Washington State Route 20 (known as the North Cascades Highway from Marblemount to Winthrop) is the state’s longest and most scenic highway. If you’ve traveled in the North Cascades, you’re already familiar with it. SR20 stretches from Whidbey Island in the west all the way to the city of Newport on the Idaho border. Along the way, it winds along …

In 1975, writer Edward Abbey published his fifth novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang. It’s a comedic romp about a serious subject. In it, four misfits come together to perform acts of sabotage against the machines of environmental destruction. These threats to the sanctity of the southwest wilderness included construction equipment, roads, bridges, dams, and anything else helping humanity encroach ever …

If you’re like me, you’ve been on a remote hiking path in the North Cascades and thought to yourself, “Gosh, this trail sure is remote and rugged and well-maintained. I wonder who humped all the way up here to build it?” You’d be surprised at how often the answer is Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt. Russ and his team of intrepid trail-builders have …

We expect judges to be impartial, to render calm decisions free of emotional baggage, but judges are human. There will always be some influence from their own experiences and personal outlook. Usually, they strive to limit that influence and render unbiased decisions. Their success in that exercise is as variable as the people who wear the robe.  William O. Douglas …

The history of outdoor recreation and preservation in America has always run parallel with the politics of land use. On one hand you have the visceral joys of experiencing soul-enriching activities such as hiking, camping, paddling, etc. On the other you have the eternal quest to monetize the land via development, resource extraction and the like. Yet these two vastly …

The orca population of the Pacific Northwest is dying. There isn’t much debate about this; every expert in marine biology agrees. The local orcas, known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), have had population fluctuations since the 1970’s, but the latest data shows a population in permanent decline. This is really bad news. As apex predators, the orcas are …

After decades of debate, draft plans, and environmental assessments, the National Park Service (NPS) has decided to eliminate mountain goats from the Olympic National Park and the surrounding National Forest areas. They plan to employ their Record of Decision, Alternative D: a combination of relocation and lethal removal. This means relocating at least 50% of the Olympic area mountain goats …

Like most tales of land use policy, the creation of the North Cascades National Park (NCNP) was a long, bitter battle between opposing social forces. Government agencies, extraction industry companies, and the conservationist movement had their own ideas about how we should administer this vast and sublime landscape. A clash was sure to follow. The creation (or perhaps evolution) of …

It’s happened to all of us. You head up to Heliotrope Ridge or Lake Ann for a refreshing hike. At the trailhead, you hang your Northwest Forest Pass from your rearview mirror to show you paid for parking. Like a good citizen, you sign in at the trailhead, just in case. You write down how many are in your party …

Most adventurers struggle mightily to reach a summit peak or a distant destination in some wild and forbidding place. Once there, they can enjoy the view, snap some photos, snack on some granola bars, and revel in the satisfaction of a job well done. Then, after a short interlude, it’s time to head on back from whence you came. …Unless …