Blog
Just Released! A Beautiful New Book of Breathtaking Trail Images
Hiking Trails of the Pacific Northwest Get your copy of this gorgeous hardbound book published by Rizzoli New York. The photographs are by Bart Smith. I co-wrote the text with William L. Sullivan. And the Foreword was written by the honorable Daniel Evans.
Finding Solitude in Motorcycle Country
I love wilderness areas—especially wilderness areas with a large W. In those federally protected areas I am assured that the land I will be hiking or camping in is protected from incompatible uses such as resource extraction, roads, and developments. It will remain untrammeled. No bikes, motorcycles, motorized equipment, drones and other modern day intrusions,…
Hike-a-thon was a huge Success!
325.1 miles hikes and more than $7700 raised for our trails! Wow. I am still catching by breath and catching up with my work after an amazing August. Since 2012 I have participated in the Washington Trails Association’s annual Hike-a-thon as a way to have a little fun and help give back to the trails…
Trails too Crowded? Take a Break from Hiking!
Long before Covid-19 disrupted our lives and closed or strongly altered many of our activities, I avoided crowds. I just don’t care to be around large groups of people. I’m no introvert. I love company and companionship—but not crowds—and especially unruly and clueless ones. It’s no secret that our trails, parks, and forests have been…
Closing Restrooms is a Crappy Idea
Covid-19 is no doubt a serious health threat, and we should be doing all we can to avoid contracting it. However, so is hepatitis and a buttload of other nasty diseases—and having to negotiate a fecal minefield is just as risky as being in a crowded room of people coughing and sneezing. While I applaud…
Covid-placent: Indifference and Selfishness goes viral
Did I miss the memo? The one that said that the Covid-19 Pandemic is over. Because by the way many of our trails and parks looked this past weekend—and how so many people were behaving in public—you’d swear that we just subdued that nasty little virus and there was nothing more to be concerned about.…
Avoid Crowded Trails like the…Coronavirus
Many of Washington’s state parks and forests will soon be opening back up for recreation. I imagine too that soon our state’s national forests will be doing likewise. To many hikers and runners including this one who has been adhering to the governor’s stay at home decree—we welcome this news. However, many others think it…
The Weekend My World Forever Changed
It was a beautiful March day—a much welcomed break after weeks of incessant rain and a perpetual shroud of grey. My family and I needed to get out for a little hiking getaway. It was March 15th, and as the seriousness of the Covid-19 Pandemic began to register in the minds of most Americans, it…
Newly Released! Urban Trails Eastside and Urban Trails Tacoma
Get your copies and start discovering the wide array of parks and trails close to the city! Urban Trails Eastside 60 destinations from Mercer Island to the Snoqualmie Valley Urban Trails Tacoma Discover 44 great trails in and around Tacoma including Anderson Island
Thousands of Miles of New Trails Built in March
Talk about unintended consequences. Thousands of miles of new trails have been built in backyards throughout Washington State in the month of March thanks to antsy hikers cooped up at home. Due to Stay at Home orders during the Covid19 Pandemic, nearly all state and national forest trails in the state have been closed. But…