September 5, 2015 Mileage Mike Lymp Creek 11.8 miles 3,500 feet gained
It was a nice cool day to hike up some elevation to Huckleberry Mt. The Wildwood area was alive with families and noise but the Boulder Ridge Trail was quiet and serene. We must have seen a dozen or more hikers at about 4 miles out but those were the only people seen the entire day! We had Huckleberry Mt. all to ourselves and thankfully the cloud ceiling was...
September 4, 2015 Karl Cape Horn 8 miles 1,750 feet gained
The ongoing destruction of this trail is a serious disappointment to me. Yes, they've improved the viewpoint of the upper falls. But they've also removed a good number of other viewpoints, some of them seemingly entirely senselessly. Case in point, the railroad overlook! W.T.H...??? I swear, I was mumbling much of the loop about how boring they'd made it. Th...
September 3, 2015 Mountainkat Lower Echo Lake 8.23 miles 1,250 feet gained
September 2, 2015 Jen Dog Mt. Summit 4 miles 2,000 feet gained
This was stupid, bouldering up wet basalt in the rain. I was with 2 other members of a local mountaineering club who are supposed to be safe while climbing, and we certainly weren't. Once the rain really kicked in, we became very concerned about downclimbing the way came in and decided to "bail up" . We scrambled up to Cook Hill, 2000 feet in less than half ...
September 1, 2015 Mountainkat Upper Velma Lake 10.24 miles 2,250 feet gained
Quick hike while in Tahoe to Upper Velma Lake. It was a weekday, so the trail was not crowded. I bet it is very busy in the height of summer here. Poor planning on my part by not junctioning with the PCT and doing the loop through Fontanillis Lake.
September 1, 2015 Roman Angels Rest 4.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Quick hike after work.
August 31, 2015 Jim Scott Mountain 13.5 miles 3,500 feet gained
August 31, 2015 Woodswalker Lookout Mountain 9.08 miles 2,250 feet gained
Searching for clear skies, the Badger Creek Wilderness sounded promising, so I set out to the east. I wanted to do a different section than I usually do. So I planned a loop from High Prairie, up Lookout Mt., down to Gumjuwac saddle, over Gunsight Butte down to Jean Lake and back to the trailhead by way of the Bennett Pass road. I ended up only going as far ...
August 30, 2015 Chris South Matthieu Lake 8 miles 1,250 feet gained
August 30, 2015 Mileage Mike Whistle Punk 10 miles 2,000 feet gained
Last day of weekend and of my two week vacation, so we decided to head out on the PCT south to Sedum Ridge from NF-417. The rain was incessant and drenched us for most of the day. The rain coupled with hiking up a couple thousand feet (easy elevation though) left no piece of clothing untouched from moisture, including my new boots! We were well prepared but ...
August 29, 2015 BeaverDawg 1.5 miles 250 feet gained
Two short walks to popular Banff NP tourist destinations.
August 29, 2015 Jim Double Peaks 8.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
August 29, 2015 Father Guido Sarducci Admiralty Head 5 miles 250 feet gained
Family reunion on Whidbey Island & plan was a hike @ Deception Pass. This was scuttled as area was closed due to high winds. Hiked @ Fort Casey State Park instead. Very high winds @ the fort kept the crowds down. Three of us took the guided fort tour which requires a minimum of 4 people to attend but the tour guide was nice enough to count the dog as a perso...
August 28, 2015 BeaverDawg 10 miles 3,250 feet gained
Hiked from Lake Louise to the Plain of Six Glaciers upper viewpoint via Lake Agness. Stopped to see both Tea Houses. Busy but beautiful hike.
August 28, 2015 Mileage Mike Inner Creek 5 miles 1,750 feet gained
My wife and son were done hiking on this last driving home day of the trip, so they dropped me off for a very short hike at the northern trail of the Colonel Bob Wilderness. There was only one other couple seen during the entire hike. The first half of my 2.5 mile out portion of the hike is a nicely graded forest trail (with old growth). At about 1.25 miles ...
August 28, 2015 Jen Dome Rock 11 miles 1,500 feet gained
I've had the good fortune to be a volunteer at Bretientbush Retreat Center for the past two years and while there, I take short trips in the area. Each visit, I have been exploring the surrounding forest and there is so much to offer! This weekend I navigated a section of the upper Devil's Creek drainage which is ringed by some really cool basalt pinnacles.O...
August 27, 2015 BeaverDawg 11.5 miles 3,250 feet gained
Hiked from the TH just off the Trans Canada Hwy to Bourgeau Lake. Then, continued to a series of lakes just below Harvey Pass. Challenging hike but well worth the effort. Would be good for viewing Alpine Larch in late September.
