In my 70 years hiking, backpacking and climbing in both North and South America, Europe and Asia I have seen dramatic changes in outdoor equipment and apparel. This is a sample of the changes I have …

When I pitched this article, I had a preconceived notion of what it would be. I had visions of hiking deep into the forest in search of remote owls. I’ve seen owls over the years, but infrequently. …

Washington state isn’t the first place that comes to mind for aurora borealis viewing, but dedicated chasers have been enjoying a spectacular couple of years. The aurora becomes more visible …

When I’m driving along the Oregon Coast, it feels like, around every corner, I exclaim to the passengers, “This has to be the most beautiful place in the world!”  The Oregon Coast is …

Picture a distracted, fidgety seventh grade boy sitting in a middle school science class. The teacher lectures about the interconnections of old-growth forest ecosystems as the boy’s eyes drift to …

Chaos and color! Spring may not be official, but between the traffic jams and technicolor flower fields, confluence of snow geese and beckoning blue skies, the Skagit Valley welcomed its first full …

When Eric Gilbertson climbed Colfax Peak in 2024, it was as straightforward as mountaineering gets in the North Cascades. One year later, it was a different story. “The bergschrund had melted …

Kingfisher Bookstore Staff Picks: DISASTERS AT SEA Coupeville, Washington's Kingfisher Bookstore staff recommend their favorite winter reads, this time with a nautical theme!  …

Cascade Mountain Ascents is one of the newest guiding services operating in the North Cascades, and the crew of founders is hoping to make a difference with their co-op ownership model, offering a …

It was an eerie feeling, watching the twin engine Otter disappear into the clouds after leaving my friend Bill and I alone on a rocky outwash plain at the headwaters of the Ambler River, well above …

Fall shots from Mt. Baker, B.C. and beyond.

Do you like wilderness camping? Do you like catching big fish? Do you like seeing lynx, moose, grizzly and caribou? Do you like being alone in the bush? Do you like long drives? …

"Paddles up, and ... hoe!” Six paddles switch sides on the outrigger canoe, then slice through the crystalline water. If the next stroke is done in perfect harmony, you'll feel the catch …

This is no ordinary clam. Its scientific name, Panopea generosa, gives a hint: something large … something very large. I've dug clams since I was a kid, but I'd never dug Panopea generosa, …

O n a trip to Stewart Island, I found myself hiking through its forested landscape with a guidebook of the island’s birds in hand, clasping it possessively like a valued treasure map. …

The idea of walking across an entire country – crossing from one coast to the other – was a magnet to me, pulling me to read Alfred Wainwright’s guidebook, A Walk Across England . …

For spring break, we set out in search of sun. A direct flight from Bellingham to Palm Springs was a ticket to sunny skies and hot desert weather. While playing in the pool, nighttime miniature golf, …

Can’t see the trees for the forest. It’s easy to be distracted by the big picture when you’re standing on a western Washington alpine trail in summer. At Cascade Pass, for …

Chardonnay I look out over a sea of jagged white peaks. The ridges before me are layered such that they block the view of the treeline, creating the illusion that I am in an otherworldly …