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

6/13/2026 - 6/14/2026 Despite looking like a tiny nub on the side of Mount Rainier from afar, Little Tahoma is a worthy mountain in its own right. It has enough prominence to qualify as Washington state’s third highest peak, and provides a big mountain feel that belies its status as a volcanic subpeak. Eric and I had plans to climb Little Tahoma as a one-night outing, with a night at Meany Crest and an early start the next morning. Because the hike in would be relatively shor

5/31/2026 This was a memorable day-hike of a prominent peak in the North Shore Mountains near Vancouver with awesome views of Howe Sound and the surrounding peaks. Cool trees After doing a couple errands in the city, I drove out to Lions Bay, foolishly expecting to be able to park at the trailhead. Little did I know, half of the metro area seemed to be hiking to Tunnel Bluffs that day, so I ended up having to park a good distance away from the official trailhead on a resident

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

4/26/2026 Whitehorse Mountain is one of those must-climb mountains in Washington. If you’ve ever driven through the town of Darrington, you’ve undoubtedly noticed its rugged cliffs rising some 6,000 feet above the valley. I’ve long wondered what it would be like to traverse the So-Bahli-Alhi Glacier and stand on the summit, and that feeling has only grown stronger the more times I’ve driven past. There is a relatively narrow window for climbing Whitehorse. Go too early in the

3/28/2026 When you think of the most prominent summits in the state of Washington, what comes to mind? Most people would envision glacier-clad volcanoes like Mount Ranier or Mount Baker, and craggy peaks like Mount Shuksan and Stuart. Surprisingly, a humble, assuming summit called Round Mountain is ranked 8th on the list, higher than many of the most notable and rugged peaks in the state. Despite its unassuming profile, Round Mountain boasts 4840 feet of prominence, which put

5/31/2025 Brad and I set off to summit the high point of Snagtooth Ridge – Big Snagtooth – starting from the same pullout on the side of Highway 20 that I used to climb Silver Star Mountain via Burgundy col. We immediately dropped down to the river on the familiar junky climber’s path, losing 200 or so feet in the process. We wandered around a bit off trail to find a suitable place to cross the creek, eventually finding a nice log to shimmy our way across. Crossing Early Wint

5/24/2025 - 5/26/2025 Gardner Meadows made for an excellent early season adventure, complete with wildflowers, fun ridge-scrambling and snow-free camping. Our journey began at the Wolf Creek trailhead, which is only a few miles west of Winthrop. Balsamroot was near prime bloom on our drive up the well-graded forest road, which made for a pretty drive and was a good omen for the rest of the trip. Many trip reports allude to the up and down nature of the Wolf Creek trail making

5/19/2024 The weather wasn’t supposed to be great on the west side of the mountains, so Eric and I set off to the Teanaway in search of some sun breaks and melted out ridgelines. We ended up completing a fun traverse between Earl and Bean Peaks that I would highly recommend for an early season outing. Our journey started at the Beverly Turnpike trailhead, and we quickly turned right to follow the well-maintained trail up Bean Creek. The only difficulty was a semi-precarious

5/11/2024 We didn’t want to take any risks with avalanches on this warm weekend, so we opted for a safe but steep ascent up a ridgeline to Hidden Lake Peaks. This spot is popular in the summer for good reason – it offers an excellent and intimate view of the rugged and glaciated peaks surrounding Cascade Pass and beyond. This would be my first time seeing these views while all the peaks were still blanketed in snow and my first ascent via the winter route. The forest road up

4/13/2025 Ruby Mountain is a North Cascades classic. Once considered a candidate for a tramway to be built to its summit, you know it must be a good viewpoint. I had climbed it via the winter route once before but was happy to go back with Katie and Eric. The North Cascades Highway was still closed, so our journey began at the Ross Dam Trailhead. Despite a beautiful, sunny weather forecast, it was quite cold starting out and we bundled up in puffy coats and gloves. We seeme

4/1/2024 Despite being a relatively random ridgeline near Spada Lake, Git Out Ridge has over 1000 feet of prominence and provides some nice views of Mountain Loop Peaks, making it a very worthwhile destination. I started my adventure at the Culmback Dam parking area past the end of Sultan Basin Road. From the trailhead I crossed the dam almost immediately, which was a cool experience. The view from the dam itself was plenty impressive. View from the Culmback Dam From the dam

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

5/15/2021 Ross Lake and Hozomeen from high on Ruby This trip began with a bit of indecision. To bring skis or not to bring skis, that was the question. I had my splitboard in my car for another ski trip at Washington Pass, but I just wasn’t sure if it was worth it to carry it for this trip. After a night in the back of my car at a pullout on the side of Highway 20, I set off up the Happy Creek trail without the splitboard. I reasoned that the snow level would be too high, an

6/1/2019 - 6/2/2019 What better place to try out a new splitboard than the summit of a stratovolcano? Baker is one of the most recognizable and striking summits in Washington, towering above its surroundings in the northwestern part of the state – only about 30 miles due east of the city of Bellingham. It is home to many glaciers, and the Mount Baker Ski area holds the world record for snowfall in a year at 1,140 inches! Needless to say, this one had to be climbed. Fern and