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December 24, 2016 1.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Had an amazing day up on the mountain with Theo and Mindy. We got 2 runs in and plenty of face shots. Up high there was about 6 - 8" of dry fresh snow over a crusty bottom. This was expected after how much rain they had received earlier in the week. On our last run we actually found some really nice turns skiers right of the Hyak Face. We only scraped the cr...
December 17, 2016 1 miles 1,000 feet gained
Mindy and I went for a quick tour up Hyak face. Just wanted to get up and check on the conditions. It was amazing how preserved the snow was up there with all the cold temps. It was by far the driest snow that I have ever experienced in my 15 years of living in the PNW. Turns were plentiful and it felt great to really get the season kicked off with bang !!!
November 19, 2016 7 miles 2,250 feet gained
With Chinook Pass & White River Rd closing on the 21st, we decided to make one last run at this area. We had heard about all the great snow that had flying in early Nov. and it didn't disappoint, we actually ended up being one of the last parties for the season. It had snowed all day and the ranger swung by just as we got to the parking lot. He informed us t...
September 2 to September 5, 2016 7 miles 750 feet gained 3 nights
We had our annual Labor Day weekend trip and Mayumi got to pick our destination this year. A few weeks ago she enjoyed our trip to Dewey Lake so much that she wanted to go back. We decided to leave on Friday to have a better chance at getting a good spot on the lake. We timed everything just right and missed all the rain on the approach. Just after getting c...
August 21, 2016 3.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
On Sunday I took Russ up to the south rib scramble on Guye Peak. Russ earned a feather for completing his first major scramble of a peak. It was a gorgeous day and the temps were just right. When we reached the summit there was a nice breeze and it continued for most of our descent. All around a really great day to be out on a peak !!!
August 13, 2016 6 miles 750 feet gained
We decided to take a family hike and beat the heat this weekend. Mayumi liked the Chinook pass area so much last weekend, that we decided to try another nearby lake. The flowers were out in full force in all the meadows and it made for a beautiful backdrop. Dewey Lake had a nice sandy beach area that was perfect for swimming. What a great way to cool off !!!...
August 6, 2016 7.5 miles 1,750 feet gained
What a great afternoon on the East Side of Rainier. We left a grey overcast Kent in the morning and drove into blue sky near chinook pass. I picked a nice easy lake hike with the hopes that Mayumi would want to join me. She ended up saying yes and off we went. The hike up to sheep lake is pretty low key, but the wildflowers were out in full force so there wa...
July 2, 2016 11 miles 6,500 feet gained
Photos and Details to come.... Nice way to start the 4th of July weekend !!!
June 4, 2016 5 miles 2,750 feet gained
Finally slayed me a Unicorn !!! Details and pics to come.....
May 28, 2016 1 miles 1,250 feet gained
I heard that higher elevations had a chance for some fresh snow on Friday night. So I woke up early to check the web cams and sure enough there was some snow in the parking lot at Paradise. So I figured there had to be freshies up at Chinook Pass as well. I quickly packed my gear and grabbed Mindy since we would be hanging out in the Wenatchee Forest side of...
May 7, 2016 6 miles 3,250 feet gained
My buddy Larry finally had a kid free weekend and the weather / conditions seemed right for a trip to the Oly's !!!! Larry has done some hiking, but he has never truly climbed a mountain. I figured this one would be a great introduction into the alpine world. The views were killer as always and the goats were out in full force. Had another standoff with one ...
May 6, 2016 4 miles 2,500 feet gained
Headed up to Alpental with Russ & TAH Friday after work. We timed it just right. Sunset summit and beers in the parking lot before a headlamp was needed. I skinned most of the way before my skins go to wet and stopped sticking. Had to carry my skis the last few hundred feet. I skied the bowl, but the snow was pretty sticky lower down. The pollen is really ba...
April 30, 2016 5 miles 4,750 feet gained
Pics and More Details to come..... Snow conditions were great and was able to ski car to car.
April 27, 2016 3.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
This is going to be an ongoing entry that will capture my stats for this after work training hike. The stats for this hike are as follows: 3.8 Miles Round Trip w/ 1,690' of Elevation Gain. This is the Chirico Trail to Poo Poo Point. ............................ April 27, 1st time slaying da poo this year. It was sad to see that they have started the wussific...
April 23, 2016 1.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Yesterday I had half a day to kill and when I checked the web cams from home... the pass looked nice and dry. That would soon change during the drive up, but just after exit 47 it started to get nice again and things looked promising. At first I drove by Summit West and was surprised at home much coverage was still left, but things only got worse further dow...
April 16 to April 17, 2016 5 miles 2,500 feet gained 1 night
Last weekend Jason Cline and I spent the weekend camping and skiing in the Tatoosh Range. Stevens Canyon road was plowed, but not open yet. So it made for a long approach in ski boots. I was really glad to have packed my trail running shoes. They proved to be a life saver on the long road walk out !!! Snow conditions were prime up high, but down low was heav...
April 9, 2016 1.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
The day started off with a tee time @ 7:00 a.m. and I got a quick 9 in before heading off to North Bend to meet my buddy Tyson. We finished our round with sometime to spare, so we enjoyed some breakfast and a few screw drivers !!! Not a bad way to start my first day of spring touring. The snow was great and it was definitely T-Shirt & Shorts weather =). We g...
March 25, 2016 1 miles 1,000 feet gained
I left work at 4:20 and raced home to get my touring gear. Made it to the parking lot of Summit East by 6:00 and started skinning. Got to the top of Mount Hyak just in time to catch the sunset. Quickly stripped my skins and got ready for the ski down. Missed the ripe corn by about 20 min. Things were cooling down fast and it was just enough time for an annoy...
March 2, 2016 7.5 miles 2,750 feet gained
Here are some photos of our San Juan Mountains Adventure Tour. We spent (4) days Ice Climbing, Skiing, Soaking in Hot Springs.......oh and drinking !!! Celebrations included my birthday and Bilbo's 40th B-Day. Had a great time with the DenCo Boyz and looking forward to the next outing with Thaddeus Bee and Pueblo Picante.
February 28, 2016 2 miles 2,000 feet gained
Our goal for the day was Bryant Peak, but after almost being taken down by a loose wet slide near the Bryant Buttress. We decided to play it safe and just head up to Pineapple Pass near Das Tooth. I skinned the entire way up and my friends Jason and Russ were on slowshoes. The ski down was terrible and it rained hard the entire way. The snow was supper heavy...
February 6, 2016 2 miles 1,250 feet gained
Decided to get out before the big Super Bowl 50 celebration and get some turns in with my buddy Tyson. Our original plan was to head back towards the Lake Annette area and explore that a little bit further, but when we got to the exit for the trail head it was raining !!! It looked like there was fresh snow on the tree line about 600' above where we would ha...
January 9, 2016 2 miles 1,250 feet gained
Headed down to the park yesterday with my buddy Tyson and did a ski tour up to Panorama Point. We then followed the Ridge Line SE towards a really nice wide open bowl. That bowl eventually led us back down to the Paradise Road below the Visitors Center. It was a gorgeous day on the Mountain. There was fog on the drive in and dark clouds surrounding the Tatto...
January 3, 2016 5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Went out to find some secret stashes of this epic pow near Snoqualmie. We found a couple nice pockets, but there is a lot of wind blown slabs and variable slope conditions. Be careful out there if you are traveling into the backcountry !!! Other than that, it felt great to get off the couch and burn off some of the Holiday Calories. Looking forward to explor...
