August 8-12, 2021: Wonderland Trail

On a whim, we decided to speed pack the Wonderland Trail while I had time off from teaching. This would be our third time completing the trail, and we regularly backpack and run large sections. We know the trail well and were prepared for long days. I tried to get a walk-up permit the day

August 2-3, 2021: Tokaloo Rock

Andrew and I are exploring off-trail backcountry routes and dispersed camping at Rainier NP this summer- always providing solitude, alpine vistas, and up-close glacial views. Tokaloo Rock, located on the quieter west side of Rainier, has been on our list for more than a year, and there isn’t a lot of information about it on

June 17-18, 2021: Rainier Summit Traverse

An up-and-over Rainier summit, ascending the Emmons Glacier and descending the Disappointment Cleaver

May 29: Skiing Inter Glacier and Steamboat Prow

Steamboat Prow is a feature on Rainier that looks like a steamboat from far way. 🚣‍♀️ Inter Glacier is the approach to climb Rainier via Emmons Glacier. Being my first time alone, I had low expectations, ready to turn around after a couple miles if I wasn’t feeling it. The small White River lot was

May 8-9, 2021: Biking and Hiking Ipsut at Rainer NP

We decided check out Ipsut campground from Carbon River road. Ipsut used to be a drive-up campsite before the road washed out due to flooding. Full of spacious campsites with tables, bike lockers, food lockers, and bathrooms, we love Ipsut and often camp there while on the Wonderland Trail. Saturday at noon, the ride started

April 17, 2021: Mount Saint Helens

The Worm Flows 🐛 🪱 winter climbing route is one of our favorite spring ski trips! Added bonus, saying “WORM FLOWS” in a slow, low voice while squiggling your fingers is always funny. Well, maybe only funny to us. Anyway. This is our 5th time climbing MSH. I don’t have a lot of details to

April 15: Mount Ellinor

Located on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Ellinor is a popular summer hike. The winter route is a fantastic snow adventure with a fun chute climb near the summit for skiers and hikers. The lower trailhead is often inaccessible in April due to winter road conditions. After a 3-hour drive from home,

December 2020: Castle Saddle

The perfect tour day

Dec 13, 2020: Mazama Ski Tour @ Rainier National Park

With a great weather window and low-risk avalanche conditions, we checked out the Mazama area at Rainier National Park. We made it up to Panorama Point (the first major climb before ascending to Camp Muir), but the conditions were rocky with low snow coverage. Worried about a terrible ski descent, we sat at the viewpoint

Dec 5, 2020: Table Mountain and Ptarmigan Ridge Ski Tour @ Baker Ski Area

Time for our favorite activity- alpine touring!