In 2017 the Hidden Lakes area of the central Pasayten was badly burned by fire. 3 days backpacking here made me realize there is immense beauty in devastation and that nature is extraordinarily resilient.
A trip report from a 3 day solo backpack of the Devil's Dome loop in the Pasayten. Devilishly steep? Absolutely, but full of heavenly ridgetop camps, North Cascades vistas, and surprising solitude.
Bicycling Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road in spring while it's still closed to vehicle traffic is one of the most personal and incredible ways to see the beauty of this extraordinary Park! Enjoy this mile-by-mile guide with lots of photos and trip planning tips!
Back in July I headed to Southern California to climb its 3 tallest peaks in 3 days as part of Adventure 16's 3 Peak Challenge. Who was crazy enough to join me? My folks of course! It turned out to be an amazing weekend and a reminder that staying active is the best medicine of all!
Disappointment over my failed JMT attempt was replaced by excitement when I somehow lucked into Whitney day hike permits AND clearing smoke conditions. Standing on top of the Whitney summit at 14,505' with my dad and stepmom right next to me was proof that life rarely unfolds exactly as planned.
An incredible 30+ mile ultralight overnight to Miner's Ridge Lookout, deep in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. This was lookout #46 for me and I enjoyed not only surprising solitude, but one of the most fantastic mountain sunrises I've ever seen!
I can't believe it's been a year since I joined family and friends in the Grand Canyon to complete the toughest and most memorable hike I've ever done: the Rim to the River and back in a day. I won't soon forget this experience in one of the most fantastic places in the world.
A 5-day Altai Hok ski trip to historic guard stations in the gorgeous Blue Mountains of southeast Washington provided solitude, wildlife, and the perfect kind of quiet year-end reflection.
Sometimes the most memorable adventures are the biggest disasters, aren't they? The story of kayak camping in a Mad Max-like apocalypse of wildfire smoke...
It's not every day a visit to a fire lookout could be considered subject matter for a horror movie, but thanks to an abandoned hearse at the summit, Lookout Point earned a spot on my top 20 fire lookout adventures simply because it was so weird and creepy!
Middle Tiffany (7,967') and Rock Mountain (7,971') in North Central Washington are on the State's top 200 most prominent peak list AND offer a spectacular summer wildflower show.
Tales of surviving a remote hike in near triple digit temps and finally checking off a summit that has evaded me for four years!