7/31/2026 I got an early start from the Denny Creek trailhead and quickly made my way under the I-90 overpass and crossed the creek at the waterslide area. The creek was running low, as expected in late July, but still had some nice pools and would be a nice place to spend a hot summer day. Morning light looking back down the Denny Creek valley towards I-90 The rest of the hike up to Hemlock Pass was uneventful and I found myself turning off the main trail 1 hour and 20 minut

6/17/2026 I got out for a quick after-work jaunt up Avalanche Mountain – a peak that exceeded my expectations. I started from the Snow Lake Trailhead at 4:45 and made great time up the familiar trail. I hit the crest above the lake before 5:30 and jogged down the first few switchbacks on the other side, before leaving the trail unceremoniously at the terminus of one of the switchbacks. I cut cross country through heather and huckleberry bushes, often following small human or

5/9/2026 Eric, Mike, and I were in the market for a nice, big, daytrip, and after a few ideas were tossed around, we settled upon Big Snow Mountain – a prominent peak in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. There are several ways that climbers can approach Big Snow, but the two main approaches are either via Dingford Creek, or Hardscrabble Lakes - both of which begin at the Dingford Creek Trailhead. Because it was a low snow year and we wanted to make it a day trip, we opted to bike

8/25/2024 A return trip to Tuck and Robin Lakes was in order, and I wanted to squeeze in a jaunt up Granite Peak while we were at it. I hadn’t been to Tuck and Robin in years, so the anticipation was high as Katie, Eric, and I set off from the ever-popular Tucquala Meadows Trailhead at around 8:30 am. Cathedral Rock towering above Hyas Lake The first 3 miles were essentially flat, passing Hyas Lake and its nice selection of lake-side campsites. We then began a steep ¾ mile c