Hike/Climb

Hannegan Peak Few hikes in the North Cascades offer a better, more intimate view of Mt. Shuksan than the hike to Hannegan Peak. The trek up the Ruth Creek Valley is beautiful in its own right, a tonic for the winter-weary soul. After a brief, rigorous climb to Hannegan Pass, turn left on the trail to the peak, then hike …

The saying, “Build it, and they will come,” is true: the Olympic Discovery Trail, with nearly ninety-five miles already completed, is a magnet for walkers, hikers, and bikers. It wanders through evergreen forest, crosses over gently flowing rivers, stretches along pristine lakeshore, traverses prairie farmland, and borders lovely marine shoreline. This multi-use pathway highlights incredibly scenic portions of the Olympic …

I left my cabin in the drizzle and dark. Beyond a bluff on the Oregon coast, gulls hovered and wheeled, their cries riding the wind above the waves. I pedaled my bike past pools left behind when the ocean abandoned the land. Haystack Rock stood in the surf like a mountain risen from the sea. On its grassy slope, puffins …

Jones Island Loop Located in the San Juan Archipelago, Jones Island is a place apart: rocky shores, sculpted cliffs, beautiful madrone forests, and impressive groves of weather-beaten Garry Oaks. From the dock on the northern shore of Jones Island, an ADA-accessible trail crosses through deep coastal forest to the southern shore and the delightfully named Raccoon Island Campground. From here, …

Was this the worst coffee I’d ever tasted?  A definite possibility. Clearly, the pot had been sitting on the burner for many hours (days? weeks?) with just enough viscous liquid in the bottom to pour two cups, one for Susan and one for me. We were sitting in a somewhat shop-worn restaurant perched above the shores of the Strait of …

Eagle Creek For waterfall lovers, it doesn’t get much better than the Eagle Creek Trail, one of the premier hikes in the Columbia Gorge. This supremely well-engineered trail follows its namesake creek up through a verdant gorge that’s as green as St. Patrick’s Day. In places, Italian engineers blasted the route out of the basalt cliffs, and chain “handrails” are …

Washington Trails Association (WTA) is the largest state-based trails non-profit in the U.S. But that wasn’t always the case. What began in 1966 as Signpost, a grassroots newsletter pioneered by Louise Marshall to share backcountry adventures and trail conditions, evolved into one of the most recognizable resources for hikers in the Pacific Northwest. Plenty has changed for the Washington Trails …

Windy Pass The hike to Windy Pass is one of the most user-friendly hikes in the North Cascades. Suitable as a day hike or (better still) backpack, this stretch of the PCT literally glides along an open ridge with splendid views, starting right at the trailhead. In fact, the Windy Pass Trailhead is the highest automobile-accessible trailhead in Washington. Round-trip …

          Three decades ago, while wandering through the Himalayas, I ventured from the Vale of Kashmir to Ladakh, a mountainous realm where some of the planet’s tallest peaks rise above a high plateau. Now, thirty years later, as I gaze into Deception Basin in the Olympic Mountains, the scenery is so reminiscent of Ladakh—green vegetation fringing …

Everything feels familiar driving up Glacier Creek Road to the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead. I’ve been backpacking for decades, to more trailheads than I could possibly remember, and I’ve been on this trail on more than one occasion. But today is different. For the first time, my goal is the summit of Mt. Baker. We shoulder our packs and start hiking, …