Saturday, September 22nd: Once everyone was awake, Contessa and Riley treated us to breakfast at Camber coffee. It was bright and modern, a charming atmosphere that had become foreign to Tom and I. We chatted over craft coffee drinks before being presented with carefully plated, savory meals. It was definitely an experience to appreciate. We had made plans to meet with other friends in Seattle, but Contessa was unable to join due to work. We split ways with her after breakfast, grateful for the intimate opportunity get to know her better. When we first arrived in Seattle, we dropped a few things off at my brother, Michael’s, house. He and his girlfriend, Kat, just moved there for her pediatric residency and offered to let us stay there. They had left that morning for an ultimate frisbee tournament, but would be back on Sunday night. After settling our things, my sister, Sherah, drove us to meet our friends at Alki Beach. Sherah and I went for a quick run along the water, while Tom, Riley, Courtney, Colin, Nick and Anne sat at a brewery. We all had a beer together afterwards, then headed to their Airbnb where we ate frozen pizza and played games.
Riley hit the road before Tom or I were up, so we had little motivation to go anywhere fast. After laying around for a while, Sherah contacted us about making breakfast at her place. Her and Michael live a short 2 miles apart, so we ran/biked to her new apartment. After a delicious breakfast, she drove us out to Mount Si where we hiked Rattlesnake Ledge. It was a busy day on the trail, but the fresh air and physical exertion did us all good. Sherah had plans to meet with a friend that night, so she dropped Tom and I off at Michael’s. Both tired and lazy, we folded laundry and watched TV until Michael and Kat got home from their tournament. It was already late and they were feeling disappointed about not making nationals. All in a similar mood, we called it an early night.
Tom and I had set our alarms on Monday to hang out with Michael before he left for work at 6:30am. Unfortunately, the snooze button seemed more enticing than we had anticipated, causing us to sleep a few hours passed. Finally up and ready to make a plan, we realized that most of the climbing required quite a bit of driving. Since we wanted to be back in time to see everyone after work, we decided on an outdoor, man-made wall in Redmond. Although google maps had predicted it to be a 45 minute drive, mid-day Seattle traffic doubled that. The wall was a large, concrete pyramid with intentional grooves and pockets to make it climbable. We hung out there for a few hours before heading to our friend, Devon’s, house. We had met him while climbing in Skaha and asked if we could borrow some climbing/hiking guidebooks. After picking up the books and visiting with Devon, we stopped for groceries and headed to Michael’s where Sherah, Tom and I ate dinner. Michael and Kat had committed to a residency dinner, so we didn’t see them until afterwards.
On Tuesday, we were true to our plan and got up to have breakfast with Michael. Once he left for work, Tom and I packed our things and left the city. We spent the day climbing at an area called Exit 32. The wall that we climbed is a well-known one in the area and therefore gets climbed often. Because of that, there is little to no grit left to the rock, making it slippery and nerve-wracking. After 3 routes, our arms were shot and we called it quits; hoping to get a move on before traffic congested the roads. Sherah was at the Mariner’s game, so we made dinner with Michael and Kat. That night we went to a bar where we played trivia with Kat’s fellow residents. Although we ranked near the bottom of the teams, we all had a really good time.
Tom and I had originally planned to go hiking on Wednesday, but decided instead, to chill in the city. We wanted to take the opportunity to see the Amazon Campus where Michael and Sherah both work. We arrived later in the afternoon when they said they would be able to show us around. Michael gave us a tour around Kumo, the building that holds the finance department. Even though he has only been there for 3 months, it seems as though he is already comfortably adjusted. Next Sherah took us to see the Sphere’s, a greenhouse that was designed as a peaceful work space for amazon employees. Afterwards she took us to her building, Day 1, which has multiple restricted areas, including where her desk sits. It is the building that Jeff Besos works in and where a lot of new ideas are deliberated. Our final stop was at the Amazon Go store where you scan in, pick out your food items, and walk out without stopping at a cashier’s line. A few minutes after leaving, Sherah recieved a receipt for each of the items that we had bought. Sherah baked delicious homemade pizzas for dinner that night, serving Tom, Michael, Kat and I on her deck.
I stayed at Sherah’s on Wednesday night so that we could get up early on Thursday to go to her run club. Although I struggled to get out of bed, I enjoyed getting to meet more of her friends. One of the couples in the club has been making plans for an extended road trip, and had a lot of questions about Tom and my travels. They were both starry-eyed, but hesitant to take the plunge. I was able to share the struggles that Tom and I had faced leading up to the trip and reassure them that it has been completely worth all of the hardships and sacrifices. That afternoon, Sherah, Tom and I went climbing at the same area that we had been on Tuesday. Instead of returning to the same wall, we went to a new area that I thought offered much better climbing. Sherah completed her first lead climb like it was nothing and impressed Tom and I to no end. Her strength and natural technique is not something that we have witnessed among other beginners. After a long day on the wall, we returned to Sherah’s place to make dinner and hang out. Sherah wanted to get to bed at a decent time, so Michael, Tom and I ended the night at a hookah bar where we talked about life and shared some good laughs.
Tom and I got up on Friday with plans to hike “The Tooth”, a stunning and steep rock face that requires protection on the way up, and repelling on the way down. We read about it in a guidebook that described it as “an after work hike” due to it’s short approximated travel time. Expecting a 3 hour hike, we took our time getting to the trailhead only to find out that it was a 4-7 hour hike. Since we were already there, we decided to go for it. Unfortunately, the second half of the trail was not well-defined or marked, sending us wondering through the woods with no clear direction. Our off-route detours ate up so much sunlight, that by the time we made it to the base of the rock, the sun was quickly fading. Prioritizing time with family, and not wanting to risk hiking back in the dark, we made the decision to turn around. The intended trail was much easier to follow coming from the other direction, so if we decide to try it again someday, we will be able to complete it more efficiently. That night, Michael picked up Thai take-out for dinner to evade the chore of cooking. With few dishes to be cleaned and full, satisfied bellies, we all settled into the furniture for a relaxing movie night.
We woke up on Saturday and spent the little time that we could with Kat before she had to head into work. After an easy-going morning, Sherah called to let us know that she was hiking Tolmie Pass and asked if we’d like to join. Since she was on her way to the house, we quickly changed and gathered our things to tag along. We didn’t find out until after arriving at the trailhead that dogs weren’t allowed, so unfortunately, Rue had to wait for us in the car. The hike was both gorgeous, and an enjoyable way to spend time with family. Although the hike was physically challenging, the fresh air and beautiful scenery rejuvenated us all. After a long, sleepy drive back, we met up with Kat at home where we ate a delicious dinner. That night, we all went out to a concert for a band that Sherah’s friend was playing in. It didn’t take long before Kat called it a night, so after dropping her off at home, Michael came back to pick the rest of us up. On our way home from the concert, we stopped at a small bar where we hung out and played pool. I did my best to be fully present with my siblings, knowing how hard it would be to leave them.
On Sunday morning, we all made breakfast together and laid around Michael’s place. One of his friends, Chris Sunny, stopped by to hang out. He is a really cool individual and each of us really enjoyed getting to know him. We had made dinner plans with our cousins for that night, so Sherah and I squeezed a run in before Tom, Michael, Sherah and I met them out at Ivar’s. It was great getting to spend time with them in a more intimate setting, allowing for more intimate and personal conversations.
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