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Silver Star Mountain
On my first trip to this corner of Washington, I counted three waterfalls. This time I counted five volcanoes. The second count felt bigger in more ways than one. The waterfalls were tucked deep in the forest along a river. The volcanoes needed the opposite: a mountain that lost its trees over a century ago…
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Loowit Falls
I’ve known Mount St. Helens most of my life without ever setting foot on it. This morning I finally did, after two and a half hours of dark road and fog, one familiar turn not taken, and a headlamp walk across ground that looked nothing like the green forests I usually hike. The closest I…
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Kalama Falls
The trail itself asked very little of me. It was gentle and green in every direction, and quieter than I expected, apart from the birds and the water I kept listening for. Moss covered nearly everything, but the mountain nearby made the story more complicated than a pretty forest. The trail gave me two waterfalls,…
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Packwood Lake Trail
GOAT ROCKS WILDERNESS, WA: As dawn was about to break, I found solace in the quiet of my early morning drive. The roads provided a blank canvas for gratitude and today’s trail-thought. This morning, my heart embraced the cheesy romantic comedies that offer a break from reality, even if only for a couple hours. Romcoms…
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Falls Creek Falls
GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST, WA: As I turned off Wind River Highway, about 20 miles north of the Washington-Oregon border, I headed down a forest road towards Falls Creek Falls, the rain tapping a steady rhythm on my windshield. With every mile, the lush green scenery transformed into a watercolor masterpiece, alive and bright. I…
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Lewis River Falls Trail
The trip started the night before, with a stop I hadn’t planned. I’d found a place to rest in Southwest Washington, a couple of hours from the trailhead, and with time on my hands I wandered into the tasting room at Matranga Vineyards. Brian and Hope told me about their family business while their dogs,…