Kathryn Louise

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

Adventures: Spacegoat 2019, pt 3

Our first day of caving we split into a couple different groups: Brian took a group to push a lead from out last trip, Galen lead a survey trip through the Northwest Passage, Daryl lead an intro trip, and I believe one other group went in search of a cliff side lead. I went with Daryl’s group (I’m always a little nervous the first time caving in a while).

We decided to do a loop trip: in through the Dead Bat Bypass to the Junction Room, then back through the Mystery Passage. The Bypass is a climb up that transitions into a pretty tight squeeze down into a passage. I’m really glad I re-read my notes from 2015 right before we left for the trip – I went first through the bypass and almost got stuck. It’s a passage that you should really take your vertical gear off before squeezing through, but I forgot that until I started to slide into it and got caught on my croll (chest ascender). I waited until Kai got up to the top of the rope, then redistributed my weight and vertical gear and was able to slide down to the passage below.

The passage in the photo above is one that gives me pause the first time I’m through it every trip. I was last in line when we got to this part of the cave, with Amy right in front of me. About in the same spot I am in that photo, I kind of froze. I kept telling myself I’ve been through this passage before. I’ve flown through this passage before. I knew I needed to stem across with a hand or a leg, but couldn’t get myself to do it. Amy was super helpful and told me how she navigated the passage and was extremely patient as I figured it out.
It’s not often I get to cave with other Lady Cavers. It’s really nice. I hope it happens more often in the future.

When we got out of the cave, our sweet Adventure Pup was waiting for us! We thought he might go back down to camp with Bob and Mike, but there he was, waiting so patiently under the tree we hung out stuff in. I was nervous about leaving him while we were in the cave (Daryl has gone caving with other dogs and they’ve entertained themselves while the humans were caving, but I hadn’t done it before) and I was so happy to see his glowing eyes when we got out of the cave!

Up, up, up. The hardest part of the entire trip is the last push up the hill to the cave.

The next two days I joined Galen on the survey trip. On the second day of survey (my first day) we got a ton of footage and I was super stoked to push ahead to the Connection Passage with Kathy’s Icebox. Daryl and his brother Mike found the connection about ten years ago. In 2015 Daryl, Brian, and I made the first through trip and in 2019 I got to survey it so it’s officially on the map. Our last day of survey was a loong one, but we finished it!

On our last full day, most of the group took a trip up to the Plateau. Daryl, Brian, Adam, Caitlin, and I took a rest day at camp, playing cards and starting to pack up. The following morning the horses arrived and we packed our gear all back up. We sent faster hikers out first to meet the packers at the trail head. Daryl, Kai, Riley, and I took up the rear.

I love my little family.

After we got back to the trailhead, we all drank a beer, threw our gear in the back of Brian’s truck, then hit the road to get bacon cheeseburgers at the Buckhorn Bar.

While out in the woods, I recorded for an episode of my favorite podcast, She Explores. I reached out to Gale kind of on a whim about six months before the trip – I couldn’t believe it when she emailed me back and was interested in a story!
The audio while in the woods wasn’t great (I should’ve found a wind screen to borrow as well), but I still think it’s a pretty great episode. A friend who also listens to She Explores said about halfway through the episode she realized it was me!

Today’s adventure took place on land stolen from the Niitsítpiis-stahkoii, Salish Kootenai, and Ktunaxa.

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020

Adventures: Spacegoat 2019, pt 2

On Monday we gathered the last of our crew – Kai got to camp around 4am after driving from Ohio and Taylor and Steph met us at the trailhead. Daryl hiked in before everyone so he could meet the packers at camp, but he left Riley to hike in with me. The first group after Daryl was Mike, Bob, and Amy. The rest of us followed in a group – we met up from time to time along the hike, but we each hiked at our own pace.

We took a long lunch at the cabin, waiting for the last of the group to arrive before heading off again. 10 miles in, 3 to go!

The last trudge up the hill was a little miserable for me, but having Riley with me helped. I sang him songs and reminded myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually we made it to the top and I found my handsome love sitting atop a boulder.

The only tasks after arriving at camp was setting up. Daryl and I set up camp just above where we’ve camped in the past, in a cute little corner of trees.

Our mornings on the trip were always the same – slowly we all gathered in the middle of camp, made coffee and breakfast, and figured out plans for the day. Riley patrolled around, keeping us safe from all members of the group who left momentarily and then returned. He’s a very good guard deg, if not a little overly protective.

