Craig Romano - Backpacking Washington

BACKPACKING

Overnight and Multiday Routes

Craig Romano

THE MOUNTAINEERS BOOKSis the nonprofit publishing arm of The Mountaineers, an organization founded in 1906 and dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134

2011 by Craig Romano

All rights reserved

First edition, 2011

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

Manufactured in the United States of America

Copy Editor: Julie Van Pelt
Cover, book design, and layout: Peggy Egerdahl
Cartographer: Pease Press Cartography
All photographs by author unless otherwise noted.
Maps shown in this book were produced using National Geographics TOPO! software. For more information go to www.nationalgeographic.com/topo .

Cover photograph: Pacific Crest Trail (Trip 28)
Frontispiece: Upper Robin Lake embraced by Granite Mountain (Trip 36)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Romano, Craig.
Backpacking Washington : overnight and multiday routes / by Craig Romano. 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-59485-110-0 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-59485-413-2 (ebook)

1. BackpackingWashington (State)Guidebooks. 2. HikingWashington (State)Guidebooks. 3. TrailsWashington (State)Guidebooks. 4. Washington (State)Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.W2R63 2010

796.5109797dc22

2011005310

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59485-110-0
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-59485-413-2

Gypsy Peak, Eastern Washingtons highest summit, as seen from the Salmo-Divide Trail (Trip 67)

A curious mountain goat at the upper Enchantment Lakes (Trip 43)

Upper Ice Lake in late August (Trip 49)

Wildflowers add brilliant color to Mount Saint Helens blast zone. (Trip 15)

Evening dinner at Toleak Point (Trip 2)

A hiker marvels at giant ancient Alaska yellow cedars on the Laughingwater Trail, Mount Rainier National Park. (Trip 28)

Rocky and difficult going around Cape Johnson (Trip 1)

Evening reflections on Aurora Lake at Klapatche Park (Trip 24)

Autumn at South Pass in the Sawtooth Range (Trip 60)

Approaching Bogachiel Peak in late September (Trip 4)

I have worked for two years on Backpacking Washington and it has been my most challenging book. I could have never completed the 1500 miles of researched trails and the 80,000-word manuscript without the help and support of friends and colleagues. I am also deeply thankful to God for watching over me while I trudged through Washingtons spectacular wilderness areas, which can sometimes be unforgiving. I had more than a few cathartic moments along the way, including being caught in a forest fire.

I am deeply proud of this book and proud of all the folks who supported and encouraged me along this two-year, 1500-mile journey! I never tire of thanking all the great people at The Mountaineers Books, especially publisher Helen Cherullo and editor-in-chief Kate Rogers for continuing to support and believe in me. And I never tire of thanking my project manager, Mary Metz, for her encouragement and sympathetic ear. To all three of you, I also extend a heartfelt thank you for your patience and understanding while I missed deadline after deadline for this incredible volume.

I want to especially acknowledge my editor, Julie Van Pelt. I am deeply grateful to work with such a professional. Not only are you an amazing editor, but youre also an amazing backpackersomeone who can not only correct my dangling modifiers but who also knows the trails and backcountry and can offer suggestions so that my descriptions are clear, concise, and correct.

I hiked with a wonderful and varied bunch of folks while researching this book, and I thank them all for their company on many a wilderness mile and night. Thanks to Terry Wood, Steve Tischler, Ted Evans, Kim Brown, Douglas Romano, Jeffrey Romano, Christian Carver, Kent Wright, Alan Bauer, Karen Sykes, Bob Morthorst, Barbara Rossing, Jirka Matula, and Katka Matula.

I want to especially thank Kevin Hinchen for shuttling me up and down the Olympic Coast and Don and Chris Hanson for not only accompanying me on some of the best trips in this book but for the many pre- and aprs backpacking accommodations and hearty meals. All three of you made my work so much easier and I would have had a difficult time without your generosity. Thank you!

And lastly, but most importantly, I want to thank my loving wife, Heather, for once again believing in me and supporting me while I worked on yet another guidebook. Your patience and understanding know no bounds. Thanks for hiking with me, too, to some of the special places in this book. I love spending time in the backcountry with you and look forward to many more days and miles of exploring together.