Cindy Scheyer is the winner of The Hiking Club competition that ran alongside our New Year’s Day Global Hike Event 2022. Cindy lives in Seattle, USA, and is an avid hiker. Cindy shares her new year’s hiking adventure to Wallace Falls State Park, a 5.6 mile / 9 km out and back hike with 1300 ft / 396 m elevation gain.
Discovery Park, Seattle on New Year’s Day.
After stepping out on the right foot for a hike on New Year’s Day in Discovery Park, we opted for a longer hike to Wallace Falls the following weekend. I hiked with my partner, Bob Hamilton, and friends John and Koren.
It was a sunny Sunday hike in the snow! After one week of sub-freezing temps and lots of snow, both unusual for Seattle, followed by another week of torrential, record-breaking rain, we were ready for a sunny day in nature! We chose the Wallace Falls hike, a pretty gentle trail, about a 5 mile (9 km) round trip with an elevation gain of 1300 feet (396 metres). You can read more details about the hike itself here.
The rain we had in Seattle translated into heavy snow in the mountains and caused the department of transportation to close all four of the major mountain passes in the state, literally cutting most people off from hiking and skiing in the mountains, and for good reason, since the avalanche danger was super high.
Wallace Falls is reached on the same highway which was closed over Stevens Pass due to slides, avalanches and 4 inch thick ice. Fortunately, the trailhead starts about 30 miles before the road closure.
It was great to be outside with friends in the sunshine on a bluebird sky day! We weren’t the only ones escaping the indoors, as the trail was crowded with other like-minded hikers. We all wore microspikes anticipating the compact snow and ice on the trail although we noticed many other hikers didn’t and were having a hard time coming down the trail.
The hike is through a heavily wooded area with gorgeous views of the multiple falls from scenic wood bridges and along the way. As it’s a state park, the trail is well-maintained. The views of Middle Falls are especially stunning! Eating lunch with the sound of the falls nearby was just about perfect.
While we love moments like these on the local trail, Bob and I are looking forward to more international hiking trips in the Swiss and French Alps, Austria, Norway and Machu Picchu. Our bucket list of hikes is pretty long!
We hiked the Walker’s Haute Route in September 2019 following The Hiking Club’s self-guided program, which was wonderful, and we had planned to do it again in 2020, but our plans were disrupted with the pandemic. In the meantime, we’ve been staying busy hiking in the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon states, the Tetons in Wyoming and hikes near Moab, Utah in the La Sal mountains in Manti-La Sal National Forest. If European hiking isn’t open (or easier to access) in the summer of 2022, we will continue to keep our hiking adventures local and hope to hike in Glacier National Park in Montana, and maybe the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia in Canada.
I just love The Hiking Club community! It's so motivational and inspirational to see everyone's photos and read about your adventures. Wishing you all a wonderful year of hiking!
— Cindy S.
All photos by Cindy Scheyer.
WHO ARE WE?
The Hiking Club empowers anyone to walk the way they want in the wild with personalised self-guided hiking experiences that are easy to find, quick to plan and simple to navigate.
We believe hiking experiences have the power to transform lives. With a growing range of personalised hikes that take into account your preferences, fitness and interests, we give you everything you need to explore the legendary trails of the world!