Alpine Scramble - Silver King
Tue, May 20, 2025
This was a very good experience for 7 students all on their first snow scramble plus 2 leaders. No views of Rainier this time, but the weather was much better than predicted.
This was a very good experience for 7 students all on their first snow scramble plus 2 leaders. No views of Rainier this time, but the weather was much better than predicted.
Sublime. The class III whitewater gorges and Old Growth forest are in a class of their own. There is nothing like this in the Cascades.This river reach is essentially only accessible by packraft due to the hike in. For us it was a 5.75 miles hike with a 600 foot gain with several log crossings.
8 early birds completed this hike on a day that had some of everything: mist, mud, sleet, drizzle, sun, and some hairy woodpecker chicks. We traveled at a 2.25 mph average pace over 8.8 miles and were back to the cars before noon, only seeing 4 other people the whole morning.
A bit of winter and spring in the Teanaway.
Three days exploring the unique geology and history of the world's longest cave system!
8 scramble/equivalency students from Olympia and Seattle successfully ticked off their snow scramble requirement on a delightful day in the Olympics. What a difference one week makes... Cold/icy conditions allowed for glissading down most of the chute, with the exception of a couple hazards that I will note in the trip report.
This was an easy to moderate 8-mile hike with minimal elevation gain, crossing the Ross Dam and continuing along a scenic trail featuring several waterfalls and bridge crossings. The route led us to the shore of Big Beaver, where we set up camp and spent the night. The trail offered a peaceful and picturesque experience, ideal for a first backpacking trip.
Excellent early season field trip for Basic Backpacking course
Trip was WONDERFUL. Bothof these falls are well worth this trip. Just expect a couple of challenging water crossing that are "do-able" but just require some thought as to the best way to get across.
Weather conditions turned from springtime gusty to calm wind with light rain. Practicing points of sail was going slow due to lack of wind, so we motored into Percival Landing and practiced docking at a public dock and using a stern spring-line to leave the dock. Practiced rope management, helping put the boat away, and sailing in the rain (a PNW must).
We walked a modified section 2 route from the South Shoreline Light Rail Station to the Husky Stadium Light Rail Station . The route included trails adjacent to the golf course , and City of Seattle Parks . The final section toured the University of Washington .
Three nights in the Sierras with a successful summit on Mt. Whitney and multi-station rappel back down to the notch. Great conditions and a great team effort.
My friends and I decided to cancel our South Coast Wilderness backpacking trip due to the rainy forecast and look for day hikes to fill our time. My friends hadn't been to Otter Falls before so it was fun to share a new trail with them.
Six of us enjoyed this lovely hike enjoying Mother Earth and celebrating Mother's Day along the beautiful Big Quilcene River.
This was just a wonderful trip: Skagit Island was as good a camping spot as I had hoped it would be and is going head to head with Blake Island as one of the supreme jewels in our lovely Salish Sea to head for in a kayak!
Nice afternoon hike to explore the forested trails at Dash Point State Park
My dog and I enjoyed 27 bird species on a 3.25 mile "Goat's head" (from GPX track) clockwise loop along the perimeter of both parks with excursions into the Creek area.
The backdrop of the snow covered Olympics was stunning at times as the clouds cleared out. The waves and swell were about as small as you can get here and the water was clear with good viewing down below.