It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything local. It’s also been a hot minute since the last time I went on a real hike that didn’t involve carrying a crash pad or a rope. With a supposed bad weather window everywhere within a reasonable driving distance, we opted to stay at home to attempt some Sierra peak bagging training. (Read: hiking and putting in miles cause it’s been forever and a day since my feet have actually hit the ground) I opted for my local favorite at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Berry Creek Falls.
Hiking
The skies on the west coast of New Zealand were gloomy. It’d been raining on and off throughout the day. I finally made it to Fox Glacier after being cooped up on a bus all day. Never minding the threat of rain, I dropped off my gear at the Ivory Tower Lodge and laced up my boots. With a chance of my glacier trek getting canceled, I decided to go see Fox Glacier as up close and personal as I could get.
Day one of my solo trip in New Zealand began with touching down at 8am on Christchurch. I’d found a climbing partner on Mountain Project before I left but the weather wasn’t quite cooperating. My new friend picked me up from the airport and we headed to Godley Head to a hike a little loop he’d found in a guidebook somewhere. We hoped that it would clear up enough for us to head to a crag and get some routes in.
Oh man, I’ve been way too busy climbing and not blogging enough. Is it okay if I still talk about chasing fall color even though fall color is fading faster than fast? After oogling at glaciers and Mt. Baker the day before, I headed deeper into the North Cascades with my good friend, Jessica, for a romp on the Heather-Maple Pass trail.
I always make it a point to see her when in Seattle. She’s a great blogger friend who kind of just gets me, and I’ve hiked with her previously on the Mountain Loop Highway and at Ebey’s Landing. This time she brought along one of her puppies! Yep, she really did hike Heather-Maple Pass with her wiener.
A few years ago I stumbled across something called Twitter chats, specifically #hikerchat. From there, numerous adventure friend relationships spawned across the country. I’m so lucky to call Lee, the founder of the illustrious Washington Hikers & Climbers Facebook group, one of my good friends. He knows the best spots in Washington and is always happy to hike with the biggest smile on his face. This time around we headed out to Mt. Baker to check out one of his favorite spectacular spots, just off the beaten path.