Just like last year, the wildfire smoke has set upon the east side (and some of the west side) for my birthday weekend. Instead of our annual Cascade Loop adventure that year, we opted to head west to the San Juan Islands for some hiking and biking. This year for my birthday, we are opting…
When is a missed turn for a trailhead not a missed opportunity but a fantastic turn of events? Last October, Elizabeth and I had plans to head to Siouxon Creek for a hike outside Yacolt, Washington near Mount St. Helens and were so busy chatting, we missed the turn to the trailhead. Even though we…
It has been 10 years since I visited the Enchantments in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area outside Leavenworth, Washington, and unlike many people, I think once is going to be enough for me. In those 10 years, there has been no shortage of stories about the crowds on the trails, parking nightmares with…
There are a lot of great Pacific Northwest hiking guidebooks out there, no shortage for sure. But if you have been around MustHikeMustEat.com for a while now, you will have heard me talk about one of my very first hike guide books, Hiking Snohomish County by Ken Wilcox. Yes, I live in Snohomish County and…
I had set aside last weekend to get out on a backpacking trip and as is the new norm, wildfire smoke covered pretty much all of Washington State except for the coast. I had planned for something closer to home so I went anyway, telling myself I would just come home if it was too…
My friend Sarah and I stopped by a new coffee spot in Darrington, WA, after hiking the White Chuck Bench Trail in March and I forgot to tell you all about it! Sarah had spied it when we had driven through town on the way to the trailhead so we stopped by for…