August 27, 2015 Mileage Mike Hidden Lake 8.2 miles 2,000 feet gained
We decided to hike this trail after finding out that the Elwha River trail didn't have easy access due to a road closure. It turns out the Elwha River is causing a lot of erosion after the dam was removed and the National Park Service was trying to stabilize things before the winter comes upon them! We could have hiked a road (believe it was the Whiskey Bend...
August 27, 2015 Rich Bagby 8 miles 750 feet gained
August 26, 2015 BeaverDawg 11 miles 1,500 feet gained
Hike from Columbia Icefields Center to Wilcox Pass and beyond. Day was smoky but dry. Views were limited. Saw bighorn sheep and elk.
August 26, 2015 Mileage Mike Neagle Point 9.3 miles 750 feet gained
This trail is being improved on the east side of the access point, and is closed, but can be gotten to from the west side of the lake. There was a misleading sign that made it seem that the trail was closed 3 miles ahead, from where we parked, but it was really three miles from the start of the trail (and ended at the bridge at the pool). I thought my son wo...
August 25, 2015 Mileage Mike Coal Creek 10.1 miles 250 feet gained
We hiked the Ozette loop trail several years ago and just had to visit it again. The Olympic Coast is just so amazing I can only take a deep breath and sigh when I think about it! The parking lot was almost full but the trail and coast dispersed the people fairly well. We took the SW trail and headed out to Sandpoint. We then just lazily walked south on the ...
August 24, 2015 BeaverDawg 1 miles 1,750 feet gained
Bald Hills hike from Maligne Lake ~ Jasper NP. Views were a bit hazy due to wildfire smoke but it was a decent hike. We spent the second half of the day kayaking on the lake.
August 24, 2015 BeaverDawg 5 miles 0 feet gained
Second 5-miler of the day.This one with less elevation gain, took us around some nice lakes.
August 24, 2015 BeaverDawg 5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Hike up to Cavell Meadow and the Cavell Glacier overlook.
August 24, 2015 Mileage Mike Hoh River Trail 10.1 miles 750 feet gained
My son requested we visit the Hoh River Trail, but I would have hiked this trail even if he didn't ask! Not much to say here except a perfect trail just can't be avoided! Some day I hope to backpack this and make it to Glacier Meadows Campsite!
August 24, 2015 Woodswalker Glacier Lake 4.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
This was a hilarious hike. We wanted to end our trip with a stroll and possibly a swim in this low elevation lake. Due to not looking carefully at the map we found ourselves going very steeply up then sliding insanely steeply down and repeating until we found ourselves with 3/4 of a mile left to still make 800 feet of elevation gain. After trudging up throug...
August 23, 2015 BeaverDawg 1 miles 0 feet gained
We did the short loop through Maligne Canyon.
August 23, 2015 BeaverDawg 5 miles 0 feet gained
Our first hike of our trip to Jasper NP.
August 23, 2015 Mileage Mike Ruby Beach 1.3 miles 0 feet gained
A short stop to take in the clean fresh coastal air at Ruby Beach. Not terribly crowded and just a pleasure to clear your head and watch the waves and gaze at the rocks!
August 23, 2015 Mileage Mike Sams Rapids 3.8 miles 250 feet gained
At the last moment we cancelled our family vacation to North Cascades National Park and Leavenworth due to all the fires and closure of Hwy 20. This was quite disappointing as we planned this vacation nine months back. We were actually able to get reservations in Forks, WA with only those two days notice, and visited Olympic National Park instead. This turne...
August 23 to August 24, 2015 Roman Mount Beljica 11.31 miles 3,500 feet gained 1 night
Going NW seemed the best choice to get out of the smoke (or at least, it would clear sooner), and this little wilderness was on my list for too long, so it was easy to decide where to go. I started near Lake Christine late on Sunday and made it to junction of Beljica summit trail less than an hour to sunset. A quick but very steep hike to the summit was real...
August 23, 2015 Woodswalker Campground: Walupt Lake 14.54 miles 1,750 feet gained
Smokey day so I walked up mostly dry Walupt creek to a beautiful pond just before the PCT junction. Complete bird sanctuary, but the only one willing to pose was a Grey Jay. Refreshed myself back at Walupt lake and tried to get a few photos through the smoke.
August 23, 2015 Rhonda Lopez Hill 3.5 miles 500 feet gained
A secondary trip to Lopez Hill to do the largest loop and get some more practice trail running in.
August 22 to August 23, 2015 Kinkilla Rock Lake 11 miles 1,750 feet gained 1 night
August 22, 2015 Mileage Mike Elk Creek 8.2 miles 1,750 feet gained
Very hazy on this day with poor visibility. We headed out here to try out the Elk Creek to Idiot Road trail since the low water afforded a very easy crossing of Elk Creek! I've never seen Elk Creek this low, and the crossing was extremely easy. The water was flowing more like in a bathtub than from a creek! After crossing the creek the trail climbs the entir...
