Today Ryan and I hiked up Mount Defiance in the Columbia Gorge. Other than the sweltering 90 degree temperatures it was a perfect day with good views of a nearly snow-less Mount Hood. Round trip time was 7 hours with a beer and lunch break at the top. Afterwards we went to the Pacific Crest Pub (formerly the Salmon Row Pub) in Cascade Locks.

This past weekend I participated in Hood to Coast for the first time. I ran legs 12, 24, and 36 for Kerry after she injured her knee a few hours before her team started and couldn't run. I've always wanted to run the world's longest relay race but felt bad that it happened in under such circumstances. Regardless it was a lot of fun and I definitely want to run it again next year!

The cabinets are almost finished. Tomorrow our appliances are being delivered and the counter tops will be installed. We can't wait to have our kitchen and laundry room back!

Last week the Shack was turned into a cabinet warehouse. Every free spot was covered with cabinets and parts to cabinets:

After about three days of work most of the base cabinets in the kitchen have been installed:

I spent the last couple of days in the Goat Rocks Wilderness with my friend Ryan D McCoy. Before heading home today we slogged our way up Old Snowy, which ironically had almost no snow on it. We had some great weather and made it back to the car right before it started raining. The only down side was the bee sting I received on the way out and the ankle that is now swollen to twice its normal size. Click here to see my photos from the trip.

The drywall is finished. The cabinets and appliances are being delivered later this week and will be installed over the next couple of weeks. We can't wait to have our kitchen back!

Last night the "We Survived Denali" BBQ & party was a huge success. We had 40-50 people at the Shack and polished off a half keg of Wasco Indian Summer Ale from the Alameda Brewhouse along with tons of food. Our photos looked so much more impressive on Jim's projection screen. We definitely need to do a slideshow...