Hiker

Hiking is one of my greatest passions. There is a feeling of connectedness that I get from being in the mountains that I just can't find anywhere else. The peace and the beauty are amazing gifts, not to mention the physical benefits of a strenuous climb upward and onward.

Having moved to Washington in 2000, I had not really done anywhere near as much hiking as I had wanted to. My ex-wife wasn't really into it, and we stayed on trails that were 500ft elevation or less - the longest hike being about 7 miles round trip. Now that I am on my own again though, I am out in the mountains pretty much every weekend (when possible), really enjoying myself. No limits, just me, the mountains, and the companionship I find with like-minded hiking enthusiasts.

This section of my site is set up to share my hiking experiences and what I learn along the way.

While I've only been hiking and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest for a few years now, I never really considered myself a novice. I relied heavily on my past military training and a childhood that included short stints in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Toward the end of 2006, and with my new found freedom though, I've begun to increase my knowledge of general mountaineering. My goal is to gain all of the knowledge, and develop all of the skills, necessary for long excursions in any conditions. This includes hiking, camping, backpacking, scrambling, rock climbing, etc. It also includes snow shoeing, skiing, and my all time favorite - white river rafting... To this end, I have completed the following courses and programs:

	Certified in CPR and First Aid with the American Red Cross in October 2006 (certified annually since)
	Navigation and Orienteering course through the Seattle Mountaineers in November 2006
	Wilderness Survival Skills through Wilderness Awareness School in November/December of 2006
	Snow and Glacier Travel through Washington Park Services in December of 2006
	First Responder Medical Aid with the American Red Cross in January 2007
	Search & Rescue Tactics and Swift Water Rescue Training in February/March of 2007
	Mountain-Oriented First Aid (MOFA) through the Everett Mountaineers in March 2007
	Introductory and Advanced Climbing (101 and 201) through REI in March 2007
	Edible and Medicinal Plant Training through Wilderness Awareness School in March/April 2007
	Alpine Scrambling course through the Everett Mountaineers lasting from March till June of 2007
	Planning to take rock climbing courses and first responder training later in the year, and am also entertaining a two week mountaineering course in Alaska

Participation in the following groups has been very helpful in starting back up. These are generally the people I hike with...

	Mountaineers (Everett branch, though I'll travel with any of the local groups, these folks are fantastic)
	Seattle Backpackers (a lot of hard core folks who use meetups, I've been on some great hikes with them)
	Seattle Hiking (another meetup group that is active in the local area)
	Bellevue Hikers (yet another meetup group - keeping an eye on all three provides a wide range of options)

A few blurbs about the growing collection of hiking/backpacking/camping gear that I am accumulating...

All About My Gear

2007

I spent the winter (Nov 06 - Feb 07) section hiking of the Pacific Crest Trail... In 2007 I'll be able to hit the mountains big-time. I am also training to summit Mt Rainier this summer...

	Note: At this point I began to lose track - and have been in the mountains almost weekly...
	Black Canyon (13 - 15 April)
	Taylor River (7 and 8 April 07)
	Tiger Mountain - Hobard Gap (planned for 30 Mar 07)
	Mt McDonald (29 Mar 07)
	Big Si (17 Mar 07)
	Wallace Falls - Upper Falls (14 Mar 07)
	Little Si (10 Mar 07)
	A Little Lost (3 Mar 07)
	Multiple Washington-based trips down the Pacific Crest Trail
	Pacific Crest Trail (into Washington) - 5 days
	Pacific Crest Trail (Canada trip 5) - 4 days
	Pacific Crest Trail (Canada trip 4) - 9 days

2003 - 2006

My hike log - the places I've been, pictures, etc. I was not keeping very good track while hiking with my wife in 03, so my early records are a bit incomplete... Everything in 06 is just me though. As you can tell I've only recently started up again (since my wife and I ended things in August) - but I really and truly love it with all my heart!

	Pacific Crest Trail (Canada trip 3) - 6 days
	Pacific Crest Trail (Canada trip 2) - 13 days
	Pacific Crest Trail (Canada trip 1) - 8 days
	Rachel Lake (30 Sep 06)
	Granite Mountain (17 Sep 06)
	Annette Lake (9 Sep 06)
	Cougar Mountain (July 06)
	Denny Creek (2 Aug 03)
	Rachel Lake (July 03)
	Gateway Bridge (1 June 03)
	Taylor River (25 May 03)
	Rattlesnake Ledge (23 May 03)
	Lodge Lake Creek Walk (18 May 03)
	Denny Creek (11 May 03)
	Wild-Side/Red-Town (27 Apr 03)
	Snoqualmie Falls (20 Apr 03)
	Cougar Mountain (13 Apr 03)

I am here to help answer your questions: bradleyb@bradleyb.net.