Adventure
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 […]
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Hellhole Oasis in Anza Borrego
Sometimes when it’s 45 degrees and sprinkling, and you’re wearing shorts, it’s the universe trying to tell you that you should be somewhere else. Sometimes you’re rewarded for listening. Today’s hike was going to be up the Noble Canyon Trail. It’s a comfortable trail for me — I know what to expect, well, at least […]
Read MoreBiking and Running Tecolote Canyon
I need adventure. I haven’t been able to do any large adventures recently, so for now, small, one-day explorations will have to do. These aren’t necessarily always about exploring new stuff, but more like exploring new ways of doing the familiar. Today’s little exploration was to run Tecolote Canyon. I’ve done this run several times […]
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 MoreWill Backpack for Baked Goods
It used to be that I saw backpacking as purely a way to enjoy the backcountry and a chance to escape to wilderness. It was an opportunity to leave civilization behind and reconnect with the natural world that we were inhabitants of until only very recently in human history. It wasn’t until the Pacific Crest […]
Read MoreA Return to Backpacking
It has been far too long since I’ve been backpacking. You would think that as someone who runs a hiking and backpacking website, that I would get out far more than I have in the past year, but the universe has conspired against me and kept me from overnight backpacking adventures. It wasn’t totally my […]
Read MoreWallowa Mountain Backpacking Loops
The Wallowa Mountains in Northeast Oregon are known for their beautiful granite peaks, clear lakes, and deep valleys. What makes the region even better, is a wide variety of loop trips that can easily be created to sample the wilderness. The hikes listed below require three to six days to complete. Swamp Lake – Wallowas […]
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 […]
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