Search results in tag Intrepid Insider
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Island Life
by Intrepid Insider
on 05/12/2013 - 10:55 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Whoa, there it went! Hope you didn’t blink. A solid week of summer weather just passed by here in Washington and it’s only May. The clouds are back, but hopefully that little stretch is some indication that we’ll have an actual summer – and on time – this year.
At any rate, whenever nice weather hits around here, it’s important to take advantage of it as soon as you can. And without much time to act, it’s important to find a place quick. For us, last weekend, that place was Camano Island State Park. Only about an hour from Seattle, it’s a quick – and beautiful – getaway. And in late spring and early fall, it’s ...
Year-Round Scenery in the Arboretum
by Intrepid Insider
on 03/12/2013 - 10:51 am
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Sure, it’s been sunny the last couple of days, but as scenic as our state may be, sun is not commonplace in the months of February and March. And as intrepid as I may be, I don’t often enjoy a hike in the rain or dampness, unless said weather catches me by surprise mid-hike. As a compromise during these often-soggy months, I like to stick around town and see what the city’s parks have to offer.
Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle is 230 acres of magnificence, offering trees and plants from around the world. A seemingly endless system of trails winds throughout the park and a large portion of the park can be seen from one’s car while driving through.
Since the ...
Guided: Cowlitz River Winter Steelhead
by Intrepid Insider
on 01/03/2013 - 04:55 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
There comes a time in every fisherman or fisherwoman's life when he or she needs a little help finding the fish (well, pretty much all the time when it comes to Steelhead fishing). There also comes a time in these same people’s lives when they need to find that perfect Christmas gift for a relative (who also loves fishing) visiting our beautiful state from, say, Montana. Enter: Christmas 2012 at our house.
With my mom and stepdad here for just over a week during Christmas time, I had plans to take my stepdad fishing. With our recent low water conditions and lack of rain, the fishing has been pretty slow to say the least, so I bit the bullet and did something I&rsq ...
Alaska Lake via the Gold Creek Trail
by Intrepid Insider
on 12/24/2012 - 04:33 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
As always, more photos on my Facebook page!
Alaska Lake is one of those trips where I should probably come back and report to you, the faithful reader, how the bugs were unbearable, the fishing was terrible, and the rain was in non-stop downpour mode. Just terrible, don’t bother going. But I can't lie to you. I can certainly keep a secret worth keeping, but this is one secret worth sharing - because if you can make it to Alaska Lake, you've earned what waits at the top of this strenuous climb.
It’s not the first 5.5 miles that are so bad; those are a walk in the park, really – a beautiful, tree-filled park, where you e ...
Gold Creek Pond - Easy Access Fun
by Intrepid Insider
on 12/18/2012 - 05:30 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Well...winter is finally here. As a freelancer, this means two things: Work is going to slow down - way down. It also means that I'll have a little more free time for winter adventures and personal projects, both of which I went in search of this past weekend. On Friday, a friend and I left Seattle around 1:00 in the afternoon to scout a few locations for an upcoming photo shoot. We made quick time to Snoqualmie Pass via I-90, stopping off at a few spots that I like around the Alpental Ski Area. We continued on to the Hyak exit off of I-90 and drove over to the entrance to the road to the Gold Creek Picnic area. The road is unmaintained, so in order to reach Gold Creek Trail, which wil ...
Fall Salmon on the Washington Coast
by Intrepid Insider
on 11/15/2012 - 04:00 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
What's that you say? Fishing again? "Come on, Intrepid Insider, don't you ever do anything else?"
Well, yes...but I won't bore you with the details of any of that. I think I've written about fishing in my last five posts - at least. And you can bet that I'll write more in the very near future. The upside to this - if you like fishing - is that you just might find a great new place to go fishing this fall. Or winter....or spring...or - you know - whenever you want to go fishing.
I've also written specifically about fishing near Forks, WA before - last spring to be exact. That trip wasn't the most productive for us, by any means, but we had much better luck this time a ...
A Reminder of The Price We Pay
by Intrepid Insider
on 11/01/2012 - 04:40 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Every time I travel somwhere in this state, I feel incredibly lucky to live here. We really have it all. I tell people that whenever I talk to them about what it's like to live here. Mountains, trees, and water surround us, and are too easy to reach to not go out and enjoy them whenever possible. But as with anyplace with the outdoors conveniently located just outside the backdoor, it all comes at a price.
We all venture in to the wilderness for different reasons, with different expectations of what any given journey will hold. Even with a group of friends, we experience the outdoors in our own individual way every time we head out on the trail – each of us breathing in the sa ...
Risk and Reward at Rachel Lake
by Intrepid Insider
on 10/15/2012 - 09:21 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
I may have mentioned it in my previous Rachel Lake post, but check out photos from this trip HERE
A few weeks back, I wrote about our experience with an accident that occurred while on a hike to Rachel Lake, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Hyak just east of Snoqualmie Pass. Accidents are almost inevitable in the wilderness at some time or another and although that particular one put a bit of a damper on our weekend, we still managed to have a good time up there. Sometimes the best rewards come with the greatest risk. And while the Rachel Lake hike isn't exactly the riskiest to travel, it brings great rewards.
Kachess Lake Campground is located about ...
Early Bird Hike - Lodge Lake on Snoqu...
by Intrepid Insider
on 09/11/2012 - 08:17 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Check out the full photo set here, complete with plenty of panoramic shots.
Good things come to those who wait…Unless you like picking fresh huckleberries and catching big fish. I enjoy both. I did this hike on August 28th this year and I was already too late to find very many of the delicious purple berries along the trail. Regardless, hiking to Lodge Lake is a perfect mid to late-August activity. It’s an easy, quick hike on a 3-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail that passes right through Summit West Ski Area, a location familiar to those who frequent I-90 via Snoqualmie Pass. And if you go early enough (but not too early) you just might find som ...
Snow Lake Lives Up To Its Name
by Intrepid Insider
on 08/07/2012 - 05:12 pm
Tag: Intrepid Insider
Awhile back, I wrote about snowshoeing adventures in the Alpental Valley on Snoqualmie Pass. After the snow melts and the foliage begins to show, the valley takes on a whole new look and is just as scenic and fun to explore, without all the bulky winter clothing.
From the same trailhead at the northern end of the upper-most parking lot at Alpental Ski Area, traversing the east side of the valley, is the trail to Snow Lake. The trail is a moderate 8 miles round trip, with 1300' of elevation gain, making it a great hike for event the more novice hikers out there. This translates in to a busy trail on weekends, but mid-week travel can mean seeing no one on the trail, which is ...
