Backcountry Ski/Snowboard - Artist Point
Sat, Dec 3, 2022
We practiced our terrain reading, trail breaking and steep skinning skills on a lovely trip to Artist Point in perfect weather.
We practiced our terrain reading, trail breaking and steep skinning skills on a lovely trip to Artist Point in perfect weather.
A pedestrian venue made quite challenging (and beautiful) by recent storms. A great workout with lots of deep snow wallowing (even in snowshoes).
A fine winter paddle on the Columbia south of Kalama with sunny skies and moderate winds. Lots of wildlife including Sandhill Cranes, Egrets, Eagles, Deer and lots of ducks and geese.
We observed glacial landforms at three different locations: the 12th Ave bridge over I-90 north of Beacon Hill, the gravel quarry in Issaquah and First Rattlesnake Ledge.
A new park for many and an excellent day to test our rain gear!
We had a great Christmas Lights Paddle this evening on Utsalady Bay. As predicted by NOAA and Windy wind and waves settled down by launch time and continued to improve by the end of the activity. We had half a dozen compliments on our little light show. Most homes along the waterfront were dark so we were turned back early.
A beautiful day snowshoeing in a winter wonderland!
Great day out in excellent early-season conditions.
Successful climb of Mount Prophet via South Ridge.
Shot of the North Face of the North Sister from an unmarked logging road. Thick ice patches, steep hike and unknown destination of this logging road/trail made me turn around after 2 miles or so.
A wonderful trip through the Tilton and Cowlitz gorges with all kinds of weather - rain, sun, and wind. Current flows were high, so we didn't quite get to the point where we could see the Mossyrock Dam.
Another beautiful chilly autumn day enjoying sunshine in the hills!
Late November hike near Lake Cushman along Shady Lane, Staircase, and then on up the North Fork Skokomish trail for a couple of miles. 9 miles/800 feet of elevation gain.
Gorgeous sunny fall trip. Stunning scenery, nice variety of conditions and currents.
A leisurely tour of the heart of the South Sound, with circumnavigation of Steamboat and Hope Islands
Great trip, great group, sunny skies, calm winds and waters! Lots of bird sightings. We saw a couple of Banded Kingfishers in the trees along the shore of Hoypus Point, several Rhinoceros Auklets on the water between Skagit and Hope Islands, some cormorants on the Washington Fish and Wildlife buoy just south of Skagit Island, and a large flock of Oyster Catchers on the rocks off the southeast end of Hope Island. Not a single starfish along the rocky island shorelines. The water was clear and the bull kelp patches looked pretty healthy in the places along the shorelines where the current runs strong. We didn't see any rafts or romps of otters. Or seals of any kind.