Lakes Laura and Lillian, Rampart Ridge Attempt

Coming off this particular hike, after much research the day before, I thought how much I wished someone would write a report on it as it pertains to families, those that hiked with children would give acccurate reports of doing so (which is totally different than hiking solo or in adult groups/pairs, as most reporters), and so I figured why not give a family report myself.

When I checked the forecast with the coordinates, I saw beautiful hiking weather (though slightly cloudy).  All reports gave us the verdict that it was perfectly fine as a family.  One nice soul even gave a picture of multiple coordinates along the way to both parts of Snoqualmie's Rampart Ridge (not to be confused with Rainier's RR).  It seemed like a no-brainer; the hike was beckoning us.

I should have known by the road up that I didn't receive such accurate reports.  Even our car got a hike LOL.  The trailhead was the Hyak exit off of I-90 E, then left, then right after you pass under the freeway, and forward a couple of miles.  On the kind soul's map, the left turn we took was called NFD 136.  The road had seen some wash-out, but the mini-van made it up.  It would not have if my hubby hadn't lifted the car back up to factory height.  I can't say that I didn't look into my passenger mirror to make sure parts of my muffler could be seen trailing behind, since there were still patches of icy snow that scraped us a bit.  Not for economy cars this time of year, that's for sure.  We took this almost 2 miles up until it did a switchback with a sign saying "Mount Margaret" to the right.  The parking is right there, and the trailhead is very apparent.

Right off the bat, this trail let me know that I couldn't be a lady with it.  When we did Rattlesnake's 3 ledges last week, I could be a lady about it:  stain-free and didn't break a face sweat.  This would be different.  We were immediately crossing over mini-streams and moving up on roots that marked boot paths.  Finding the trail is a bit difficult and a couple of times (especially at and after Lake Laura) we lost the trail, but using logic and just heading up.

Though it wasn't our goal, we ended up crossing both lakes.  First of all, someone should make it quite clear that this isn't a forest hike to the lake.  Lake Lillian is more of a crater between the ridges where rain and snow has a chance to gather.  As you approach the first lake (Lake Laura), the trail forks.  This fork is marked by rusty wire (as of now) on a small fir to the left, and a huge cut into a tall tree stump precisely at the fork.  To the right of this will continue up straight into Lillian.  To the left will go to the flowing, but partly frozen, stream going into Laura, which is at your immediate left.  This is the part when Bam stepped into what he thought was snow covered ground, but sank his whole leg.  At that point, the boy that loved the snow thought it was alive and fed on legs.  That alone made the rest of the trip challenging and an adventure.

It was snow-covered at this point and losing the trail, we just continued up.  Eventually we found the trail as it went over some firm rock formations and plateaued to Lillian, where we met 2 hikers at the lake's entrance.  As we saw footprints going about 50 feet into the frozen lake, they proceeded to tell us that they tested it but decided to come back.  We saw other footprints that went around the side of the lake into the ridge's entrance from the lake (about 2 o'clock when standing in front of Lillian).  We said we'd take it one step at a time.  One step at a time quickly had us realizing that although it didn't at first appear like it, we were still walking upon the actual lake.  Sketchy, to say the least.  Mind you, we were following others' footprints, even at this point, so we did not second guess it at first.  Figuring we could not scramble through the icy snow to the high end, we decided to turn back.  However, I was leery on walking back upon an icy lake so I suggested that we climb to a flat path under a ledge about 30 feet above the lake.  I figured we'd get out of the ice and snow, and it looked like we could put 2 feet on the ground up there.

When we went up there it was not at all what we thought and we realized we had to turn around.  It was the sketchiest part of the trip, mainly because at this point in the middle of needing to use all of our limbs, we had a cold boy and a hungry baby.  You just can't rush some things though, and went as slow as we could in the cold going down.  We took a picture at the Lake Lillian entrance from the trail below, our initial goal of Rampart Ridge's High End behind us.

