Looking for easily accessible yet off-the-beaten-path outdoor adventures you can do year-round in the mountains near Seattle, Portland, and Bend? Look no further! Imagine escaping to old-growth forests, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, and hot springs. This beginner-friendly guide will show you where to go, what to do, and what to look for while you’re there. Covering the Olympics and West Cascades (Olympic Peninsula, Mount Baker, Central Cascades, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Deschutes National Forest, and Crater Lake) the book features a robust basics section with tips, gear guides, nature ID, geology, and safety info. Each mountain location includes background information, getaways (to campgrounds, cabins, lodges, fire lookouts, and yurts), and activities (green season and snow season). Green season features spring/summer/fall hikes and backpacking trips, while snow season includes downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hikes, and more. Activities are coded with icons (accessible, near campground, wildflower, berry picking, bird watching, dogs allowed, wow-factor, waterfall) and are indexed by icon at the end. This book will inspire you to get outdoors all year long with beautiful photography and illustrations, evocative descriptions, maps, and all the basics you need to know to go.
The Mountains are Calling was first meant to be a poetry style work. Then it began to turn into a teaching guide about the spiritual things that life has to offer. What do we miss when the world is screaming by us at a rate of speed that is just blinding to the humanistic approach? The answer is not much, we will always miss more than we see mainly because there are millions of things going on all of the time, and our focus is set on the things we are directed to have a part in. Many of us fail in life not because we don't have the needed requirements that the world is calling for, but we lack the intensity of spiritual drives that gives us the needed fire to be strengthened when we find ourselves at our weakest points in life. What happens when we decide to take life by the horns and ride it to the ground? Thing is, you will never know until you have tried it. When I was homeless I found out things about myself I never knew, what happens when you find out that there is more within you than you know?
The Call of the Mountains is a collection of the author’s adventures and encounters with people, fauna, culture and ideas as they persist amongst the rough and at times hostile mountainous terrains of the Indian Himalayas. “…Amongst the rolling forested hills – plying the terrain over the many ridges and ravines – one could run into sambhar, kakar, wild pigs, and even now, sometimes a stray leopard or two. I had plenty of time at hand, no schedule to keep in the world, and my mind had spiralled down to a quiet, to a stillness, to a sort of singularity with being; when all of a sudden, inexplicable and without any perceptible sensory input that I can recall being aware of, I got a very strong feeling that something was watching me, and that I was not alone...” – ‘Snake’ “…Amongst the clump of trees that lay at the base of the hill, crouching low, almost on its belly, and with its right paw extended but airborne in line with its whiskered cheeks, was a spotted leopard. It stood in that bent-down position, its shoulder bones sticking out, neck extended, and its head inches above the ground; its left hind leg was extended behind it, and its right paw was frozen in mid-air. Absolutely still in that position, it was staring intently at a spot I could not see...” – ‘A Leopard on the Prowl’ The Call of the Mountains Close your eyes and in your mind If you can feel the cold chill of morning dew If you can hear the rush of water and smell the pines Then it is calling out to you too “Charming, entertaining & intelligent - A full bodied Mountain Wine!” - The Himalayan Commission
With heart-pounding descriptions of avalanches and treacherous ascents, Barry Blanchard chronicles his transformation from a poor Metis (half-breed) kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world. He describes early climbs attempted with nothing to guide him but written trail descriptions and the cajones of youth. He slowly acquires the skills, equipment and partners necessary to tackle more and more difficult climbs, farther and farther afield: throughout the Canadian Rockies, into Alaska and the French Alps and on to Everest, Peru, and the challenging mountains in Pakistan. From each he learns lessons that only nature and extreme endeavor can teach. This is the story of the culture of climbing in the days of punk rock and rock ‘n’ roll, accompanied by the rhythm of adrenaline and the arrogance of youth. It is a portrait of the power of the mountains to lift us – physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually – and the depths of relationships based on total trust in the person at the other end of a rope. Includes climbs with renowned alpinists such as Kevin Doyle, Mark Twight, David Cheesmond and Ward Robinson. 432 pages with photos and a playlist.
