Washington

A last-minute early summer adventure to one of the most popular hiking areas in Washington – The Enchantments

Ask nearly anyone in the northwest corner of Washington about Yellow Aster Butte and you’ll hear about how incredible, beautiful, and amazing the trail is. It seemed that everyone but me had visited this trail. With another day of amazing fall weather predicted, I decided to check off this trail and find out exactly what was so amazing about it. 

A visit to Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument has been on my PNW bucket list for a while. I had the opportunity to visit and hike in the area on the 38th anniversary since the explosion.

On the second day of my visit to Mountain Loop Highway I hiked to Heather Lake. The 2.2 mile trail climbs about 1000 feet to reach an alpine lake nestled below the north flank of Mt Pilchuk.

A couple weekends ago I had an unexpected opportunity to run of to the mountains. I ended up on Mountain Loop highway a bit north-east of Seattle. My second hike was an easy trail to the basin below Big Four mountain.

This past weekend I suddenly had a couple unplanned days. I decided to visit a few trails on Mountain Loop Highway, a scenic byway through the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. My first hike was to Lake Twenty-Two.

September is one of my favourite months for hiking. I often visit the local areas that I avoid during the peak of summer. The trails are quieter, the air is cooler, and there aren’t any bugs! The weather this past month was so fantastic that I actually managed to convince my hubby to join me for a couple overnights. Our first overnight was on the Chain Lakes Loop at Mount Baker. 

Before starting back onto the next section of the PCT, hubby and I spent a couple nights camping in Mount Rainier National Park. We had a picture perfect day of hiking in Sunrise.

This past weekend I got to meet up with a hiking friend and explore the north end of Olympic National Park. We made the most of our three days together. We explored the popular Hurricane Ridge area, and then enjoyed a night backcountry along the Elwah River.

After successfully beating off early-season colds, it was time to get back out on a serious trail. Last weekend we…