Travel

Camping & Hiking Staircase Rapids

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I’ve done quit a few hiking videos in the past but have been slacking on them quite a bit. Recently, I found new inspiration for a different approach to these videos and thought I’d give it another try.

For this first trip, I headed for the Staircase area of the Olympia National Park in Washington. This is a place that I’ve been to many times. Although I like the area, I dread the drive every time because a few miles out from the trailhead, you pass through a dirt road that’s just laden with potholes. Some of them are pretty deep and dodging was not a possibility because they were just everywhere. Trying to make it through this stretch of land with my lower ride height cars was just a nightmare. I told myself that until this road was fixed, I’ll never come back again. Well, I can confirm that the potholes have been filled! Well, most of them. I did see a couple but they were small and so far apart that they were no problem to dodge at all.

Our trip spanned two days. The first was to arrive on location and camp. The second was to pack up, hike, then leave. We knew that we wanted to camp somewhere. Staircase actually wasn’t even on the radar until we saw it on a list of possible nearby camping spots. Again, I’ve been here multiple times but I somehow never noticed that there was a campsite. It’s literally a few feet away from the trailhead. I ultimately wanted to give it a try because I wanted to camp somewhere where there was a hike. Because we were on a bit of a time crunch and because I knew this hike, it just made sense to give this location a try.

We arrived at the Staircase Campground around 3pm and the 47 spot campground was almost completely filled. There was actually a moment of nervousness about possibly having no camping spot and having to go home. This was really weird because this was the most crowded that I’ve ever seen this place. Literally every time that I’ve come here, the parking lots would be empty. So few people came here that I’ve never actually seen an attendant at the entrance or in the ranger station. The crowd continued on my second day here. The camp site’s check out was at 11am so that’s when we transferred over to the parking lot. Both parking lots were filled. I got the very last parking spot available. By the time that I finished the 2.5 mile or so hike, even more people came and there were cars parked out to the side of the road. Again, a drastic change from my previous trips. Going early is definitely my recommendation. If this was what it was like on a Wednesday and Thursday, I can’t imagine the weekend.

As far as the trail and Staircase Rapids hike, everything was as expected. Nothing really changed from my previous trips. The trail condition was good and nothing out of the ordinary or required extra avoidance. The only annoyance was the amount of bugs. I got bit a few times but the main thing to worry about is the abundance of hornets/wasps. We seemed to have caught the attention of about 5 of them and they followed us for over a mile, just circling and coming close. This really made the second half of the hike not enjoyable at all. Definitely bring some extra bug spray just in case.

Overall, this was an enjoyable trip. We do plan on going on more similar adventures this summer so you should expect more content like this. Hope you’ve enjoyed it. Let me know if you have any recommendations for some camp and hike spots!

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Staircase Rapids Loop, Lake Cushman | Olympic National Park

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I’ve been busy with my personal life and haven’t been able to get out and hike. When I finally got some free time, I decided to hike the Staircase Rapids Loop. This is a hike that I’ve done a few times before but it’s one of those that I enjoy enough to do multiple times.

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Before you decide to do this hike, you should know that the drive here is a journey in itself. The last 5 miles or so before the trailhead is just gravel and compact dirt. What makes this bad is the minefield of potholes. They are everywhere and some are quite deep. Having a vehicle with some ground clearance and tire sidewall will greatly help but not absolutely necessary. I mean, if I can make it there and back in a Toyota Corolla, almost any other vehicle can. Just take it slow because some vehicles can definitely bottom out the suspension if you try to speed through this area. Be EXTREMELY careful at the beginning where the gravel road warning sign is. Right at the transition between the paved and gravel road, there is a chunk of road missing. I won’t call this a pothole because it’s multi-feet long and pretty deep. Be aware and dodge it if you can because if you hit this thing at full speed, you’re probably not going to have a good time.

Once you make it to the trailhead, things should go pretty smoothly. This is an easy to moderate hike. A good bit of the trail is flat ground but there are some hill climbs no matter the direction you go. I like this trail because it offers some nice scenery. You get the big moss-covered trees, crowded woodland, rivers, streams, bridge crossing and a variety of other things. For the relatively little effort that you have to put in, you get a lot in return.

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On this day, the trail was in overall good condition. There were around 6 trees that have fallen onto the trail but almost all of them can be easily walked around or stepped over. There’s only one fallen tree by the suspension bridge that may give some people trouble. This tree has fallen just so that there’s enough space for a smaller person to squat (knees to chest) and shift their way under or a bigger person to use the other fallen trees to climb on top of the trunk and make an approximately 4 feet high jump. Some people may not be able to do either of these things and at that point, there isn’t much else to do but crawl under the trunk.

Aside from that, there wasn’t much to complain about. It’s been raining in the area so mud was kind of expected but I found that all the patches of mud can be easily walked around. That being said, there were quite a few footprints in the mud. I would assume that these people just wanted to walk through the mud because again, you can easily walk around it.

I should also mention that I was hit by a few bugs. It happened less than a handful of times so maybe I just got unlucky. Spring is just around the corner so you can expect to start seeing more bugs in the future.

