Homecoming: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Windy Pass to Mirror Lake

Last year I called the Pacific Crest Trail home for six glorious months. I’ve wanted to return to the trail many times since then but, alas, circumstances have prevented it. This past weekend I finally got my chance. On Saturday I planned a trip to Mirror Lake along the PCT starting from the Windy Pass Trailhead, which is a relatively easy 6-mile jaunt roundtrip with only 1000 feet of elevation gain. I first hiked this trail 3 years ago when I was only dreaming of hiking the PCT. It seemed like a fitting way to make my homecoming.

Exploring Nature with Fresh Eyes: A Hike to Talapus Lake with my Three-Year-Old Nephew

This weekend, I hiked to Talapus Lake with my 3-year-old nephew Ben, my brother Jonathan and my sister-in-law Sarabeth. Talapus is one of many stunning lakes that gives the Alpine Lakes Wilderness its name. The lake is accessible by a short and gently-sloped path – which makes it a very popular trail for hikers of all ages and abilities. The trail became increasingly crowded the longer we stayed but I found it to be more manageable than some of the other more popular Seattle-area trails.

Getting our Rock On! Adventures on Granite Mountain

Granite Mountain has been on my bucket list for a long time. Located just west of Snoqualmie Pass, the mountain is famed for amazing 360-degree views of Mt. Rainier to the south and Mt. Baker to the north. It’s also one of the few hikes in the area to feature a lookout tower at the summit. The Granite Mountain trail is off-limits most of the year due to extreme avalanche danger. Now that summer has arrived, the snow has finally melted out – except for the last mile or so which crosses a snowfield.

Mt. Washington

9 miles roundtrip 3250 Feet Elevation Gain On Saturday I hiked Mt. Washington with my friends Jingyan and David.  Mt. Washington is a similar level of difficulty as the popular Mt. Si trail but not nearly as crowded.  The hike is located on the north slope of the mountain so the trail tends to get…

Kendall Katwalk

Kendall Katwalk 12 Miles Roundtrip 2600 Feet Elevation Gain I first heard about this hike last summer and have been wanting to check it out ever since.  Kendall Katwalk is a 12-mile hike that follows the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) northbound starting at Snoqualmie Pass.  The hike is most well-known for a section that has…