Embracing Change

I have always been looking for big answers. And more and more over time, ONE answer. An understanding is what I seek. An understanding of my purpose and my destiny. It's an answer that for so long I believed was always there and I just needed to figure out the right equation. But more and more I feel that this answer isn't exactly there in front of me. An answer is something that is discovered only when there is a question. So perhaps, my "answer" is the question itself. It's as mystifying as that classic wonder of what came first - the chicken or the egg.
Understanding my destiny is understanding my past and maybe the only answer to this perplexing question that I need to understand now, is that anything, any answer is possible. Life is "survival of the fittest" paired with unpredictable "chance", creating that constant and inevitable change.
Only in considering all the possibilities will I find the right questions to ask. Maybe then I will be closer to finding the answers!

Happy New Years!

Four Quick Photos

Ice climbing seracs on Coleman Glacier, Mt. Baker

Cascadian Couloir, Mt. Stuart

Lake Ann near Ingalls Peak, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Snow Lake, Alpine Lake Wilderness

Knight's Reward

-My girlfriend Ruby summed it up when she said, "It's so beautiful here, I feel like I'm in a fairy tale!" It was true, the terrain defied imagination with it's lush growth and towering, ice plastered peaks. And no myth either, nearby there lay a "dragon" that resisted showing too us, it's face. We would have to climb to the top of a glaciated peak just to get a glimpse of it's tail.
The journey had begun on a cloudy Saturday morning this Labor Day weekend. Four of us, all with a deep thirst for adventure and awe-inspiration, meandered steadily up Hannegan Pass Trail until Ruth Mountain came into view.
Ruth Glacier is a true moderate and perfect for introducing friends to the exciting activity of mountaineering. For such an amazing area, it is surprising more people don't venture to this far away corner of the North Cascades. But then thankfully, the masses have never been the type to seek out unique and remote areas. Only the few, represented as one courageous soul, that knight in shining armor, ever come face to face with the mystery, and only he can claim the beautiful reward that awaits if he perseveres.

-This fairy tale continues with each of us pushing our tiring bodies up Ruth Glacier, still fantasizing of the long-rumored reward that awaited our arrival. Some effort later, our tents went up just 15 feet below the summit while North-Westerly winds tossed clouds and snow at us, as if breath from the dragon. It was giving us the expected fight, and it was up to us to utilize our modern armor to survive the blast.
Early the next morning, while we nourished ourselves with back country style beans and rice, the ancient monster began to show it's rugged face. Clouds scattered to reveal our uncanny camp right on the tip of it's tail. A rightward arcing curve of a narrow and jagged ridge led slowly around a cirque to the bulky body of Mt. Shuksan. A massif of a mountain inspiring all of those brave and persistent adventurers who willingly fight the battles of the human mind and body that prevent so many from even an attempt.
The effort of the battle made the reward even more beautiful than the knight had ever imagined! Now the next battle begins: How would he ever convince people the truth of the glories of his adventure and the worthiness of the battle.

Olympic Gold

As you know, the 2008 Summer Olympics began this weekend over in the Far East. So what a perfect weekend to climb a peak, here in the Far West, named Mt. Olympus: highest mountain in Olympic National Park. "Home of the Gods" to English navigator John Meares, the man who named it in 1778.
Our adventure began deep in the wettest place in the Lower 48: the Hoh Rain Forest. This temperate forest receives a whopping 180 inches of rain each year and up high on the mountain tops, 100 feet of snow! That unlimited volume of water nourishes a broad variety of gorgeous plant and animal life. It also helps the park qualify as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hike itself is not quite as pleasant though, with over 21 miles to the summit. Scenic hiking along side the glacial-silt tinged Hoh River, and under giant trees curtained in moss eventually give way to a steep and lengthy ascent to base camp at mile 17.5. In a world that is shrinking because of modern technology, it is wonderful to be reminded again of how monstrous it in fact is!