Overall, this is a hike that I can recommend. The road to the trailhead may be a nightmare but the trail itself is quite enjoyable. Definitely give this one a try.

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Darlin Creek Preserve - Wetland Forest Loop Trail | Olympia, WA

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I recently visited the Darlin Creek Preserve for the first time and hiked one of its trails. The video above gives you a good idea of what the preserve looks like and below is some additional useful information.

Getting to the trailhead at around 11 AM, there were two other cars in the parking lot. It's a small lot with 11 dedicated spaces and there is no parking allowed on the other side of the road. The preserve/parking lot/trailhead is located directly at the end of a residential neighborhood. This seems to make it quite the popular dog-walking spot as I saw several locals arriving when I left. Normally I would say to arrive early in order to get a parking spot but this location doesn't seem like it's all that popular except to the people who live nearby. But from what I saw, they all walked there.

As far as the preserve, I was pleasantly surprised. I would have to say that this is my new favorite trail walk. Don't get me wrong, it's not mind-blowing or anything like that. If you've done a local hike with a lot of wooded areas, this place is going to look very similar. But, this is a short and very manageable trail walk. For inexperienced hikers or people who are looking to get outside but don't want to expend too much energy, this is the perfect place to go. 

I did the Wetland Forest Loop Trail which is around 2 miles long. The trail is clearly marked and easily navigable. On my hike, there was still some frost on the ground but nothing that caused any trouble. The trail was largely in good condition. Some portions were covered by wet leaves. This could be an issue if you're not watching where you step. There was no snow and very little mud. There was only one muddy stretch of land that was less than 50 feet long. I had no issues with bugs until the very end, passing Lake Lucinda. They all congregated in one tiny swarm that I had to walk through. 

Again, I was pleasantly surprised by this trail and can definitely recommend it. It's an easy walk with some good views. A very nice break from the city. 

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Porter Falls - Capitol State Forest

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This year, I plan to get in as much hiking as possible. The original goal was one hike a week, which means 52 hikes total. This quickly changed to at least 26 or about one every other week because I knew that there would be weeks where I wouldn’t be able to hike. There will also be weeks where I’ll be able to hike multiple times.

For my first hike of the year, I went to Capitol State Forest and hiked to Porter Falls.

I started the hike at about 11 AM. There were 4 other cars at the trailhead but I didn't see anyone around. A few other cars were parked sporadically on the road but I have no idea what they were doing because they parked quite far from the trailhead. Even though there were a few cars at the trailhead, I only saw two people on the trail. 

The park is pretty accessible but can be problematic for some. The main difficulty of the drive resulted from the condition of the park’s roads. Once you hit the park's land, it's almost all gravel roads until you hit the trailhead. Mixed in with the gravel were rocks but they were small and manageable. The main annoyance came from all the potholes. It didn’t help that it's been raining because the potholes were essentially all filled with water so it was hard to gauge their depth. On this day, there were a few fallen branches on the road but nothing big. They were easily driven over. I drove a Toyota Corolla on this trip and was able to pretty much dodge or drive over all obstacles. That being said and if I could go back, I would've taken my truck. Having something with decent ground clearance would've made going through the park’s roads much easier and faster.

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As far as the hike, it's very manageable. About one mile each way with little elevation gain. Going to the falls, it seemed like all the elevation gain was at the beginning. Coming back, all the elevation gain was near the falls. 

The trail was in overall good condition. It was mostly clear and easily navigable. There was only one stretch of land that was covered in mud. Some of it was enough to suck your shoes in. There wasn’t much dodging it unless you go out of your way off-trail. At this time of year, waterproof shoes are definitely recommended.

Porter Falls itself was ok. Prior to doing the hike, I did some minor research to see what the area looked like. Some people posted pictures showing the falls as large and grand. Others show something tiny. To me, it isn't one of those giant waterfalls but more of a small drop. It’s probably only 10-15 feet tall. Still, it was a pretty nice place to be. The fallen trees really added to the scenery for me. 

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Overall, I think the hike makes a worthwhile day trip if you're looking for something short and don't require much effort.

There's one other thing that I wanted to note. Walking on the trail I kept hearing engines rev as if people were racing down the roads. Getting back to the parking lot, there was a group of people with their quads. They were speeding around the parked cars. The parking space is essentially dirt and gravel so you can imagine all that being picked up and thrown at the parked cars as they raced by. Extremely inconsiderate. I doubt this is the norm but it obviously does happen. 

For me, aside from the inconsiderate people at the parking lot, it was an overall enjoyable experience. I don't know if I would do the hike again, but I think it's worth a one time try. 

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Back to Asia! First stop Hanoi!

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It is official! Summer 2019 will be spent in Vietnam and maybe a few other countries. That means that there’s going to be a lot of new content coming from me. This time, I’m traveling lighter and am not bringing a computer along to edit videos on the go so those will periodically come out when I return. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping you updated with my travels through this blog!