Are you ready to move mountains, discover the mountain in you...or maybe even climb one? In this adventure of soulful stories, wisdom, thought-provoking exercises and actionable ideas, Julie gently guides you to discovering your Inner Mountain and finding your path forward emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically...in business and in life. Moving Mountains will guide and inspire you to clarify where you want to go and how to get moving, reconnect to what brings you joy and gives you energy, bounce back from setbacks, boost your courage and confidence, explore and discover your place in the world, do what you love and love what you do. It takes the strength, courage, wisdom, compassion and energy of the Mountain in You to Move Mountains. The only way is up...and it's up to you to get moving!
In the classic nature work, The Yosemite, the great American naturalist, John Muir, describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the myriad types of trees, flowers, birds, and other animals that can be found there. The Yosemite is among the finest examples of John Muir nature writings.The Yosemite is a classic nature/outdoor adventure text and a fine example of John Muir nature writings. In this volume, Muir describes the Yosemite valley's geography and the various types of trees, flowers and animals that can be found there. John Muir (April 21, 1838 - December 24, 1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor.[2] Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130 mile long distance route, was named in honor of him. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill that was passed in 1890, establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. He is today referred to as the "Father of the National Parks" and the National Park Service has produced a short documentary about his life. Muir has been considered 'an inspiration to both Scots and Americans'. Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes that Muir has become "one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity," both political and recreational. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he is often quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams. "Muir has profoundly shaped the very categories through which Americans understand and envision their relationships with the natural world," writes Holmes. Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified "the archetype of our oneness with the earth", [ while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was "...saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism." 403 On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. Muir was born in the small house at left. His father bought the adjacent building in 1842, and made it the family home.
Written with verve and enthusiasm, Higher Calling explores why mountains have such a magnetic appeal to cyclists the world over. But Max Leonard, himself an accomplished amateur cyclist, does not forget the pain, the glory, the sweat, and the tears that go into these grueling climbs. After all, cycling up a mountain is hard. So hard that, to many, it can seem absurd. But for others, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. It is where legends are forged.Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long and how high. None of them ask why. Why are mountain ranges professional cycling's Coliseum? Why do amateurs also make pilgrimages to these high, remote roads? Why are the roads even there in the first place to lure us on to these obsession inducing climbs? Just why are mountains so enthralling? "This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true," according to Bradley Wiggins. Mountains are where cycling's greatest heroes have made their names. Every amateur rider wishes they could climb better, too. Are all these people addicted to the pain? To the achievement? Or to the allure of the peaks? Some spend their weekends and holidays cycling up mountains from start to finish. But how does a rider push themselves beyond their limits to get up a 10% gradient on pedal power alone? What is happening when they do?Higher Calling explores the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling. Blending adventure and travel writing with the rich narrative of racing, Max Leonard takes the reader from the battles that created the Alpine roads to the shepherds tending their flocks on the peaks, and to a Grand Tour climax on the "highest road in Europe." And he tells stories of courage and sacrifice, war and love, obsession and even elephants, along the way.
In this dark romantic fantasy trilogy opener, a young woman discovers she may have the power to save a society that shuns her. Tales are told of the mysterious, powerful Mountain where the gods—powerful beings in the form of white horses—live. But Valeria knows no woman has ever been called to the Mountain. Until she feels a strange pull and answers the call—as a boy. . . . When her secret is discovered Valeria loses all that she’s won. Her anger and frustration with the Empire might be enough to give the barbarians a way into the Mountain. And so, the Empire now depends on the will, the strength, and the loyalty of one Rider. A Rider who has been rejected by all but the gods . . . Praise for The Mountain’s Call “Animal lovers and romantic fantasy aficionados alike will appreciate this . . . coming-of-age story and an exhilarating romantic adventure.” —RT Book Reviews
Author is a renowned writer in international climbing community Fascinating story of hoax that inspired a quest for a North American Shangri-La Vivid recounting of fabled mountains from across the world Using an infamous deception about a fake mountain range in British Columbia as her jumping-off point, Katie Ives, the well-known editor of Alpinist, explores the lure of blank spaces on the map and the value of the imagination. In Imaginary Peaks she details the cartographical mystery of the Riesenstein Hoax within the larger context of climbing history and the seemingly endless quest for newly discovered peaks and claims of first ascents. Imaginary Peaks is an evocative, thought-provoking tale, immersed in the literature of exploration, study of maps, and basic human desire.
