HILLS HURT, COUCHES KILL hiking log

looks awesome

 

This is the night I found out my "insulated" Big Agnes sleeping pad was only rated for down to freezing. My 15° down bag with no back didn't help much when it was 10° out and it all leached up through the mat.

 

This is the last hiking trip I did dated back to 2014, Mount Robson with Berg Lake/Glacier in the foreground. I have big plans for this year though, tons of hiking and backcountry overnights on the list.

 

This photo doesn't do the view justice. This is looking down toward Kitt Peak descending from Mt. Wrightson last night (5/30/2020). It was raining (you can see the streaks) and the sun broke through some distant clouds. Everything around was intensely orange and through a break in the trees I took this picture. The remainder of the descent was in the dark, in the rain.

Mt. Wrightson is part of Madera Canyon, about 90 minutes south of Tucson. Beautiful all around.

 

Up to the Champion...last week

 

Started out in the Stilliguamish Valley, ended up finding snowpack around 4,000 ft







Overall lots of fog and drizzle, but thats ok. Keeps the crowds away

 

Ever make it up to Makah Bay or Cape Flattery?? I made it up there a few years back and have been wanting to go back ever since.

 

Yep

Crossing Puget Sound early in the morning looking back east. Mt Rainier is bottom right



Port Crescent looking back east at sunrise. Its not an actual port just a bay off the Straight of Juan De Fuca highway



Makah Bay





Haven't really hiked out there much, usually just go out there to camp and surf

There's great hiking in the Hoh rainforest and of course Shi Shi Beach is a bucket list for a lot of people.

The view from Cape Flattery looking at Tatoosh Island

 

19-20 miles round trip in 5 and 1/2 hours,
rained the entire time

 

I really like the Tucson area for a change of pace

 

UPDATE June 25, 2020: Still burning. At 75,000 acres right now. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6741/

It's funny you say this RIGHT NOW. The area in the lower photo is on fire! 3,200 acres so far. Four days ago an area to the left of that panorama image was struck by lightning and the fire has worked its way up the canyon. I can see it from my house.

But in the spirit of the thread, here's an image looking down toward Pima Canyon a few weeks ago. I'll have to take a comparison photo once the fire is gone.

 

I've had this location on my "to do" list for years. Finally made it. Hoover Wilderness. Short but good hike surpassing 10k feet. Got a bit winded but well worth it.

 

Very cool! What's the name of that lake?

 

Kind of reminds me of St. Mary's Glacier here in CO that I did last year.




Great thread with some beautiful pics everyone!

 

Old mining/ ghost town named Monte Cristo off the Mountain Loop Hwy.



This crazy rail-car turntable still spins