Late season climb w/late season conditions, very rigorous and rewarding.
Fog shrouded exploration of Quillayute Needles and Teawhit Head requiring compass course navigation. Decided not to paddle all the way to Toleak Point. Lots of sea otters, puffin, pelicans, auklets and other sea birds. Paddled up the Quillayute River into the sunshine before taking out.
7 of us from CHS-2 enjoyed a 45-minute lunch break and swim in Ridge Lake, the highlight of everyone's adventure. Lots of "wow" moments on this hike: Rainier, ski resort, Stuart, Red Mountain, marmots, picas... and BERRIES!
Out and back four day backpack from Third Beach trailhead to Toleak Point.
A trip with near perfect conditions for a larger group.
A strenuous one-day scramble up Mount Daniel, featuring panoramic views, alpine lakes, and a satisfying mix of trail and off-trail adventure.
5 of us took our dog on a private hike to the Lookout Tower in a heat advisory. The granite was cooking, the views pretty spectacular. If hiking with a dog carry double the water you think you'll need.
A great night, enjoying bioluminescence on the water between Wauna beach and Cutts island used to be called deadman Island in the old days we did a counter, clockwise rotation, crossed over to the Gig Harbor side of the peninsula and handlebar down to raft island then down two Cutts after a break we crossed over to Glen Cove, and did the hand bar or handrail thing up the shoreline. Minter Creek was the area that had the best bioluminescence. It was Gorgeous some saw blue bright blue. Different colors. And it was odd. You’d see a porch light, and on the side the porch light was coming from was the best light show.
From a tiny native village in the tundra at the northernmost pass in Alaska, through the Brooks Range, to the mighty Koyukuk River, the John has a blend of personalities along the way. Plenty of down time to read and meditate with Arctic nature. While this is not intended as a complete TR, here are a few observations of mine.
On a private hike, my daughter and I braved the mid-day heat and noshed on berries to the beautiful Blanca Lake. We enjoyed breezes, tadpoles in Virgin Lake, and 13 bird species, followed up with a celebratory DQ Blizzard afterward. Sweet success!
Lazy evenings can coexist with a bit of frost overnight when you backpack in August. Check out these "ready for anything" new backpackers with Tacoma branch.
Loop hike with woodland, lakes, a high pass plus pikas and marmots
This is a fun scramble with lots of opportunities for varying the route with more challenging sections possible.
9 of us from CHS-2 enjoyed the trifecta of lakes from Exit 47. 5 types of berries, multiple pica sightings, a belted kingfisher, and the American goshawk at mile 2.5 were among the highlights, along with 3 swimmers going into Pratt Lake.
A late summer climb up the South Arete of SEWS.
A group of 12 Mountaineers enjoyed 12 days day-hiking all around the verdant island of Madeira, spending days exploring the capital Funchal and the port town of Porto Moniz plus enjoying trails on all corners and in all the major ecosystems of the island, staying in nice conveniently located hotels along the way and being transported to trailheads with a shared van. We hired an outfitter to book the lodgings and transport and a local guide to take us on 5 different 'off the beaten track' hikes (we also did 2 of the best known hikes on our own) and we really enjoyed most of the hikes, though the island (especially the well-known trails) was extremely crowded with chaotic parking.