Rattlesnake Lake Hike

The view from the top of Snoqualmie Valley's Rattlesnake Ledge about 30 miles/48 km from Seattle. Rattlesnake Lake/Rattlesnake Ledge was named not for rattlesnakes (of which there are none) but for the the rattle of seedpods on the prairie nearby the lake.

One reason for the hiking trail's popularity is that dogs are welcome. (Ruby and Maddy on a pre-hike swim in the glacier-fed waters)

A boy and his dog (post-hike, racing to get a ball). Finn eventually got in as well, but not before shouting loudly enough for all of King County to hear "ARE THERE CROCODILES IN THIS WATER??? and ...... is there ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN KILL US?"

The trail was recently renovated.....seeing this work was a great reminder of times gone by (in a past life TJ ran an NGO doing trail maintenance and construction and spent many-a-weekend wielding pulaskis and hauling gravel)
This giant boulder is significant for a couple of reasons but the boys were most interested in the story of the hike I took them on when O was 3 and Finn was not yet born. I helped O and Ruby get up there (where O is sitting is about 7 feet up, the back side of the rock drops off down the slope) and somehow hoisted myself and my big belly up and then.....we got stuck!

A detour on the way back home meant a stop over at our second favorite waterfall - Snoqualmie Falls. At 270 feet it's about 100 feet shorter than Victoria Falls but I have to say that it's the 5640-wide chasm from which the Zambezi River spills over that 360 feet drop is makes Vic Falls just slightly more....awe inspiring.
The kids did such a great job with the hike that we let them pick out a treat.....they picked the biggest & most obnoxious-looking ice lollies from the gift shop freezer. We were almost too frightened to look at the ingredients list but were shocked to learn these scary-looking, buck-fifty frozen treats are made with just a touch of cane sugar and .... get this..... are colored with tumeric, elderberry, and beet juice! it's a nestle product imported from switzerland. God bless the Swiss for giving us chocolates and ice lollies. who knew.