Wilderness Through the Backdoor

So, there I was standing on a gorgeous remote Olympic Beach after trudging for over 10 miles on slippery rocks and soft sand-waiting out tides-gingerly skirting around rocky headland cliffs-and now I had a beautiful wilderness beach all to myself! Well, not exactly- Three people were camped on the beach and they were quite comfy-no scrapes, aching backs, nor tired legs after a hard day hike. And then suddenly a couple appeared on the beach fresh as the morning dew-no sweat-no signs of struggle -no problems getting to the beach that I toiled all day to get to. You see, there is a secret trail (actually not so secret thanks now to the Internet) that allowed these folks access to this wilderness beach by driving a maze of logging roads then following a bootleg path a mere mile (if that) to this special place. I felt robbed. Now, don't get me wrong-the folks I met that evening at the beach were nice folks-and some of them have gotten to the point that they can no longer backpack great distances-so getting to this beach would have been impossible for them the way I did it. But, still I felt that part of the allure and attraction of hiking the Olympic Coast is the wilderness aspect and that you needed to actually work to get to it. There are plenty of nice beaches in the Kalaloch section of the national park that are easily accessible to anyone. And while these folks I shared the beach with that evening were wonderful and the types of people you'd be glad to share a campsite and nature with-I know that judging by spent beer cans on the beach, that the types of folks you don't' want on a wilderness beach make their way here too-and surely they wouldn't if it involved actually hiking to this spot. Now, I have friends in Forks who cherish these secret trails and they take care of the land and this allows them a quick access to the natural beauty that they live so near. I would not want to deprive them of their simple getaways. But, then again the Olympic National Park is a wilderness coast that is one-of-a-kind and I know that all good things in life are worth working for. Can we have it both ways? What are your experiences here? Your thoughts?

Winter in the Olympics!

No, not the Vancouver Winter Olympics, although they are definitely worth writing about. Great to see the good ole U S of A is bringing home some medals-and some great skiing and snowboarding from my New Hampshire, Vermont and Quebec brethren. We eastcoasters can ski! When you learn how to ski in New England, you can ski anywhere including the slop on BC's Cypress Mountain. And cheers too to our speed skaters-someone has to keep those Koreans working hard. And great to see the Canadians score well on their home front!

But still, as much as these Olys are fun, nothing beats Lake Placid in 1980 when we fought World War III and sent the Russians back to Moscow to pound their skates at the Kremlin and ask, "Who will bury whom?!"

Anyhow-if you are a fan of me on Facebook you probably have noticed that I just posted a bunch of great news on our Olympics-the Olympic Peninsula that is-compliments of the Peninsula Daily News of Port Angeles. Check out this good news when you take a break from watching Shaun White orbit the planet-

1. North Olympic Land Trust turns 20 years old!
2. Hurricane Ridge Road is getting close to reopening
3. More fishers are reintroduced to the Olympic National Park
and
4. Olympic National Park may add some acreage near lake Ozette.

All good news indeed for one of the finest regions/places on the planet!

Dare to go where no Guidebook Authors have gone before!

Those of you who are familiar with my guidebooks know that I hike every trail included in my books and thoroughly research its history and land use management for you, so that you can have an optimal hiking experience. One of the other things that I pride myself upon as far as my books are concerned is that I go out of my way (literally) to include trails, parks and areas that other guidebook authors ignore or just plain don't know about. Where else will you find information on hiking at the mouth of the Columbia River, Whidbey Island, the Chehalis River Valley, the Finney Block of Skagit County, the Loomis State Forest of Okanogan County, the hills surrounding Chelan and Wenatchee, or the Kitsap Peninsula? Yep-you won't find much about these places in other guidebooks-but they're covered in mine and well-and you'll get more than just Green Mountain for the Kitsap Peninsula and you'll get entire chapters on the Long Beach Peninsula, Trapper Creek Wilderness, Clark County, the Chehalis Valley and the hills surrounding Wenatchee. So, if you think that you have hiked everywhere that this state has to offer (even I don't make that claim!) check out my line of guidebooks for new ideas. You might even find out like so many folks from Spokane to Aberdeen that there are trails right in your backyard that you don't even know about! Great! I always get a warm fuzzy feeling introducing hikers to these places. And if you think that there is a trail that I don't know about and you want to share it with me (which I hope you do) please feel free to fire me an email at Craig@CraigRomano.com. Oh yeah, and don't forget to check out http://www.hikeoftheweek.com/ each week too for new hiking ideas!

(Photo- Wynoochee Lake in the Olympics- Out of the dozen guidebooks out there in print on the Olympics, you'll only find this great 12.0 mile loop hike in mine-Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula to be exact)

Hiking the Kitsap Peninsula

The Kitsap Peninsula juts north into Puget Sound like a big arrowhead. Named after a Native American chief and meaning “brave” or “great,” Kitsap is attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus making it feel more like an island.
Despite its geographical isolation, however, its proximity to Seattle and Tacoma has led to it being heavily developed. Second to King, it’s the state’s most densely populated county.
Even so, all of Kitsap isn’t covered in urban and suburban development. Large expanses of the peninsula remain fairly rural and undeveloped. The Great Peninsula Conservancy, a Kitsap County Land Trust and the Kitsap County Parks Department have been instrumental in protecting thousands of acres of key shoreline, forest and lakefront.
Hikers, especially, will be pleasantly surprised to find that just beyond the suburban sprawl radiating from Bremerton, some fine destinations await them. And one of the best times to explore the Kitsap Peninsula is now when Washington’s state flower, the Pacific Rhododendron, is abloom and painting the region’s shorelines, ridges, and forests in brilliant shades of pink.

Read the rest in this month's Outdoors Northwest magazine.

And for more details on hiking on the Kitsap Peninsula pick up a copy of my Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula book which devotes an entire chapter to the Kitsap Peninsula.

(photo-Guillemot Cove on the Kitsap Peninsula)