Saddle Mountain Hike

Located just a few miles off of highway 26 near Seaside, Oregon this spectacular hike takes you high into the coastal range – 3,283 feet to be exact for views of the ocean, mountains, Columbia River and surrounding forests. A 5.5 mile round trip hike, the walk up Saddle Mountain is steep at times with grated fencing underfoot to help retain the trail and your footing, but the views just get better and better as you climb.This is a great half-day hike, especially if the coast Gods grace you with a clear sky.

Along for the ride, my nephew came with us on his first hike ever! He didn’t make it quiet to the top with his parents, but for a 13 month old, he is a tough kiddo.

Escape the sand or city with your family to walk this trail together!

Here are more photos from the hike:

View from half way up!

Me standing on the edge of one of the trails.

Last section of the hike and by far the steepest!

September Sunset in Seaside

The Oregon Coast can have some of its most spectacular sunsets in September when the clouds begin to build and the breeze becomes cool. This photo was taken in Seaside, Oregon on the north Oregon Coast just after the sun fell below the horizon.

Summiting the South Sister

Climbing the last stretch, a mile straight up through red-brown silt and gravel, I kept my eyes on the peak ahead. The blue sky over the rounded bulge summit at 10,358 feet beckoning me like a turquoise pendant. Reaching the top of this mountain however, awarded me with a hiking high better than any jewels could offer.

Hitting the trail, I completed the first hike of my “10 hikes in 10 years” plan by summiting the South Sister in central Oregon. The third largest mountain in Oregon and the highest of the three sisters, the South Sister is one of few climbs of its size in the state that doesn’t require technical equipment. A 12-mile round trip trail leads from the base of the valley at Devils Lake up the mountain plains then finally along a rocky ridge to the mountain’s summit.

Gluten-Free Hiking

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the staple food of my childhood. Anyone else? From the playground to hiking trails, the sticky-sandwiches were Ziplocked and stashed in my pack on an almost daily basis.

So you can feel my despair, when all of a sudden…no more PB&J. It’s the Gluten-Free (well, almost GF) life for me now. So here are three of my favorite gluten-free hiking snack alternatives to keep you feeling like that energizer-bunny, school kid on every mile.

Recipe for a good hiking snack:

• packed with protein and calories
• light weight to carry
• doesn’t need to be refrigerated

Trail Mix

Try making your own! It’s cheaper, plus then you don’t have to pick out all the ingredients you don’t like. I enjoy a simple mixture of raw almonds with white raisins and chocolate chips.

Rice cakes with peanut butter

Slap two of these together and enjoy almost like a real PB&J! If you want to mix it up more, try the apple cinnamon cakes with almond butter or nutella.

Home made granola bars

These are way cheaper than the prepackaged snacks and customizable to be gluten-free – just make sure to use GF rolled oats. I like adding sunflower seeds, toasted almonds, white chocolate chips and coconut to my creations. Just bake and wrap in plastic to make it to-go friendly. Here’s a tasty recipe!

What is your favorite treat to bring hiking?

*Always check package descriptions and ingredients when buying gluten-free snacks.

Worldwide Recess Day: #Take10

Who else agrees that recess was one of the best things about elementary school? From the monkey bars to tether ball, it was all about getting outside, burning off some excess energy and having fun!

Now that I work inside all day…plus some of the night, taking a ten minute break can be hard to come by – but even more important for staying healthy. So as part of Keen’s Recess is Back program, I challenge you to take a 10 minute break on September 14th to get outside! Whether you walk to the Starbucks ten blocks away instead of the one around the corner or you go for a short run – or you could even play office hopscotch – just do something, anything…come’on its RECESS!

So how about it? Who wants to play today?