The Search for Snoqualmie Falls

On my husband’s first day of work in the job that brought us here, I embraced my role as a full time SAHM and planned a day of adventure. We had heard of a trail called Twin Rivers and we were hitting the road to find it. I packed a bag full of snacks and supplies, and full of naïve enthusiasm we set out. We drove east towards the mountains, which were spectacular. We came to a place called North Bend and stopped for gas.
This was the first time I had purchased gas since arriving in the US. I fumbled about with the prepay feature on the front of the bowser, but it didn’t want to accept my card so I went in the store. Luckily! I didn’t know how many gallons I would need to fill the tank of our ridiculously oversized minivan, how much the petrol was, or anything really. I decided to get $20 worth which filled half a tank. It turns out the petrol is about half the price as in Australia when you convert it. I think it was about $2.50 per gallon which makes it about 66c/L if my unit conversions are correct. That is damn cheap by Australian standards. Genuine 1975 prices!
While I was showing myself to be a naïve tourist in the gas station, asking dumb questions like “how much gas will I need to fill my car”, I asked about Twin Rivers. The lovely girl who was serving said it is right by her house, but it is closed, and that I would also need a discovery pass. So glad I asked! I would have been driving around the middle of the mountains, in search of a place that I had no clue about with the kids in the back saying, and this was actually said to me by Mr5, “Mum…..do you even know where you are going”?
At that point I decided to go to Snoqualmie Falls instead, which the girl in the gas station had assured me would be open, and that no, I did not need a discovery pass for that. Still full of enthusiasm I typed Snoqualmie falls into the GPS system and set off, however somewhere along the way I decided the GPS didn’t know what it was doing. This wasn’t me being arrogant so much as road signs were pointing one way to the falls, and the GPS was saying another. We were at the top of the falls and then somehow we were at the bottom, round then bend, with no waterfall in sight. I found a place to stop and we got out. Again, we needed a discovery pass, so I got online on my phone, ordered one, illegibly scrawled the transaction number on a screwed up post it note and left that on the dash.
The kids were happy to be allowed out of the car, and we went and played by a beautiful fast running stream somewhere around the corner from Snoqualmie falls. The water was cold, very cold, but my kids love water. Mr5 thinks his waterproof shoes mean he can just go right on in, however we are yet to get Mr2 any waterproof shoes, and of course Mr2 tries to do whatever Mr5 does. Somehow no one got wet feet, well not wet enough to complain to me about.

 

This place was quite stunning with clear fast flowing water, the kind of scene you would see from a fishing show with people in waist high rubber trousers standing in the middle of the stream with a fishing rod. After a good 30 minutes throwing rocks into the stream we got back into the car and it was at that point that I realised that all I had read about minivan drivers was about to happen to me. The kids shoes were covered in sand, and now the floor of the minivan was too. I probably passed them some pretzels to eat/drop on the floor/ step on at that point to complete the picture. If you can’t beat them, join them! A six minute journey found us at Snoqualmie Falls – we had finally made it. This place wasn’t a tiny little trail starting at the side of the road at some random point. It had carparks, a café and plenty of signs. I had driven right past it beforehand! It’s like looking for the jam in the fridge and it can’t be found because it is smack bang in the middle at the front!

We got out and had a look at the falls. Gorgeous! It is also the site of a hydroelectric facility which is quite interesting. We decided to go on the trail through the forest to look at the falls from the bottom. It was so spectacular, and we were all having fun until we saw a sign that said “Be bear and cougar aware”. Since Mr5 can now read he stopped in his tracks, a deer in the headlights, trembling with fear. I tried to explain that we are Australian, and that every time we went to a park or outside we risked our life with the venomous snakes and spiders that dwell there, but as he explained, rightfully so, bears are bigger than he is. I bailed up a lady and asked her. She explained that they are generally frightened of humans and it was very unlikely that we would see any on such a busy trail. She did, to my surprise, say that over the valley where she lived, she didn’t hike alone there, as there were in fact bears and cougars about!

With that information Mr5 decided to continue on the rather steep downward trail. It was stunning! Huge pine trees covered in moss with ferns growing underneath, such a different forest to what we are accustomed to.  I mentioned that he would have to walk back up this steep hill and that we could turn back at any time, but he wanted to keep going, which I was pleased about as I really wanted to see the whole trail. We got to the bottom and saw the falls from the bottom, and the beautiful rapids. After a wander beside the river it was time to head back up the hill.  After about 3 steps he stopped, like a defiant toddler, and sat down. I was already carrying Mr2 who had abandoned the use of his legs about half way down the hill. Logic didn’t work too well, talking about the car being at the top etc, so I tried to carry him, along with Mr2 and the backpack. It was tough. It was made more tough by the fact that Mr2 was so excited about his brother being on my shoulders and was trying to play with him. I had about 50kg of extra weight to carry up the hill and that extra weight was wriggling! Needless to say we didn’t make it terribly far before we needed a rest.

Mr5 walked at glacial speed for just a little bit before I carried him again. This time my two hangers-on didn’t start playing but fighting, because the older one’s legs were dangling down near the others shoulders. Mr 5 almost was pushed off by Mr2, somehow I got him down without dropping him. How was I going to get these boys back up the hill? I tried getting them to take turns being carried, but then the child who had to walk just stood there, in their tracks. Eventually we heard sirens coming. I thought that perhaps someone had seen me carrying both boys up this ridiculously steep hill and called the ambulance for me, knowing that I would need to have my heart restarted after carring them to the top. Thankfully the thought of seeing emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on made them forget that they were tired and Mr5 starting moving up the hill towards the sound. The sirens were close, really close. Maybe someone had thought I looked close to death as I carried those boys. We go to the top and there was a fire engine and an ambulance in the parking lot, but not for me. Luckily the patient wasn’t seriously hurt and my boys got to see the emergency vehicles. If it weren’t for those vehicles we may still be waiting for Mr5 to get up the hill. Next time, I will go to the carpark that we found at the bottom of the trail and walk up then down . Live and Learn 🙂
We got back in our sand and pretzel soiled minivan and headed back down the hill towards home. Within 10 minutes, both boys were asleep in the back. Job done!