This was scheduled as a Mount Baker-area trip with a flexible plan. It's always tricky to forecast what the early-season conditions will be like, so I kept the options open. The hope was that there would be plenty of snow in November, and then the weather would settle and provide a sunny day for us on December 1. Bingo, that's what happened, so the best choice was to head for Artist Point, getting up over 5000 feet for some knockout views. I had a group of 10 for this, the first snowshoe tour of the 24-25 winter season, and we really set a high bar for the rest of the trips to match. Sunshine, views, nice snow, and really not that crowded. 

It seems there's never a bad time to steal away to the San Juan Islands, even when the days are short and the temperatures are chilly, like is was today. We made the most of our day by hiking to the top of Young Hill, a nice 600-foot climb up from English Camp near Roche Harbor, and got some panoramic views. We also stopped for a stroll at LimeKiln State Park, taking in the rocky shoreline and scenic lighthouse setting. There was also time for a quick stop and picture-taking at an overlook near Cattle Point, where the brisk winds and late-afternoon sun gave the distinct feeling of fall winding down. After returning to Friday Harbor to line up for the departing ferry, there was a little extra time to wander the town and pick up a hot drink or snack item. And if that all wasn't enough, we had the rare treat of seeing a pod of orca whales from the ferry on the way there! It all added up to a very fun and memorable day.

This was a walk on the historic rail-trail near Stevens Pass, following the route taken in the early 1900's by the Great Northern railroad. We drove to the "caboose trailhead" just off Highway 2 at the tiny village of Scenic, and followed the lower grade for about 2 miles out and back. Winter has arrived in the higher Cascades Mountains, but at 2000 feet or so, where we walked today, there's only a little bit of patchy snow. The weather was kind to us-- only a few raindrops during the 2 hours or so we were out. We finished up just before noon, then headed into Skykomish to the Cascadia Inn Cafe, where we had a nice lunch. Henry, our server at the Cascadia, also happens to be the owner AND the mayor of Skykomish.

We headed out to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie valley outside North Bend, and managed to hit a reasonably good weather window that kept us dry and provided a few good views. We did the Garfield Ledges Trail first, climbing up the switchbacks to a great vista point about 600 feet above the valley. Snow has fallen on the mountains, and we encountered a bit of snow on our way up. After the ledges, we stopped off to hike the Oxbow Loop, a scenic easy path alongside a valley-bottom lake. We racked up about 5 miles total on the day, and finished up just as the high winds were arriving. Good timing today.

We headed to Lake Whatcom Park near Bellingham to do a nice 11-mile loop hike on a relatively new system of trails on the slopes of Haner Mountain. Whatcom County Parks built and maintained these excellent trails, and they offer enjoyable forest hiking that is just right for a stormy fall day like we had today. The trails are smooth and gently-graded, with plenty of switchbacks and no rough sections. We climbed up over 2000 feet, even got into a little bit of snow, then dropped back down to the lake, and finished along the Hertz Trail that follows the lakeshore. It was a good workout that helped us all break out of our November idleness. 

This was a trip to Port townsend to do some walking in the state park on the site of the old Fort Worden army post on Admiralty Inlet. Built back in the turn-of-the -(20th) century, the fort was part of a strategic trio of installations designed to protect Puget Sound from invading enemy ships. After a couple of decades of construction, the forts proved to be essentially obsolete, but the sites and many of the buildings are still there, making an interesting glimpse into the past, at a very scenic setting. It was a blustery November day for our visit, but the rain stayed elsewhere, and we had a fun 3-mile wander around the grounds of Fort Worden, including a visit to the Point Wilson (1913) Lighthouse. Lunch followed at the Bayview Restaurant in Port Townsend (excellent!), and a little bit of time exploring the town. 

This was a 7-mile loop hike in the Chuckanut Mountains near Bellingham. Whereas most hikers in this area start from Chuckanut Drive or Samish Overlook and hike in the Oyster Dome area, we opted for the less-visited east side of the mountain, parking at the Blanchard Mountain Upper Trailhead. Our hike took us to a pair of small but lovely lakes (Lily and Lizard). The grand climax atop North Butte was a bust on this overcast and showery day, providing us with about 100 yards of visibility. Still, it was a rewarding trip, and a fun chance to explore some lesser-traveled paths.

The George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary, located at the Fraser River delta south of Vancouver, is one of Canada's (and North America's) premier bird-watching destinations--and it's just a couple hours away from us. Nearly 300 bird species have been sighted at the santuary, and at any given time of the year, the variety of resident and migratory birds to be seen is quite impressive. We walked the paths for about 2 miles through the sanctuary, and although none of us are expert birders, we saw all sorts of birds of every color and size. After our walk, we stopped off for lunch at the Brittania Brewing Company in Ladner, BC.

We did a couple of trails near Index on a nice mostly sunny fall day. First, we traveled up the newly re-opened (Nov. '23) Index-Galnea Road, taking in the scenic drive along the North Fork Skykomish River, and stopping for a short walk on the Troublesome Creek Trail, starting from the campground of the same name. This might be the nicest, most scenic 20-minute hike in the Cascades, wandering through lush old growth forest next to the spakling clear creek tumbling through a polished-rock canyon. We then back-tracked to the outskirts of Index for the "main feature" hike up to Heybrook Ridge. Some morning cloudiness had mostly dispersed and gave us some fine views from the overlook at the top. We hiked about 4 miles total for the day.

Elliott Creek is the stream that cascades out of Goat Lake, in the wilderness near Barlow Pass on the Mountain Loop Highway. The lush rain forest setting and the ever-present rushing waters make for a serene hiking experience that can be enjoyed regardless of the weather. We took a 5-mile round trip up the creek and back, giving our raingear a good test in the near-steady showers that accompanied the hike.  Not many folks out braving the elements on what would normally be a fairly busy trail on a Saturday. But the beauty and peacefulness was there in abundance for those who could look past the raindrops.

On this trip, the drive there and back is equally as nice as the hike itself, as we made our way across the Cascades to Leavenworth and up the scenic Icicle River Canyon. Fall colors are at their peak along this route right now, so the sightseeing out the windsheild was top notch. The hike on the smooth, easy, well-maintained Icicle trail was really just "icing" on the cake, as morning showers gave way to some clearing at lunchtime, steadyily improving to bring some nice views in the afternoon. We hiked a 4-mile loop through the colorful forest, and even saw a few high ridges far above us that had been dusted with snow.

The foothills of the Teanaway River area near Roslyn contain some interesting rock formations, and today we went to check out a pair of them that are adjacent to each other. Exclamation Point is an 80-foot tall eroded sandstone pinnacle sitting on a ridgetop above the West Fork Teanaway River in a pine forest. Near it is a large exposed slab of rock known as Mammoth Rock, something that looks more like Yosemite or Utah than the eastern Cascades. Our hike was partly gated roads, partly forest trails as we racked up 9 miles or so round trip. Weather was perfect, and the fall colors were nice.