Hills and Farmers Markets and Trolls, Oh My!

No more Mt Si or Mt Teneriffe by bus til next year...so let's find some hills in Seattle! Not the same, but instead of trees and trails, we can visit trolls and public art (?) and farmers markets with interesting comestibles.

So...let's meet in front of the Fremont Library (at 10am, when it opens). From there, we'll swoop down across the Fremont bridge, charge up not quite the steepest street in Seattle, find some stairs and more hills, and turn back north to cross over the Ballard Locks. Soon we'll be saying hello to Frankie Feetsplinter, the Thomas Dambo troll who mocks visitors to the National Nordic Museum -- Frankie is the bad boy of the Dambo trolls. And in a few more blocks, we'll be at the Ballard Farmers Market, where there are multiple blocks of not just farm and crafts stands but yummy food. We'll stop here to get lunch, and take a quick look at the vendors. This part of the walk is about 5.5 miles, 770 ft elevation gain. Here is the approximate route (no, we don't need to detour off of Dravus -- that is a quirk of Google Maps on-foot routing):

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xcP2CLM71wkY3ZxR8

After lunch, we'll head uphill to visit Peak Park, a tiny pocket park with a view, tucked into a residential area north of Fremont, then meander back down, past the B. F. Day tile mural wall, to the much older and unrelated Fremont Troll, who guards the Aurora Bridge. And then we'll visit the Center of the Universe signpost, the statue of Lenin, the Rocket, etc., as we head into the Fremont Sunday Market. This is the end of the walk -- very near the starting point, but it's likely folks will want to explore the market, so we're not going to drag folks away back to the library. This part of the walk is about 3.6 miles, 400 ft elevation gain. Approximate route:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AJSfjeFJNfKkcdoGA

Logistics:

Bus riders: Lots of routes serve this area -- #31, #32, #62 have stops near the library, and #5 #28, #40 are not far off.

Drivers: Parking can be tricky to find here, and I don't know what the time restrictions are. With the Fremont Market open, there will likely be extra contention for any open spaces. How about trying the bus?

You can bring lunch, or buy lunch at the Ballard Market. Do bring water, as there are hills and stairs.

Total distance about 9.1 miles, 1170 ft elevation gain. This will be mostly on streets or stairs, so won't need hiking boots.

Bring something to carry purchases, but be aware they'll be unrefrigerated for a while. Likely fine for veggies, but maybe don't buy ice cream or raw fish...

Weather forecast is mostly cloudy, high in the mid 70s deg F.

The event start time is when the library opens, because it has a restroom. ;-) End time is when the Fremont Market closes. No, we are not making a stop at Archie McPhee. You can walk there or catch a bus there afterward -- they close at 6pm.

Use comments here to coordinate. Please do tell us if you decide to stay at the Ballard Market.

More info:

Ballard Market: https://www.sfmamarkets.com/visit-ballard-farmers-market

Fremont Market: https://fremont.com/fremont-sunday-market/

Frankie Feetsplinter: https://www.thomasdambo.com/works/frankie-feetsplinter

Fremont Troll: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont_Troll

Troll Ave photo is by GeoTrinity: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Troll_Ave_Fremont_Seattle_USA.jpg