Hole in the Wall The Olympic Coast is magical in winter. The crowds are gone, the sea is tempestuous, and the broad expanse of Pacific Ocean and open sky is a tonic for the winter-closeted soul. From the trailhead at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park it’s an easy two-mile hike north up the beach. The only obstacle is Ellen …

Heading out into the untrammeled wild? Make sure that your gear is solid. Great boots, dependable crampons and a bear-proof food storage solution. You’re good to go!   La Sportiva Omega GTX Hiking Boots The sweet spot for me when it comes to hiking boots is the place where ruggedness and light weight meet. The Omega GTX from La Sportiva …

Of the two equinoxes – spring and fall – it’s the time around the autumnal equinox that I seem to photograph more.  As summer hands off to fall, and the kids are back in school, my ‘backcountry brethren’ and I head to the North Cascades for our annual backpack adventure. It’s an egalitarian time of the year, with all the world having the same …

The Nooksack River is born among the glaciers and snowfields of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and the Twin Sisters Range. Its three forks roll down from the ramparts through shadow-dappled forest and verdant farmlands, sweeping past villages and towns, eventually flowing into the Salish Sea. The river is home to all five species of native salmon as well as steelhead …

It started with what Kelly Kreiger describes as a “lightbulb moment.” Kreiger, who owns Hamster Endurance Running, had just returned from a biathlon at Whistler, full of enthusiasm for multisport events, when she found herself on a run on Galbraith Mountain with a good friend, who happened to be an archer. “Bingo,” she says. The Northwest Run-Archery Classic was born …

Raised in Seattle, I’m thankful to have once called these mountains home. These shy and beautiful mountains inspired me to rope up, make a career of photography, and go back to school for glacier science. Now I regularly travel back from Colorado to satiate my appetite for their granite faces, tree-drenched valleys, and lofty alpine basins on a life-long quest …

Winter is winding down fast but of course here in the northern mountains there are still lots of opportunities for cold weather travel. Here’s a round-up of some choice gear options to make your late-winter travels warm and wonderful. Mountain Hardwear Tangent 2 Four-Season Tent Mountain Hardwear’s brand new four-season tent, the Tangent 2 trumps even the company’s venerable Trango …

I delight in using my camera in unusual ways to discover scenes in nature that may not stand out at first glance. I enjoy taking long exposures while moving my camera; discovering art that the ocean left behind; shooting from an unusual angle; or finding detail in a flower that when isolated from the whole, presents a little world unto …

Lance Ekhart is seeing things. Amazing, beautiful, complicated things. The Anacortes, WA.-based photographer has been capturing the beauty of Pacific Northwest (and other) landscapes for many years (his images of the San Juan Islands graced the pages of our Spring 2013 issue). But recently, Ekhart started experimenting with a completely new way of interpreting the landscapes that he loves, creating …

Northwest winters have many moods. Gray on gray blizzards famously dump deep snow around Mount Baker, but then we awaken to magical sunshine. Blue sky reflects off sparkling snow, revealing trees morphed into Seussian forms and accessible only by ski or snowshoe. Down near the Salish Sea I find frost the morning after a cold snap. Cottonwood buds and rose …