Lake Lillian itself is a goal of a hike.  I underestimated the continuation into Rampart Ridge from the reports we read, but upon that ledge submitting to calling it a day, it is a such a reminder of personal responsiblity.  From where you climb to, you have to get down.  Today I heard a song on the radio, saying, "I will lift my eyes to the Maker of the mountains I can't climb."  My children are adventurous and daring, and we are matched well for them as parents, but we were not prepared for snow.  Brant and I thanked God we made it that far and that we were humbled.  Gaining that humility of the majestic land formations is just as much the goal as the views...to us anyway.  Hence, we are not satisfied taking cable cars to summits or car rides up old log roads.  Hiking with your family, especially, brings that humility, and awareness of personal responsibility; and at the end of the day, we all could use some of each.  A family hike?  To only the lakes when there is still snow, it is about as much of an adventure I am comfortable to take my children upon.  In the late summer, early autumn, I am sure the ridge is attainable as a family, carefully, though perhaps better to accept any of the ridge rather than a must-summit mentality.  We will not try it again until that time.

It is the most diverse hike I've been on to this day.  There are options for waterfall hiking, options for bouldering, then of course there is trekking, traditional elevation hiking and mountaineering, ridgeline and scrambling (if you continue) and my new favorite:  butt-scooting.

Worship Flags for 1/4 of the Cost

Yesterday my husband helped me make some worship flags.  The day prior I had been looking at separate vendors for purchase.  There are a few types to choose from -- some that swivel on the rod, and others that do not swivel.  From there, there are quite a few styles.  The ones we did yesterday are the bigger, non-swivel flags that look like they emit forth directly from your hand, as if they were an extension of it.  These are the kinds that I see people get by with just one single one, or two if you are skilled.  We made two, for practice and the future, and because we have children.

Now one of the lady flaggers I know told me that the starting price of $40 a pair of those style of flags that I found on from a certain vendor was a really good deal, since most of them start at $70 for that certain style.  When I read that flag maker's technique, how she prays over the flags ordered, I thought how special it would be to do my own, and had hoped to make it even cheaper.  Brant wanted to do it as love offering to me.  

The supplies we needed were:

1 large (4 ft), or 2 smaller (2 ft), fiberglass rods as dowels

2 yards of lame or organza fabric

electrical tape (optional)

I pondered where I would find fiberglass rods.  Since these types of flags have a smaller dowel, wood is just not going to be durable.  I have seen a flexible poly being used as well, but knew that since I am just starting out, a strong fiberglass rod would suit best.  Well, I will tell you I found a fiberglass rod at Home Depot's sign department, right next to where they would have the garage sale signs.  It is a simple reflector rod/stake, and it comes in 4 ft at $2.  I swapped that one up, and my husband took the rotary tool to it to make it 2 2ft rods.  Note, you don't need tools.  Home Depot has saws for customer use sitting in the lumber department.  This rod comes with rubber ends.  Make sure to snatch that up to ensure the end does not jam into your hand when in use, or rip through your fabric.  Though, if you are using electrical tape (later explained), it won't matter much.

Then we wrapped our orange rods up with electrical tape, securing the ends for a smooth finish.  The rods are complete -- moving onto the fabric.

Two yards is more than enough for 2 of these flags, even if you only used one flag in your dance.  Simply cut in half and begin to hem edges.  My end product was 35" x 44" on each flag.  Before I hemmed, I took a lighter to the loose ends to ensure they would not unravel in the sewing process.  This fabric is very delicate and I did not want needle snags to turn into fabric coming undone.  

Now you have a rectangle.  On the smaller edge, I folded over 7/8" once, pinned, then rolled over again, releasing first pin to repin the second fold.  This is for the pole.  Then we hemmed.  I only hemmed 2 ft (plus 2 inches, will explain why later) from the top of that smaller side because the rod is only 2 ft long and I want the excess to hang like a wing off of my hand.  I've seen most will cut around that area to accencuate that wing piece.  It will do fine on its own if you just let if freely hang, like I explained.  

So that extra 2 inches on the rod's side is so that you have enough fabric to fold over where the top of the pole would be, securing the fabric's integrity, that the pole does not rip through your fabric.  Once this is done, you simply slip the rod in and the flag is ready for use.  Notice, we did not secure the other end of the fabric to the rod.  This is because you will be holding that end -- it is not needed.  This also allows you to have a removeable rod for other flags.  Picture of handheld end, below.

