On the way up we were denied those yearned-for views of The Stuart Range so we focused on the beauty at our feet; desiccated balsamroot leaves, glittering frost on sage-brush and other vegetation. At about the three-fourths of the way up note another obvious trail (this is the unsigned Boy Scout Trail) heading right – we continued straight (more up!).
There’s still time to scurry to the east side where fall color is making its last stand at Umtanum Falls and other trails in the region. The transitional seasons, spring and fall, are my favorites for this short but spectacular hike.
If you like to gamble you might consider rolling the dice and heading up to Sheep Lake via the Pacific Crest Trailhead at Chinook Pass. But hurry – the gamble, of course, is the weather!
Sometime it takes an accident to shake the sense of complacency that befalls hikers who have never been injured in the mountains.
One day is not enough to explore the Olympic Peninsula. Not even a weekend would do. But if a day is all you have, then[Read More…]
Most books that describe lookouts and lookout sites are out of date through no fault of the authors. The best resource to find out whether or not a lookout is standing or accessible by any means is to contact the land-management agency
Though you can see Mount Rainier at Sunrise the views are even more compelling as you head out on the trail with views of the Emmons glacier, Mount Rainier, Berkeley Park, Lodi Creek, Willis Wall and Mount Ruth.
The Taneum is a sprawling complex of rivers, streams, meadows, campgrounds, memorials, peaks and trails. If you’ve got the itch to explore, this is the place.
Note the handsome old-growth Alaska cedars along the trail with their gray, shaggy bark. From Three Lakes backpackers often spend a night at Three Lakes, and then continue further, hooking up with the Pacific Crest Trail and other destinations.
It was a beautiful day at the Hanford Reach National Monument with bluebird skies, white puffy clouds and what we can only describe as “big” views of this inspiring landscape. We saw several wildflowers including phlox, balsamroot, lupine and intricate ground-hugging flowers. It gets very hot in the summer and many flowers will have bloomed. Fall is scenic when the shrub-steppe turns to shades of gold and copper.
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