The National Forests are lands managed by the US Forest Service. They occur across the United States. They are multiple-use areas that allow hunting, timber harvesting as well as hiking and enjoying nature.
At 5,000 feet elevation on the eastside of the Cascades outside of Leavenworth, Scottish High Camp sits beside Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I stayed in an A-frame cabin with a wood stove to heat the place and a propane light and cooking burners. I wanted to snowshoe into Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The camp is 3,000 feet … Read more
Light waist deep and sparkling in morning light Crust thick with fluffy white top Ice crystals line the creek like Lace on a fancy gown or Maybe feathers growing out from shore Pools run smooth and quiet. The water dark, almost black against, The white reflected in the water. Sudden movement Upstream, not water What … Read more
24 November: My Friend from Bellingham and I drove to Mt Baker hoping to hike into Mt Baker Wilderness. After the snows in the last few weeks, the mountains sparkled in the early morning light while the valleys were draped in shadow. At one point we stopped to admire the columnar basalt, the result of … Read more
17-18 September: I arrived at Pass Creek Pass at 6:15 P.M. and quickly put on my pack to hike into the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. The Shedroof Divide Trail starts along a one-lane Forest Service road and begins climbing immediately toward the ridgeline and Round Top Mountain. The Salmo-Priest Wilderness lies in the northeast corner of Washington. … Read more
Lake Dorothy sits on the north side of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The lake, over a mile long, runs north south. A glacier carved the valley and created the lake during the last glaciation. You reach the trailhead from road over Steven Pass by heading up the East Fork Miller River. The hike immediately enters a … Read more
On August 24th, I hiked along the Pacific Crest Trail to the Glasses Lake overlook in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. The lake was hourglass shaped and looked wonderful below the rock outcrop. It was partially hidden by trees on the slope below the lookout. Mist was falling, giving a soft look to the landscape. … Read more
Lake Janus sits below Jove Peak along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. This wonderful subalpine lake is at 4,100 feet and you can camp along the southern bank. Jove Peak rises steeply on the east side to 6,007 feet and a major but lesser hill sets to the west. The … Read more
As I crossed the saddle into the Watson Lakes drainage, two pikas gave their typical ‘alarm’ call and ran for their burrows under the boulders. A field of boulders covered the slope on the side of the trail for a 100 or more feet and up the slope a similar distance. Some boulders were the … Read more
On Friday, I hiked into the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness to spend the weekend at the Watson Lakes. This wilderness is southeast of Mt Baker and you get there by driving 10 miles up a one-lane road from Lake Baker. You can see Mt Baker from the road just before the trailhead. A few low clouds and … Read more
The “bird-like” chirp Rung across the meadow Persistent chirp, chirp, chirp What was it? I stop to look Stand very still so It does not stop For I am the danger There, in the long grass The head of a squirrel Out on a rock pops another Smaller than the first Mother, the first, scurries … Read more