summit

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. 

I’d hiked lots of trails in Mount Seymour Provincial Park but I’d never made it all the way to the summit of Mount Seymour itself. I decided to finally summit the highest peak in the park during some amazing October weather.

Most people here in the Pacific Northwest are in agreement about one important thing – our autumn weather has been fantastic! October was especially amazing and I took full advantage to check some hikes off of my list. First up – Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park.

My most exhilarating day on the PCT in Washington was hiking through Goat Rocks. My day was full of epic views, mountain peaks, and steep terrain.

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. 

Yesterday was the first day of spring and the forecast was for sunshine! I decided to head for the North Shore mountains and do a trail that I try to do every winter: Mount Seymour summit in Mount Seymour Provincial Park.

Lassen Volcanic National Park offers an awesome exploration of all things volcanic. ​The main highlight of the park is Lassen Peak, standing proudly above the surrounding geology at 10,457 feet high.

Rainier is a mountain that will get under your skin, in a very, very good way. There is something captivating and enchanting about Mount Rainier that pulls us in and doesn’t let us go. John Muir, one of America’s best naturalists, understood the draw of Rainier.

​Sunrise is a truly beautiful area of Mount Rainier to explore. We were lucky enough to get a taste of much of it, spending a couple nights at backcountry sites, a couple nights at a front country campground, hiking low, hiking high, seeing sunsets and sunrises.

Day 21: Whitney Summit to Whitney Portal
Our last morning on the JMT, our alarm went off at 5 a.m. This was no ordinary last morning. We woke up on the summit of Mt. Whitney, having slept at 14,505 feet. It was a truly extraordinary sensation to step out of the tent and be looking down on everything around us.