STAY

1) to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.
2) to remain through or during (a period of time)

This weekend was the opposite of last weekend — this time the focus was a “stay-cation”. If your hometown area is anything like mine, then there are endless treasures that you have yet to enjoy (even if you have lived there for 23 years)! In order to indulge in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, we planned a “stay-cation” weekend.
 

We started off early in the morning heading off to Rattlesnake Ridge for a day of hiking in the Snoqualmie Pass Region. Compared to when I hiked Mount Si last summer, Rattlesnake was an enjoyable hike. It only takes about one hour each direction to complete, and it is only 4 miles total to reach Rattlesnake Ridge. Once you are at the top the view is stunning! And we lucked out, having amazing weather complete with clear blue skys and puffy white clouds. Quite the reward!
 

Rattlesnake Ridge has additional paths for further exploration, East Peak and Snoqualmie Point. Although we chose to linger on the ridge and enjoy our pb & j sandwiches in the sun instead of hiking further, we enjoyed ourselves enough to know that next time we will tackle the East Peak.
 

After hiking, we headed to the Falls City area to Tree House Point where we would be staying for the night. THP is off of Preston-Fall City Road and despite the fact it is only about 40 minutes from my home, it feels like worlds away. I fell in love the minute we drove into the parking lot and I already knew I was going to dread having to leave the next day.
 

The grounds are tidy, quaint, and natural. There are ponds, little waterfalls, bubbling brooks, and green everywhere. The tree houses are works of art, nestled unobtrusively in the tree branches. We stayed in the Nest which is just a room with a bed and a small balcony that sits above a waterfall. Despite being so small, it provided everything we needed (there is a community wash area with bathrooms and showers, in cause you were curious). THP provides such a peaceful atmosphere, it would be impossible to not relax here. And relaxing was just what I needed after last week’s jet-away, work, and the morning hike.
 

I HIGHLY recommend staying at THP. If fact, I plan to stay there again. Also, the room rates go down in the winter — I could not think of a better place to cozy in, drink hot chocolate and read, than here!
 

The next time you are thinking about planning a get-a-way, think again and…
STAY! 

Photos (clockwise L to R) — 1: our Tree House, the Nest 2: the start of our hike 3: the view of Rattlesnake Lake
4: the view from the top of Rattlesnake Ridge 5: Tree House Point, Temple of the Blue Moon 6: THP, Trilium
7: THP, Bonbibi 8: map of the THP grounds