Our first hike of the new year was a memorable one, replete with snow, history, ferry rides, and a kitchy burger joint. When we took a bike trip around the lower Olympic Peninsula last fall, I pulled a number of possible hikes we could do along the way. We ultimately landed on hiking Mount Walker, …
Our final hike of 2019 was a doozy—12.5 miles roundtrip and just over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. After all the Christmas cookies and holiday cheer, I needed something to kick my butt and help me end the year with a bang. Our roundtrip hike to Wallace Lake and Jay Lake checked all the boxes! …
It seems like Mailbox Peak has been on our list of must-do hikes forever. We've been putting it off in part because it's a long one-- taking the New Trail puts the overall hike at just over 11 miles round trip. It's also considered a fairly tough one since you experience 5,000 feet of elevation …
Despite the overcast skies we decided to squeeze in one more hike to round out our weekend of hiking adventures when we woke up at Mt. Rainier National Park's Paradise Inn on Sunday morning. We headed over to the Nisqually Vista Loop for an easy hike to a series of overlooks that were supposed to offer great …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Nisqually Vista Loop and Deadhorse Creek
We celebrated our anniversary weekend at Mt. Rainier National Park, hiking around Sunrise and Paradise and spending the night at the historic Paradise Inn. We stopped at the Black Diamond Bakery for an amazing breakfast on our way down to the park and arrived at Sunrise around 9:30 a.m. to begin our hiking adventures. Although …
Continue reading Washington Hikes: Sunrise Rim, Burroughs Mountain and Sourdough Ridge Trails
We wanted to take my brother-in-law and his girlfriend on an incredible hike in the Cascade Mountains last weekend but the weather wasn't cooperating. Although things can sometimes change while you're on the trail, the radar strongly suggested our window of hiking opportunity would be Saturday morning--by Saturday afternoon, the rain would be saturating the …
This weekend we FINALLY got around to hiking Mount Pilchuck! This hike has been on our list since we moved to Washington, but for some reason we managed to hike multiple other hikes around it while avoiding this big one. It’s actually not a ‘big one’ compared to most—it’s a little under six miles roundtrip …
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 