Backpacking the Northwest

Here are a few good options: * Good Morning Exercise Keep a bar with some weight on your shoulders. Bend at the waist with your knees bent a little and the back straight till the trunk is parallel to the ground. Relax in the upright position and repeat. * Hamstring Stretch Lie on your back [...]

Philemon Van Trump 1839-1916 Van Trump was the pioneering mountain climber on Mount Rainier in Washington State and wrote extensively about its history and beauty. He made at least 5 climbs to the summit between 1870 and 1892 including the first successful ascent in 1870. Van Trump worked with Muir to support and expand new [...]

Timeline 5000 B.C. – 1800s For thousands of years, Taidnapam, Upper Cowlitz, Yakama, Nisqually, and Puyallup tribes live in the foothills of the mountain they call Tahoma. They fish, hunt, and gather berries and herbs on its lower slopes. However, because they have a great reverence and awe for Tahoma, they never go near its [...]

Highlights: Busy trail used by hikers, bikes, and horses. Pretty waterfalls and nice camping Summary: Siouxon Creek is well known in the area for having easy access, miles of nice trails, good camping spots scattered along the trail, and many options to make side trips. There are many spots to sit and reflect on the [...]

Latourell Falls is a wonderful introduction to the many waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. It is a plunge falls with a height of 249 feet. You can access the main or lower falls from the parking lot in the Guy W. Talbot State Park; this falls on Latourell Creek is named after Joseph Latourell, [...]

I think these tips apply to all of us who are Endurance Hikers / Backpackers too! ( I know this is from the Powerbar website, and I am not trying to plug them on purpose, but hey its good info so I left it intact..) By: Fiona Lockhart, CTS Pro Coach An abundance of information [...]

I love these snowshoes, despite their price. This is the third winter I’ve used them. The winter season is ending so look for these snowshoes on clearance. These snowshoes come in two sizes, 22 and 25 inch. Everything is a compromise and snowshoe size is no exception. In many parts of the country the snow [...]

Sedentary life ‘speeds up ageing’ Leading a sedentary lifestyle may make us genetically old before our time, a study suggests. A study of twins found those who were physically active during their leisure time appeared biologically younger than their sedentary peers. The researchers found key pieces of DNA called telomeres shortened more quickly in inactive [...]

by Rich Kassel December 2007 Earlier this month, Mountain Equipment Co-op, the “REI of Canada,” pulled its Nalgene bottles from its shelves, citing concern over potential health risks. It seems that those iconic bottles (Neat colors! Cool graphics! Originally used in laboratories!) that are ubiquitous in backpacks, dorm rooms and office refrigerators are made of [...]