New Track Posted

Backpacker.com has newly posted my track of the Larch Mountain Crater Trail. Click on over for a GPS track, photos, trail report and additional information. This was a nice trail to hike, not alot of other people on the trail until you get the to viewpoint at Sherrard Point. I did this one in late June - the road to the trailhead was closed a couple miles below, and ran into alot of snow on the trail on the northern slope above the crater area. The views from the top were incredible - Columbia Gorge and Mts. St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, Hood and Jefferson. Save this one for a clear-weather day. Enjoy!

New Gallery Added

Just finished fulfilling a photo request and created a new gallery of images from Washington's Olympic Coast. Click on over to see a selection of images from Ruby Beach and Beach #4, some captured on a very rare sunny day. Will be adding a selection of images from Rialto Beach as well.

Did a fantastic loop hike in Olympic NP last weekend - a 24-mile loop, starting at the Sol Duc resort, up past Mink Lake, across the Low Divide to Deer Lake, then up to Bogachiel Peak, across the High Divide, then back to the beginning thru the Sol Duc Valley. Spectacular views, tons of fresh wild blueberries, and a bear sighting! This hike was tracked for Backpacker and will be appearing as a special feature next year. An image gallery will be posted soon.

Next it's over the border to visit Canada and do some roaming amid Garibaldi Provincial Park's Elfin Lakes...

New Trail Report

I've just posted a new trail report - the Eagle Creek trail to Twister Falls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. This was a special request by Backpacker mag, so look for a GPS-tracked version to appear on their site soon. In the meantime, check it out here...

Best Hiking Boots Ever!

I just wanted to give a shout-out to Lowa for producing the best pair of hiking boots I have yet to torture. In the last two years, I've blown out two pairs of Merrels. Not wanting another short-lived third pair, I started looking to other brands. I found the Lowa Zepher GTX on sale at REI a couple months ago, tried them on, then left the store empty-handed. I really liked them, but had brand-change issues (I had been really happy with Merrel). A couple more rough hikes and my Merrels were toast. Back to REI for the Lowas, now not on sale (but I had a handy 15% off coupon). First broke these in on an easy 6-miler in the Columbia River Gorge. SO COMFORTABLE! The higher ankle support was great, as I have a tendency to roll my left ankle, and the waterproof finish and GoreTex lining let me tromp thru streams with not so much as a water mark on the boots. I next took them east to go roaming around the Strawberry Wilderness and John Day Fossil Beds - 23 miles over four days. Still incredibly comfy and supportive. My feet aren't even tired at the end of the day! The miles on these boots are adding up quickly, and I'm looking forward to lots more. I'm not compensated in any way for posting this, but just thought I'd share with anyone out there looking for an awesome pair of boots.

In other news, had a disappointing trip to the North Cascades last weekend; rained out for two of our four days. Did get in a few hikes, and photos will be posted soon. This weekend its off to Olympic to hike the High Divide and Sol Duc Lakes loop. These are all being tracked for Backpacker.com, so look for GPS tracks to be posted shortly after.

New Galleries Added

Updated the site today with several new galleries: Blue Basin and Painted Hills from the John Day Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument; Slide and Strawberry Lakes in the Strawberry Wilderness; Heceta Head Lighthouse and Hobbit Trail on the Oregon Coast, near Florence. In Florence, for an excellent meal, try the Waterfront Depot in Old Town. Crab-crusted halibut - delicious!

Will be re-hiking and tracking the Eagle Creek trail in the Columbia Gorge this weekend for Backpacker mag. Look for photos and a GPS track to be posted to the site soon. Following that, it's off to North Cascades Nat'l Park for several trails on the east side of the park, including Easy Pass and Lake Ann. These will also be getting GPS tracks on Backpacker.com, as well as detailed trail reports and image galleries on my site soon after.

Backpacker 9.09

Got my new issue of Backpacker magazine in the mail today, featuring a nice little spot photo I shot on the Klickitat Rail Trail that I tracked earlier this year in the article "New Trails: Secret Trails." Check out the original image, or the trail report with GPS track. A nice easy hike, level most of the way, following along Swale Creek through a colorful little canyon. Good shoulder-season hike; closed in summer due to heat and fire danger.

10/10 on BetterPhoto.com

Last month I again started submitting images to BetterPhoto.com's monthly photo contest, using many of the colorful sunset photos captured on my recent backpack to the Santiam Lakes in Oregon's Central Cascades. I entered ten photos (limit of one per day) and all ten of them have received Editor's Pick status. See them here. Now we'll see if any of them advance to the next round...

Got away from the heat in Portland for a weekend on the coast. Far away from the heat. The weekend was mostly foggy and rainy, so views were limited and less than spectacular. Went on a couple of short hikes, one near Haceda Head and the other near Cascade Head. I'll be processing thru images to see what came out. They'll also be turned into GPS tracks for Backpacker.com soon. I'll be posting links once they're live.

Next up, Washington's North Cascades Nat'l Park...