Harstine Island, Washington
In the depths of the pandemic, summer of ’21, I was looking for a place that was outside but not crowded. All summer long people flocked to the outdoors, which meant well-known and easily accessible…
Chehalis Western Trail, Washington
One of the great benefits of living in the lowlands of western Washington State is that this area was once interlaced with multiple railroad lines. As these have been abandoned in favor of roads and…
Raven Rocks Hike, Bluemont, Virginia
On an early winter’s day, I decided the weather was warm enough to take a ride to Bluemont, Virginia to attempt what turned out to be my most difficult hike of the year: Raven Rocks….
Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane, Virginia
Sky Meadows State Park is an 1,860-acre park in the Virginia State Park system, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just outside of Paris, Virginia. It’s about an hour outside of the Washington, D.C. metro…
Trails Of The Historic Cape Disappointment State Park
At the far southwest corner of Washington State, the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. While best known to visitors as the place where the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery arrived in November…
Pandemics And The Road(s) Not Taken – Changing Course For The Traveller
A path diverged into Canadian woods, But sorry I could not travel now And to be one Traveller, long I stood I searched to find out if I could To go, where tourism would allow….
McLane Creek Nature Trail Loop, Washington
When the fall rainy season starts in Western Washington, it can feel fairly gloomy, but outside of Olympia, Washington is the Capitol State Forest, where opportunities to hike abound. And of all the places to…
Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve Trail
In 1966, an unusual area south of the city of Olympia and north of the town of Rochester, WA, was set aside as a National Natural Landmark. Known most often by it’s shortened, local name,…
Twanoh State Park, Washington
The Hood Canal, a naturally formed fjord that separates the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, is long and quite narrow, generally about a mile and a half in width. Most of the canal shoreline is occupied…
The Ozette Triangle Loop Trail, Olympic National Park
The far northwest of Washington state takes a bit of work to get to, but I love the rougher, more isolated terrain. I usually stay in the town of Port Angeles, and then drive to…
Hurricane Ridge Hike – Olympic National Park, WA
Hurricane Ridge is well named. In the winter, hurricane force winds sweep over the 5,000 ft / 1500-meter ridge, sitting only a few miles south of the sea level Strait of Juan de Fuca. While…
Hike To Carter Falls At Mt Rainier
At the start of the summer season, I look forward to warming up with a hike up to Carter Falls. I generally do this hike as a first chance to work back into steep mountain…