Mountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado
Something always stands between me and the goats. I haul all my stupid, heavy photography gear on my back for miles into thinning air, hoping I'll spot their white fur against the rocky ridges. Then, every time I see them, something terrible happens that keeps me from them. I nearly crap my pants on Grays,...
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Photography from Snoqualmie Falls, Washington
The Pacific Northwest continues to be one of my favorite parts of the country. On a recent work trip to Seattle, Washington, one of our colleagues local to the area who is an avid hiker in the area (hi Eric!) generously planned a hike for those of us (hi David!) who could stay another day....
Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park
I have long hoped to string together a series of national parks to form a road trip. With the Covid pandemic still raging around the world, travel difficult and risky, and lots of time to daydream, I pieced together a three-week road trip that would take me to no less than nine national parks. My...
Mount Rainier & Ashford, WA
Mount Rainier has called to me since the first time I saw it with my own eyes nearly 15 years ago. I plan to hike the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around the perimeter of this mountain someday. This 14,411-foot stratovolcano and glacial peak towers over Seattle and Tacoma in Washington state on the days when "the...