Cascadia Weekly
Meditations on Liquidity : The Rain, The Dark, and Other Things : 1/2/13
In these parts, at this time of the year, the weather forecast is poetry: Rain today, turning to showers…
In Search of Quiet : An Early Winter’s Journey to Artist Point : 12/13/06
Don’t let the noise and bluster of the parking lot fool you…
Ice Bound : A Mid-Winter Paddle on Baker Lake : 3/4/09
My paddle hit the ice with a resounding thunk…
Beyond the Flowers : The Far Side of Skyline Divide : 8/26/09
Skyline Divide is a hiking destination justifiably famous for its remarkable wildflower displays…
Hidden Lake Peak : A Journey Into the Sky : 12/13/06
We lock the car, hoist our packs and immediately begin ascending through the dripping forest on the gnarled root-choked path…
Autumn in Shangri La : A Visit to Yellow Aster Butte : 9/30/10
I followed Luna the dog up the tilted avalanche slope…
Autum’s Last Gasp : Days and Nights at Harts Pass : 11/17/10
The curtain was coming down…
The Quest for Blue Holes : A Sojourn on the Salish Sea : 12/1/10
The grey is here…
Staying Cool : Winter in the City of Subdued Excitement : 1/5/11
Well, here we are; deep in the sub-basement of another Northwest winter…
The Call of the Wild : Mt. Baker, Clark Gable, and the Morality Clause : 2/2/11
The winter of 1934-35 was a particularly harsh one in Whatcom County with storm after storm arriving across the water…
Huntoon Point : The Pleasures of a Winter Night : 2/23/11
I am drawn to Huntoon Point…
The Joys of Sastrugi : Monlight on the Tatoosh : 3/16/11
Many years ago I developed an appreciation for sastrugi…
Fields of Dreams : An Insider’s Guide to the Tulip Festival : 4/13/11
It’s spring! The days are getting longer, the green is getting greener—and the Skagit Valley is unveiling its shimmering fields of tulips…
Patos Island : The Lighthouse on the Edge of the World : 5/4/11
I’ve seen my fair share of lighthouses, but none stirs my soul like the one on Patos Island…
Jump-starting Summer : A Visit to Palouse Falls : 5/18/11
As spring unfolded in fits and starts, I thought I would take a trip to eastern Washington to take a look at Palouse Falls…
The Path Less Traveled : A Visit to Goat Lake : 7/13/11
Spring has come and gone. Summer has arrived…
A Journey to the Yukon : Tombstone Range is “Canada’s Patagonia” : 9/28/11
I first heard about Tombstone Territorial Park a few years ago…
Islands in the Sun : Looking for the Light on the Salish Sea : 12/21/11
With the Solstice approaching, I found myself counting the days until the darkness was once again in retreat…
Auld Lang Syne : New Year’s Eve at the Loneliest Hotel in Canada : 12/28/11
The idea was to enjoy a little winter camping trip up at Birkenhead Lake, about 120 miles north of Vancouver in B.C…
To the Sea : By Paddle and Foot : 2/1/12
Sometimes, in the doldrums of winter, I get the urge to smell the ocean.