Year In Review 2019

January

1 – Ski-N The New Year at Blewett Pass with Daryl, Mike, and Riley
4 – Ice Skating with Daryl, Mike, Fisher, Ike, and Elsie. So much fun!
10 – 10th Anniversary <3
11 – I started seeing a therapist! I’m so proud of myself for telling myself to do it and then actually following through.
13 – First day of rehearsal (Stage Manager) for Sparkle Fairy’s School for Formerly Vile Villains.

February

3 – Hike to Source Lake with Daryl and Riley. So much snow!
4 – The beginning of Snomagedon in Seattle. I LOVED it!
7 – Daryl and I see Sleeping Beauty at Pacific Northwest Ballet
16 – Opening for Sparkle Fairy’s School for Formerly Vile Villains at SecondStory Rep!
23 – Daryl and I go night skiing at Snoqualmie. So much fun!

March

4 – We go night skiing again. Less fun. (There are no *bad* days on skis, simply *less fun* days on skis)
8 – I got my very first passport!
9 – Sparkle Fairy’s School for Formerly Vile Villains closes
15 – Start tech as Light Board Op (and Programmer) for We Will Not Be Silent
16 – I answered a call for Technical Director and Lighting Designer for a performance at Velocity Dance Center and it was for my friend Emily’s show Decision Fatigue! So happy to be designing lights for dance again, especially for a friend!
17 – Daryl and I go backcountry skiing at Blewett Pass with Danielle and Riley.
22 – Opening night for We Will Not Be Silent at Taproot Theatre Company

April

6 – My last night at We Will Not Be Silent
11-25 – Iceland for our Honeymoon! (I promise one day there will be more stories and photos from the trip!)
- We skied at two areas, went backcountry skiing in a fjord, and went on a cat ski trip!
- We soaked in two city pools, one natural hot spring, and at Myvatn Mineral Baths
- We flew to the Arctic Circle in a Twin Otter and hiked to the sphere at the magnetic line of the circle

May

4-5 – I visit Astoria
7 – Start tech as Light Board Op and Programmer for Kim’s Convenience
12 – Backcountry ski at Crystal with Daryl, Danielle, Julie, and Riley
17 – Opening night for Kim’s Convenience at Taproot Theatre Company.

June

1-2 – Brandi Carlile at the Gorge with Annie! My first Gorge show! So incredible.
4 – Daryl’s birthday! We ski at Naches Peak
20 – We got to see Ask Me Another record an episode at the Moore
22 – Closing night for Kim’s Convenience
26 – I start working at the Taproot Costume Shop
27 – Happy 32nd Birthday to me! We start our ballroom class that fits perfectly between my show closing and us leaving for Montana.
28 – I drive down to Portland for a friends wedding. Perfectly gorgeous day!

July

12-14 – Annual McIver Float with Daryl, Chris & Amy, Jess & Jason, and friends
15 – The first of five weeks of Stage Managing one-week acting camps at Taproot
21 – Grotto cave hunting trip near Mt. Baker.

August

8 – My friend Hannah from UM was in town, so we got coffee. Always so happy to see friends!
10-11 – I5SAFC Weekend in Cottage Grove
17-18 – Fisher Lake backpacking trip with Daryl, Johnny, Grand Paw, and Riley
21 – Almost exactly two years from my first day (8/30/17), I quit my coffee job to pursue theatre full time!
24-9/3 – Montana!
- 24 – Drive to Missoula. Amy and Sam get married! River City Roots Fest that night.
- 25 – Drive to Benchmark
- 26 – Hike into Scapegoat
- 27 – Caving! Daryl leads Amy, Kai, Brendan, and me on a loop tour
- 28 – I take a camp day with Amy, Mike, and Bob
- 29 – Kai and I join Galen on his survey trip to the Northwest Passage (the passage containing the connection from Greek Fork Falls Cave to Kathy’s Icebox Cave)
- 30 – Galen, Kai, and I finished the survey! The historic through trip I was on in 2015 is now officially surveyed!
- 31 – Camp day with Daryl, Brian, Adam, Caitlin, Amy, Bob, and Mike. That night we had a perfect final night fire and we saw the Northern Lights!

September

8/24-9/3 – Montana
- 1 – Hike out of Scapegoat
- 2 – Recover in Missoula with both of Daryl’s brothers, Mike and Kevin
- 3 – Drive home to Seattle
6 – See a recording of Live Wire with Luke Burbank at the Neptune
12-18 – Clare and Patrick visit Seattle! We got dinner one of their first nights in town and then they couch surfed here for a couple days before heading back to NYC.
16 – First rehearsal (Stage Manager) for WHITE
21 – Grotto trip up to Cave Ridge
25 – While I was in Scapegoat I did field recording for my favorite podcast. Episode 127: Shining a Light on Caving eeee!

