Outdoor adventures in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, with some occasional reflective storytelling.
Turtleback Mountain was our first hike on Orcas Island, and the best one we did. Hiked: early JuneBest time to hike: year roundDistance from Seattle: not for a day trip – 2 hours to Anacortes, plus 1 hour ferry ride, and then a 10-minute drive from the ferry terminalAccessibility: Entirely paved highway and road Length…
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Still in my first year living in Washington, I didn’t know when the North Cascades area was accessible. Snow conditions in the mountains are still something I’m learning about and trying to understand. So when I saw a news announcement that highway 20, which crosses through the North Cascades, was entirely cleared of snow last…
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When friends came to visit in April, I knew that seeing the Washington wildflowers would be a special, unique spring opportunity. And when it came down to choosing on the morning of between Mount Si in the rain or a sunshine-filled wildflower excursion, it was an easy decision to make! We planned a day to…
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Garfield Ledges is a super easy, super quick hike located near North Bend. I picked it on a day when I didn’t want to spend the entire day hiking, but still wanted a bit of mountain views. It fit the bill perfectly! Garfield Ledges Trail Review Hiked: mid-April. Accessible year-round.Distance from Seattle: 50 minutesAccessibility: Almost…
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Teneriffe Falls is no joke. The first time I attempted to hike it was in January of 2020. It was cold and rainy, and I was with my sister and her then two-year-old. We didn’t make it to the falls. So I knew I needed to come back to try it again. I decided to…
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Heybrook Ridge convinced me that I do not get up to the Index area enough. I’ve been doing a lot of hiking in the I-90 corridor, simply because it’s quick and easy to get to, and there are plenty of hikes without snow in the area. As someone who is new to winter and snow…
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Little Si has a special place in my heart, because the first time we hiked it was right around when we decided to move to Seattle. It’s such a fantastic, quick hike get away from the city. If you’ve lived in the Seattle area any length of time and enjoy hiking, chances are you have…
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With a name like Dirty Harry’s Balcony, I was already suspicious about it. And when Gonza and I attempted it for the first time back in September, I wasn’t a huge fan — but we didn’t make it to the top. I wanted to give it another try though, and I’m glad I did! Dirty…
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For my 28th birthday, I was determined to spend the day in the outdoors, hiking. Given the friendless-in-Seattle and covid situations as well as my hiking hobby, it seemed like a natural choice. Since my birthday was on a Friday, I took the day off work to enjoy a three-day weekend. And then, the forecast…
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Twin Falls is actually the very first hike I picked out in Washington–before I knew I was going to move here. We were visiting my sister and her family over the winter holidays. I wanted to plan a hike that we could bring our then 2-year-old nephew along on. Something short, something within a 45…
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Elizabeth Seeks 