Ta-da!  The best part?  The grand total was $12.  

DIY Toothpaste

Some years ago I switched my family a natural toothpaste.  At first it was to save money -- since toddlers aren't supposed to have flouride toothpaste (in case they swallow it), it was cheaper for all of us to switch to a flouride-free, natural, alternative, than to purchase 2 separate pastes.

That lasted a good few years until I was sick of the cost.  It was just logical to me, that if I see almost all brands of toothpaste advertise that they use baking soda and peroxide as their magic formula, I might as well just use those 2 ingredients and save over the years.  Mind you, a tube of natural toothpaste cost me anywhere from $3 - $5, lasting a month or so.  Baking soda comes at a price between .$50 - $1 a regular box, and lasts almost 2 months in my house, being used for more than just toothpaste.  Hey, the dollars add up.  If we do things ourselves in all areas of our lives, the dollars will really add up!

I started using just straight up baking soda for our teeth-cleanser, and peroxide for my mouthwash.  Then I realized I could cut out the nasty, foaming peroxide-of-a-wash if I adapted my oil-cleansing method, once used for my whole body for over a year (yes, I went soapless over a year!), on my teeth.  This fell in line with seeing other people using coconut oil for their oil-pulling method as a mouthwash.  I could never swish around oil in my mouth, so just as a part of the actual teeth brushing it remained.  I will say, though, that with adding coconut oil to my baking soda on my toothbrush, I have been able to get out of using mouthwash altogether.

The base I use is only 2 ingredients:  baking soda and coconut oil.  Baking soda is generally known to be a cleanser and deodorizes.  It's grittiness also aids to be a little abrasion to fight plaque.  Among many other benefits, coconut oil is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial.

My mixture is a 70/30 -- the majority being baking soda, while the latter is the coconut oil.  I use this mixture to ensure that the baking soda's grit is not diminished fully by the oil.  I mix mine in a bowl with a spoon until well-blended.  The result looks like it is on the verge of being crumbly.

Then you can add essential oils to your homemade toothpaste, but it is not required.  For years, just baking soda worked for my family and me, and thereafter until just recently (with the addition of essential oils), coconut oil added to it was sufficient.  Essential oils are great for countering bad breath, as well as general tooth and gum health.  The most common flavors I see in toothpastes are peppermint and spearmint.   I choose to use lemon and eucalyptus.  I use lemon because is high in limonene, a component within the rind used as a cleanser; and it is a whitening agent.  I use eucalyptus, rather than peppermint, because I have read that it fights plaque and periodontal diseases, while being a great deodorizer.  For my 4 ounce jar of toothpaste, I added 15 drops of lemon and 10 drops of eucalytus.  The ratio is higher in lemon for me simply because eucalyptus' aroma would overpower the lemon, if in equal measures.

Put the toothpaste in your jar and store in a cool place.

First Fermentation Project: Sauerkraut

I am on this fermenting kick.  It's been over a year now that I've been intending on getting into it.  I wanted to ferment goat milk in Costa Rica, and even hoped to ferment the bananas into vinegar.  For some reason I just thought it was extremely difficult, or too laborious, and instead used the milk for cereal, and bananas for things like pancakes and the Chamorro donuts.  I switched up ferment for fried.  I'm a different person now.  First of all, I'm not pregnant -- which saw me so nauseous a year ago that I was willing to eat anything I could stomach without the acid.  Yes, even eggs and cheese.

So there is a big controversy I am seeing online about the proper containers for fermenting.  You all know I am all about using what I already have, and when I went to the health food store and saw a starter fermenting kit for $26, it only further justified that I will keep using what I have.  Fermenting is a process used not just for making alcohol in the past and now, but for preserving food.  We are now seeing (like many other things done in the past we are discovering) it should be done for health purposes, primarily for the probiotics that come of it.  The less fortunate around the world still ferment, safely, for food preservation.  I'm sure these don't have the luxury of purchasing a $26 starter kit.  Just saying!