August 22, 2015 Woodswalker Sheep Lake 10.92 miles 2,750 feet gained
Beautiful scenery despite the smoke. Lots of northbound PCTers at the lake and lots of backpackers.
August 22, 2015 Rhonda Lopez Hill 2.5 miles 500 feet gained
Quick afternoon jaunt while out on Lopez Island this past weekend.
August 22, 2015 Father Guido Sarducci Lily Basin 8.7 miles 2,500 feet gained
I was going to hike to Heart lake but the smoke & haze from the forest fires affected the views & the air quality. On the road to the TH there is a fairly significant washout right after the gravel pit which will be problematic if you do not have a high clearance 4x4. This hike is on my re-do list when the conditions improve.
August 21, 2015 Woodswalker Goat Lake 12.24 miles 2,750 feet gained
Friday was the smoke free day so we went on a trail that promised amazing views and weren't disappointed. We were the only day hikers up there but it wasn't too busy except in the Jordan Basin- Goat Lake area where lots of people were heading in for the weekend. While we were up there the wind shifted and the plume of the Mt Adams fire started heading our wa...
August 21, 2015 Karl Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 15.5 miles 4,250 feet gained
My "job" on Friday was to wear out the dog, in anticipation of relatives arriving to visit on Saturday. Mission accomplished! A bit after noon we headed out for Beacon Rock State Park, found a new way (to us) to loop Hamilton Mountain and Hardy Ridge, and thoroughly enjoyed the nearly pristine skies. The Cougar Creek fires on Mount Adams were barely discerni...
August 21, 2015 acorn woodpecker Aldrich Butte 5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Took a friend and my son today to a familiar haunt. Perfect weather. The breezy cool conditions had cleared out the smoke and the Gorge looked as magnificent as it could be in August. Never have went in the late summer and Cedar Creek was the lowest I'd ever seen it!
August 20 to September 12, 2015 Stacey Crescent Meadow 264 miles 50,000 feet gained 23 nights
Notes: Miles and EG are estimates, as we were not carrying GPS and we had three different map sets, none of which matched each other, in terms of mileage date, or any of the signage along our route. Actual EG estimation is around 51,000'. The Rough Fire was at about 30,000 acres and 0% containment when we started hiking. The closest we were to it, at any giv...
August 20, 2015 Mileage Mike Sherrard Point 10.2 miles 1,750 feet gained
We got out somewhat late so we wanted to stay close to home. Larch Mt. is a great hiking area and so we headed out to the Oneonta trail. The temperature at the start of the hike was in the mid 50's and cloudy. It felt great to hike in the cool air on a cloudy day. We headed out on the Oneonta trail and then cut into the Bell Creek trail. We'd only made it to...
August 19 to August 21, 2015 The Angry Hiker Little Heart Lake 10 miles 3,250 feet gained 2 nights
August 19, 2015 Mountainkat Crescent Mine 13.19 miles 2,500 feet gained
With limited access to the internet, we were having a difficult time in deciding where to hike to avoid smoky conditions. We ultimately decided to hike up to North Lake from the Gilbert TH at the end of Twisp River Road. We were the only ones at the TH around 11:00 am. It was really hot and windy out. I had a bad feeling about this day, and a number of times...
August 19, 2015 Rhonda Triangulation Peak 15.5 miles 3,000 feet gained
Was curious what the mileage would be for this trip so decided this past Wednesday to check it out. Once your past the Whitewater trail and on the Triangulation trail, it's obvious this area doesn't get much love. While the trail is easy to follow it is overgrown in areas and we even came across a wasp nest practically on the trail itself. Highly recommend l...
August 19, 2015 Mileage Mike Nehalem Spit 9.8 miles 250 feet gained
The last day of our short trip to the coast and we decided to go to Nehalem State Park. When we arrived there were only a few cars parked in the large lot. However, there was a horse rental area just before entering the trail going south to the jetty. The main trail is a gravel road that is well traveled by people and horses. All the side trails appeared to ...
August 18, 2015 Mountainkat Rainy Lake 12.63 miles 4,250 feet gained
In an effort to hike some areas without smoke, we decided to drive up to the east side of the North Cascades. This decision ended up not being a very good one. But, on this day, we had a nice hike. We hiked up to Heather Pass and continued on the boot path from there in the direction of Lewis and Wing Lakes. There is no official trail to the lakes, but there...
August 18, 2015 Mileage Mike Seaview Lake 10.1 miles 250 feet gained
We decided on a whim to get away from the heat expected in the Portland area. We were lucky to get the kennel for our dog and my wife found a very inexpensive, but very clean, place to stay in Rockaway Beach! We've never been there before but were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds. That being said, there were still plenty of people, but we found our...
