Category: 52 Hike Challenge

  • A Weekend Guide to Bend, Oregon [Labor Day Weekend]

    A Weekend Guide to Bend, Oregon [Labor Day Weekend]

    Moving to Seattle has opened up a whole new range of cool places to road trip to for long weekends. When one of my coworkers came back from Bend one weekend, she told me that it was a place me and Brighton needed to visit! So I booked the same hotel she did, and started […]

  • Winchester Mountain [Hike 31/52]

    Winchester Mountain [Hike 31/52]

    Distance: 3.4 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain: 1300 feet Pass: Northwest Forest Pass Hiked: 8.18.18 (Wildfire Season) Thinking about his hike gives me extremely mixed feelings— On one hand, this hike provides epic 360-degree views with access to a mountain top lookout with a relatively short roundtrip distance and gain. On the other hand, on the […]

  • Naches Peak Loop [Hike 30/52]

    Naches Peak Loop [Hike 30/52]

    Distance: 3.2 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain: 600 feet Pass: Northwest Forest Pass OR National Parks Pass (depending on where you park) Hiked: 8.5.19 Wildflower, views and lush mountainsides are my favorite kind of hikes. Remember when I went wildflower hunting in Utah? I just love seeing a sea of color dotting the mountainside. Naches Peak […]

  • Summit Lake [Hike 29/52]

    Summit Lake [Hike 29/52]

    Distance: 6.1 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain: 1300 feet Pass: Northwest Forest Pass Hiked: 7.29.18 The summer hiking season is in full swing! After a break last weekend while Brighton and I shot a wedding, we were back at the hiking challenge. Today, we were joined by Brighton’s friends from work, Tyler & his friend John, […]

  • Aare Gorge, Switzerland

    Aare Gorge, Switzerland

    After visiting Oeschinen Lake, we drove through Interlaken and continued to the Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht in German). Since we lived in Utah for a while, we’re familiar with the concept of slot canyons, but usually the canyon walls are a hue of red/orange sandstone like in the Narrows, Zebra Canyon, or Antelope Canyon. Martina suggested […]

  • Mount Catherine [Hike 28/52]

    Mount Catherine [Hike 28/52]

    Distance: 3 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain: 1330 feet Pass: None Hiked: 7.15.18 This hike has been on my list for a few months, but every time I looked at recent trip reports, it was still unaccessible due to snow. I was looking for a hike that was high payoff without too much distance or gain […]

  • Teneriffe Falls (Kamikaze Falls) [Hike 27/52]

    Teneriffe Falls (Kamikaze Falls) [Hike 27/52]

    Distance: 5.4 miles, roundtrip Gain: 1585 ft. Pass: Discover Pass Hiked: 7.8.18 These falls feel impressively vertical when you can walk right through them and look up! Koda enjoyed cooling down in the water and finding some sticks for fetch. The first part of the trail was very pleasant, but the second half was rocky. […]

  • Cape Flattery [Hike 26/52]

    Cape Flattery [Hike 26/52]

    Distance: 1.5 miles, roundtrip Gain: 200 ft. Pass: Makah Recreation Pass Hiked 7.1.18 Halfway! I finally got to visit the most northwestern point in the contiguous US. It definitely lives up to its name: Cape Flattery. It’s managed by the Makah Tribe, so be sure to grab a permit at the Museum or grocery store within […]

  • Hurricane Hill (Olympic National Park) [Hike 25/52]

    Hurricane Hill (Olympic National Park) [Hike 25/52]

    Distance: 3.2 miles, roundtrip Gain: 650 ft. Pass: National Parks Pass Hiked 7.1.18 Kelli came to visit, which was a perfect excuse to get out to the Olympic peninsula and do some hiking. We woke up too early, drove for a few hours, did 2 hikes (#25 and #26—halfway!!), visited the most NW point in the […]

  • Visiting Oeschinen Lake (Oeschinensee) [Kandersteg, Switzerland]

    Visiting Oeschinen Lake (Oeschinensee) [Kandersteg, Switzerland]

    For our last day in Switzerland, we wanted to get any last-minute adventures in as we headed back north to Zurich. After discussing a couple options with Martina, we chose Oeschinen Lake in Kandersteg, near Adelboden. The lake is well-known among the locals of the Bernese Oberland, but less known among tourists. It’s also part […]