Blog
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…
This Week’s Featured Hike: Your Neighborhood
Hike of the Week 03.26.20 Quick Facts: Location: Throughout the Northwest Land Agency: families, HOAs, sundry municipalities and park districts Distance: as far and as long as you like, but do it regularly Elevation Gain: elevated mood Contact: Your friends and neighbors (from a safe distance) and share some good news Notes: Dogs encouraged, no…
This is NO Vacation! People are dying!
The world is in the midst of a pandemic. Thousands of people are dying and thousands more are seriously ill. And it is only going to get worse. Our economy is on the brink of a depression. To help fight the spread of Covid-19 we are asked to stay six feet apart from each other…
A Trio of Northwest Coastal Rainforest Hikes
What better time to hike in one of our region’s coastal rainforests than during the rainy season?! Don rain gear and an adventurous spirit and check out these three hikes ranging from kid-friendly strolls to wilderness wanderings. And during the rainy season you can expect quieter trails, more frequent wildlife sightings, and a whole better…
Escape to the Sun: Five Great Northwest Rainshadow Hikes
Fair weather hikers rejoice! You don’t need to hang up your hiking boots during the rainy season thanks to our rain shadows. What’s a rainshadow? It’s an effect caused by mountains capturing rain clouds on their windward slopes; then wringing them out leaving the leeward slopes dry. It can be quite dramatic like on the…
Don’t Feed The Ticks!
Put all your cougar, bear, wolf, and Sasquatch fears aside. The biggest nuisances on the trail you’re sure to encounter this spring—especially if you venture south and east are ticks. While they’re not too much of a concern in Western Washington, their range is expanding and areas that were once tick free are now crawling…
Trailhead Break-in Epidemic–what can we do about it?
Here we go again. If it feels like I just wrote about this topic, it is because I did a mere year and a half ago. A rash of car break-ins, smash-and-grabs, car clouting (call it what you may, but they all mean the same thing- a big bummer to the end of a great…
Forest Service Considers A Selfie-Tax
Dealing with a proliferation of new trail users, the chronically underfunded Forest Service is considering imposing a radical revenue enhancer; a tax on selfies to help pay for a backlog of maintenance projects, increased search and rescue missions, and for crews to pick up after trash and deuce dropping hikers. “With so many hikers walking…
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Marmots
Happy Groundhog Day! Today marks the 133rd Anniversary of this Holiday being celebrated in the United States. The tradition of Groundhog Day in America started with Pennsylvania Germans. The custom of the groundhog predicting weather goes back to ancient Europe where a badger was actually used for the prediction. There are very few badgers in Pennsylvania—but…
170 Miles and $5500–Thanks for a Successful Hike-a-thon
This past August was a tough month here in the Northwest with heat, large wildfires, and the worst air quality I have ever experienced. I had to cancel several high mileage hikes that I had planned because of the dangerous air conditions. Not surprisingly, this was my lowest hike-a-thon ever when it came to total…