
Olympic National Park has an amazing reputation, but mostly in the summer. This time of year, the park is really one big hazard zone, especially during and after a storm. The northwest was hit by what is called a bomb cyclone last week, and the area near the Quinault entrance had 3+ inches of water…

There are a lot of national parks, and the top 5 get the lion’s share of attention. Everyone knows about Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. These are iconic parks, that are matchless in their unique natural settings and huge yearly attendance. The Great Smoky Mountains have more visitors by far than any other national…

Fall vacation time is when my bucket list is just overflowing. Too many good ideas, and not enough time to fit them all in. We decided a ways back to take a trip to Disneyland with my brother-in-law and his 5 and 8 year old girls, both in the prime theme park demographic. Of course,…

Trying something for the first time… I just finished reading an old book called Bird by Bird by Anne Lemont. I didn’t realize that it was written way back in the ’90’s, about the same time that I thought that maybe I could be a writer. I had this old desk top computer and my…

The weather report was too good to be true. No systems rolling through, clear skies and sunshine. I had preplanned a different backpacking trip, but I decided it was one that needed a buddy to accomplish, and I was going solo this time. I could leave at noon on Friday, and so out came the…

Some hikes showcase amazing views that just cannot be captures on the camera – this is one of them.

Clearly, there are a lot of activities that are difficult to start in your 50s and one of them is surfing. For most of my life, I’ve struggled with balancing on everything from a skateboard to skis and now I can add a surfboard to that list. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had…
I just returned from a trip up into the Cascades, east of Mt Rainier, and the meadows at Lake Tipsoo are about to erupt in wildflowers! I would guess that the best time to visit will be from 7-20 days from today for the full display of color and natural wonder. I wanderered a bit…

Backpacking is an adventure that forces you to utilize an entire toolbox of skills in order to have a memorable event. Not only do you have to be in good shape, with stamina for long haul activity, but you need to understand and be able to implement survival skills, planning, and gear use to avoid…