I remember witnessing kimchee being made as a child...in an extremely huge, open container.  So yes, even though typically speaking, oxidation makes things go sour and moldly which logically would tell anyone that you should use an airtight sealed container (or some other fermenting-specific container) to rid oxygen, we also know that the process of fermenting provides a preservation/protection for the thing being fermented, as the lactic acid forms when the produce's suface bacteria is coupled in a brine to ferment the produce's sugars.  From the fermenting guros Google-wide I've read that as it really does not matter about the container so much as the ferment is sitting under the brine.  If you can count on this good bacteria in the brine to fight off the bad inside of your body, then it can do it in a container outside of the body before it gets there.

I didn't even go as far as using a mason jar, because I didn't have one readily available.  I used what used to be a Costco strawberry jam jar, because it was a quart size and I knew a cabbage would yield a quart.  I would today recommend, for my future uses, to use a larger size, because of the gassy overflow.

There are several methods I've seen to ensure a good, safe ferment.  I am only going to share with you the 'layer of oil' method because it is the only one I've tried, and with success on the first batch.  Therefore, here are my ingredients for this method:

• Cabbage head
• Water
• Olive oil
• Himalayan salt (or other salt)

I made my own brine, and my instructions will share it.  I don't get all technical with percentages.  You know exact measurements are just a blueprint for me.  I worked with the cabbage in fourths, chopping to smaller strips, placing them in a mixing bowl, and to each fourth I gave my salt grinder 7 revolutions.  It was a number 7 thing to me, LOL.

Then I smashed that fourth with the backside of a ceramic cup (you know I'm all about using what I already have), just slightly.  Afterward I transfered each fourth into the designated jar and smashed even more with the backside of one of my cooking utensils.

I smashed until the cabbage pieces looked watery and green, rather than the lighter color with the crunch, as shown below.

I repeated this chop and salt, smash and jar, and more smash- method with the remaining quarters and did the final smash until the cabbage's liquid was approximately one inch above the cabbage.  In my recipe, the salt percentage was just fine.  Finally, I added a small layer of olive oil to the top of the ferment.  From what I read, this film allows for CO2 off gas, but is a barrier to oxygen intake (which will rot the ferment).  It worked for me, and I even did more movement of my ferment than most I've read.

I placed the lid on, finger tight.  This also will use positive pressure to prevent oxygen intake.  Enough carbon dioxide is building up within, to give enough pressure to push out of the finger-tight lid.  The pressure it builds is too strong for oxygen to roam inside.  Again, this is just an extra precaution, because the oil should suffice.  Each day I opened the lid and pushed the cabbage down (it will want to float).  CO2 bubbles will also form in the deppths of the jar, and cause air bubble separatioon in the ferment.  I helped those release by this daily push-down.  It seemed to help my ferment gas off quicker, as opposed to others I've read who experience gassy rise to overflow days after mine ended.  This also gives you an opprtunity to try your ferment, to determine when you are satisfied with the taste to move it to the fridge.

The ferment will get gassy the first few days and will rise to pour over.  At day 3 I actually took the lid off and put a ceramic mug in there to hold it all down.  It fight nicely enough to cover the jar's opening, but also allow the overflow under much pressure.  I put a plate underneath it all to catch the drippings.  You may also have to add water in there is too much overflow.  I added a couple tablespoons 2 days in a row, and that was it.  No more salt needed.  

My ferment made it to day 7, without mold or even white scum.  The bubbles became filmy on the top, but nothing I would exactly constitute as white scum.  At day seven's push-down, I decided it was the perfect vinegar taste for me, and I moved it to the fridge.     

The ferment goes through 3 stages, and in order to go through all 3 quickly, you will need to wait it out 3 weeks at room temperature.  The fermenting will continue in the fridge, but much, much slower.  As spoken through Wikipedia:

The fermentation process has three phases, collectively sometimes referred to as population dynamics. In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter lead the fermentation, and begin producing an acidic environment that favours later bacteria. The second phase starts as the acid levels become too high for many bacteria, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides and other Leuconostoc spp. take dominance. In the third phase, various Lactobacillus species, including L. brevis and L. plantarum, ferment any remaining sugars, further lowering the pH. 

I am going to enjoy sauerkraut today!  Mine was made from an organic cabbage head for less than $2 for a quart, as opposed to Bubbies' that offers 1/3 less than my yield at $6 a jar.  Yes, I surely will enjoy it!