This time of year in Seattle we get periodic "false springs" - lots of sunny weather that gets me thinking about hiking that quickly turns back to gray! Unfortunately, it's also already 6 months out from August/September, so a bunch of the prime camp sites and permits have been snatched. When will I learn to plan earlier?! That said, I do have one big trip on the books! After scouring the REI Adventures, some friends and I decided to steal an itinerary and plan a trip in our own backyard. This August, we'll spend 4 days backpacking the High Divide/ Seven Lakes Basin in the Olympic National Forest. We had to get a little creative with the permits, so we'll tack on a few extra miles and have one long (10-mile) day in the middle. We also booked a room at the Sol Duc Hot Springs to soak our feet and rest up before driving home. Nothing else officially on the books, but lots of ideas. Chinook to White Pass, Ozette Triangle, Baker Lake overnight... I'd love to hear other Washington recommendations, too! And, big thanks to REI for the itinerary! Don't worry, I'm spending more than the cost of the trip just updating my gear this year.
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