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At the moment there is no set return date. I got a one way ticket and will just bum around for awhile. I actually didn’t even get my plane ticket until 5 days before leaving. This is a case of do as I say and not as I do because buying plane tickets so close to the departure date just means that you’re probably going to be paying more than if you purchased in advance. But in this case, buying a one way ticket gives the perception that it’s not all that expensive.

Previously, whenever I go to Vietnam, I would fly with Eva Air. This time, there were some worker strikes occurring that caused a lot of issues with Eva flights. So instead, I went with Korean Air. This is a different experience because the flight departed at 1 pm. When flying with Eva, it’s usually an early AM red eye flight. With Korean Air, I was also not able to pick my own seat. Now that I do a decent amount of flying, I’ve become very particular about where I sit so this was a bit of an annoyance.

To change things up, this time I’m spending some time in northern Vietnam and what better starting point than the capitol city, Hanoi. I actually don’t know if I’ve ever been to Hanoi before. I may have been when I was a child but definitely not in my adult life. Because Hanoi is such a large city, I expected it to be like Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). In some ways, it is. It is definitely populated and busy like HCMC, but it has its own spirit.

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There’s something that you should know about me. I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to America when I was 7/8 years old. I can still speak Vietnamese because that’s all that I spoke with my family growing up, but I would say that my vocabulary reflects that of a child. I don’t know much beyond basic words and only enough to get me through a simple conversation. I can work my way through complicated subjects, but it’ll take some talking in circles and describing concepts. You should also know that my family comes from southern Vietnam. This is important because the speech of the two sections of Vietnam can sound very different. Consider northern Vietnam as British English and southern Vietnam as American English. The British tend to pronounce everything as written while the Americans play with the words in a way. To me, this is similar to the northern and southern Vietnamese dialect. The way that I pronounce some words sound nothing like how they are written. Northern Vietnamese people also have an accent and sometimes it can be extremely strong. Because of this, sometimes I cannot even understand northern Vietnamese people even though we are technically speaking the same language. This was actually my biggest concern for this trip but when in doubt, speak English and act like a foreigner. Most larger places will be able to speak enough English to be able to sell you things and give you service.

 
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In Hanoi, I stayed at the Ancient Lane Hotel and paid $182 for 7 days / 6 nights. The hotel is tucked away in a little alley of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It is right in the midst of the local culture. In the morning, the surrounding space is extremely busy as there is a local market literally within 10 or so steps from the hotel doors. At night, the space turns into small in home restaurants. This is the type of accommodation that will allow you to see an authentic local experience.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this particular location is its relatively close walking distance from many popular attractions. From here, you can walk to Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Train Street, St. Joseph's Cathedral and the night market.

Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Hoàn Kiếm Lake) is a popular local attraction. Besides the lake itself being a popular place to just hang out, you can also cross the Cầu Thê Húc and visit the Đền Ngọc Sơn (Temple of the Jade Mountain). This costs 30,000 Vietnamese Dong and I think it’s worth it. The temple itself is not all that big but it does provide you with a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

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Train Street is just as the name implies, a street that happens to have a train track running through it. Aside from that, many people have set up homes and business along the sides of the track. Most of these businesses are eateries but because this is such a popular location, prices tend to be slightly higher than other places. Note that Train Street essentially runs along the entire train track. Different portions of the track can provide completely different experiences. The track is also still active but the train only runs at certain times of the day. The times will be dependent on the portion of the track that you visit.

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Nhà Thờ Lớn Hà Nội (St. Joseph's Cathedral) is another popular location in the area. To be honest, I did not find it to be all that impressive. From the outside, the cathedral looked unkept and dilapidated as the paint is peeling and the structure just exuded a certain rundown feel. When I went, there were gates that denied entrance into the cathedral. I asked some locals and was told that it only opens on the weekend so take note if you want to get inside. Even though I find it unimpressive, I would still recommend you check it out because it’s free and why not? Unless you’re on a tight schedule, then something is better than nothing.

The Hanoi Night Market is another popular attraction that is note worthy. This is something that occurs every weekend beginning at 6 pm when the city streets begin to get blocked off to create one giant outdoor market. I only got the chance to go once and I think I did it wrong. First of all, I went at 6pm and I don’t really recommend doing this unless you want to see the stalls being setup. It takes quite awhile to get everything going so go a bit later at like 7/8 pm. I began at the Hàng Đào street entrance and just walked along it. From what I saw, there were a lot of stalls selling merchandise and not a lot of food like I was hoping for and saw on the internet. For me, this was quite disappointing. After leaving and doing more research, it turns out that there was so much more to the market and so many subsections. The night market is quite large and certain sections specialize in certain things. Some sections have more merchandise while others have more food.

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Hanoi is an amazing city, but it can get repetitive. It’s a lot of buildings, vehicles and people. During this trip, I didn’t actually spend too much time in Hanoi. I personally just used Hanoi as a hub for other explorations as it’s located relatively close to many other interesting cities and parts of Vietnam. I would leave Hanoi and come back until it was time to leave again. Even so, the little time that I spent in Hanoi has left such a strong impression. It is one of those places that I would definitely want to visit again. If you ever get the opportunity to travel to Hanoi, just do it. It’s an experience unlike any other and is a city that should be on your bucket list.

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