When I first visited Seattle, I hiked up to Panorama Point, just a couple miles up a paved trail, in jean shorts and a hoodie, marveling at the snow on the ground and struggling to walk across it in sandals. I saw some people come down the hill, heavy boots making tons of noise, stuff... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 mountains I find interesting. The list is here. I should have known not to climb Prusik on a weekend. The iconic peak in the Enchantments, probably the most photographed thing in the most photographed place in Washington, is as popular of a destination as you might expect. In fact, it was... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 peaks I find interesting. The full list is here. "What terrified me was the Thing of nightmares... The Thing now symbolized in broad daylight by that horrid thrust of lava." That's Harvey Manning describing Cruiser, the high point of the Sawtooth Range in the Olympic Peninsula. When we set out to... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 mountains I find interesting, for various reasons. The full list is here. When life gives you great weather but high avalanche danger, you find a low-angle route up something tall and pretty! One week in May, Eva and I saw the undesirable weather forecast and hesitated to be optimistic about climbing... Continue Reading →
(I'm writing about 100 peaks I have climbed from a historical, personal, or climbing perspective. The full list is here. Also, this is my project, so I get to decide what a mountain is. This hill in San Francisco is almost 1000 feet tall, and I did walk up it, so here we go.) Earlier... Continue Reading →
We started down the narrow, winding path nearly a mile from Interstate 90. Our third party member was out, victim of having gone to a bachelor party the day before. Another unexpected setback befell us when the coffee shop was more expensive than I expected. I didn't buy any pastries for the hike, so I... Continue Reading →
I've been making stickers with self-deprecating awards for climbers, especially new trad leaders, such as "didn't freak the heck out on a 5.7," "only got a little off route," and "made it home." This reflects the nature of the learning process. For most people, starting to lead (especially trad, especially in a remote, "alpine" setting)... Continue Reading →
I'm writing about 100 mountains I think are neat. The full list is here. Westy and I go on a lot of weeknight hikes, as we have both more evening free time and more restlessness than most people. Sometimes, we get ambitious, and climb the Tooth or get lost on a longer trail until 2... Continue Reading →
Before I'd ever thought about climbing Dome Peak, the only time I'd ever heard it mentioned was in the stories my friend Chelise told me about this rescue on a Mountaineers trip that took place there. I knew it was pretty far from any road, which is why the incident, in which an ice climber... Continue Reading →
