10/5/2026 I was able to get an early start from the Lake Stuart Trailhead, arriving to the parking area around 5:15. It was a Monday, but the hype around the Enchantments was palpable as I drove past significant activity at the Snow Lakes trailhead on my way up from Leavenworth. The Lake Stuart trailhead was also filled with hikers climbing out of their fancy adventure vans and donning headlamps in preparation for their Enchantment through-hikes. Despite the early morning hub

10/2/2026 Naches Peak loop was the perfect fall outing for a family with a small baby. It featured colorful meadows and big views, all on a relatively, easy, short trail. We started from Tipsoo Lake and hiked clockwise. Fall colors were just about prime and Mount Rainier graced us with her presence on the south side of the peak. The trail itself was wide and easy to follow, which made it a great option to put the baby in a carrier and enjoy low effort/high reward mountain vie

9/18/2026 I’ve been enjoying visiting summits along the Howe Sound Crest Trail, and this was no exception. The trail was easy to follow directly from the Cypress lodge, and I couldn’t help but get a tiny bit rattled as a I passed a big “Bear in Area” sign while I was alone in the dark with a headlamp that was rapidly running out of battery. Thank goodness for cell phone flashlights! The early part of the Howe Sound Crest Trail had clearly had work done on it recently, and it

9/14/2026 Sunrise from the trailhead This was a quick fall color trip that turned out to be more challenging than expected. I got an early start from the empty Merrit Lake trailhead (I didn’t find the road to be as bad as others have alluded to) and quickly made my way up to the turnoff to Nason Ridge – about 2.6 miles. Climbing up and over the ridge was also no problem, but as soon as the trail started to drop off the ridgeline and contour on the south side at about 5300’, I

9/10/2026 Chain Lakes Loop has just about all you could want in a short day hike. Stunning views of the rugged Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, beautiful alpine lakes, and vibrant fall foliage. No wonder it’s a popular destination! Since we would be hiking with a baby in a carrier on our chest, we thought the best plan would be to start our hike from Artist Point going clockwise, then Katie and baby would end their excursion at Austin Pass and I would carry on back up to Artist

7/31/2026 I got an early start from the Denny Creek trailhead and quickly made my way under the I-90 overpass and crossed the creek at the waterslide area. The creek was running low, as expected in late July, but still had some nice pools and would be a nice place to spend a hot summer day. Morning light looking back down the Denny Creek valley towards I-90 The rest of the hike up to Hemlock Pass was uneventful and I found myself turning off the main trail 1 hour and 20 minut

7/3/2026 - 7/4/2026 A return to the Inspiration Icecap was in order – this time for Klawatti Peak. Rio and I stopped by the WIC in Marblemount hoping to get a permit for the Klawatti Zone. I wasn’t surprised that permits would be hard to come by in the area over the long weekend, but I was surprised that Klawatti was full and Eldorado had space. We gladly accepted a permit for the Eldorado bivy sites and were off on our way down the Cascade River Road. Rio making the river cr

6/28/2026 I was in need of a big day in the mountains, but June-uary wasn’t cooperating with my plans. Just about everywhere in Washington and BC was forecast to experience cloudy conditions with some light rain over the weekend. After studying some weather models, there appeared to be a short-lived gap in the clouds over the rain-shadowed northeast part of the Olympics on Sunday morning. I decided to capitalize on this by making a quick visit to Royal Basin, with the hope of

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