Little Kids, Big City
On Tuesday, May 27, at noon, the Seattle Parks and Recreational Department's registration opens for their fact-packed nature programs. If you haven't been before, the Environmental Learning Centers' classes aren't snore-inducing biology lectures. Instead, the hikes and walks are more like a hands-on PBS nature show, without the gory bits.
By Lora Shinn | May 26, 2008
Sometime in the spring, when most area ski lifts roll to a halt, I
imagine dogs across town heave a communal sigh of relief. The season of
their people heading to the mountains without them is finally over.
Now, when the backcountry beckons, dogs -- trail dogs, that is -- can
answer the call. Ahhhh-ooooh.
By Lisa Wogan | May 12, 2008
Hike of the Week
The Wonderland Trail is about 92 miles long with an accumulated elevation gain of 22,786 feet. Many hikers do a stretch at a time, and this hiker had unfinished business with Summerland.
Earlier this year, snow stopped me and I had to call it quits at Fryingpan Creek, a mile short of Summerland. We returned in August, determined to get to Summerland via the Wonderland Trail. The route is justifiably one of the most beautiful hikes in Mount Rainier National Park, and a sunny day in August guaranteed success.
By Karen Sykes | September 7, 2006
Hike of the Week
Navajo Pass is ideal for that first high-country sojourn when the snow melts out. Even with our early start, the Stafford Creek trailhead was filling up. However, there's more than enough of the sublime Teanaway country to go around and once you leave the trailhead, you won't feel crowded.
The Stafford Creek Trail (No. 1359) is not only popular for its views of the Stuart range but also for wildflowers and variety of terrain, ranging from marshy meadows to serpentine barrens where colorful minerals in the rocks glitter and gaudy flowers glow.
By Karen Sykes | July 13, 2006
Hike of the Week
In the Issaquah Alps, West Tiger Mountain offers hikers the most possibilities, with a variety of activities, ranging from epic routes to long-distance trail runs to strolls.
The Tiger Mountain Trail officially opened in 1979, and regional trails author Harvey Manning describes it as "the supreme hike of the Issaquah Alps."
The 16-mile route can be hiked one way, but you also can make a sweet eight-mile loop via the West Tiger 3 Trail. Both
By Karen Sykes | March 16, 2006
Hike of the Week
Hikers know how hard it is to get an overnight permit for the Enchantment Lakes Basin, the showpiece of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but day hikers need not rule out the magic of the Lower Enchantments. Nada Lake and Snow Lakes offer a peek into this realm of the gnome and fairy-haunted land of sprites and leprechauns.
By Karen Sykes | September 22, 2005
CHELAN COUNTY — It's a rather nondescript mountain with an ordinary name, often overshadowed by the attractions of nearby Lake Chelan.
But when you stand atop 8,243-foot Pyramid Mountain on a picture-postcard day, it's hard to imagine a more breathtaking view of the rooftop of the Cascade Mountains, with the fjordlike, deep-blue waters of Lake Chelan 7,000 feet below.
By Rick Lund | September 22, 2005
MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — She's a lurker.
Mount Hood, the craggiest and mightiest of the Oregon Cascades, is a rock-and-ice presence that, on many days, you feel more than see.
Thanks — or no thanks — to cranky weather rolling in off the Pacific or barrel racing up or down the Columbia River Gorge, the majestic, 11,235-foot peak can be shrouded in clouds for days.
By Ron C. Judd | July 21, 2005
Hike of the Week
Kacey Dupuis was almost the youngest person on our hike to Esmeralda Basin. Luckily for her, her parents and the rest of our group, Kacey waited 12 hours to be born.
Eighteen hikers signed up for this experience sponsored by Washington Trails Association, according to Lace Thornberg, development coordinator for WTA.
We were anticipating the wildflowers for which the region is known, but the WTA also wants its outings to emphasize the importance of protecting wild places, especially those that are not within designated wilderness areas.
By Karen Sykes | June 30, 2005
LEAVENWORTH -- It seems as though you're tripping through the inner sanctum of the gods in the Upper Enchantments, all stark granite and ice at 7,800 feet, crowned by dragon-toothed peaks, adorned with lakes and tarns linked by meltwater rivulets. It's a place where clouds billow through passes and fall's angular light casts subdued shadows.
The ambience is of another place, another time, a lost world.
Only it's not lost.
By Greg Johnston | October 21, 2004
