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

9/19/2025 - 9/20/2025 I had made two previous trips to the basin below Boulder Pass. One was an attempt at Clark Mountain that ended when we found ourselves inside of a thick cloud and was comprised mostly of hanging out in the tent to avoid the rain. The second was a successful climb of Clark Mountain that was also spent mostly in the clouds. Needless to say, I was very familiar with the approach but wasn’t fully convinced the sun ever shone on Boulder Pass or the surroundin

8/30/2025 - 8/31/2025 Labor Day weekend occupies a prime spot on the peakbagging calendar in Washington. When a prospective trip to Holden was cancelled due to lightning-caused wildfire, we wanted to pivot to something closer to home that wouldn’t be overrun with crowds. Eric came up with the great idea to camp at Rock Lake and add on a scramble of Malachite Peak. We passed a huge number of cars parked at the Necklace Valley trailhead (I guess the secret is out about Tank Lak

8/23/2025-8/24/2025 The Drop Creek approach is a method for accessing Mount Formidable and the Ptarmigan Traverse that has been gaining in popularity in recent years. It avoids glacier travel, making it a nice alternative to the traditional approach from Cascade Pass in late season. Plus, there has been some recent maintenance on the South Fork Cascade River trailhead that has made this approach arguably the most pleasant it has been in years. Huge thanks to the people who ha

8/9/2025 Mike and I day-tripped Argonaut Peak via the South Route. Starting at the Beverly Turnpike trailhead at 6:22 am, we cruised up the (familiar to me) Beverly Creek trail for 2.6 miles and 1585 feet of gain. Here we made a right-hand turn and took the Fourth Creek trail, which climbed another 0.3 miles and 300 feet up to a pass, before descending into the Fourth Creek valley. By the time we hit Ingalls Creek, we had covered about 5.5 miles in about 2 hours. Ingalls Cree

8/1/2025 - 8/3/2025 Blackcap and Lago from the summit of Monument Lake and Monument were on the docket for the weekend. Both are remote peaks in the Pasayten Wilderness area that are hard to get to by any approach. Monument Peak is especially rugged and the most remote peak in the Lago group. My adventure would start at the Monument Creek trail and take me all the way up and over Pistol Pass to a camp at Lake of the Woods. I had tentative aspirations to hike all the way in to

7/19/2025 Katie and I were in Whistler and enjoyed an excellent hike to Panorama Ridge to see the brilliant blue waters of Garibaldi Lake. The hike starts from the Rubble Creek Trailhead, and a day-use pass is required in the summer. Beautiful views abound on this hike with the Tantalus Range, Black Tusk, and Garibaldi and its surrounding glaciers stealing the show. Even though the round-trip distance is over 16 miles with 5000 feet of elevation gain, this is a well-establish

7/12/2025-7/13/2025 The goal for the weekend was Azurite Peak, a member of the Bulger List north of Tower and Golden Horn. It’s a peak that takes a substantial effort to get to regardless of the approach. I toyed with the idea of coming in from the Methow River side but had seen trip reports stating that the trail was horribly overgrown and in disrepair. Other climbers have come in via Mill Creek or even from Harts Pass, but there was another approach that piqued my interest.

6/29/2025 - 7/3/2025 Introduction Gannett is a big undertaking, no matter how you approach it. At 13,810 feet in elevation with over 7000 feet of prominence, it is an imposing, isolated mountain, in one of the most remote wilderness areas in the lower 48. There are two main approaches climbers use to reach Gannett, one from the east and one from the west. The approach from the west (Pinedale, WY) is via the beautiful Titcomb Basin and requires going up and over Bonney Pass on

6/28/2025 The highest point in the Snowy Range in south central Wyoming at over 12,000 feet tall, Medicine Bow Peak was a nice acclimatization hike. This area is the crown jewel of the Medicine Bow mountains, with pretty meadows, lakes, and some surprisingly alpine scenery that are easily accessible from Highway 130. There are multiple trailheads that hikers use to access Medicine Bow Peak. We chose to use the Lewis Lake trailhead because it is the shortest and most straightf

6/26/2025 As part of our acclimatization preparation for Gannett Peak , my dad and I snuck in a quick hike up Grays Peak in Colorado. We camped at Lowry Campground near Silverthorne the night before and woke up early to make the drive east on I-70 to the Grays Peak trailhead. The trailhead is less than three miles from the freeway exit, but is pretty steep and rocky in places, so a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. We got started at around 5:30 am, which seemed like a pr

6/15/2025 The furthest northeast of all the Bulger peaks, Windy Peak feels like a bit of an outlier amongst Washington’s tallest mountains. Its gentle slopes allow a trail to go all the way to the summit, making it the only Bulger List peak with a trail to the top. Plus, it is significantly removed from the Cascade crest, and even its Pasayten neighbors, giving it a remote and isolated feel. Katie, my dad, and I spent the prior day car-camping at Toats Coulee Campground and e

6/8/2025 Katie and I made it to the top of the mighty Charles Mound during a weekend trip to Chicago. Despite it being a hill in a sea of corn and soybean fields in northwestern Illinois, Charles Mound is a surprisingly tricky highpoint to reach. It is located on private property and public access is limited. The owners of the property are gracious enough to allow visitors on the first weekend of June, July, August, and September every year. We planned to visit during the fir

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

3/6/2025 I had been slowly knocking off summits in the Sultan Basin area, and it was time for Blue Mountain and its 1095 feet of prominence. I brought my trusty old bike, because I knew I could make quick work of the downhill on the road. The entirety of the ascent can be made via a logging road, which takes off shortly before Olney Pass. It was clear from the start that this section was way too steep for me to bike uphill, so I committed to pushing my bike, and did so for mo

2/26/2025 5 miles round trip road walking with some nice views of Pilchuck as well as Baring and Index. This one is accessed via Woods Creek Road north of Monroe and took me an hour and 16 minutes car to car. Sunrise behind Gunn, Baring, and Index Pilchuck Distant Mountain Loop peaks Typical road walking

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

1/26/2025 Persis seems like it should be a popular winter climb. Proximity to the Seattle area, a safe winter route, and incredible views of Index and other peaks all make it a very appealing destination. The only problem? There is a locked gate on highway 2 that adds 5.5 miles one way of forest road to reach the trailhead. Chasing cars up the icy road Our group consisted of Mike, Eric, and myself. Eric kindly offered me usage of one of his e-bikes, while Mike, an accomplis

1/19/2025 Enjoyed a pleasant snow hike out to Hurricane Hill with my dad and Katie. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge was easy, the weather was perfect, and the snow was perfectly compact for easy walking. Olympics in the morning light Heading up on open slopes The summit ahead Good to be above the marine layer Heading down Final Stats: 6 miles / 1,021 feet of gain