A cold and misty morning followed by a beautiful sunny afternoon with views of Mt. Rainier and the Olympics.
We had a magical experience padding in the fog, following a strategy of hugging the coastline most of the way. What changes were made to way-finding in limited visibility had a minimal impact on the original plan and we arrived back at La Conner just four minutes later than originally planned.
On a wintry, frosty, foggy morning, I took my dog on a scouting trip and had the trail to myself other than a trail runner, 2 women with dogs, and a man and his son. We had zero problems with downed trees and very little mud. Weekday mornings in winter seem to be a good time to try this; I imagine in summer it's packed with mountain bike riders.
An international sport climbing trip to one of the best climbing spots in the world.
A glorious sunny and calm day around this pristine island in Willapa Bay. Sunshine, light following winds, large flocks of shore birds and a surprise elk siting.
Trail snow free up to the base of the boulder field, very slippery after that. A few downed logs.
3 of us enjoyed a pre-Turkey hike starting at Licorice Fern Trailhead and turning around at Coal Creek Falls. Blow-downs from the bomb cyclone are passable if you're willing to scrabble a bit. A large tree has fallen in the middle of the Falls view so photo ops are a bit disturbed. Great day!
Low elevation gain, clearly marked trail run with mud and downed trees in areas but no dangerous or insurmountable obstacles.
Beautiful mossy haven with a great view over the clouds. Following our successful Otter and Big Creek Falls trip on 11/23 as a mentored lead, 3 of us continued our exploration up Garfield Ledges and got lucky with no rain as forecasted.
We had a successful visit to two raging falls five days after a bomb cyclone cut power to 600,000 homes across the PNW. Five of us enjoyed a much-welcome break in the weather and great conversation for a mentored lead hike for Courtenay Schurman.
Fallen trees in the dark were a challenge; but good company made it a delightful adventure.
A practice and play session in the late stage of the flood current, and later in the building ebb.
5 Stars for Fun, Despite the Blowdowns! Two days after the bomb cyclone, we hiked up Unmaintained Section Line Trail to the summit of West Tiger 3 and descended via the West Tiger 3 trail. Armed with some garden tools, we worked to clear our path through significant blowdown along the trail. There is substantial work to be done with chainsaws on West Tiger 3 to restore the trail.
Trip cancelled as we were only 2 paddlers, but we went as a private trip and here is the report. In short the weather was nice, but the wind didn't materialize as forecasted. Pretty much paddled the whole way with light wind to help us along a bit.
After a dark and stormy night, ten of us battled downed trees, blocked roads, and dark traffic lights to reach our trailhead. After that, all was wonderful.
Very nice flat walk along the river. heading south and crossing over the river and returning north.
This was our Plan B, supposed to be the safer option, which turned into a perilous journey at times. We were all very relieved to reach the take out.
Mid-November day hike down the Slab Camp Trail and out along the Gray Wolf River to Three Forks Camp.
Beulah’s Book, Johnny Vegas, Black Magic and Lotta Balls