When we rebuilt Trailcooking from ground up this past year, I lost every trip report I had written from 2004 to current when we couldn't transfer the older version of the blog. There are some hikes I truly loved that I never wrote about, including Pumpkin Seed Lake in the Olympic National Park, in Washington… Continue reading Olympic Hikes: Pumpkin Seed Lake
Category: National Park
Local Adventures: Hurricane Ridge Wandering
When my oldest son Ford was little we spent many days hiking in the Olympic Mountains. Back then it was easy to do it, in the early 2000's. No needing reservations on the ferry across the Salish Sea from the island to Port Townsend. The area was a lot quieter with a lot less people,… Continue reading Local Adventures: Hurricane Ridge Wandering
The Blockhouses of Ebey’s Reserve
Updated in 2022: An oddity sits in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Preserve in central Whidbey Island, Washington. There was once a dozen, and 4 blockhouses from the mid 1800’s still standing. And you can visit them all. Ebey’s Preserve is a place rich in history. Two stand close to each other, near the Sunnyside Cemetery,… Continue reading The Blockhouses of Ebey’s Reserve
Trail Of The Shadows In The Snow
Trail of the Shadows is in summer a short loop hike, a great leg stretcher after the long drive to Mount Rainier National Park. In winter it takes on a new look, snowy everywhere but where the hot springs bubble up from the ground. The trail starts across the street from Longmire, having come in… Continue reading Trail Of The Shadows In The Snow
Lake Quinualt and Ruby Beach
Every year or so we head out in the late winter/early spring to the Olympic Coast and often to Lake Quinalt Lodge to spend a long weekend. Usually in the rain, but we make it happen. Lake Quinalt Lodge is one of a kind and I have been staying there since the late 1990's when… Continue reading Lake Quinualt and Ruby Beach