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The Season Finale: Mt. Shasta via the Hotlum/Wintun Route
The Season Finale: Mt. Shasta via the Hotlum/Wintun Route

For the finale of our spring ski season, Alex and I had hoped to do something big, something that would be the culmination of six months’ worth of long days in the mountains and training, something that we couldn’t have done in January, before we logged all of the miles and vert on skis. Initially, we had our mind set on Rainier via the Emmons, but early June reports on the state of the upper Emmons steered us away. It seemed route-finding around crevasses and over snow bridges was extra tricky this year. But then we thought, what about a different 14,000’ Cascade volcano? What about Mt. Shasta? The ten hour drive intimidated us, as did the 7,200’ ascent and the 14,180’ high point, but the forecast for the weekend of June 6-8 looked ideal and recent trip reports were promising enough that we decided to make the long haul to California. 

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A Paradise Classic: The Nisqually Chute
A Paradise Classic: The Nisqually Chute

We try to plan a ski trip for every Memorial Day weekend since a long weekend at the end of May lends itself well to big spring ski tours. This year was no exception. We initially set the weekend aside as a potential Rainier summit attempt via the Emmons, but on Thursday the Rainier climbing rangers posted a blog post detailing how sketchy the route currently is. Recent snow created shallow snow bridges over big crevasses, and there were reports of highly capable parties taking their skis off and belaying each other down the most precarious sections. This did not sound like something we wanted to do, so we looked for other options. After quite a bit of waffling, we decided to keep it chill for the weekend and go on a couple of half day ski tours in Mt. Rainier National Park.

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Mt. Garibaldi via Brohm Ridge Attempt
Mt. Garibaldi via Brohm Ridge Attempt

This has been the spring of attempting ski tours that have been on my radar for awhile, but for whatever reason were pushed to the back burner while we prioritized other trips. Mt. Garibaldi, just outside of Squamish, was on that list. Its steep NE face is an alluring ski line and the surrounding Coast Mountains make it a beautiful tour.

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Snowy Snowking 👑 . I took this photo with my 70-300mm lens. While I love photos of sprawling landscapes, there is something that feels almost intimate about being able to compress space and get an up close and personal view of a mountain summit whil
It may officially be summer now but the snow is still clinging to the Cascades! On Thursday, Alex and I watched the sunset at Tipsoo Lake and only a small portion of it was thawed (just enough to get a reflection!) ☃️ As beautiful as snowy scenes are
Photos from a sunrise in the Olympics a few weeks ago. It’s been a dreary June. It feels more like Junuary, with lots of overcast days. I’ve only been hiking once this month and I spent most of that hike in fog. But, it looks like there
I am struggling to find the words to describe how I’ve felt watching the events of the past week unfold. And I know I still don’t have the right words, but I also know I can’t be silent. This past week I’ve been listening, re
Olympic National Forest opened up most of their trailheads last Friday! Although, dispersed/backcountry camping and the trails themselves were never actually closed (I confirmed this with a phone call to the ranger station). Alex and I decided to hea
Adventure for me (and everyone else) these past few months has looked much different than it has in years past. | #ad @rei | Instead of driving to distant trailheads and embarking on a long hike into the mountains, we're slowing down and staying
Taking a stroll down memory lane 🌲 In July 2017 @alexspaeth and I went on an incredible trip to the Italian Dolomites where we hiked the Alta Via 1, a 120km trek over high mountain passes and through vibrant valleys. This moment of the trip was san
A calm moment on the coast ✨ I have this photo framed on my desk and I find myself staring at it often. My mind just can’t help but wander back to this peaceful evening spent on the Olympic Coast last spring.