Blog
Of Swans, snow geese, and eagles
I absolutely love this time of year in the Skagit Valley. While western Washington lacks the distinct hard seasonal changes that I loved back east–the seasonal changes here are measured differently-and they are distinct. Winter begins in November with the arrival of tens of thousands of wintering snow geese and trumpeter and tundra swans. A…
Read MoreI love the Cold! It brings warmth to my heart!
Well, here we go again with another sub-freezing blast for Western Washington. I love it! Why you ask as many of my fellow Northwesterners are hunkered down in their toasty homes? Nostalgia for one. While I have been living in Western Washington for 24 years now, I still miss my native New England from time…
Read MoreWhat an October!
Last week was the first week since May that I did not head off for a 2-4 day trip to research trails for writing and mapping projects. While I welcome the reprieve over the next few months from constantly being-on-the-go, I must admit that I am going through hiking withdrawals. Yes, I have lots of…
Read MoreWagonwheel Lake-You’ll bust an axle on this one!
I recently returned to the Staircase Area of Olympic National Park to tackle (actually track for a new Green Trails Map) one of area’s steepest trails-Wagonwheel Lake. The sign at the trailhead warns that you’ll climb 3,200 feet in 2.9 miles. Which isn’t entirely true as the first .4 mile you’ll gain only 200 feet and…
Read MorePaddling the Hanford Reach
On May 19, 2013, I along with Jordan Youngs of the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, and a couple of happy paddlers from Seattle set out with two guides from Columbia Kayak Adventures for an amazing kayak trip down the Columbia River at the Hanford Reach National Monument. I have hiked the White Bluffs of the Hanford Reach…
Read MoreHikeoftheweek.com– New and Improved!
New and Improved! The long-awaited for relaunching of Hikeoftheweek.com has finally arrived! Thanks to Ashley Knecht of Mountaineers Books, Hikeoftheweek.com finally has the professional look and user-friendly features that it deserves. I started the site back in 2005 with Michael Fagin of Washington Online Weather. Two years ago I took complete control of the site but just didn’t…
Read MoreContributing to Seattle Met
I contribute monthly hiking articles to Seattle Met magazine. Check it out!
Read MoreDay Hiking Columbia River Gorge Correction
Important Correction for Grassy Knoll Driving Directions: While I research every trail that I write about-walk every mile and map each hike-occasionally an error slips by me. Unfortunately ,one recently reared its ugly head in my new Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge book that has sent a few hikers in the wrong direction trying to…
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