tweets from @garth_hamilton on Twitter being added to my blog’s sidebar, as well as some other design changes

9.  Dude (Looks like a baby):  We're having a boy!!

As if the bad Aerosmith jokes in my earlier Lovin' an Elevator: A tale of entrapment misadventure at PDX Airport weren't desperate enough, I returned to the well for our baby's gender announcement.  This one features an early guest photo appearance by baby Levi!

8.  Our home’s first Thanksgiving

For a change, we had the family (plus a special guest) over to OUR house for Thanksgiving dinner.  This post also includes pics from the always-huge day after Thanksgiving extended family dinner at my parent's house.

7.  Father’s Day week photo spectacular

This was a simple collection of exclusive Daddy-daughter photos from the previous year.

I had so many favorites that the pics spilled over into Father’s Day week photos, Part 2: The Outtakes.

6.  Olympic Mountains, Day 1:

Lena’s 1^st camping trip

The spectacular photos of Mount Ellinor (which I'm climbing this winter season) and Mount Washington from Olympic Mountains, Day 2- Back on the trails took a back seat to family camping photos of Day 1.  Okay, so it was only car camping.

Scouting out Mount Ellinor/Washington  for Daddy's upcoming double-header climb

Lena lovingly sidetracks Daddy from setting up the tent

As a bonus, the follow-up "Day 2" camping blog boasted another exclusive-- A photo of Lena hiking her first mini trail!

5.  Sunriver, Pt 1: A wedding countdown (feat. Kathy)





The excitement began to build during our preparations for Brent and Cheryl's wedding in Sunriver, near Bend.

And the Kathy-penned Part 2 featured the wedding ceremony, toasts, cake fight, reception, and after-party!

Sunriver, Pt. 2: A wild wedding (feat. Kathy)

4.  Once upon a time in Enchanted Forest

Lena visited Oregon's unique roadside theme park, Enchanted Forest, for her first time.  Daddy, Mommy, Grandma Lora (Mimi), and Uncle Tony came along for the ride.

3.  Breaking news: We’re pregnant again!!

Hot off the press-- Baby Levi cometh!

2.  Banks Lake heats up! (Pt. 2 of 2)

This entry was chocked full of tubing/ wakeboarding near-wipeouts pics from the second day of our family’s 31^st annual Banks Lake camping trip.  That night's birthday shenanigans in Coulee City were just icing on the cake.

Camping photos from Day 1 were featured earlier in Banks Lake camping, Take 31.

1.  Video: Breaking news: Lena’s first steps!

A lifetime of Lena hiking, running, skiing, climbing, and playing sports has begun!

Coming next on Garth's Blog, one final "unpublished" post from January 2014 before we get to the new stuff...

Top 10: Most popular travel posts!

Olympic Mountains, Day 2- Back on the trails!

...Continued from last week's "Olympic Mountains, Day 1: Lena's First Camping Trip!" (Link)

Lena’s first ever night of camping outdoors had gone smoother than expected.  It was only car camping, but we had to start somewhere.  It was all about getting Lena to experience the wonders of God's creation!

The Big Creek Campground in the Olympic National Forest was nearly empty, with only a few fellow campers using it as a base camp to climb Mount Washington.  I was hoping to also make an ascent by traversing across from Mt. Ellinor, but Kathy had reservations about my aspirations to climb.

I reluctantly agreed not to climb that day, but not without a consolation prize--  More time with Kathy and Lena!

This is the adorable sight that I woke up to in my tent:

Lena climbs back inside the tent to wake up Daddy and wish him a good morning!

Here are some shots of our morning family time at the camp site:

Warming up by the morning campfire

Lena helps Daddy clean up and take down the tent

"Oooh," Lena says!  Omelets and oatmeal for breakfast!

Lena hikes her first mini trail before we even leave the campground!

After breaking camp, we hit the road and headed for the next trailhead.  We pulled over occasionally to enjoy the views of Mt. Ellinor, Mount Washington, and Lake Cushman.

The trail that our outdated hiking/camping book referred to as the “Mount Washington trail” did not exist.  Time to spring for a new book?  Fortunately, there were plenty of other trails in the area to explore.

A closed off forest road led us to the Jefferson Pass Trail.  The mountain views along the hike were gorgeous!

After we hiked in to the Jefferson Pass trailhead, Kathy waited patiently for us as Lena and I continued uphill.

Nap time? A tuckered out Lena dozes off while Daddy carries her through the splendor of the Jefferson Pass Trail.

Kathy indulged me yet again as I split off to sprint a portion of the Mount Ellinor trail.

My plans to climb Mount Washington that day may have been shot down, but at least I got one last taste before leaving the trails!

**********

On the drive back towards Oregon, we ran into a band of ragtag musicians at a Tumwater gas station.  Strangers to each other, they had broken off from their caravan to play tunes for gas money.  Collectively, their bands were slated to play at a jug music festival in Portland that night.  What great timing for all of us!

This blog never strays beyond PG-rated territory, so I omitted my video clip of their impromptu roadside jam session.  They sounded phenomenal together, but some of their improv boasted language salty enough to make Jay-Z blush!

At Brewer's City Pizza, we stuffed our tummies and talked local high school sports with our young waitress.  From there, we headed home.

Coming next week on Garth's Blog...

Lena's first visit to Enchanted Forest!

Olympic Mountains, Day 1: Lena's first camping trip

Hiking the Big Creek Campground Loop trail

Our 20 1/2 month old Lena has camping, hiking, and climbing in her blood!  Her other genetically inherited skills like surfing, skiing, wakeboarding, rafting, bicycling kayaking, rapelling, skydiving, and all that other fun stuff should develop in time.

Given my own outdoor tendencies, it's hard to believe that Lena had never been camping before last month.  It took Mommy and Daddy this long to agree on the right timing. However, we both knew it was only a matter of time before Lena would get her first taste of sleeping outside in the wilderness. And the time was right!


Since I was hoping to climb Mount Washington (traversing across from Mt. Ellinor) this summer anyway, Big Creek Campground in the Olympic Mountains would make a perfect base camp/ playground for Lena and Mommy.  The campground is near Lake Cushman and the Staircase entrance to the Olympic National Park.

Other than two other climbing parties, the campground was a ghost town for our entire stay.

Putting up a tent takes a bit longer when distracted by a lovable little thing like Lena!



After setting up camp, the three of us started hiking the short Big Creek Campground loop trail.

It was getting late.  After a while, Mommy and Lena bailed to head back to camp.

Solo, I upped my pace to a brisk trail run and continued on to the 4 mile Upper Big Creek Loop toward the Mount Ellinor trail.

**********

By the time I met up with Mommy and Lena back at the campsite, it was time to start preparing Lena's first campfire meal!  Kathy prepared the fixings for chili dogs while I built up the campfire.

Mommy prepares the fixings, and Lena helps Daddy blow on the campfire

Daddy teaches Lena the fine culinary art of cooking chili dogs over a campfire

As our once raging campfire died down, we laid Lena down in the tent.  Unsurprisingly, she slept like a baby!

Coming this next week on Garth's Blog...

Olympic Mountains, Day 2: Back on the trails!