About Me
I’m just a John Doe who likes hiking. Really the truth is I’m a bit of an exercise junkie, but I really want to be out of doors. I get cabin fever pretty easily, so the gym isn’t all that appealing, but the trail is.
On this site, you’ll find suggestions on where to go hiking, information about what kind of gear is useful, links to detailed trail reviews, info on other hobbies, and, occasionally, something completely off topic.
Why Anonymous?
I should be working. I have a full time job – that’s 8 hours a day, plus a mandatory lunch – but I get about 1 hour of work to do per day. The rest of the time, I’m sort of on call on site. Meetings come up, the computers go down, etc.
The truth is, this bores the living hell out of me. I spend the day waiting for five o’clock to roll around, stop briefly at home, then go outside and get some fresh air. I get through the day, day dreaming about hikes I’ve done and others I’ve yet to do. It seems a waste not to capture some of the more useful thoughts, especially when I go out and do research. So I’m publishing the results on this blog.
But I’m staying anonymous because I don’t want to be fired, for obviously following my own interests on the clock. Not that it should matter much who I am, since I’m writing about where to go hiking, and how to prepare.
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Alright, if I’m coming to the Pacific Northwest, and I have only one day to go hiking, where do you recommend near Seattle?
Compass Points
http://dpidgeon.wordpress.com
I’ll assume you’re coming out this way in the near future, so, on that note, I should quickly point out that winter in the Northwest is a harsh time because, well, we’re so far north. Expect cold, strong wind, and so forth. As long as you dress appropriately, this won’t be a problem.
So, the best day hike, if you only have one day, depends a bit on your taste. I think there are two kinds of people in the world: mountain people, and ocean people. If you’re an ocean person, you’ll want to hike the dungenous spit. This is a narrow sand bar that stretches and meanders about five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, making for a ten mile round trip. The last time I went hiking here, I saw a pod of gray whales. Needless to say you’ll find yourself surrounded by salt water, but, also, mountains rise up in both directions around the water ( more intensely to the south – the Olympic Range ), and you’ll see Victoria, BC to the north. To get here, you’ll need some time, however; leave early, catch the ferry across Puget Sound, then drive north to Squim – it might take an hour and a half.
The mountains are harder – normally endless with possibilities, they’re now covering themselves with snow, and we’re heading into avalanche season. I would recommend snow-shoeing on Mt Rainier. The national park service has guided tours at Paradise, and they lend you the shoes. You’ll hike over about 10 to 15 feet of snow, up to a glacier, and, with luck, see the sun shine through a snowbank. Of course, if you already have snow shoes, I would change my advice to Snow Lake along the I-90 corridor, because Paradise is quite a long drive this time of year, requiring four wheel drive or chains.
Enjoyed your “Why Anonymous” posting and completely understand where you are coming from. I feel the same way about my employment situation and the interference it causes with my kayaking.
p.s. Found your page because you posted a comment on one of my friend’s blogs (boobeartom).
However, the Seattle area is one of my favorite parts of the country and very beautiful.