Blog
We're still smiling at this mixup. With clear skies overhead and serious snow lingering in the mountains, we typed "monroe hiking" into a Google search to check out trail options in the foothills east of Seattle. Turns out our little traffic-jamming city along Highway 2 isn't the only Monroe with a hiking connection: the first search result brought up a Life Magazine gallery from 1950 of Marilyn Monroe stomping around Beverly Hills at the young age of 24. Not quite what we were looking for, but heck, we'll take it. Hilarious.
There's nothing better than pioneers, and up here in the mighty Northwest, we've got plenty of them. For a fascinating, thorough, and well-written account of how our cherished mountaineering and ski routes came about, check out Lowell Skoog's online publication, Written In The Snows. Worth every second. Great archive of images too. We almost forgot to breathe on that first image of the line of climbers making their way to the crater of Rainier. Unbelievable.
With the addition of our Mount St. Helens video, the family of hikes becomes 50 strong. Feels pretty good.
Brian and Mike sent along these shots from out on the trail, capturing a few epic moments from their hike and ski near Crystal Mountain in April. Absolutely killing it out there. Love that footage of Mike dropping into Silver Basin. Envy and inspiration at the same time. Well done guys. Well done.
Oh hey, maybe a good time to mention that everyone will be able to post their own adventures soon. Believe it. Tmber is about to go public. Coming up this summer. Hold your breath.
It's hard to play favorites in the Pacific Northwest. Too much good stuff around here. Music, beers, mountains, trails, coffee, beaches. We've got it all and we've got it in abundance. That's not bragging. It's just how things go.
When it comes to highways though, there's a clear favorite around the Tmber headquarters. We're talking hands-down, answer-without-a-blink, faraway-look-in-the-eyes kind of favorite. Highway 20. That majestic piece of pavement that cuts east-west through the most rugged of mountains in the Cascade Range. So rugged it's only open for a precious four months each year. Oh boy what a highway.
Offering glimpses of turquoise alpine lakes and impossibly steep snow-capped peaks, Highway 20 isn't just a favorite of outdoor junkies. Everyone from motorcycle clubs to silver-haired RV pilots wait in anticipation for the grand opening each spring. Ross Lake! Winthrop! Liberty Bell! Organic berries!
We've often wondered how the heck the good folks at Washington State Department of Transportation get in there and go about clearing the highway. With snow drifts measuring 60' deep, it can't be an easy task. Well, thanks to modern technology and a few camera-equipped crew members, we need to wonder no more. Check out this brilliant library of photos that take us from day one all the way up to the road opening (and all the progress in-between). Thanks for keeping us updated WSDOT. We're starting to dream of summer days in the North Cascades. Can't wait.
Love getting calls from Allen. Here's how it goes down:
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Allen. I need to climb something. I'm going crazy."
"Nice. Any ideas?"
"Something big."
"Yeah?"
"I'm thinking a mountain."
"Cool. When?"
"This Saturday."
"In two days?"
"Yeah."
"Let's do it."
So that's how we end up heading south on I-5 at the crack of dawn to St. Helens for a spring climb up the Worm Flows route to the crater rim. 5,700' in five miles. On snowshoes with our boards strapped to our back. Glorious.
Brian and Chris get off to a quick start, but thankfully we're filming the climb for a Tmber route, so they can't get too far ahead before they need to stop and get some footage. Those guys are animals. Allen and I take the slow and steady approach, telling ourselves we need to lay off the beers and get out more. True story.
Halfway up we stop for a quick break and the wind is cutting through our layers so it becomes an even quicker stop and we're at the summit about 3pm. That's when John says he hasn't snowboarded in years and proceeds to throw some of the world's ugliest powerslides all the way down the mountain. Full plow ahead.
The other guys step on the gas and we're down to the car with legs burning and plenty of time to hit up some organic milkshakes at Burgerville before we need to speed back to Seattle because Chris has a date to play Magic the Gathering or something. Maybe it was a birthday party. Epic.
Andrew Skurka at the Mount Baker Theatre on Tuesday night was unbelievable. Can't say how thankful we are right now. Honestly, truly humbled. If you missed the event, don't worry, tonight you can check out Andrew for one final performance at the Mount Baker Theatre. He'll be discussing gear and practical skills to help make hiking less work and more fun. A must see for everyone who hits the trail. Come early, tickets won't last!
Four reasons for Tuesday awesomeness: First, meeting Andrew Skurka and hearing about his 5,000 mile trek around Alaska was an experience all on its own. It's wild to shake hands with a man that has done something no one else in history ever has. Maybe ever will again. Being in the presence of such ability is immediately humbling and inspiring at the same time. Good words Andrew, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Second, Bellingham delivered a heavy turnout of some the finest audience we've ever seen. Packed it in. Full house and ready to listen. What a great community. Should've heard that way they responded to Andrew's presentation – laughing, tears, thunderous applause.
Third, we were fortunate to partner with McNett and North Cascades Institute on the event. Both groups demonstrated that there's a lot of good happening in the outdoor industry. Believe it or not, you can have a mission statement to change the world and stick to it. Thanks for that reminder guys.
Fourth, we got a ton of great help from volunteers that selflessly stepped in to make things happen. Dasia, Jeff, Matthew, Lindsey, Fred, Brian, Angela, and everybody else that lent a hand behind the scenes – Tracy, Susan, Tim and Ginger. You're the best. Lots of love going on right now.
All pictures courtesy of Matthew Bergsma.
This is the week Bellingham! Superhiker Andrew Skurka is in town and ready to deliver two epic nights of presentations at the Mount Baker Theatre. Tuesday he'll be retelling his most recent adventure of circling Alaska and the Yukon on foot, raft, and ski. Yep, that's nearly six-months and 5,000 miles of stories to "pack" into 90 minutes. Hold onto that chair. Thursday he'll be sharing hard-earned tips from thousands of miles on the trail, which he recently made available in his book published by National Geographic.
Get your tickets today! These are going fast. Can't guarantee you'll get a seat unless you get a seat. If you know what I'm saying.
All pictures taken by Michael Christopher Brown.
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