Cascade Mountain Tech News

While many thru-hikers see trails like the Pacific Crest, Appalachian and Continental Divide Trails as the ultimate in thru-hiking adventures, there are dozens of lesser-known routes that lead through the spectacular wilderness all around North America. Whether you are looking for a hike that lasts a few days or a trail that you’ll explore for months, I have gathered eight of my favorite lesser-known thru-hiking routes that are sure to stoke your wanderlust.

Havasupai was always on my bucket list of places to visit. All the photos and videos that I have seen made it seem too good to be true, but in reality, no photos or videos can really do Havasupai justice. Imagine my excitement when a friend called and told me she had won the permit lottery for four camping permits! 

My camping gear storage is not only dialed, it beautifully highlights for house guests what we’re passionate about.  Whether heading out for a day-hike, a weekend of car camping or even a multi-day ski tour trip - having our gear easily accessible makes packing easy and even fun (okay, maybe just for a gear nerd)!  Follow these steps and you too, can have well organized camping gear, even in a small apartment.

For outdoor lovers, quarantine can feel extra quarantine-y.  Social distancing sounds like a codeword for camping to us.  But in looking for information about the status of national parks and state parks, we found the answers to be scattered and hard to track. To help you adventure responsibly during the coronavirus pandemic, we put together this comprehensive guide to park closures, updates, and resources.

When it comes to buying a cooler, it’s important that you get the very best camping cooler for the money.  Premium cooler technology has become widely available to the point where you can get elite performance without putting a chill through your bank account.  But what features really matter?  What should you be looking for when shopping for a camping cooler?  Do you need to break the bank or can your camping adventures be fully supported by an affordable rotomolded cooler?

Here are the features to know as you shop for your cooler and why they’re important.

Rocky Mountain National Park, a breathtaking 415-square mile National Park located just west of Colorado’s Front Range, is an American icon. Jagged peaks soar above alpine lakes, elk herds graze in mountain meadows, and wildflowers takeover the grasslands in summer. I recently caught up with Barbara Scott, a 20-year National Park Service veteran and Supervisory Park Ranger of Interpretation & Education at Rocky Mountain National Park, to talk about her career in the Park Service, her passion for Rocky Mountain, and what makes this Colorado National Park so special.

“Let’s go for a hike!” is a declaration my kids usually don’t want to hear. They’ve been drug out on hikes and marched down trails since our twins were 10 weeks old (Washington’s Lake Lillian hike was their first ascent, although they hitched a ride up the mountain snuggled firmly in a baby carrier). You’d think that eight years of hiking expeditions would have taught them the lesson that though these trips initially sound like a lot of work for little legs, they will enjoy themselves thoroughly. They may have hundreds of trail miles under their belt, but pre-hike griping seems to come naturally. Our destination was Mason Lake, a pretty little hike just off the I-90 corridor that switches back and forth up and away from the valley and over the ridge to a little mountain lake that gets just enough sun all summer to make it tolerable for a swim on a hot day after the ascent. The round trip is 6.5 miles in total.

Since I have taken on the challenge to become the first NFL player to climb the Seven Summits, I have learned that there are three essential elements that contribute to the success of any expedition. The first is mental preparation. The second is physical capability and endurance. The third is Mother Nature. After contemplating the odds of success over and over, the question becomes:  what can I do to better prepare? Train, train & train.

There is a particular fascination that develops when the sun goes down and the night sky comes out. Perhaps it comes from the unknown of the darkness or the fact that we generally sleep when the stars are shining at their peak. Making photographs at night is no easy task, but I hope to give you some tips and tricks to help you feel more confident when you set out to give it a shot. 

Climbing old growth root ladders to the top of a misty mountain is a quintessential Vancouver Island hiking experience. Spending the night in a cozy, heated, and well-lit hut at the top of that mountain adds a definite something. It makes you feel a bit guilty writing about it because, while the newly-opened 5040 Peak Hut is no secret, it’s special and hopefully will be respectfully preserved for a long time. The hut is accessed via the Cobalt Lake Trail, a steep climb through old-growth and alpine, not far from Port Alberni, in the traditional territory of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nations. The hike is not for the faint of heart—literally, you climb and climb and climb—and you’ll need a 4x4 to get to it via Marion Creek Forest Service Road. The hard work pays off though as you hike alongside rushing waterfalls, the small and incredibly clear Cobalt Lake, and up to the top of the peak, about another hour’s climb past the hut.

In my past life, I was a professional football player in the NFL, but today, my sights are set on climbing the Seven Summits, with only Mt Everest left unchecked on my list. This past August, I was invited to co-guide a bunch of guys up the slopes of Mt Rainier, a recognizable and majestic peak towering at 14,411’ and located a few hours outside of Seattle. My good buddy, former NFL & college head coach Jim Mora, trained an insane amount of hours alongside me in the month of July to prepare for this endeavor. Unfortunately, this was not the case for our entire group.

With fall swiftly approaching, many are starting to venture outdoors to bid farewell to the humid dog days and to welcome the crisp autumn air. As the leaves start to change their hues and fall from the trees, our eyes are drawn outside as we are once again reminded of the beauty of our seasonal surroundings. But the romance of outdoor exploration can quickly be stripped away by neglecting the importance of what’s keeping you warm when sleeping away in your bed, namely your sleeping bag. Regardless of your level of expertise, sleeping bags can seem scientific and intimidating with their different temperature ratings, materials, weights and shapes. This short guide will shed light on the specs that matter the most and should help to demystify the process of buying a new sleeping bag.