“Rolly, I think we’ve gone too far.” I was struggling to read the small print on my map by flashlight. It was 10:30 at night, and we were trying to locate our companions. “Hmmmm … I think we were supposed to take the Lily Basin Trail.” So, back we went to find the right turnoff, [...]

There’s a big problem with doing long dayhikes to spectacular destinations: not enough time. Sure, there’s enough hours to grind out the miles, but there’s just not enough time to properly soak up the surroundings. Gotta keep moving to make it home at a decent hour. For me, it’s especially irksome to return to the [...]

he cool evening dusk was quickly falling upon us as we cast furtive glances up and down the trail. Rob put a finger up to his mouth, and we stealthily left the main path to seek the seclusion of the trees. I kept glancing backward to make sure that our camp would be hidden from [...]

We all met at Rob’s place on this dark, rainy morning, and watched the big “green blob” of rain showers on the radar map. The weather was bad in Seattle, but we decided to head down to Rainier anyway, hoping for improved conditions. And, sure enough, the weather turned out great. Ken and Lisa drove [...]

The first real test of my new canoe came on the Madson River near Ennis, Montana. Scott, Jason, and I met Grandma and Grandpa at a camground along the West Fork. The first day of paddling wasn’t really paddling at all. The river carried us along swiftly, and our paddles were only needed for steering. [...]

All six original members of the “Teton Group” reunited for another adventure five years after our last one. I had been hiking with Rob all summer, and it was great to see Laurie, Doug, Ruthie, and Bill again. We all met at Laurie’s place, went out for breakfast, and drove up to Steven’s Pass. Since [...]

The town of Bannack, Montana came into being in 1862 when gold was discovered in sizable quantities on the banks of a local creek. The population swelled to 3000 in just a matter of months, and Bannack soon became the first capitol of the Montana Territory. When the gold ran out, the town was abandoned. [...]

Jason and I pulled into the Grant Village Campground on “National Parks Day”, so the admission was free. That evening, we took a stroll through the West Thumb Geyser Basin and saw several elk browsing near the steamy hot pools. The following morning we paddled on Yellowstone Lake and watched the boiling water from the [...]

This year’s season finale was the classic Enchantments thru-hike. We left one car at the Colchuck Lake trailhead, then returned to the Snow Lake trailhead to begin our trek. Dave, Wayne, Will and I made our way steadily higher and higher until we stopped for lunch near Prusik Pass. A chipmunk tried his best to [...]

Doug and I left Mowich Lake in a steady rain, but we were hoping that our hike would take us high above the weather. A deer watched us, as we moved along the Wonderland Trail through Spray Park. Only the lower portion of the mountain was visible, so we couldn’t make out any landmarks. We [...]