Email updates
December 14 to December 15, 2019 12 miles 1,250 feet gained 1 night
Did an overnight last weekend with my hiking friend Nicole, parking at a turnout near Tillamook Head Trailhead (No overnight parking allowed.) Stayed at the hikers camp, setting up my tent inside one of the hiker shelters with the mice. (I forgot my footprint and it was raining.) Stayed toasty and warm inside, and was surprisingly unbothered by mice. In the ...
December 7, 2019 6 miles 750 feet gained
Just some fun on the mountain with my friend Eric testing out gear. (He had some new mountaineering boots to try out, and I wanted to try out my snowshoes.) Only one person ahead of us on the trail, who turned around and then it was our turn to break trail. Mileage wasn't our goal, but goofing around in the snow was. A nice day.
November 30, 2019 6 miles 1,000 feet gained
Birthday hike. First did the River Trail with Zane and the dog. It was pretty cold and we were worried Lily would get too cold. When we got back to the cutoff for Misery Ridge, Zane looked at me and knew I wanted to give it a go. Zane and dog went to the heat of the car, and I set a turnaround time of a half an hour, and up I went. Didn't quite make it to th...
November 28 to November 29, 2019 6 miles 500 feet gained 1 night
Thanksgiving Day. Decided to take my partner Zane out to Mack's Canyon, so he could see how awesome it was. Hit up White River Falls on the way. Had a simple Thanksgiving dinner between the two of us over an open fire at a campsite at the trailhead. Corn dogs and a can of beans, with a couple of beers. I never said we were fancy people. For desert, a bag of ...
November 17, 2019 9.6 miles 500 feet gained
Sometimes, you need a little sunshine when Portland gets into the dreary wet season. Went on a hike today lead by my friend Matt Reeder, who never disappoints when choosing an unknown destination. It was a long drive from Portland, but well worth it. The days and my mood have been dark lately, so hiking in the high desert was a welcome change. And as a bonus...
November 9, 2019 2 miles 250 feet gained
Hung out in Seaside at a friends airbnb last weekend, mostly relaxing in the hot tub and playing board games. Weather was dreary and rainy, my favorite way to enjoy the coasts doom and gloom.
November 3, 2019 8.5 miles 2,250 feet gained
Forgot to add this one from a few weekends ago. Lovely day spent in the mountains with friends. The road to the trailhead is a bit scary, rocks, potential slides, and some gnarly dropoffs but we didn't have a problem getting there in a Subaru. Trail was barely maintained, I recommend long pants. I did a bit of scrambling to get to the top of the ridge for fu...
October 20, 2019 7.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Slept in last Sunday, but still felt like getting out. Decided to hit a close trail in the gorge with the remaining hours of daylight. Managed to fit in the loop before dark. Perfectly gloomy fall day. Others may hate the rainy season, but I love the lack of people on the trails and spooky forests.
October 13, 2019 10.5 miles 3,000 feet gained
Armed with a few beers and a couple of North Cascades hiking guides on Saturday night, I told Eric it was his turn to pick the next hike. Weather was going to be iffy, and we knew full well we may end up having to turn around. Eric decided that we couldn't opt for anything less than a 5 star rating in the guidebook, so Trapper Peak/Thornton Lakes was chosen....
October 12, 2019 12 miles 2,000 feet gained
Spontaneous trip to the North Cascades in search of Larches. Teamed up with my friend from the Mazamas, Eric, leaving Portland Friday night around 7 pm. I highly recommend this late start - we were able to miss Seattle traffic and probably saved ourselves a good 1.5 to 2 hrs in driving time. We arrived in Marblemount around midnight, and quickly set up camp ...
September 29, 2019 13 miles 1,500 feet gained
Adventurous Young Mazamas hike I forgot to log from a few weeks ago, led by my friend Matt Reeder. The drive started out in a downpour, but it stopped by the time we reached the trailhead. Beautiful day on a trail I have avoided due to popularity. We were initially going to do Whetstone Mountain, but could see that it was not going to be a day for views and ...
September 12, 2019 6 miles 4,000 feet gained
I have to say, I’m having a hard time doing a write up of this climb. Failure is a hard thing to admit, especially when it takes you 10 hours to get there. Which is why I’m awake at 6 am with a mind that won’t shut off. Write-ups of Borah make it sound straight forward, yes, the ridge is exposed, but – you are weak if you “chicken out”. I don’t agree at all....
