Upper Coeur d’Alene River National Recreation Trail, Murray, Idaho
Finding ways to feel good in the gap of space between where you are and where you want to be is everything. I was supposed to go on an epic trip to the San Juan Islands on the Washington coast, courtesy of J Go. We were going to stay at her family cabin on Lopez […]
Olympic Coast North: Shipwreck Coast, Olympic National Park, Washington
If walking on Legos for 20 miles sounds fun, I have the hike for you. I have never been angry while hiking until this adventure. Actually, that is not true. There have been a couple of times that Barbarian Scientist’s family did something so offensive that it caused anger, and we went angry hiking until […]
McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, Chapter Two
Four days, 12 women and children, 14 miles of rafting, 27 miles of hiking, loaded with laughter and some tears. Memories were made. Trailkat and I scouted out this trail last year. I wrote about that here. It was really fun, and really really icy, and really really really cold. Like last year, I scheduled […]
Northrup Canyon, Steamboat Rock State Park, Washington
Go hike Northrup Canyon right now. Go! If you wait any longer, then you’ll miss this. It is vibrant and lush and overrun with countless marmots, but as the heat of summer in central Washington sets in, the green will turn brown, wildfires will smother the crystal blue skies, and rattlesnakes will be out. I […]
Scotchman Peak, Clark Fork, Idaho
No single mountain ever came to me, so I will always go to them. -said this really, really attractive man who was my favorite race director (Yeti Trail Runners) until Barbarian Scientist just became one for Mountain Magic. Scotchman Peak, in the Kaniksu National Forest and part of the Selkirk Mountain Range in North Idaho, […]
Lakeshore Trail, Priest Lake, Idaho
Lakeshore Trail is in Appendix A of 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest: From Beaver Creek Campground at the northwest end of Priest Lake, Trail 294 heads south along the lake, with bridge crossings over five creeks, to Granite Creek in Reeder Bay. Hikers could carry packs and camp at several beaches off this trail. […]
Harrison Lake, Boundary County, Idaho
I’m not rich, and I don’t always say the right things, but I can show you how to enjoy hard work and take you to beautiful places. I met Barbarian Scientist in early 2019. We decided to be serious about one another, but having both had marriages and divorces in our past, a commitment required […]
Badger Mountain and other hikes near Richland, Washington
Plan A: Backpack Weneha River Trail with Trailkat, near Enterprise, Oregon, with Washington Trails Association, and complete four trail work days. Then, I got sick – because you cannot have cancer and freely expose yourself to others at an epic getaway with your friends without consequences. Plan B: Camp near the river trail and day […]
Palouse to Cascades Trail, Iron Horse State Park, Washington
At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, we believe that every person—regardless of race, gender, geography, income, age, ability, sexual orientation or expression, or other minority status—deserves access to free, accessible and safe places where they can walk, bike and be active. We believe trails have the power to transform communities and create joyful, vibrant public spaces that are […]
Fishtrap Recreation Area, Sprague, Washington
Fishtrap Recreation Area is 9,000 acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land approximately 30 miles west of Spokane, Washington, near Sprague, Washington. It is home to two lakes (Hog Canyon Lake and Fishtrap Lake), the historic Folsom Farm Recreation Site, multiple habitats (forest, shrub-steppe, grasslands, wetlands), and channeled scablands. There are endless miles of […]