Michael's Ratings![]() Michael
B+ Difficulty
Change in elevation: moderate Ease of map: some confusion Number of stairs: 224 (down) 302 (up) 526 (total) Educational: The book has some interesting information about the history of Fremont: from its early development to the Lenin statue. Do some research before your hike, it'll open your eyes to the hidden corners of Fremont. Gastronomy: One of the many wonderful things about this hike is the wealth of food options: coffee shops, bars, and restaurants abound. Sunday mornings are a great opportunity to grab a coffee (try Fremont Coffee), explore the neighborhood, then wandered through the market. Grab lunch from one of the delicious food vendors! Neighborhood: It's Fremont... what's not to love! Give yourself a solid morning to enjoy the hike, then peek around the rest of the neighborhood. Things to see: the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Fremont Bridge, art (ex: Waiting for the Interurban), and the Fremont Troll. Natural vs Urban Animals: Cats and Dogs Isolated spots: Fremont Peak Park Noise: City Romance Kisses: at least one Safety Blind-curves: Zero Condition of trail/stairs: Excellent Sidewalks: Mostly Street Traffic Fellow Walkers: - Busy around the central business district - Quiet while wandering the upper residential streets Vehicles: - Crazy traffic along 35th St, 36th St, and Leary Way - Less traffic thru residential streets |
Sam's Perspective![]() Sam
A rocky start.
Rule #1 for these sort of challenges and it involves a #2. Do a #2 before you go for the walk. Trust me! It was Sunday, the weather was pretty usual for a Seattle spring. Chances of wet, but no real follow-through. Michael and I thought doing Fremont on a Sunday would be nice because we could end up at the market. We started off getting coffee at a wonderful little cafe. Since it was getting close to Easter, Michael's latte art was a bunny! A freakin' bunny! A big surprise for me was the varied topography of Fremont. Far more hills than I expected. I really thought it would be one great slant. The map was a little hard to follow, but we did find out way to an incredible hidden park. It was called Fremont Peak Park, and since it was early enough in the morning we happened on neighborhood do-gooders taking after it. It used to be three house lots, but was renovated. There are a lot of Greek mythology themes in the small park, but my favorite was Ariadne's Thread that wove around the plantings. At sunset, it would be the perfect park to be at, and very romantic. About halfway through the walk, I invented my first rule. If you forgot, scroll up. Needless to say, the rest of the walk was a little more "tense." Neither of us was in the best mood, but I think we both gained from it. And after the discovery of the hidden park, the Market felt a little like a let down. Unless you're big of prehistoric topiary. I learned about houses I would want to live in, Michael's grandfather and the New Deal as well as a lot of things about old stairs I would have missed had we not taken the time to look. Mostly, that no place is exactly like you would expect. |
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- Walk #1 - Ravenna
- Walk #2 - Fremont
- Walk #3 - Golden Gardens
- Walk #4 - Cedar Park and the Burke-Gilman Trail
- Walk #5 - Thornton Creek and Maple Leaf
- Walk #6 - Laurelhurst
- Walk #7 - University of Washington
- Walk #8 - Madrona
- Walk #9 - Eastlake, North Capitol Hill, and Portage Bay (Begun, not completed)