Jim Travels The World

Sunday 11th 2011 After a roadside breakfast at some rabbit-themed restaurant (I had the "eggs bunnydict" omg rofl) we entered north cascades national park.  tree big Got our campsite,  full disclosure: i edited this photo. the real-life scene was in color. then to the vis center for trail recommendations.  We go to hike Sourdough mountain. The trail guide lists it as "very strenuous". This was the toughest dayhike I've ever done. 10 miles roundtrip, and 4,000 feet of elevation gained in the first 3.5 miles.  And add to that the fact that we cant really rest, because there are so many biting flies and mosquitos that during any pause they would swarm like crazy. But the views at the top were spectacular. A panorama of snowy peaks, huge waterfalls and eerily-green lakes. I thought the hike would kill me but it was worth it.  take that, sourdough. Monday 12th Today we did the "tourist" version of the park. We drove to a lookout, got out of the car, snapped...

Saturday Sept 10th Flew into Seattle in the morning. Picked up the rental car and made our way to the nearest REI to get some supplies. not pictured: REI After that we head to the Pike Place market, which kinda reminds us of queen Vic market in Melbourne. Seattle is full of alternative people. Lots of tats, piercings and dreads. And a Huckleberry milkshake, which was fucking awesome. Huckleberries are my favorite NW vacation thing. Then, long drive north to the totem motel outside north cascades. Beautiful drive (once we were out of Seattle, which had the most horrendous traffic ever) through huge trees and increasingly-large mountains.

For the last 3 or 4 years, I've been on a quest to hike every trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. While I've conquered quite a bit in that short time, until just recently, much of the park's harder-to-access west side had eluded me. I'd had one long hike to Lake Verna from the East Inlet trail, and that is a spectacular hike, but otherwise, most of my hiking experience has been on the more-crowded east side. Then Lisa and I decided to tackle the Tonahutu Loop Trail , beginning near the park's west entrance. It was 3 days/2 nights, and almost ten miles each day. First day, we began in grassy meadows and then slowly ascended to the base of Flattop Mountain. i love the gradual ascent into alpine country On the second day, we huffed and puffed all the way up and then back down the summit of Flattop Mountain at 12,500'. The view from the top was awesome, but we were rushed trying to make sure we were back down to tree line before any storms might hit. We had side ...