The Last Days in the Rain Shadow
The weight of a winter storm has whisked away the opportunity to further my exploration of the Methow Valley for another season. The fragile thread of concrete …
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Blog
Adventures
Park Creek Pass: A Tale of Two Hikes
It was early August, and time for the end-of-quarter North Cascades backpacking adventure for the new graduate students, collectively called “Cohort 13.” At 12 people, plus two …
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Pelicans and palm trees
I decided to start my summer break right away. Three days after moving back to Bellingham from the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, I was on an …
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Backpacking Copper Ridge & the Chilliwack
Story and photos by Andy Porter The trek started at the Hannegan Pass trail head. We arrived Friday morning to a full parking lot and sunny skies …
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Long Goodbyes
Five weeks seems like a long time to spend in the North Cascades, but as the final days of my sabbatical from National Parks magazine approached, I …
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Adventure in the Gorge Lake draw-down
Fifty years ago, returning visitors to the Upper Skagit Valley may have asked the question “Where has the river gone?” With the 1961 completion of the 300-foot …
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Rainy Adventure on Ross Lake
We’re back, safe, damp, smelly, and happy. Youth Leadership Adventures staff training 2013 was a success!!! At least that’s what I emailed my mom when I returned …
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Traversing the Pickets with Kyle Miller
We were thrilled to find this trip report from a traverse across the North Cascades’ remote Picket Range last summer, made by four local splitboarders: Scott Mcallister, Kyle …
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Following Tracks
My touring partner, Ian, and I found ourselves looking out across Ptarmagin Ridge toward our distant objective, Coleman Pinnacle. The only noise was that of the wind …
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Winter Canoe Adventure
What is a sunny day in January for, if not an adventure? On one such day a couple months back, I headed out in the Institute’s 14-person …
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