Portland?

The bedroom is way too dark for 8:30am. Rain. I get up begrudgingly, my body a pin cushion of unexplainable pain. I hear the two lambs crying nearby and limp to a window to see what the fuss is. The dogs are chasing them around the front yard, all parties confused as to why they […]

Day One: Portland to Williams, Oregon

My alarm goes off at 7:50, but like most days lately, no matter what time it’s set for, it takes me about thirty minutes to get up. I lay in bed and check email as Brie continues to sleep undisturbed. I have a pingback awaiting approval from a website I’m not familiar with. Pingbacks are […]

Day Trip: Rattlesnake Falls

Location: Husum, Washington Google map: don’t bother. From the Hood River Bridge, head west for 1.5 miles then make a right on SR 141. After 6 miles, just past Wet Planet, turn right onto Oak Ridge Rd. for 0.8-mile. Turn Right on Rattlesnake Rd and set your odometer. At the nine mile mark (most of […]

Dalles Mountain Ranch

Level: Easy (Beginner level: challenging) Length: ~5.5 miles Elevation: >1,000 ft. gain Type: loop Open: all year, peak wildflower time is mid-April to mid-May Permit: Discover Pass or $5 Drive time from Portland: 1h30m Google map: “crawford oaks trailhead” Features: Eastern Gorge, spring wildflowers, waterfall Every day that has passed in the week-and-a-half since I did […]

Latourell Falls

Level: easy (Beginner level: challenging) Length: 2.3 miles Elevation: 600 ft. gain Type: loop Open: all year Permit: n/a Drive time from Portland: 35m Google map: “latourell falls” Features: Columbia River Gorge, waterfalls, views The only good thing about my stupid meniscus tear is getting reacquainted with the shorter, less difficult trails I haven’t done […]

Angels Rest

Level: Moderate Length: 4.6 miles Elevation: 1,500 ft. gain Type: Out and back Open: all year Permit: n/a Drive time from Portland: 30m Google map: “angels rest” Features: Columbia River Gorge, Coopey Falls, views out the yingyang Angels Rest, you are the McDonalds Value Menu of trails and I’m lovin’ it. So much bang for […]

Mt. Adams Wilderness (revisited)

The day I attempted this trail for the first time, was actually the day I decided to start this blog. It was awesome to revisit at it’s peak season and actually complete it this time, as well as revisit the old write-up and see how far this blog has come in almost a year. I’m […]

Silver Falls State Park

Level: Moderate Length: 7.5 miles (shorter loop options listed below) Elevation: 600* ft. gain Type: out and back Open: all year Permit: $5 parking pass at kiosk Dogs not allowed Drive time from Portland: 1h15m Google map: “Silver Falls State Park”

Travel Journal: June 16 – 22, 2016: The Big Island of Hawai’i

Locations: Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Crater, Hapuna Beach, Mauna Kea Beach, Wai’ale Falls, Rainbow Falls, Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden, Akaka Falls, Lava Tree State Park, Pohoiki Warm Pond, Kehena Black Sand Beach, Pahoa, Kahalu’u Beach, Honaunau Bay aka “Two Step”

The Adventure Gap – James Edward Mills

The central story follows Expedition Denali, the first all Black mountaineering team to attempt summiting Denali, but it is so much more than that. Mills is a talented chronologer and historian who exposes the missing and even hidden history of Black people in the outdoors and the ways that has lead to disinterest in outdoor […]