We started 2020 snowshoeing outside Vancouver, B.C., and are bringing it to a close with snowshoeing in Mt. Rainier National Park! We arrived at Longmire around 10 a.m. to snow, clouds, and relatively few people. We tend to start our hikes much earlier in the morning, but we were at the mercy of the Longmire …
A couple years ago I drew the name of my brother-in-law's girlfriend for the family gift exchange. She had a number of books on her Christmas list and being the good bibliophile I am, I bought her all of them. One of the books was Grits: A Cultural and Culinary Journey Through the South by …
During our recent overnight on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, we spent an afternoon exploring the history of the area's petrified forest and a morning hiking from the Columbia Gorge cliffs down to the Columbia River. We awoke to gorgeous views of the sunrise lighting up the cliffs of the Columbia Gorge. It …
A couple weekends ago we headed for the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains to check out the Ginkgo Petrified Forest - one of only six petrified forests in the United States - and some nearby hikes along the Columbia River Gorge. After a snowy journey across Snoqualmie Pass, our first stop was the Ginkgo …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Trail
Last weekend we decided to check out a longer hike in Mt. Rainier National Park. Now that we live in the South Sound, the west entrance is less than an hour from our house so we're looking forward to spending more time in the park. We arrived around 7 a.m., breezed through the gate thanks …
The last month has been a little crazy. We finally ripped the band-aid off and listed our house, which went into contract two weeks later, and in the midst of prepping it to sell we found a new place to rent in the South Sound and moved most of our things and ourselves in. After …
Our final morning in Rocky Mountain National Park we got an early start for the trailhead to Deer Mountain - the most accessible summit in the park. While the park is known for all of its 14ers, Deer Mountain's summit is at an easy, breezy 10,040 feet. To cut to the chase, our hike was …
Continue reading Rocky Mountain National Park: Summiting Deer Mountain
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Finding direction and purpose on the road, in the outdoors, and on the page
Heather's Compass 