10/30/2025 I made an attempt on Mount McCausland via the Smithbrook Trailhead but was thwarted by deep snow on the final slopes to the summit. An early heavy dump of snow had left the Cascades blanketed in white by late October. I tried driving up to the Smithbrook trailhead, but being the cautious snow driver I am, I decided to park on the roadside after I encountered the first areas of slick snow on the roadway. I had made it about 1.3 miles up the road, which left me with

2/9/2025 In honor of the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl, a morning ascent of Philadelphia Mountain seemed appropriate.   A recent spurt of cold weather had brought a bit of snow to the lowlands, so I wasn’t surprised to see the road to the Lake Serene Trailhead completely covered in a few inches of snow. I was there early in the morning and the road was icy, so I just opted to park in a wide pullout near the highway and save myself the headache of snow driving.  Microspikes

1/12/2025 Arrowhead is a great winter climb – steep, but avalanche-safe, with a fun and scenic route and great views. Eric and I set off from the unceremonious pullout on Highway 2 just east of a WSDOT maintenance yard. To start we walked back west on the shoulder of the highway and left the road shortly after crossing over Nason Creek. Parking on the side of Highway 2 I was wondering whether snowshoes would be necessary for the lower parts of the mountain, so I took an optim