Bones on the Beach : A Visit to Cape Alava : 3/21/12
The weather report was lousy…
Whatcom Falls : Samsara in the City : 4/4/12
Who doesn’t love a waterfall?…
Hello, Goodbye : A Baptism in Baker River : 7/12/12
We set off up the Baker River Trail in early afternoon…
Reach for the Sky : Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm : 7/15/12
North Cascades National Park is famous the world over for its incredible hiking…
Up the River : Ruminations on the Sauk : 7/25/12
Wild and Scenic: This “official” designation, bestowed upon some of the Pacific Northwest’s choicest rivers, says it all…
Skyline Divide : Savoring the Ephemeral : 9/19/12
Well, suddenly it’s September, summer already beginning to excuse itself and the kids back in school…
Stairway to Heaven : Autumn Gold at Yellow Aster Butte : 10/3/12
Everyone who has hiked around Mt. Baker has their favorites: Skyline Divide; Copper Ridge; Lake Ann…
River Music : The Horseshoe Bend Trail : 11/14/12
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we often experience a pause between seasons as winter draws its breath…
Washington Trails
Rialto Beach : Strolling Rialto Beach to the Hole-in-the-Wall : 12/11
At this time of the year, with summer long gone and autumn a fading memory…
Swimming with Bears : A nine-day trip to Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness : 7/07
We watch quietly, holding our collective breath as the bear approaches the shore of Image Lake, ambling in a most determined fashion down the slope…
Land of Enchantments : A sojourn in search of mountains and myth in the Enchantments : 7/08
One hears a lot of talk regarding “must see” mountain destinations…
Deep in the Canyons : Utah’s Paria Canyon offers a trek into some of the world’s most amazing slot canyons : 1/09
Springtime can be a frustrating time for backpackers in the Pacific Northwest…
Exploring Winter’s Palette : A walk amounts the sea of peaks : 09/10
Here in the ragged Northwest, we are both blessed and cursed…
Sahale Arm : A nine-day trip to Image Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness : 7/07
Sahale Arm draws me like a beacon…
Plan B: Shi-Shi Beach : 11/10
You can pick a route. You can get the maps and pack your gear. But, you can’t tell Mother Nature how to behave…
Days and Nights by the Sea : Meditations on Toleak Point : 5/11
Ah, springtime in the Northwest!…
Trail Runner
The Toughest Race You’ve Never Heard Of : 12/12
The year was 1911 and Bellingham, Washington, was a sleepy little town in the shadow of Mount Baker…
Northwest Business Monthly
Mission to Burma : Compassion and hope guide Bellingham doctor : 12/11
Somewhere in the mountains of eastern Burma, John Snow is in pain…
Pacific Rim Tonewoods : Skagit company turns trees into music : 9/11
Steve McMinn is living his dream. His company, Pacific Rim Tonewoods, located in Concrete…
Business in Paradise : Area’s recreational bounty pays dividends : 7/11
Quality of life: Everyone wants it. It’s a hot commodity and here in northwest Washington, we have it…
The Economics of Imagination : Cultural resources generate revenue for the region : 5/11
There’s an industry that generates more than $14 million annually in Whatcom County.
Northwest Runner
The Mountain Runners : New documentary captures America’s first endurance race : 05/20/12
Todd Warger had a dream. A historian living in Bellingham, Wash., Warger discovered a passion for filmmaking in mid-life…
Adventures NW
Into the Tombstones : A Journey to the Arctic
I first herad about Tombstone Territorial Park in northern Canada a few years ago…
Paddling into Canada : A pilgrimage to Hozomeen
The surface of Diablo Lake is a turquoise mirror…
An abundance of grit and manly vim : The story of the Press Expedition of Exploration
The lure of discovering and exploring unknown lands has been with us humans since we emerged from our caves to wonder what lay over the horizon…
Preservation vs. Recreation : Tense times in the Glacier Peak wilderness
Ah, wilderness! The open country, uncrossed by roads…
North Cascades Institute : from concept to 25 years
Many years ago, back when the world was young…
The Zen of Walking : along Sahale Arm, North Cascades National Park
The surface of Diablo Lake is a turquoise mirror…
Gateway to the Pickets : Easy Ridge
Generally speaking, the Pickets are the exclusive realm of mountaineers who are willing to subject themselves…
The Northern San Juans : A place apart
24 miles. That’s how far away the little beach on Patos Island is from downtown Bellingham…
Ski to Sea : Remembering the Mount Baker Marathon
In most places, summer starts on June 21st…
Touching the Sky : Lookouts of the North Cascades
I met Fred T. Darvill twice. Fred was a champion of the North Cascades, the author of the Sierra Club’s “Little Blue” book…
Impresions : A Journey to the Sea
We reach the edge of the sea in the late afternoon…
Autumn in the North Cascades : time for change
From high meadows blanketed in vibrant magenta and orange to riverside groves of crimson maple…
The Enchantments of Autumn : a sojurn in search of mountains and myth
One hears a lot of talk regarding “must see” mountain destinations…
Dreaming among the whales on glassy water : Barkley Sound’s Broken Group Islands
For people everywhere who take pleasure in dipping paddle into sea, the Pacific Northwest is nothing short of Mecca.
Meditations beside the Baker River
Springtime settles over the valley of the Baker River like a luminous mossy dream…