It's nothing that I'm proud of, but when it gets right down to it, I'm probably not the backpacking type. I'll run-hike the Loowit Trail around Mount St. Helens, climb Mount Baker or Adams or Shuksan, but when it's time to lay me down to rest, I want a bed. And maybe a TV with a clicker so I can watch the day's highlights on "Baseball Tonight."
By Mike McQuaide | September 2, 2004
Take a Walk
Location: Kent.
Length: Several miles of trails (part of the Green River Trail).
Level of difficulty: Level, paved walking/biking path.
By Cathy McDonald | September 2, 2004
Hike of the Week
Silver Peak is a muscle-stretching jaunt in the Snoqualmie Pass area with huckleberries and views galore that hikers can access from the famous Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
Is it a scramble or a hike? You decide. The peak falls into that gray area between hiking and scrambling, but is considered a "walk up" by experienced hikers when it is snow-free. However, beginning hikers probably would consider Silver Peak a scramble, since a portion of the route is rocky, rooty and not part of an official trail.
By Karen Sykes | September 2, 2004
Short Trips
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Geologists who embrace the plate tectonic theory say British Columbia was formed 200 million to 300 million years ago, when several Pacific Island arcs were carried east by the Pacific plate and collided with the westward-moving North American Plate. Volcanic activity later formed the province's rugged coastal region.
That's interesting, but it's just the beginning of the story. The human course of events in this rugged region of North America has unfolded over time as an adventuresome, uplifting and sometimes tragic story of the community of man.
By Jeff Larsen | September 2, 2004
Birders' Top Spots
Location: Everett.
Best seasons for birding: Year-round.
Habitat: A 412-acre island in Snohomish River estuary surrounded by trees and saltwater- and freshwater sloughs. Owned by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Snohomish County.
September 2, 2004
