The Spray Park Alternate Route Packing up as quietly as possible so as not to disturb others in camp, we donned our headlamps and started up the forested trail out of Cataract Valley at 4am. Within the hour, we came out into more open terrain and the sky began to slowly brighten and illuminate the…
And We’re Off! Waking up with the sunrise, we broke camp and climbed up the Wonderland Trail towards Granite Creek. Our first steps were in the cool shadows and the ridge lines with lingering snow brightened by the sun. Lavender lupine lined the trail as we moved into sections with more vegetation. We had 15.3…
In 2015, I set out to complete the Wonderland Trail in 6 days. The 93 mile loop circumnavigates Mount Rainier and is a rite of passage for many Pacific Northwest locals and backpackers from around the world. I had already completed the Washington State section of the Pacific Crest Trail (and 200 miles of the…
As my mind wanders towards this summer’s backpacking trips, I can’t help remember my last overnight trip this past October. I so wish the snow was a tad bit more melted out right now so I could visit these two hikes again before I depart for Spain, but come fall they will be on my…
We had only been driving in the car about 20 minutes when I went to pull my phone out of my purse to check something. Rummaging around, I realized it wasn’t there. I didn’t have my phone and I was going away for the weekend. My friend Elle and I signed up for a talk…
This post was originally shared on June 27, 2016. I had a nice hike with a new friend a few weeks ago on a new-to-me trail. Almost 7 hours of conversation getting to know an amazing young woman, what was important to her and where she thinks she might be headed in life (at least the first few steps,…