August 24, 2019 3.5 miles 1,000 feet gained
On our last day of vacation we decided to brave the crowds and hit up Paradise on our way home as Zane had never been. We stretched our legs and just did part of the skyline trail, then turned around. The mountain was in clouds but we had a few nice views of nearby peaks. Crowds were aggravating, as we witnessed multiple dogs on trail, people feeding wildlif...
August 22 to August 23, 2019 9 miles 2,000 feet gained 1 night
While in Bellingham, Zane and I opened our maps and decided to just pick somewhere that looked interesting. We decided for a somewhat short and sweet overnight, starting at the Park Butte Trailhead, and camping along the Railroad Grade trail. (A popular climbing route for Baker) Weather was iffy, clouds blocked our views but with a little waiting Baker final...
August 20 to August 21, 2019 8.5 miles 2,000 feet gained 1 night
On our second day of vacation we decided to head out into Mt Baker wilderness to avoid having to get permits for an overnight. We decided on Lake Ann, as neither of us had been in the Mt Baker area before. I heard this area was popular, but on a Tuesday night it was mostly empty. We only saw few solo backpackers, a woman and her two daughters, and group of c...
August 19, 2019 11 miles 3,500 feet gained
Had a week off to adventure north. Left on Sunday from Portland, setting up basecamp at Marble Creek campground in Marblemount. Being a Sunday night, we didn't have a problem finding a campsite. We hit up the ranger station to ask about permits for multiple areas we wanted to backpack, and were mostly told they weren't available or weren't available until da...
July 27, 2019 14 miles 3,000 feet gained
July 19 to July 20, 2019 12 miles 5,000 feet gained 1 night
Another climb in the bag outside of my comfort zone. I was the only noob on a small and experienced Mazama climb team led by Larry Buzan with Jeffery Welter assisting. Having never been to the North Cascades, I applied for the climb because I thought it would be a non technical scramble. Not so! The initial 2 miles was relatively easy, a good trail with rela...
July 14, 2019 3.3 miles 0 feet gained
Just a short stroll on a hot day to take the dog for a swim.
July 7, 2019 4 miles 750 feet gained
So many F words were uttered as we overtook the rhododendrons and scrambled down steep slopes with the help of veggie belay. Today was an off trail waterfall chase to remember. Multiple tiers were found- and multiple scratches were had. I love a good challenge and today delivered. I have to thank my friend Matt Reeder for leading his birthday hike to such an...
June 22 to June 24, 2019 14.7 miles 5,000 feet gained 2 nights
I have to thank my climb team who fed me after I abandoned my pack for the last steep pitch to the summit. When I went to retrieve, I found that ravens had stolen ALL of my food. Zippers were undone, my headlamp was discarded, my bug spray chewed. They actually unclipped my bag to get into the inner contents. Amazing. Luckily my climb leader had an extra mou...
June 15, 2019 12.5 miles 5,000 feet gained
Friday began with a hellish day at work. I wanted to leave early, so decided to skip lunch so I could try to exit and get an early start heading towards the mountain. The freight gods had other plans, and as truck after truck came in, I was stuck. I ordered myself a sub from grubhub, and ate half it while trying to get us caught up. I work for a very busy sa...
June 9, 2019 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Beautiful day on the mountain attempting to reach McNeil Point. Turned around when we felt like we should have brought helmet/traction/ice axe. Views were incredible even if we didn’t make it to our intended destination.
June 2, 2019 11.2 miles 1,750 feet gained
Posted a plea for a hiking partner last weekend, and my friend Keith Dechant offered to join. Armed with Matt Reeder’s Off the Beaten Trail, we decided to tackle Grayback Mountain. After a very hot hike on Grayback we decided to drive and explore more of the region around The Klickitat. A random unmarked viewpoint and scenic drive through a canyon on the Kli...
May 26, 2019 14 miles 1,750 feet gained
Pretty awesome day with my friend Jason at Criterion Ranch, cows = 0, bears = 1. First time spotting a bear in Oregon. (I've seen plenty in Washington.) Went about halfway down to the Deschutes, then a long trip back up. Last four miles were killer as the radio tower at the trail head loomed far in the distance. This trail is deceiving - the hard uneven grou...
May 18, 2019 12 miles 5,000 feet gained
My friend asked if I wanted to take a “leisurely stroll” up Mt Defiance Saturday morning. And I thought, what better way to torture myself after a couple of weeks of missing out on hiking. Ran into a few Mazamas who were keeping the same pace as us on the way up. Turns out they were Mountain Dogs from a different year of BCEP. Took a summit photo and sent it...
