May brings a mixed bag of weather to the Pacific Northwest, especially in our home area where the states of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon all meet. Typically, the weather is nice enough by mid-May that we start dreaming of camping…
Mt. Rainier Part 4: Naches Peak Loop, July 2014
It was our last day at Mt. Rainier with Mick and Suzy. We had introduced them to the Ohanapecosh River, Paradise, and Sunrise areas of the park. I had one last area I wanted to show them before we left.…
Mt. Rainier Part 3: First & Second Burroughs at Sunrise, July 2014
Sometime around 3 a.m., I woke up to a high pitched call. I had never heard anything like it. My best guess was that it was a cow elk calling. The call rang out a couple more times. I was…
Mt. Rainier Part 2: Skyline Trail at Paradise, July 2014
We woke up to a beautiful morning in Packwood, Washington just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. Our Chicago friends Mick and Suzy had done well during their low elevation introduction to the park (see part 1). It was time…
Mt. Rainier Part 1: Grove of the Patriarchs & Silver Falls, July 2014
“Of all the fire mountains which like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest.” ~ John Muir Mick and Jason are old salty Navy buddies dating back 25 years. A couple years ago, they…
Waterfall Heaven, June 2014
Our good friends Larry and Shermane were world class tour guides for us on our trip to Sedona in March. We now had the good fortune to return the favor. We met them in the Columbia River Gorge east of…
Wenaha River Hike, January 2015
Winter hiking in SE Washington is limited to say the least. We are fortunate to have a few low elevation opportunities that are typically snow free. One such location is the Wenaha River which flows into the Grande Ronde River…