October

13 – Daryl and I go flying!
18 – Opening night for Theatre22’s WHITE at 12th Avenue Arts
22 – Sara Bareilles concert! I bought tickets the moment we were back from Iceland and found out a week later that I had a performance that night. Magic was worked and we were able to go! She has been one of my favorite artists for over a decade and I finally got to see her in concert.

November

3 – My friend Megan from school was in town so we got brunch! As I was walking from my car to the restaurant I realized it was just up the block from my first coffee job in Seattle (which is just around the corner from where my Grandma grew up!).
9 – Closing night for WHITE
14-17 – Lighting Designer and Stage Manager for Occurrence #8 at Spectrum Dance Theater(!!!)
26 – Start Stage Managing the Spectrum Dance Theater performances at the Frye Art Museum
28-12/1 – Papbougie FriendsCavegiving with Cascade Grotto and Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto

December

14-15 – Stage Manage the NWAA ChristmasSounds concert at Highline Performing Arts Center
15 – See Cabaret with Amy at 12th Avenue Arts
17 – Daryl, Riley, and I go Christmas Tree Hunting
18 – Annie and I go downtown to see the Gingerbread Houses. I have wanted to see them since high school!
19 – Daryl and I take Mike to see The Nutcracker at Pacific Northwest Ballet
21-22 – I5SAFC weekend at Edgefield. We had hoped to ski, but have also all decided we’re too old to ski in the rain.
24-25 – Christmas in Astoria with my parents and my Grandma
26 – Start rehearsals (Stage Manager) for Steel Magnolias

●2018●2017●2016●2015●2014●2013●2012●2011●2010●2009●

November 3, 2019

Adventures: Spacegoat 2019, pt 1

Every year I look forward to our summer trips to Montana for caving. Daryl has been caving in Scapegoat since the early 2000s and I started caving there in 2013. There is so much cave and so many projects and it is so much fun!

This year we had a group! (All my previous trips have been just two or three of us.) We had cavers from the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto, the Cascade Grotto, and the Cleveland Grotto (he drove all the way from Ohio for the trip!)!

I tried a new food packing technique this year, where I packaged food into different days, with items like nuts, cheese, chocolate (things we snack on often and will have multiple days) getting moved from bag to bag as the week progressed.
It was a step in the right direction of food packing, but it’s definitely still a draft of a system. Every trip we take I make note of what we eat each day – this year I took it a step further and weighed each bulk item and then weighed them again when we got home. My goal is to one day pack exactly the right amount of food for a trip.

I ordered a brand new caving suit for this trip and I opted for a two piece – the Adventure Verticale Taka Jacket and Fornocal Pant. (My other suit is a cordura Meander suit.)
I’ll write a more thorough review once I’ve used it a couple more times, but here are my first impressions after a week of caving:
+ I love how long the jacket is (it covers my butt). I never once got a dreaded gap between jacket and pants.
– My seat harness often worked its way above the belt of my pants. Once I realized what was happening, I became more aware of making sure the belt was fully above my seat harness. It wasn’t as much of a problem after I started doing this, but I definitely had to readjust my pants after getting off rope.
+ Having a jacket and pants rather than a one piece made it much easier to get my layers set underneath.
+ Because the jacket is so long, I was able to open it almost all the way, take my arms out of it and put on/take off a fleece layer, then put the jacket back on without having to take my vertical gear off to readjust or tuck it back in.
– The suit is a ripstop like material and does not breathe. All my sweat stayed trapped on the suit. It wasn’t a huge problem, as I never got cold (it’s all about the base [layers]), but it did mean when I took my fleece off and just had a tshirt on, my arms got wet from the moisture trapped on the suit.

I’m excited to go on more trips soon so I can continue this list of pros and cons (and because I can’t wait to go caving again).

When we visited Lizommy we picked a bunch of apples from their backyard. Since Liz has also been to Scapegoat, it seemed fitting to bake a pie with their apples for the Spacegoat Expedition!

