Story and photos by John D’Onofrio I’ve been thinking about the 22-mile Kalalua trail for many, many moons. The trek is a world classic; winding along the breathtakingly beautiful Na Pali coast of Kuai’i on an ancient route that skirts heart-pounding cliffs and dives into primordial jungle. Na Pali is aptly named. It means, literally, the cliffs. Direct and to …
Read More »John D'Onofrio
Snowshoe Season is Almost Here: Six Trips for Winter Fun
by John D’Onofrio With winter knocking on the door, it’s time to start thinking about getting the snowshoes down and planning some fun in the snow. The Mount Baker Highway (WA 542) provides convenient access to a number of wonderful and scenic adventures west of the mountain. Here are a half dozen options – all accessed from a 20-mile long …
Read More »Grand Larchery: Hiking the Golden lakes Loop
Sure, the East Coast is famous for it’s fall colors, and yes, those hardwood forests are breathtaking. The Rocky Mountains are also renowned for stunning display of aspens at this time of the year. But neither color show exceeds the splendor of the high altitude larch forests of the eastern slopes of the North Cascades. Larch forests are scattered among the …
Read More »Autumn in the North Cascades: Time for a Change
Story & Photos by John D’Onofrio From high meadows blanketed in vibrant magenta and orange to riverside groves of crimson maple, the North Cascades offer an autumnal palette to satisfy the most discerning fall color aficionado. And while the hardwood forests of New England get all the hype when it comes to fall color, our own northern mountains provide unique …
Read More »Mountain Runners Film Nominated for Grand Prix Graz 2012
Bellingham Filmmaker Hits the Festival Circuit The Mountain Runners, a feature documentary released this year that tells the amazing story of the Mount Baker Marathon has been nominated for “Grand Prix Graz 2012” award and the “Alpine Camera in Gold” award at the 24th International Mountain & Adventure film festival in Graz, Austria. This festival, which runs from Nov. 9-12, …
Read More »Squalicum Yacht Club Turns 75: Cruising the San Juans since 1937
The venerable Squalicum Yacht Club, a fixture in the boating community of the northern Puget Sound region turns 75 this month. The club was formed on September 29th, 1937 as the Bellingham Boater’s Association (BBOA), organized to help create safe moorage in Bellingham Bay. Eventually a large part of a new moorage facility in Fairhaven was leased to the BBOA …
Read More »Cascadia Gear: New Packs, Sleeping Bags & Dishware
Sierra Designs Zissou 15 Sleeping Bag It’s been a subject of debate among backpackers in the Pacific Northwet for decades: Down vs. synthetic sleeping bags. Down offers unsurpassed warmth and packability for its weight but frankly, ain’t worth a damn if it gets wet. And sometimes, let’s face it, it rains in these parts. Sierra Designs’ answer to this age-old …
Read More »Paddling into Canada: A pilgrimage to Hozomeen
Story and photographs by John D’Onofrio The surface of Diablo Lake is a turquoise mirror. The air is still, without the faintest breath of wind. I dip my paddle into the water and the canoe moves silently away from the shore. Behind us, the boat launch at Colonial Creek recedes as we move down Thunder Arm and out into the …
Read More »John D’Onofrio: The Remarkable Tombstone Range
Located in the northern Yukon Territory, the Tombstone Range has been described as “the Patagonia of Canada” for its collection of soaring monoliths rising above the treeless tundra – an otherworldly landscape of harsh beauty. The park consists of wilderness on a truly epic scale and is home to a virtually untouched ecosystem that includes grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines and …
Read More »Preservation vs. Recreation: Tense Times at Glacier Peak
|| story by John D’Onofrio || photos by or courtesy of John D’Onofrio || Ah, wilderness! The open country, uncrossed by roads. The silence, unbroken by the clamor of machines. Here in the Great Northwest, wilderness is a cherished concept, a chance to refresh our souls and recharge our psychic batteries. But what is wilderness exactly? And what is our …
Read More »
AdventuresNW

