Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

Yesterday (Saturday, 11.03.07), knowing very well that the falls was already dried up, I made the two mile hike to Snoquera Falls (Trail #1167) near Camp Shepherd off State Route 410 (east of Greenwater, Washington). I wasn’t concerned about the views, I just needed to get some exercise (plus its cheaper than driving around at $3.00 a gallon).

The hike climbed steadily through the forest from the trailhead near Camp Shepherd. No great views of the surrounding country side, mostly old growth forest with some deciduous trees mixed in (note there would be some great fall colors within the forest in late September).
(more…)

Last Saturday, we just completed another wonderful trip with the Backroad Drivers Northwest group. On this trip we explored some of the roads near Rimrock Lake off Highway 12 in Washington state. Our focus for the day was the Wildcat Creek and Russell Ridge areas.

Jerry, our tour leader posted a nice write-up of the trip and it is posted at Rimrock Roads and Trails.

You can view more of the photos I shot on the trip at Rimrock Roads and Trails Photos.

Summer in Western Washington usually doesn’t start officially (at least weather wise) until July 5 of each year. Today (06.24.07) was no exception. The forecast for the day was for rain and a snow level of 5000 feet.

Since I worked the night before and my wife’s nephew was coming over for dinner, I had to keep the day’s adventure somewhat local from my home. Flipping through the book Washington Byways, I found Tour 49 - High Rock Lookout Loop and it fit perfectly into the day’s time restraints. I loaded up the dog in the Land Cruiser and headed towards the Cascades in hopes of finding some sun above the low hanging clouds.

(more…)

Last Sunday (June 24, 2007), I ventured into the High Rock area near Mt. Rainier. The weather was overcast and rain most of the day meaning in no great views of Mt. Rainier. These are the photos I shot on this adventure. Most are taken from the inside of my Toyota Land Cruiser.

High Rock Loop Photos

The complete story of this adventure will be coming soon.

Well I finally broke down and purchased a hand held GPS unit. Over the years, I’ve done pretty well for myself using a map and compass. I can usually figure out where I’m at and what direction I’m heading. The ability to use a map and compass is an important skill to have before you use your GPS for outdoor adventures (this does not apply if you only use your GPS to locate the nearest fast food restaurant).

The need (want) arose last year while on one of my multiday vehicle dependant adventures when I was faced with an intersection of several main logging roads that went several different directions. All I had was a forest service map of the area since I would have to carry a large assortment of topo maps to cover the amount of area I can cover in a trip. After figuring out the correct route (called backtracking) we were on our way again. A GPS would have probably helped in this sitauation (I have to justify the purchase somehow - right?). However, probably the most important justification for the purchase of a GPS is to be able to provide actual coordinates in case of an emergency.

(more…)

This past weekend, I traveled to Herron Island in the South Puget Sound of Washington state to help a friend install windows in a cabin on the island.

To get there, you must travel to Key Peninsula to the community of Home and then take a private ferry to the island. It’s a short ride to the island on a ferry with a estimated car capacity of about 8 vehicles. As with any ferry ride in the Puget Sound, the scenery on the way to Herron Island is breathtaking.

Once we arrived at cabin where we were installing the windows, we took a short walk down a steep set of home made steps down to the beach for more spectacular views of the Puget Sound.

Unless you visiting friends with a cabin on the island or attending an event, there’s not much to do on this small island. There are no services of any kind and you could probably drive around the entire island in 10 or 15 minutes. One thing you will notice though is the deer population. If you drive around after dark, it seems that every other yard has a small herd of deer grazing, totally unafraid of humans.

Unfortunately, the day we arrived on Herron island was the first day of the November 2006 storm that would bring record rainfall and flooding to Western Washington. By mid-afternoon, we were without power for the remainder of the day.

You can see the entire photoset at www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/. Please excuse the fact that I took these photos with my camera phone.

Just launched is a new forum at http://www.pnwoutdoors.net for all of you to discuss and share your favorite Pacific Northwest outdoor activities.

Discuss and plan trips. Discuss outdoor activities including wheeling, camping, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking and more. I’ll be adding more categories as the forum takes shape.

Registration is simple and free. Join today and introduce yourself on the forum. Share your passion for the Northwest outdoors.

With an actual weekend off, and knowing that I would probably soon be selling my Jeep Wrangler to buy a larger adventure vehicle, it was time for a three day Jeep adventure.

Our first goal (my son Steven and myself) was to travel from I-90 near Cle Elum, Washington to Highway 410 near Cliffdell, Washington via logging roads. I heard people talk about such a road in the past, but have never attempted to locate it.

Our second goal was to travel from Highway 410 to Highway 12 over logging roads. We would then travel Highway 12 over White Pass to Packwood. From Packwood, we would head South on logging roads towards Mt. Adams and locate a campsite for the night.

As in previous adventures, I turned to the book Washington Byways: Backcountry Drives For The Whole Family by Tony Huegel for some of my planning. The most likely route was to use Tour 43 - Quartz Mountain as a starting point for our weekend adventure.

Cascade Overland Adventure: Intro | Day One | Day Two | Day Three

I just completed an overland adventure by Jeep from Cle Elum, WA (I-90) to SR410, to US Highway 12, to Mt Adams, to Mt. St. Helens and posted the pictures at Photos from Cascade Overland Adventure - August 2006.

Enjoy.

One important aspect of any outdoor adventure is the ability to make it home safely. Animal strikes are one of the leading causes of vehicle damage when traveling in rural and remote areas, especially at night. As anybody who travels the highways knows, here in the Pacific Northwest, we have our share of animal strikes. The most common you see along the side of the road are deer. I have also seen collisions with elk, cattle and horses. Our friends to the North in British Columbia frequently witness collisions with moose.

In a full head-on animal strike, at a minimum, you will most likely damage your radiator, which can totally incapacitate your vehicle. Hopefully, the collision will be a glancing blow, minimizing the damage. I’ve seen pickup trucks where a 60 mph collision with a deer caused damage to the entire front end including the bumper, grill, radiator, core support, hood and both front fenders. The loss of your vehicle far from home is the last thing a person wants on an adventure.

(more…)