Low coverage was an issue and snow quality wasn't great, but I still had a fun time! Skied up to Tronsen Head.
8th & final conditioning hike with an enthusiastic group (and one fairy nymph) on a drippy day.
Middle Fork - unexpected views and better weather than predicted
This was a successful crag trip to the Feathers at Vantage. For many students, it was their first outing climbing in the great outdoors.
A fine spring paddle around Ketron Island and over to Oro Bay with a great group of paddlers.
Late season XC skiing -- get it in while it lasts!
The Palmer gauge was reading 2,200 CFS. This was a Class III reach at this level. We put in at Franklin bridge and took at at Flaming Geyser. River time was 2.5 hours. Very fun, active, level.
After a long stretch of wet days in the region we were greeted with perfect weather. The last mile before the summit became a winter wonderland. The views were mesmerizing as we stood above clouds in awe of a panoramic view of snowy peaks, Lake Cushman, Hood Canal, and Mt. Rainier in the distance.
Lovely area to paddle. This is where the Penn Cove mussels are commercially grown and harvested. The commercial facility is just east of Coupeville along the southern area of Penn Cove. Coupeville is also a cute town to view from the water.
3 waterfall route at a brisk pace. Water gushing over the falls.
New Zealand stands out for some of the most gorgeous trekking terrain you could ever find (they call it 'tramping'!) combined with an amazing can-do attitude (they'll solve any challenge for you) and fantastic resources and support systems for trip planning and logistics. On this trip we did the Abel Tasman Coast Track, hiked amazing trails in Aoraki/Mount Cook park, did the Routeburn and Kepler Great Walks, took a bus and boat tour of Milford Sound, and hiked to the Aspiring Hut and tracks around it in Aspiring National Park. In between we really enjoyed the lovely towns of Queenstown, Te Anau, Nelson and Wanaka with lots of shopping and great food! However New Zealand also faces the same intense demand for limited spots on their most popular trekking trails and huts that we do in the PNW and elsewhere, so I had to improvise in terms of how to get approval for the trip and a list of participant names in time for a May-June booking period for huts but without committing to any specific set of huts or itinerary in advance of securing the huts. In the report below I'll describe each of the segments, what we did in between, and the unorthodox booking process I used.
One-way hike from Blyn to Sequim on the ODT!
Beautiful spring greens hike along the Coal Creek River/Natural Area to Newcastle Beach Park
We had a beautiful morning on Roaring Creek / Teneriffe Connector / Talus Loop and Teneriffe Falls trail segments, with a dozen bird species and 2 inches of fresh snow. Many thanks to my two hiking partners and Ajax for making some magical memories on a hike that almost got canceled!
Snowy hike up Mailbox Peak old trail with gusty winds but rewarding fresh snow.
A beautiful mountain lake at the end of a mile of dog sled trail, a mile of ski trail, and three miles of snowmobile trail.
Rain, snow, and blackberry vines, oh my! Today's completion of Off-trail Navigation at Raging River had it all. My favorite was experimenting with different nav techniques; my least favorite was getting tripped by nasty brambles that sent several of us flying. I wasn't expecting as much bushwacking and now I know why Gaia doesn't work on my phone, so that was helpful!
