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...
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!
Rich with history, The Pasayten Wilderness in Washington State spans 531,000 acres, skirts more than 50 miles of the Canadian border, and is one of the largest wilderness areas in the contiguous US. Horseshoe Basin in its northeastern corner is a high alpine tundra-like environment unlike anything else in the state. It's been on my list to explore for far too long. Last weekend I finally ventured there and left in awe of its landscape, solitude, and wildness.
Tales of surviving a remote hike in near triple digit temps and finally checking off a summit that has evaded me for four years!
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.
A week spent with volunteers painting Lookout Mountain in Twisp, swapping stories, and remembering the beautiful history of fire lookouts.
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.
This year, the beautifully restored D-6 cupola fire lookout at the summit of North Twentymile is celebrating a centennial and a dedicated group of volunteers is committed to maintaining trail access.
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.
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 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.