A little after 8AM on a sunny Saturday, we departed. A gang of strangers in a cozy van set off from the Alderwood Mall REI towards Stevens Pass, with a van full of gear and guides experienced at driving in the snow. It was the beginning of a great day!
Hikes
Cherry Creek Falls
Black Friday is the holiday for hikers to #optoutside and hit the trails instead of the mall. I had a few low-elevation hikes bookmarked, but Cherry Creek Falls was calling my name in particular.
Urban Hiking: Kubota Garden
Call it an urban hike, call it a walk in the park–either way, there’s tons of options available for you year-round in Seattle to see some nature and get some exercise. With winter coming, it’s great to have trails available if you lack the equipment or driving skills to hit the powder-covered trails up higher.
Lower Gray Wolf River
Sometimes, a hike is more about the activity than the destination. Some hikes offer thrilling views at the end, others offer views along the way and just…come to a stop. It sounds anti-climactic, but can still offer some great time in nature.
Sauk Mountain
After our trek to Heather-Maple Pass Loop, which involved over an hour by car, we weren’t too eager to repeat that car ride again the next day. While there were 3 other hikes near Heather-Maple Pass I wanted to do, there were a dozen options a bit closer to Concrete.
Larch Madness at Heather-Maple Pass
After being on my wish list for years, I finally got to do Heather-Maple Pass Loop. This hike checked all of my boxes, and despite its exploding popularity, it’s a top-three favorite hike for sure.
Channel Islands National Park: Pelican Bay on Santa Cruz Island
Sometimes, fate gives you a little push. A family vacation in Southern California, just 10 minutes from a boat that will take me to one of the least-visited National Parks in the country? Sold!
Ira Spring: Mason Lake
To myself and many other like-minded people, beer and hiking go together like peanut butter and chocolate. There’s something to me abut misty alpine lakes and tall mountain peaks that make me crave hops. Beers at the Bottom have been writing about hikes and the brews that come afterwards since 2013–and now literally wrote the […]
Lake Malachite
Backpacking on a weekend–can it still be done? With the ever-exploding popularity of hiking and backpacking, finding a weekend no-permit-required hike-in campsite without driving six hours seemed improbable.
Annette Lake
It’s been a summer where I feel like I’ve done nothing and yet I’ve been too busy to hike or camp at all! Luckily, I was finally able to hit the mountains to see the stunning Annette Lake.