nature

Goat Rocks Wilderness by Ray Phung

Last year, a group of us went out to the Enchantments to get away from all the crowds, heat, and fireworks.  We wanted to continue celebrating the holiday with the tradition of adventure.  Goat Rocks Wilderness has been on my to-do list for quite sometime, as I continually hear about it's beauty and grandeur.  Add lack of permit requirements and it's equi-distance between Portland and Seattle made it an irresistible destination.  My good friend Tia picked out the route: a shuttled loop starting at the Lily Basin trailhead, hiking through Lily Basin, down to Snowgrass Flats, on the Knife Blade section of the Pacific Crest Trail, and back out to the Packwood Trailhead.  After work on Thursday, Kevin and Tia met me in the town of Packwood and we headed out to the trailhead.  

Read More

Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier, Olympic National Park by Ray Phung

“I think we’ll do 15 miles the first day,” I announced looking up from the wilderness map.  “But the first 13 miles are REALLY flat,” I continue in hopes of quelling the looks of skepticism that Hanna gives me from the adjacent couch, “Don’t let the mileage scare you:  we’re reasonably fit people, we’ll be fine.”  I think I also said this to reassure myself that the trail I picked would be doable in a three day weekend.  I will admit – 15 miles in a day seemed like a lot.  But with the time constraint, I couldn’t figure out how else to spread out the mileage.   Surprisingly Hanna doesn’t seem phased by the proposed expedition. “It’ll be fun!” I exclaim.  All summer, we’ve been talking about doing a backpacking trip.  I hadn’t been out in the backcountry since the Enchantments and was itching for some adventure time before winter sets in.  And Hanna, just moving to the Northwest, was ready to explore her new home.  

Read More

Weekend Bouldering - Squamish! by Ray Phung

A few weekends ago, I grabbed my passport and headed up to Squamish for a long weekend of bouldering.  Squamish is located an hour north (or 41 miles... or 60 something kilometers) of Vancouver, BC just off of the Sea-to-Sky highway on the way to Whistler.  The city itself is located on the banks of the Howe Sound, and is a climbing mecca.  It's prominent feature is the Chief - a large granite monolith.  There are a plethora of routes (trad) up the Chief, as well a dozens of boulders strewn along its base.  Nearby are a lot of other quality granite sport and trad routes.  Pretty much everything you can ask for!

Read More

Weekend Bouldering - Lost Lake and Carver by Ray Phung

A couple of weekends ago, I made it out to climb at a couple of local bouldering spots in preparation for a trip up to Squamish.  You never want to go on a climbing trip with "gym hands," so I had to get out and grab so real rocks.  One classic Portland spot and another newly developed/developing area.  I have been trying desperately to finish out the remaining frames on three rolls of film from the Enchantments too, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.  

Read More

4th of July in the Enchantments by Ray Phung

My prior experience in the Enchantments was several years ago, when me and Temo "tried" to climb Dragontail Peak via Serpentine Ridge.  Little did I know that Dragontail Peak was only the start of a whole chain of alpine lakes and towering granite peaks, known collectively as the Enchantments.  I have long desired to backpack up to the Enchantments to both climb some of the famous routes there and to photograph the beautiful scenery.  But for the longest time, the permit system in place to protect this fragile landscape kept this desire from becoming reality.   Early this winter, I circled on my calendar the day the lottery opened for permits, and signed up as soon I could.  I was miraculously awarded a pass for the 4th of July weekend to the Core Enchantment Zone, which is the most coveted permit as it allows camping in all of the other zones.  

Read More