9/28/2025 Aaron and Kyle were up for an ascent of Mount Thomson. We met at 6:30 at Snoqualmie Pass, and it was still quite dark outside – the first time all year that I had to confront the grim reality that peak summer had passed us by. We took the shortcut up Commonwealth basin, joining up with the PCT and cruising the easy miles below Kendall peak, reaching the Katwalk a bit over 2 hours after leaving the trailhead. It was clear that wildfire smoke was thick to the east, bu

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

11/20/2022 Western Washington was at the height of shoulder season – snow had fallen in the mountains but nowhere near enough for winter activities to begin in earnest. With a good forecast upon us, Katie and I headed out to the Snoqualmie Pass area for what I hoped to be a perfect adventure given the conditions. Mount Margaret is located just over the pass between Keechelus Lake and Rampart Ridge. The normal summer trailhead is located up the steep Forest Road 4832 at about

10/16/2022 The late summer and early fall of 2022 had been unseasonably hot and smoky throughout the Cascades and Washington state. I had been obsessively checking smoke forecasts trying to make the most of the hot and sunny weather throughout this period, and it looked like there was a small window at Snoqualmie Pass for the weekend. Knowing this, my dad and I set out for a casual day trip to Red Mountain. The PCT north trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass was packed with cars, but

9/17/2022 The weather in the Cascades was finally starting to feel a little bit like fall. With commitments in Seattle later that day, we drove out to the Snoqualmie Pass area with hopes of a fun, quick hike with multiple peaks. After parking a bit before the trailhead due to some rugged sharp rocks on the road, Katie and I took off on the PCT on a nice brisk morning. We traveled an easy 1.7 miles to where the trail to Silver Peak branches off, which is marked by a giant cai

1/29/2022 Humpback Mountain is a solid winter destination close to Snoqualmie Pass. There are two viable approaches in the winter, either the northeast or northwest ridge. My dad and I opted to ascend the northeast ridge because it was closer to the “trailhead.” To get to this “trailhead”, merely take exit 47 on I-90 and park on the shoulder of NF-9034 on the north side of the freeway. To get started, we crossed back over the freeway on the exit 47 overpass and then proceeded