Washington

Floris van Breugel on October 6th, 2018

Fall has arrived! Here in the northwest, that means the blueberry bushes are turning red, the larches gold, and a plethora of other plants are taking on shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple. It also means that the rains have come, bringing with them the mist and wetness that so characterize the northwest. Last …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Enchanted in the Great North Wet

Floris van Breugel on September 12th, 2018

Autumn is coming! The days are getting shorter, there is a crisp snap to the air, and the first rains are blowing in from the Pacific. To celebrate the changing of the seasons, Aubrey and I went out to the White River, east of the Cascades, and paddled the 14 miles of the twists and …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Mini-Alaska ~ Autumn Spawning on the White River

Floris van Breugel on August 7th, 2018

Eighty years ago, a group of four hardy souls from the Ptarmigan Climbing Club (Bill Cox, Calder Bressler, Ray W. Clough, and Tom Myers) set out to discover what lay south of Cascade Pass, and although they (and many subsequent explorers) found out, words can’t do such a place justice. So, last week Aubrey and …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Ptarmigan Traverse ~ 5 days on Cascade Glaciers

Floris van Breugel on September 29th, 2017

Sometimes it’s hard to know what season it is these days. One moment there’s huge fires burning and ash is falling on Seattle, the next day it’s snowing in the mountains before the end of September, and then it’s back to 80 degrees! Well, at some point winter will truly come. In the meantime, here’s …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Shoulder Season in the Cascades

Floris van Breugel on August 17th, 2017

Shortly after Aubrey and I settled into our new home in Seattle, we embarked on our first backpacking adventure in the Cascades since we left the Northwest 3 years ago. I wanted to jump right in, with a trip that really embodied the Northwest experience: crisp alpine lakes, steep vegetated slopes, bushwacking, adventurous route-finding, and …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about The Cascadian Experience

Floris van Breugel on December 31st, 2015

After not having seen the ocean in over a year (Los Angeles beaches don’t count), Aubrey and I managed to make two visits in less than two weeks. It was nice to see the rolling waves and smell the fresh, crisp, and salty air again. New blog feature – click images for larger pop-up view! …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Scenes from the Pacific Coast

Floris van Breugel on July 21st, 2014

Wilderness: “…an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man…” Wilderness Act, Section 2(c) This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which protects over 100 million acres of land from machines and development. Unfortunately, these spiritual places are coming under more and more attack. A few weeks …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Home Sweet Home in the North Cascades

Floris van Breugel on May 5th, 2014

After spending two weeks in the (sometimes unbearable) heat of Mexico, it was a relief to come home to the temperate climate of the Pacific Northwest. The winter rains are (slowly) subsiding, and I returned just in time for the arrival of spring. Over the past few weeks I’ve had several chances to get out …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Springshine – Glorious Sunshine of the Northwest

Floris van Breugel on February 5th, 2014

While the rest of Seattle gathered in front of their TV’s last weekend to cheer on the Seahawks, Aubrey and I escaped to the Olympic coast to watch the hawks by the sea. To be fair, there weren’t any hawks, but we did see bald eagles, sea otters, surfing sea lions, and – to our …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about A Sandy Fantasy – Olympic Coast

Floris van Breugel on November 14th, 2013

My 2014 calendars are in, and they look great! I will be shipping out all the pre-orders soon. If you have not yet ordered one, now is a good time since quantities are very limited (link on the right). ~ ~ ~ At times, Seattle can feel slightly claustrophobic, particularly in November. The days are …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about The Fallen – Seattle Arboretum