Hiking
Little Man Training
Did a short hike yesterday up at Mt. Laguna. It was only about three miles in total, but the little man walked all but probably a half-mile of that all on his own two feet. This is in part because he decided that he really doesn’t like being carried in the backpack carrier. Decided he […]
Read MoreA Solo Mt. Laguna Hike
Mt. Laguna is quickly becoming a version of the Gorge for when I was in Portland. The scenery is nowhere near as spectacular as the Gorge, where waterfalls, cliffs, mountains, and forests greet you, but Mt. Laguna does offer a fair number of trails, and it works well in situations where I know I want […]
Read More
Lena Lake in April
Today was a hike to a mountain lake, which is pretty nice since it’s mid-April and mountain lakes in the Northwest aren’t supposed to melt out until July. One of the great things about the Olympic Mountains is that there is actually quite a few low-elevation trails that present year-round hiking and backpacking options. Lena […]
Read MoreFirst Hike with a Small Child
Last week: walking through cactus, yucca, and a sparse desert landscape to a hidden palm oasis. This week: walking along a rushing, clear, and cold river, through tall trees and a totally lush and verdant understory. Quite the change. We did our first real hike with Mason, who is currently 7 months old. We have […]
Read MoreExploring Cuyamaca State Park
I really didn’t have a plan today, other than explore some of the maze of trails at Cuyamaca State Park. I ended up creating a nice 12.5 mile loop, that took me up near to the top Cuyamaca Peak. I’m probably one of the few people to to get that close to making it to […]
Read MoreThree Days in Glacier National Park
One early fall afternoon, much like this one, I was randomly looking over the Amtrak route map. I quickly realized that it will take residents of Portland, Seattle, and Spokane directly to Glacier National Park. Even better, the time spent travelling on the train doesn’t really cost you any time–you can leave on a train […]
Read MoreThe Makings of an Epic Trip: Exploration
It had been circled on my map for several years. Up a small, trailless canyon was a waterfall that I had reason to suspect was at least mildly great. It was a beautiful, early spring day, perhaps one of those first days with a hint of truly warm summer heat in the air. We had […]
Read MoreFavorite Columbia River Gorge Hikes
While the Columbia River Gorge is a great place for a hike any time of year, April, May, and June could very well be the optimum season for a little exploration. The weather is warming up, the trilliums and other wildflowers are blooming, the waterfalls are running hard, and the muted hues of winter are […]
Read MoreWhy I Hike
We have been hiking all day, going on 12 hours of walking; through valleys, over passes, along creeks, through meadows, and now along a grassy cliff edge, with views stretching to the mountains to the north, which we had been walking through for the past several days and are now receding behind us. I feel […]
Read MoreThe Untapped Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range is often ignored by hikers. The large swaths of logged areas, roads, and other intrusions by man keep us away, thinking that we aren’t really missing much. Yet, whenever I drive to the beach, I am always impressed with the rugged scenery that blurs through my vision as I speed hastily […]
Read More-
Adventure
-
The Built Environment
-
Locations
-
Web Dev