10/7/2023 - 10/8/2023 Katie and I made the long drive to the Entiat river valley in the trusty Prius on Friday night. Once you leave pavement the road is 95% totally fine and 5% borderline for a Prius – there were some “grit your teeth and hope you have enough clearance” dry creek bed crossings and one mogul section of the road that required me to push from behind as Katie floored, but overall, the Prius performed admirably! A higher clearance car would have no problems. In f

9/30/2023 It was the first weekend of Larch Madness in Washington, and I was looking forward to getting out for a day trip. I had spent precious little time in the Chiwaukums and figured they would be a great place for larches and solitude. I settled upon Big Jim and Big Lou (named after Jim and Lou Whittaker) as a big day. I headed out early from Seattle, making it to Hatchery Creek Road in good time. I had read some reports that there was a rough section of the road about a

9/23/2023 In search of a quick peak I could get in before rain came into Western Washington that afternoon, I chose Bald Mountain (East Peak) near Spada Lake. I had wanted to explore the Mountain Loop more and the Walt Bailey trail seemed like a great choice for a short trip with good fall color. The forest service road up to the Mallardy Ridge Trailhead was in immaculate condition and I got started around 8:45 am. The trail was semi-rugged, but still allowed for some fast tr

9/16/2025 - 9/17/2025 Katie, Eric and I set out for a fun camping and climbing adventure out of Monte Cristo – and what better way to reach the old ghost town than by bike?? I had read about an old wagon road that could be a good alternative to the standard Monte Cristo trail because it bypasses the South Fork Sauk river crossing and washed-out section of trail. The road leaves the Mountain Loop highway about ¾ of a mile east of Barlow Pass. Katie and Eric would both be using

9/2/2023 Mount Buckner is one of Washington’s 9000-foot peaks, and the highest point in Skagit County. Kyle, Brad, and I visited the summit in early September (which I’m not sure I would recommend) in a dawn to dusk effort. After a night spent at the Cascade Pass trailhead, we got up before first light and were moving shortly before 5 am. The switchbacks were as numerous and well-graded as ever, and before long we were coming into Cascade Pass. The first hints of a sunrise we

7/22/2023 - 8/2/2023 Day 1: Brixen to Schlüterhütte/Rifugio Genova Our trek began from the bus station in Brixen. With all our things packed, we use d our Brixen cards to catch Bus 321 for free from the Busbahnhof (central bus station) to the base of the Plose gondola. Brixen cards are an awesome benefit of staying in town. Over 100 hotels/establishment s participate, providing cards to guests that allow access to museums, ice rinks, pools, and, importantly, free travel on So

6/22/2023 It was a slow workday, and I was hoping to do a unique after work hike despite the questionable weather forecast, so I drove over to Cle Elum midday. After some semi-productive time leeching off the Wi-Fi at the Starbucks in the Cle Elum Safeway, I cut out a bit early and drove up the Salmon La Sac road. My goal was Hawkins Mountain – a 7000 ft+ peak located in between the Cascade Crest and the Stuart Range. On clear days it promised good views in all directions. I

6/12/2023 The long days were giving me some ambitious after work ideas, and I thought The Ark looked like a fun climb that was a potential candidate. I was able to get started at 3:15 pm, which I thought would allow me a good chance of getting it done. The first half mile was flat walking next to the Taylor River before I branched off up the Quartz Creek valley on old logging roads. The final scramble It was a super hot and muggy afternoon, and I took the opportunity to dunk

5/31/2023 Due to the ever-lengthening daylight hours in late May, I was feeling the need for an afterwork hike. I settled upon Mount Baldy and drove out to the Kachess Ridge Trailhead near Easton. I didn’t get started hiking until after 5:30 pm. I immediately crossed a footbridge that spanned Silver Creek and took note of a small, but very pretty waterfall nearby. Then, the trail didn’t waste any time getting down to business as it climbed steeply up to Para Point. There was

5/20/2023 After parking at the pullout on Highway 20 near milepost 147, I set off back up the road for half a mile in pursuit of the so-called Cabinet Peak. I don’t think this is an official name, but we’ll use it instead of the uninspiring Peak 6882 for this report. Walking along Highway 20 with Crater Mountain in the distance After crossing over Cabinet Creek, I found a faint trail on the south side of the road that took me into the woods and uphill. This trail was easier t

5/7/2023 Red Mountain is a fun, straightforward peak in the Salmon La Sac area that has a nice winter route. With the unseasonably cold April we have had in Washington, the route was still in good shape in early May. Our group of 5 started out at the Red Mountain “trailhead” on the paved FS 4600 road that heads to the Pete Lake Trailhead. There was no space for parking cars, so we tucked ourselves into a small pull-out down the road a bit that also appeared to double as a di

4/15/2023 Marissa was in town – so we had to get out on a fun adventure. Unfortunately, the weather for the weekend was not cooperating. Our original plans for a longer ski tour didn’t seem like they were in the cards, so we opted for a more conservative plan that we thought we could fit into our narrow weather window. Herman Saddle is a classic ski tour, and it provides access to a lot of terrain in a beautiful area in the Baker Backcountry. The views of Shuksan and Baker a

2/11/2023 Katie and I found ourselves in the land of sunshine, lava rocks, and volcanoes – aka Bend Oregon for the weekend. We had a perfect, cloudless day so ski touring to the top of Mount Bachelor with our friend Patrick was on the menu for the day. After a great “alpine” start that included 10 am brunch in town (shoutout to Sparrow Bakery!) we made the short drive up to the Mount Bachelor parking lot. Among the many great things about Bend is the quick access to outdoor

Somehow, I had never been to the Crystal Backcountry, and with the new year that had to change. The goal for these two trips was to check out Bullion Basin and the supposed wealth of backcountry skiing options that radiate out from the basin. 1/1/2023 Katie and I got a late start, so only had time for a quick tour. We started up from the C lot at Crystal and began touring up the Blue Bell Loop, a nice, groomed trail, which took us up to the start of the Bullion Basin Trail sy