Summer is always a great time for exploration and adventure. Unfortunately, many people have the same idea and that leads to crowded destinations. I’ve been spending a lot of time near Mount Ranier but usually the least crowded places are the ones furthest away, so I decided to look further. For this, I decided to…
Nature is always full of surprises. The day started with heavy overcast skies and the forecast didn’t look great either. The previous day was totally rained out so we didn’t have high hopes for the second day. We got up early and planned to do a morning hike at Obstruction Point before wrapping up the…
I recently spent a few days to explore the Olympics. It’s sort of become a bi-yearly trip. I don’t go too often as I enjoy the other national parks in Washington a bit more, but ONP is beautiful in it’s own right and I would still like to spend some time each year there. I…
This year marks the 38th anniversary of the last major eruption of Mount St. Helens. 38 years since the northern face of Mount St. Helens was blown apart, much of the surrounding valley is still recovering as nature slowly reclaims the scorched earth created by the eruption. Last week I made a short one night…
The curiously-named Lake Twentytwo is the center of an oasis of alpine wetland nestled on the northern shoulder of Mount Pilchuck. The hike to the lake combines the best of mountain rainforests, old-growth, wetlands, and mountain views, yet it is readily accessible. In winter the route lends itself to snowshoeing. –WTA.org As Spring ushers in…
As short as summers are in the pacific north west, I was lucky enough to be able to get out of town quite a lot and explore all that the PNW has to offer. My first 6 months on the west coast has just ended and I’ve been quite surprised by just about everything. From…
Artist Point is an interesting location, it’s only open a few months of the year when it’s not buried in tens of feet of snow. I’ve been meaning to head back up to the North Cascades but it’s always been a decision between a < 2 hour drive to Mt. Ranier versus 3+ hours to…
Glacier Basin and Emmons Moraine are both easy/moderate trails that start near the White River Campground at Mount Ranier National Park. The trail begins at the far end of the White River Campground. Limited parking is available in the ‘climber / picnic’ parking lot as well as along the side of the road. The two…
Mount Washington is a moderate trail a short distance from Seattle just past North Bend. I made a day trip early Saturday morning to check it out. The trail was easy to find, take exit 38 off I90 and make the first right. You’ll quickly see a sign for Ollalie State Park, the John Wayne…
I took a weekend backpacking trip to Goat Mountain this past weekend in the North Cascades. The drive up from Seattle wasn’t bad. Traffic was light and we arrived at the trail-head at around 10 A.M. There isn’t too much parking space, but if you arrive early there should be ample parking space at one…