Blog
Rash of car break-ins on the Olympic Peninsula
Here we go again. Summer has arrived and hikers are hitting their favorite trails in full force. Unfortunately it appears that smash-and-grab car prowling low-lives are out in full force hitting their vehicles—and the Olympic Peninsula is seeing a rash of car break-ins this year. Reports have been coming in of car break-ins at Graves…
Read MoreKlahowya Tillicum
Have you ever given much thought to where many of the place names for our mountains, rivers and other natural features were derived from? Contrary to what many hikers think–these place names are not of Native American origin (entirely), but of Chinook Jargon. Not an actual language, Chinook Jargon is a collection of several hundred words…
Read MoreTicked off!
Romano’s Hiking Tips No. 1 Ticks Ticks! They make my blood crawl just thinking about them crawling on me looking for blood! Just last week while hiking through a coastal forest in North Carolina, one managed to sneak into my car and another followed me back to my hotel. I once had one hitch a…
Read MoreDiscovery Passes No Longer Required!
Note: This post was an April Fools Day Post! There is no such thing as Discovery Passes and DISCOVER PASSES are still required at state parks and lands. Here is the original post that duped so many- Barraged by thousands of confused hikers and campers on whether Discovery Passes are needed at trailheads, state officials…
Read MorePopular Trailhead in Gorge Permanently Closed
Just what we need! As trail use continues to escalate and many of our close to the city trails become downright crowded-we have just lost access to a popular trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge. What does that mean? Two wonderful Columbia River Gorge hiking destinations—Aldrich Butte and Table Mountain just got a whole lot…
Read MoreInslee axes full funding for Blanchard– beloved Oyster Dome threatened with clear-cutting
It was nearly one year ago when I first reported to you that one of Puget Sound’s most popular hiking spots may soon succumb to clear cut logging. The Oyster Dome, the Pearl of the Chuckanut Mountains—the only place in the Cascades where the mountains meet the Salish Sea—is in very real danger of being…
Read MoreNew Trail to Frog Mountain! — I’m hopping with joy!
When the Wild Sky Wilderness was established in 2008, part of the original negotiations was that several new trails would be built within this 106,000 roadless area. This was a good faith move of course to counter anti-wilderness claims of folks being locked off their land by providing even more access. And if you have…
Read MoreAnother Trail Fatality-Why?
It saddened me to read this morning—that yet another hiker has perished likely because of bad judgement. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the circumstances. But I have hiked Lava Canyon and it is indeed a place that can be quite dangerous if prudence…
Read MoreThe Moose is Loose in Washington State
I grew up hiking in New Hampshire, one of the moose-densest states in the union. Moose are everywhere in the Granite State. Highway signs warn of hitting them which is a real road hazard in the state. On return trips to my home state to hike and paddle, I almost always see these largest members…
Read MoreSix Things You Didn’t Know About Pikas
Spend enough time hiking across talus slopes in the Cascades or Northern Rockies and you are bound to hear the high pitched whistle of the pika. Stand still for a minute or two and you are bound to see one or more of these cute little fur-balls scurrying across and under the talus. You may…
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