Tag Archives: featured

            In the summer of 2023, our tight-knit community of White Salmon, Washington, was rocked by tragedy. Three young men, all bright stars in their own way, died within the span of six months, by suicide, an unintended drug overdose, and a kayaking accident. The first had been a childhood friend of my son Che. The second was a …

          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, …

Hiking through the Cascades in autumn fills me with a quiet peace found nowhere else. The cool, crisp mountain air feels clean and alive, carrying a stillness that settles deep within. Each step along the trail quiets my thoughts, allowing me to take in the magical beauty surrounding me. Hillsides blaze with deep reds, golden yellows, and rich ambers—like wildflower …

With its extremely steep topography, the North Cascades is perhaps North America’s most rugged mountain range. Traversing along its crest is no simple feat.  I am not talking about using hiking trails since they are predominantly in the valleys.  I am talking about trekking on the ridges, staying as close to the crest as possible. “Humility is directly correlated to survivability.” …

One warm summer morning in early August of 2005, a small group of grad students from Western Washington University and I gazed across a small lake at one of America’s most spectacular mountain views. The lake was indeed small, really a small tarn, its glass-like surface reflected a perfectly clear upside-down image of Glacier Peak, a gleaming white volcano of …

A year after my dad died, I embarked on a hike into the mountains. My father, James Michael “Jim” Johnston, had asked to have some of his ashes spread at his favorite place, Lake 22, a lake high on the east flank of Mount Pilchuck in the northern Cascades of Washington State. To my dad, it was a very special …

In September, my husband, Jake, fell to his death on his favorite mountain, the North Twin Sister. My geologist friend Jackie tells me that the Sisters Range is a rare outcropping of the earth’s mantle; the olivine rock a distinctive rusty hue. Mountains were as necessary as air for Jake, and he’d summited this one dozens of times. Every year, …

When out on a trail, most of us look at the wilderness around us, absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors. Sure, we look at the trail because if we don’t, we’ll trip over a root before we know it. But how many of us look at the trail with “trail eyes”—that critical observation of the trail itself?  …

As the sun set over the mountains south of Mt. Adams, I experienced a quiet, golden moment that sparked a creative awakening. Surrounded by soft light and vivid alpenglow, I realized that a picture on a phone couldn’t capture the beauty before me. That moment marked the beginning of a more profound passion for photography, moving from spontaneous snapshots to …