Point Defiance Park - Tacoma, WA

I realize that Spring has just only begun, but it’s hard to accept that winter is really over. It is constantly raining, the sun hardly shines and you would think we have been sucked into a different universe that correlates with the weather in the North Pole. Except I’m not seeing any elves or reindeer around my neighborhood. However, I have been using the weather as an excuse to further my “hibernation” and although it has been nice, enough is enough. It is time to wake up and start crawling out of the dark hole I call my bedroom, and rediscover the world around me through my favorite outdoor activity: hiking! With a half day of work and surprisingly suspicious blue skies, I decided to take advantage of the good weather and go on my first hike of spring! Upon mentioning this to my mom and sister they wanted to get in on the fun, so we decided to bring the dog and make it a girls trip to one of our favorite local spots: Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. With about 702 acres of park, hiking and running trails, rose gardens, beaches, wildlife, Fort Nisqually and the Pt. Defiance zoo, it always has something to do. I’ve hiked around some of the trails before, but we all decided to try a new one that looked potentially promising. Looking for signs of spring time popping up in between the bushes and stumps of tree tops, I was on a mission. 

The trails were a little muddy, but that was excusable seeing how it had rained every day of March and what seemed like the first half of April. On a lighter note, everything was so green and beautifully luscious. The sun was shining and you could feel the newly produced oxygen flowing from the trees and into your lungs as you inhaled exuberant sighs and breaths along the rocky trail. It was so overwhelmingly refreshing to finally be able to step outside and enjoy the Pacific Northwest on one of its finer days, that I had to stop for a couple minutes and inhale as much fresh air as I could while alternating with exhales of stress and tension. It’s amazing what deep breathing and a little outdoor exposure can do for one’s soul. 

Passing by the skyscraper tall trees and countless bushes of green, we reached the end of the trail. It was a short walk, probably taking us 30 minutes to walk the trail including our frequent stops. Emily found a cool tree stump to climb around on, so I had to snap a quick photo to throw in the blog. 

The view from the end of the trail was nice, and we encountered lots of people parked and sitting on their cars just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful day. Walking back to the parking lot where our car was, I was a little bummed I didn’t see any wildlife! I’ve seen raccoons at the park before, so I was at least expecting that. There were a lot of beautiful birds flying around, so I just started to comfort myself in the fact that I did see some “wildlife” when my mom yelled “Olivia! Raccoons!” I think I sprained my neck from looking up and around as quickly as I did, but it was worth it because they were so cute. One was trying to cross the street and join the others in the tree, but was seeming to have a hard time gaining enough confidence to bolt across the road and take its chances. I snapped a couple of photos of the ones in the tree while trying to coax them to come down and play, but both my mom and the voice of reason in my head told me no, so I decided to listen... this time at least. 

Overall it was a great first mini-hike of Spring, and if anyone is looking for a little casual walking or a place with something to do, this is the spot to go. The five-mile loop is perfect for walking and bike riding, which is the next thing I will have to go back and do seeing that I just bought a new bike! With lots of little spots to lay down a blanket for picnics, and the Antique Sandwich Co. just down the street for a bite to eat, you can’t go wrong in this part of town.

Enjoy your own backyard and take advantage of it! It’s one of the biggest and easiest privileges to enjoy, so take a few minutes and show some appreciation. On to the next hike... let’s hope for more lovely weather! :-)

Peace, sun, and hiking,

Olivia