We left for Missoula early Saturday morning (I believe we broke a record and were driving by 5:30am!). We stopped a couple times, but otherwise drove straight thru and made it just in time for our friends wedding! After the reception, everyone went downtown to see Leftover Salmon at the River City Roots Fest – including the bride and groom still in their wedding outfits. <3

The following morning we drove to Augusta and had lunch with Brian at the Buckhorn Bar (a must stop if you are in town), before heading to Benchmark to meet everyone at the campground.
A couple hours after we all got to camp, our packer stopped by and dropped off the panniers for us to pack up. Everyone put their personal gear being packed in in one pile and their group gear in another pile and then we Tetris’d together 70lb bags for the next couple of hours.

Taking Risks

Around the same time I started going to the gym regularly I found my favorite podcast: She Explores. It’s stories by women in the outdoors. I am always so inspired by the stories. Having a podcast I love that I only listen to while at the gym certainly has made motivation a little easier!

Not long before we left for Scapegoat, I listened to one of my favorite episodes again: Risk Takers. One of the stories in the episode was from Tori Duhaime. Her words really spoke to me and verbalized something I’ve felt but could never name.

I take every risk I see mentally and yet in physical form I struggle to act on them. I was a much riskier child until I was told I needed to tone it down for the fact that it could possibly ruin my perspective career as a dancer. I can’t say I regret that by any chance. My dance career has been extremely informative and I’ve made many relationships as a choreographer and photographer to my relationship to risk and love for outdoor recreation. But I’ve also come to a place where I want the risk to actually exist and not just dissect it for choreographic input. I’ve stepped away from my dance jobs currently to take off the weight of fearing an unsuccessful career in order to explore my recreational risks and desires. That itself might be the biggest leap yet – walking away from a career I’ve trained for my whole life, just to climb a mountain and that be enough. To make my self trail run and not let myself fear ruining my knees. To not measure my success in audience responses or views or how much my research has translated. But to simply reach a peak and be the only one that knows or cares that it happened. Ski a line that could wreck me but enjoy it without hesitation. It’s a daily task and it’s a personal discipline I’ve missed since graduating and training every day, but risk certainly isn’t just about the skill of survival, it’s embedded in my own judgement of what I can and cannot do and for possibly the first time in my life stepping into the risks I’ve imagined myself taking has made me more like the woman I want to be than the dancer I was trying to prove I could be. And at 25 I may be putting my body in a position to never be able to dance like I did even a year ago ever again. You only get small gaps of time as a dancer to have a full career as a mover. But I’m training my body also to take me places and do things I never thought I was capable of. And that’s a risk worth taking. And I’m a much happier person for it now.
– Tori Duhaime

I’m so thankful for the things dance has allowed my body to do.
I’m so thankful I’m learning to do more than my dance body would ever dare.

September 28, 2019

Adventures: Fisher Lake

The weekend before we left for our Montana adventures, we went on a “shakedown” backpacking trip to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with our friend Johnny and his pup Grand Paw.

Thanks to the great Washington Trails Association website, we were able to find a hike that checked all the boxes: between 5 and 7 miles, dog friendly, and to either a mountain vista or a lake. With side trips to Ptarmigan Lakes and Mount Sawyer, this trip was everything we were looking for.

The parking area was pretty full when we got there, so we were a bit nervous about how full the camping would be at the lake, but then as we started hiking a group of about 15 people came off the trail. They told us there was plenty of camping at the lake – plus the big campsite they vacated that morning.

The hike in was a bit of a trudge at times, but aside from a couple chunks of straight up and places where you have to either go over and under (if you’re a medium mister) giant trees, it’s a easy hike.

After getting to Fisher Lake and setting up camp (at the large campsite the group told us about), we continued hiking on to Ptarmigan Lakes.

After getting to Lower Ptarmigan Lake, we crossed the scree field to continue on to Upper Ptarmigan Lake.

Johnny with Grand Paw and Riley at Upper Ptarmigan Lake

A SiliPint makes a great stand-in for a fire!

That night we had a “fire” and stargazed for a bit before heading to bed. Few things beat falling asleep in the woods with my favorite tent-mates.

When we woke up the next morning we went berry picking. I set a timer and we picked as many huckleberries and blueberries we could find (the huckleberries when into a pie with apples from Lizommy’s backyard!). The photo above is nearly a pound of hucks (Johnny was only picking blueberries) – picked in 30 minutes without walking more than 5 ft from our campsite!

My husband is a genius and put huckleberries in his oatmeal!

It was a gorgeous day, so after packing up camp we hiked back over to Lower Ptarmigan Lake to enjoy the water before heading back to the trailhead.

The puppers were very concerned every time Johnny and Daryl jumped into the lake, but never quite reached “Must Rescue!” level.

