In late October, Alex and I went on a trip that I have been dreaming of for years: a flightseeing tour over the North Cascades. I’ve long wanted to go on this flightseeing trip with Snowking Aviation, however, I had specific conditions in mind for our eventual flight. I wanted to fly in fall, after the first couple snowstorms coated the mountainsides in a blanket of snow, but the alpine lakes still remained unfrozen in their basins.
Read MoreThe Hidden Lake lookout in the North Cascades has been on my radar for years. I’ve always wanted to visit in the summer but the road is rugged—far too rugged for our Sedan—and the lookout is popular, which means you would be hard pressed to find any solitude there on summer weekends. However, in the winter the entire landscape transforms the tough summer hike into a grueling ski tour. The crowds diminish and the chances of getting the lookout to yourself increase (or so we hoped).
Read MoreEarlier this month Alex and I went on a dreamy backcountry ski tour with some friends in the Mt. Baker backcountry. The forecast for the day looked overcast and dreary, and we expected to be in the clouds for most of the day and possibly even snowed on. However, instead what we experienced was a winter wonderland. The clouds were light and airy and transformed the harsh sunlight into a soft golden glow on pillowy snow. We spent the entire day skiing laps in the Artist Point area, stopping often along the way just to stand in awe of the scenery surrounding us.
Read MoreWe pulled into the North Cascades ranger station in Marblemount at 5:00am, two hours before the office opened, but as our headlights swept through the dark lot we saw that we weren’t the first to arrive. There were already two people waiting at the front door, their headlamps illuminated a map as they talked over their options. I parked the car, turned off the engine, and walked over to join them. We were all here hoping to secure a walk up permit for North Cascades National Park over Labor Day weekend.
Read MoreAt the end of September, Alex and I went on an overnight backpacking trip with our friends Alisha and Sean to a place we have been dreaming about for a couple years: Sahale Glacier camp. This backcountry campsite is one of the most sought after destinations in North Cascades National Park so, understandably, the competition for permits on weekends is fierce.
Read MoreLast Friday Alex, a few friends, and I ventured to the Mt. Baker wilderness to do some winter camping. The forecast called for overcast conditions with possible overnight snow flurries but instead we were treated to the most perfect bluebird day. Since we were heading out on a Friday afternoon there were very few people out on the trail and we were able to get our pick of campsites.
Read MoreOver Labor Day weekend Alex and I had planned on going on a 35+ mile hike through the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Unfortunately, the road to the trailhead was too much for our 2WD sedan to handle so we had to turn around and find a plan B. A number of other unforeseen circumstances got in the way of plans B, C, D, and E and finally we ended up hiking plan F: Snowy Lakes in Wenatchee National Forest.
Read MoreI like to plan trips around holiday weekends and New Year's was no different. Alex and I took off work the Monday after New Year's so we could take a four day trip but only miss one day of work. I knew I wanted to go to Washington but hadn't settled on a specific destination.
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