Been a while since we updated this, so thought I'd post some photos of Christmas 2009 here in Vancouver. We hosted Rita's Mom, her sister Bobbie and Bobbie's husband John for Christmas dinner. Rita prepared a great meal and we generally spent the day relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We also played a domino game that Mom likes called "Train" that lasted into the early evening.
The photos above and below show what the girls looked like that day - am afraid the boys weren't available for any photo ops.
Mom has recovered completely from her little "episode" back in November, which now appears to have been due to physical overexertion while working in her yard one day combined with dehydration.
Hamilton Mountain Hike
Rita got me a pair of Leki hiking poles for Christmas, and on the 28th it was actually a nice enough day to try them out for the first time on a quick day hike over to Hamilton Mountain on the Washington side of the Gorge.
Wherever we've hiked on our travels we've seen hikers from Germany or Austria invariably using the Leki poles - it was always a dead giveaway that if we saw people hiking with them we could safely bet that they were either German or Austrian. Their use was so prevalent I started to wonder if maybe they were all stockholders in the company. I had always wanted to try them out to see how much of a difference they made but was basically too cheap to buy a pair - I usually relied on a walking stick I'd fashion from a bit of tree branch or something.
Turns out they make a BIG difference. The Hamilton Mountain hike has gotten to be one of my favorites because it's a short 45 minute drive from Vancouver and provides a pretty but challenging 8 mile day hike with an elevation gain of 2500 ft. to the summit. It's a pretty good workout - especially with a full day pack. I was frankly amazed what a difference the poles made in minimizing the wear and tear on my knees and back. I figured they would help with balance, especially on a wet or icy track, but didn't realize how effective they were just spreading the load around. Anyway I'm hooked, and can see why the Germans like them so much.
I figured there would be snow on the trail the higher I got, and I wasn't disappointed as you can see. Here are some photos.
Looking up at the top from the beginning of the hike - only a little dusting of snow down here.
Passing one of several scenic bridges across Hardy Creek - starting to see more of the white stuff.
Rodney Falls - a local landmark on the way up the hill and a popular destination in it's own right for families and day trippers who enjoy a picnic at the falls...on a warm day that is.
The trail loops up to the summit and back.
More snow the higher I got - and colder too. Note the frozen waterfalls on the face of the rock wall ahead.
Lots of pretty views along the trail. The snow wasn't deep enough yet to be a problem, even for low-topped hiking boots.
Approaching the summit.
The north facing slopes had a lot more snow that those on the south slopes, which is why the Washington trails along the Gorge are usually open weeks ahead of those on the Oregon side come Spring. 
The summit, with a feature called the "Saddle" leading up to it. The wind absolutely howls over this section, and on a winter day the wind chill cuts right to your backbone as you hustle across the exposed area to get into the protection of the woods on either side.Only two more weeks until we head for Valdosta - can't wait to see everyone again.
