Category: Climbing

The highlights page for 2009 is up on my website! After 2008 featured scenery predominantly from the Washington Cascades, this year’s edition has more shots from California’s Sierra Nevada than ever before. Areas visited in the Sierra include the Minarets, Palisades, Kings-Kern Divide, and Rae Lakes area. The first adventure run of the season was…

Here is an aerial map of the 46 mile Rae Lakes loop (click on image for larger version):

According to the national park service, the Rae Lakes Loop is one of the most popular hikes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, if not the entire Sierra. I completed the famous loop in 12 hours, 31 minutes, starting at 5:30 am and finishing just after 6 pm. The loop is 46 miles long and climbs…

I designed a single large loop that entails nearly 40 miles and 14,000 feet of elevation gain with spectacular views into the heart of the Southern High Sierra. I call the route the “Stanford Loop” because it encircles 13,963 ft Mount Stanford, which is known as the “shyest” major peak in the Sierra because its…

Here is a much oversimplified aerial map of the Suiattle Crest 50 mile adventure run loop. The words in yellow are the passes. We started at Little Giant Trailhead but you could also start at Phelps Creek Trailhead – both are indicated on the route. Click the image for a larger version and don’t forget…

Colin Abercrombie and I completed a 50 mile loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness that includes 12,500+ ft of elevation gain and passes through six passes (Little Giant Pass, High Pass, Buck Creek Pass, Suiattle Pass, Cloudy Pass, Spider Gap). The 50 mile distance was not contrived – we simply used existing trails and routes…

Colin Abercrombie and I completed the Ptarmigan Traverse in 14:36 from the Cascade Pass parking lot to the Downey Creek trailhead, a new FKT (fastest known time). In 2008, Colin and I did the traverse in 18:10 so we were extremely happy to do it 3 hours and 34 minutes faster this time.The prior FKT…

Clark Mountain is located in the Glacier Peak wilderness of north-central WA. It is a great non-technical climb with excellent views of the Dakobed Range, Glacier Peak, and the Napeequa Valley. The climb starts at 2,300 ft in the White River Valley (not to be confused with the White River near Mt. Rainier) and tops…