It's Time!

Registration for Hike-a-Thon opened today!  I'm all signed up!  I also see I'm very far behind when it comes to updating this blog.  That's what grading assignments for 152 students will do to a person's free time.  Well, it's summer now, so I'm sure I'll have time to work on updates as soon as I'm back from my next backpacking trip.  In the meantime, here's a mini-update:

• The past--I didn't have much time to hike during the school year, and the weather has been pretty lousy this spring.  There is still a lot of snow in the high country.  I did manage to find quite a few morels on my usual spring forays up in Stevens County.  I estimate I found around 20 pounds this year--maybe more, because I gave quite a few to my relatives before I even came home.  Things have been pretty since school got out, too, but I did manage to escape town last weekend for a Conservation Northwest hike on Saturday and a solo hike on Sunday.  I co-led the Thirteen-Mile Trail hike to an awesome roadless area that's up for possible inclusion in a Columbia Highlands wilderness bill.  I camped at Jungle Hill that night (the only person there on a Saturday night!) and hiked Emerald Lake from the Trout Lake TH on Sunday.  It was the first time I'd done either trail (I've hiked Emerald Lake several times before, but always from the Deadman Creek side).
• The future--I have several upcoming trips to look forward to.  I'm backing in the Glacier Peak Wilderness first, then I'm co-leading a week-long backpack trip for high school students in mid-July, and at the end of July I have a week-long backpack planned for the Wallowas.  That trip will carry over into the start of August and Hike-a-Thon, so I'll be trying to get a lot of miles in.  We are also planning a repeat of the Cake Walk (the entire Kettle Crest in a day).  I also have trips planned to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and the Pasaytan, and I'm sure I'll revisit the Salmo Priest a few times during August.  It should be a fantastic summer!