That evening as the air cooled, puffy white clouds turned to classic Cascade drizzle and we began to debate our chance of summit success the next day. But it is a rain forest after all...and so during the flat light of a misty dawn we started up to see what we could achieve. Breaking free of the trees and moving onto glacial moraine the rain-drenched wind pounded away at our spirits and our modern rain gear. Soaked to the core, we reached the massive Blue Glacier that lies within a cirque of alpine summits named after Greek Gods. Here at these heights the weather charges in directly from the Pacific Ocean, unimpeded 1,500 miles from Alaska. With clouds thickening, temperature dropping and winds increasing, it didn't take long to conclude that a campfire sounds better than 7 hours in hypothermic conditions. Live to climb another day and come home stronger and smarter than before.
"The Gods" must have wanted the mountain to themselves that day.....but we are to return in better weather soon!

Three Fingers Reprisal

The first of back-to-back trips found me hiking ten rugged miles to Three Fingers Lookout (two extra due to road washout). Accompanying me were two good friends who had the same itchiness to finish this thing off. You see, last October we had almost arrived when a sudden snowstorm compounded with lightning strikes sent us "running" home! This historic lookout was established by the U.S. Forest Service during the early part of last century for spotting fires within the back country. On the trek up, my mind wandered often to the burliness of past mountain men, who a century ago carried heavy building supplies and telephone wire up this jagged peak. And to think that I sometimes fuss about the moderate weight I have to carry.
But what a worthy spot it is for a building: _atop a narrow spire of rock with glacier to the north and a half-mile drop to the east. There is barely room for the lookout up there. Just beyond the window glass, the mountain falls away abruptly. Any sense of vertigo is promptly overwhelmed by 360 degrees of pure Washington State goodness! ! !

- More photos here and here.

If I Were a Wild Animal

Some might say that I already am one - but if I had four legs this would be me:













Humbling it is to watch these animals romp with recklessness on terrain that I, with all my technical equipment and rope, would very carefully navigate. High in the mountains, and shedding their furry coats, I'm sure these goats are happy summer is here!

Day Hike - Me Like

Pilchuck Lookout. Mt. Si of the North. Whatever you call it, this spectacular alpine summit less than 60 miles north of it's Seattle-area cousin certainly has the cherry on top. A weathered fire lookout originally built in 1918 provides coziness with sweeping panorama's 5,000 feet off the valley floor! It is highly recommended, especially mid-week.

One Revolution at a Time

The issue of Global Warming is clouded by many contradicting facts. One thing is sure though, mankind as a whole is polluting the air, water and earth. It was inevitable and I do not mean to place blame because to some degree we are all on the receiving end of that. We are at a critical turning point where the demands of large populations may soon begin to outweigh what we are capable of producing and protecting. Maybe collaboration and technology will save us but I think greed and stubbornness just might prevent this from fully materializing.
So what is my point: Well, I am making an effort to reduce my impact and encourage everyone else to do the same. If for no other reason then at least to save money as prices likely won't be dropping! I thought about this reasoning as I rode my mountain bike to the grocery store. In one hour, I enjoyed 45 minutes of invigorating exercise and picked up 40 bucks in groceries. Compare that to the two hours this would have taken if I had driven a car and then came home end exercised. Wow, I just saved 100% on time! And then there is the 10 smackaroos I saved on gas! Why aren't there more people riding along with toilet paper strapped to their pack?

Here is what I got in my day pack:
Chicken Breasts, Medium Cheddar Cheese, PepperJack Cheese, 12 Cage Free Eggs, Annie's Yogurt, Organic Rasberry Lemonade, 2 bags Organic Corn Chips, Emerald Valley Organic Salsa, Emerald Valley Organic Bean Dip, Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Fresh Parmesan Cheese, PepperCorn Grinder, 4 Rolls Toilet Paper, Bike Repair Kit and Bike Lock , Fat Tire Ale and some fresh-made Sushi to top it off!

Surfing Westport, USA

- Pro surfers competed in Westport this weekend and the waves were perfect. Here is a clip of some action -

Migrating to the North

Feeling like an ant as I drive lonely highways in gigantic terrain near Wrangell -St. Elias National Park

Soakin' it up in the sultry waters of Liard Hot Springs in Northern BC

______________________________________________________________________

Kayaking Tutka Bay

Big Sur Dreamin'

After a pleasant vacation to this spot in March, I can't stop thinking about this sunny delightful west coast haven, precariously placed on the brink of the largest body of water known to man!

- Paradise -

-30F

- Banff, Alberta. Remote beauty with HUGE mountain relief and extreme cold -