Honestly it was a real shock to wake up last Friday and see that it was dumping snow outside. In Tacoma! Winter came through for WA at the last possible moment. Not looking so good for our southern neighbors, but we can at least celebrate the little wins, right? We
Time to make up for lost time. Barely more than an hour from home, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie has been a quick option for easy hiking here and there, but I've mostly ignored it. Although it's undeniably beautiful, I'd written it off as too
The time of year comes when I've been deprived of a night in the woods for too long. And the short days of winter are quite limiting when factoring in drive time to each trail I wish to explore. So I devised a simple plan called "Camping
I'm a sucker for a river valley, and the White River's Skookum Flats had been calling my name for a while. Apparently 'skookum' means strong or powerful in Chinook Jargon, alluding to the mighty river flowing off of Tahoma. Clearly not at full might
Last backpacking trip of the year (two months ago now 😬)! And a long awaited one too. We'd put together an itinerary for a backpacking trip with Catelynn's dad last year, but were tragically foiled by an ill timed COVID infection. This year, things went more according
After that night out on the coast, we weren't quite ready to leave the serenity of the Olympic Peninsula. As it so happens, my aunt has been entrusted with the caretaking/usage of a nearby cabin while her friends are away. So by extension, the entire Freeman family
Walking with a heavy backpack is one of my all time favorite activities, especially when it involves trudging through sand and clambering over ocean sprayed boulders. While living in Wyoming and even in Tacoma, I've neglected the coast, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity for
Okay, so sorry folks, I know you've all been dying for part II of my labor day weekend. After I raced back from my salmon camp at the crack of dawn, I hopped in the car with Catelynn and Carson and my BFF (Sadie) for a little hike
About a month ago (labor day weekend), I embarked on a quest to explore a decommissioned Forest Service road along the Dungeness River and set up camp in the old East Crossing campground. The road was an absolute thicket, passable, but barely so in some places. I held a stick
Hello folks. I am once again coming to you with photos of trees. Not much to say but they are beautiful, and I am compelled to share them as otherwise they will slowly fill up my hard drive for naught. Also I will be sharing more photos of trees very
Catelynn wins the best girlfriend award once again for booking us a whale watching tour as my B-day present this year. Already we'd had a good whale year (orcas sightings in May and July), but this sealed the deal. And puffins? Gotta love puffins! According to the naturalist
The last weekend of July (yeah a long time ago) was spent with some brief exploration in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (maybe my favorite national forest? It's up for debate). My dad and I cruised out to the Forlorn Lakes and somehow managed to snag the last