April 20, 2019 6.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
April 14, 2019 4 miles 1,000 feet gained
Just a quick solo hike with my dog Sunday afternoon in the rain.
March 29, 2019 2 miles 0 feet gained
Decided we wanted to see the San Andreas Fault line, ended up picking a random desert oasis hotspring to check it out.
March 29, 2019 3 miles 1,000 feet gained
Hungover morning tromp up Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree after spending the evening at Landers Brew, a bar/venue hiding out in the desert. Of course, the band playing the evening we were there was from Portland.
March 28, 2019 6.7 miles 750 feet gained
Entered a busy Joshua Tree entrance, our trailhead not far away. Parked next to 3 other cars, didn't see another soul the entire hike. Felt very lucky considering how many spring break folks were in the park.
March 27, 2019 2 miles 0 feet gained
March 27, 2019 2.5 miles 250 feet gained
Gorgeous drive around Red Rocks. we stopped in at the Calico Hills to play around a bit and watch the climbers before heading out into the Mojave desert towards Joshua Tree. Super fun landscape, would love to come back with more time to explore.
March 26, 2019 3.5 miles 500 feet gained
Just a couple of shorty hikes in Death Valley before we took off to Vegas.
March 25, 2019 2 miles 0 feet gained
Did a hike in the evening out on the salt flats, to watch the stars. Super cool to be below sea level.
March 25, 2019 8 miles 1,500 feet gained
Please excuse me as I add hikes from my spring break vacation. Decided on a weirdo tour of Southern California deserts for spring break. Sadly, a large part of Death Valley National Park was shut down due to flash flooding from rains the week prior. We made the best of what we could see. Our first night into town we camped in Stovepipe Wells, and as I had ma...
March 10, 2019 6 miles 2,500 feet gained
Did not manage to get a hike in last weekend, as I was busy at the Mazama lodge playing rescuer and patient in the snow finishing up my Mountaineering First Aid. I was happy I didn't die in the mass casualty scenario, but post holing in the snow up to my waist searching for rock fall victims made for a very sore hip. Which lead to a sore and slow hike up Dog...
February 23 to February 25, 2019 5 miles 500 feet gained 2 nights
Spent the weekend camping at Westwind, as part of a Trackers Earth employee getaway. (My partner works as a 7th grade teacher for the Forest School, as well as a summer camp educator.) The majority of the weekend was spent walking the beach, drinking, playing board games, eating, drinking more, and checking out God's Thumb. Lots of walking, just took a guess...
February 18, 2019 5 miles 1,500 feet gained
I always try to do the popular gorge hikes when the weather is bad, so I expected with the snow/slush that it would deter the typical crowd. Not so. I encountered every type of hiker I dislike today. As a dog owner, I'm really sad at how many inconsiderate dog owners are on the trails giving the rest of us a bad name. All of my bad experiences today came fro...
February 3, 2019 4.2 miles 750 feet gained
Forgot to add this romp through the far end of Forest Park from last weekend. Secluded, muddy, dog had fun despite the occasional hail.
January 27, 2019 4.5 miles 750 feet gained
Today was an odd day. Set out from Portland at 8:00 with an AYM group, celebrating Matt Reeder leading 10 years of hikes with AYM. Lots of last minute cancellations, bringing our group down to 8 from 12. (Don't be a dick, canceling the night before a hike is just rude unless you have an emergency.) So is not showing up when you are still signed up. Anyway......
January 26, 2019 2.5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Just a quickie up wind mountain today. Slept in and didn't leave Portland until around noon. The gorge was like night and day on our trip out. Near Portland, a cloud hovered and kept the beginning of the gorge looking like you were driving in the movie "The Mist". But we came out of it and into sunshine. Nice way to stretch the legs on an otherwise lazy day.
January 13, 2019 3.8 miles 500 feet gained
Originally had plans to hike on Saturday with a friend, but she canceled on me last minute so I ended up sleeping in on Saturday and wasting a beautiful day. To make up for it on Sunday, Zane and I got an early start from Portland to try to beat the crowds that would surely be heading to Mt. Hood on a bluebird day. Our objective was an easy stroll to Tamanaw...
January 5, 2019 10 miles 250 feet gained
A good friend of mine who is getting over some health problems that have prevented her from strenuous activity has decided to make 2019 the year she starts hiking with me. She insisted it would be a girls only day on the trail, so we headed out alone at 8 am from Portland. I decided to pick a trail that I knew would have no gain, so as not to scare her off f...
