8/30/2024 - 9/2/2024 Day 1: Getting to the Trailhead (aka the crux of the trip) and Spider Meadows  Our annual Labor Day backpacking trip got off to a strong start when Katie realized she forgot her shoes and I forgot my climbing helmet right as we were pulling into the Phelps Creek Trailhead. Sigh . after a three hour round trip back to Leavenworth to buy new gear while navigating the razor-sharp rocks of the road both ways we were finally gearing up (with Katie’s brand-new

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

7/23/2024 With a beautiful day and time to kill on the Mountain Loop Highway after Higher Squire , I settled upon White Chuck as the perfect quick peak for the afternoon. It is a distinctive, isolated mountain that has long grabbed my attention, with its steep faces and 3800+ feet of prominence (making it Washington’s 25th most prominent peak).   One nice part of climbing White Chuck is that there is a maze of logging roads on the west side of the peak, and you can actually d

7/23/2024 Excited to check out a totally new to me area of the Mountain Loop, I set out on the Eight Mile Creek Trail towards Squire Creek Pass a bit before 9 in the morning. For some reason, I had become fixated on Higher Squire as a peakbagging objective (probably because of its proximity to Squire Creek Wall and the dramatic east faces of Three Fingers and Whitehorse) and now seemed like as good of a time as any to try it.  Three O'clock Rock The Eight Mile Creek Trail was

7/13/2024 The Twin Sisters are a jagged subrange of the Cascades west of Mount Baker that have drawn my eye for years. Their reddish orange rock and sharp ridges are a pretty amazing sight when contrasted against the broad, glaciated surface of Baker. The range gets its coloring because it is primarily composed of olivine, which lends itself to some great scrambling with good holds on nice, grippy rock. Because of this, North and South Twin both see a fair amount of traffic f

7/10/2024 Helena Peak is a fun scramble off the Mountain Loop that had slightly trickier route-finding than expected. It has 1000 feet of clean prominence and excellent views of some classic peaks and had always been an alluring mountain for me. Plus, there was some mining activity in the area that could lead to further exploration.  Walking Deer Creek Road I wasn’t brave enough to drive Deer Creek Rd all the way to the trailhead. The road was totally fine except for one bad

7/4/2024 - 7/5/2024 I have been climbing mountains in the Cascades for my entire life but somehow had never attempted Mount Rainier. That changed when our friend Rio texted saying he had a permit for Camp Muir – this was the perfect chance to finally have a go at the iconic tallest peak in Washington State.  Paradise to Camp Muir Our permit was for multiple nights, which would give us some additional wiggle room in our schedule to play with should we need it. A warming period

5/19/2024 The weather wasn’t supposed to be great, 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 log crossing over the rushing cre

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

3/17/2024 The 2023-2024 winter had been a relatively unexciting one for me in the mountains. A slow developing snowpack and other commitments had kept me on the sidelines, so I was excited to finally get out with Eric. The weather was more reminiscent of late spring than late winter, with temps soaring to the mid-70s in the western Washington lowlands. Because of this, we had major concerns for avalanche danger, as well just plain bad travel conditions, so we opted to play it

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 on 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

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

5/7/2023 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