After getting back to camp and grabbing our gear, we hit the trail out. Since we were at Fisher Lake and had the opportunity to add a short jaunt to Sawyer Mountain, we of course did so – mainly so we could call this our “Nephew Hike” in honor of 2/5th of the cute kiddos that call us “Uncle D” and “Auntie Katt”.

The hike out once back to the main trail was a bit of a trudge thru the dark, but I felt great. I’ve been going to the gym semi- to fairly-regularly this year and this was the first hike I could really feel that.

Lessons learned from this trip: Snacks and Vitamin Water at the car should be standard – and if we have an extra freeze dried meal and are all starving before we drive away, take the 20 minutes to boil water and let it hydrate so you don’t have to drive nearly 2 hours to the closest fast food.

September 9, 2019

Adventures: I5SAFC

Some of our closest friends from Missoula moved to the Eugene area about a year before we moved to Seattle. Once we were also on the I5 corridor, we declared ourselves “I5 Super Awesome Friends” and haven’t looked back since.

We were smart enough to put a weekend in the calendar early on in the year, which meant it actually happened! Daryl’s best friend from high school and his fiancé moved to the Newport area after the Paradise fire last year, so they came over for a bbq. It was so much fun having all of us together!

That evening we were lucky enough to catch some races at the Cottage Grove Speedway!

Our dogs ran around in the backyard literally the entire time we were there. I don’t know how they had any energy left by the time we left.

My most handsome boy.

Today’s adventure took place on land stolen from the Yoncalla, Cow Creek Umqua, Siuslaw, and Kalapuya.

September 9, 2019

Adventures: Cave Hunting

At the end of June we took a Grotto trip to look for a cave up near Mt. Baker. There were five of us, plus our ever present Grotto Dog.

We hiked down to a creek and followed it for a bit before bushwhacking our way up the drainage again. Definitely a day filled with ups and downs (and Devil’s Club).

I recently bought my first Kula Cloth and this way my first trip using it. I love it! A piece of gear I didn’t know I needed and now I can’t imagine spending time outside without it.

While Daryl and I didn’t make it up to the cave, others on the trip (including Riley) did. (Thankfully, caves don’t tend to move, so it’ll be there when we come back.)

Today’s adventure took place on land stolen from the Nlaka’pamux, Skagit, Puget Sound Salish, and Nooksack.

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019

Adventures: D’s Birthday Ski

The snow seemed to be melting fast at the beginning of June, so we knew we had to take advantage of Daryl’s birthday being gorgeous and get to the snow as soon as possible. Before I left coffee job D asked if I wanted to head to Chinook Pass for an evening ski. My answer was of course “ABSOLUTELY!” He got all our stuff together (our gear room has gotten more organized over the years, though no where near as beautifully as this one featured in the summer Moutaineer magazine) and we were able to head south moments after I got home from work.

We’ve been to Naches Pass several times to ski, but this time we tried a slightly different route up (really, the route changes all season long as the snow melts out). This slope continued like this for a while, so when I got up to Daryl and Riley, we took our skis off and continued hoofing it up.

One of my favorite views of my favorite mountain.

Riley is getting better and better at being a ski deg on every trip. He waited (fairly) patiently here while we switched over to ski mode, then he ran ran ran to beat us both down the hill.

No photos from the ski down, aside from this fun down climb. We hooped and hollered our way down the snow, as usual, and Daryl skied all the way back to the car (I lost momentum a couple yards short).

Today’s adventure took place on land stolen from the Yakama.

August 4, 2019

Adventures: Backcountry at Crystal

Back in May, our friend Danielle invited us to go backcountry skiing at Crystal Mountain. It was my first time at Crystal and I’m excited to explore more of the terrain once the snow starts to fly again.

Such a gorgeous day to be skiing up hill! Not too hot, but warm enough to not need extra layers.

We skinned up to the Summit House and took a nice break on the patio. We looked like lizards, splayed out on the patio, soaking up the sun. A perfect picnic spot!

Skiing down required a bit of navigating thru narrow patched of connected snow. When I got to the bottom of this, I looked up and couldn’t believe it. I am so proud of how much more confident I am on skis than I used to be. Yes, getting down this took me long than it took everyone else on the trip, but years ago it wouldn’t taken me at least an hour – and I definitely would’ve cried.

Tahoma from the back patio at the top of Crystal

Today’s adventure took place on land stolen from the Duwamish and Puget Sound Salish.