backpacking | where the mountains meet the sea.

Being back in Washington has had its challenges. Jackson was so...convenient. Grand Teton National Park was minutes away, floating creeks ran through my backyard, and snowboarding was a five minute bus ride away. Not to say the mountains aren't close here as it only takes a 40 minute drive from Seattle to be at Snoqualmie Pass, but my schedule as of late hasn't really been conducive to the adventures that make me satisfied in life. Finally, a weekend with no weddings or editing came along and I knew I had to get outside. With a deep desire to do something that I couldn't have done in Wyoming, I convinced David that a four hour drive plus ferry ride up to the Peninsula and hiking six miles to camp on the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, then a hike back out and the four hour drive plus ferry ride all over again -- all done in the course of two days -- would be a good idea. Our time frame wasn't ideal, but this trip was definitely worth it. The Washington Coast has a very alluring quality to me. It takes so long to get there from Seattle, and it just rains...all the time. The idea I had in my mind was a mystical, chilly beach lined by rainforest dotted with tide pools filled with life. Sea stacks rise from the water as waves crash and seals play among the ocean mist. The smell -- it is almost as if the smell of the sea was what was drawing me there, as the land-locked state of Wyoming has nothing of the sort. Smell is one of the strongest memory triggers for some people and I spent many of my summer days as a child playing on the beaches of Florida and California while my family escaped the Arizona heat. I just wanted to be near the sea. So, we did it. Following are the photos that tell the story of this very special Pacific Northwest experience on Cape Alava.

paintbrush-cascade canyon loop -- backpacking.

My summer has been crazy busy and it's been hard to find time to do one of my most favorite things -- backpacking. Back in the days when I had three days in a row off every week with David, we were exploring new parts of the forest constantly. But here, juggling three jobs and finding the right weather for this can be difficult to coordinate. A little over a week ago I found time to do one of the loops that I've wanted to do since I moved here three years ago -- Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon, done as a 19.2 mile loop. Daunting, yes, and would I have liked to do it in more than two days? Yes. But at this point I've realized that a 12 mile day hike is nothing with these mountain legs that I've acquired. With David dj-ing the night before at the Tavern, we only got about 4.5 hours of sleep before we were up and at 'em around 8 am. We headed to the ranger station to find that all of the permits for the North Fork Cascade Canyon campsite were taken. This would have been the halfway point on our trip. I ended up snagging a permit for Upper Paintbrush Canyon, but that was only 7.5 miles into our 19.2 mile trip. That would mean quite a long second day. Ugh.

Wildfire smoke filled the valley and we set out on our journey up a hazy Paintbrush Canyon. It really isn't that scenic of a hike until you get up into the Holly Lake area. And it never stops going up. Whew! I guess by the time we picked out a campsite in the upper reaches of the canyon, surrounded by towering peaks, I was happy to not have to walk anymore, even if it did mean tackling 12.something miles the next day. Our lack of sleep was not so good for the stamina. Our campsite was amazing. I've never seen anything like it up there. Wow.

The next day we hiked up and over Paintbrush Divide, the highest divide in the Tetons, and dropped (way!!) down to Lake Solitude and Cascade Canyon. And Solitude it was. Such a pretty little mountain gem, tucked way back amidst the towering Teton peaks. It had rained the night before, so the Tetons were slightly visible through the mist as we traveled deeper into Cascade Canyon. Wildflowers were abundant and little streams crossed the trail multiple times. If I was a bear I would have been hanging out there, but we didn't see one.

After lots of downhill hiking, we finally reached Jenny Lake and our car and were excited to rest our tired legs with a float down Fish Creek near our house to top off an amazing weekend. What a successful, beautiful trip!

Almost all of these photos were shot on Fuji Pro 400H film. Enjoy!