Epic Hikes of Washington State: Introduction

 

Epic Hikes of Washington State

Introduction

Do I ever leave the state of Minnesota, where elevation gain outside of the Iron Range is something more likely to be found on a Stairmaster than the terrain? 

As it turns out, yes, and not just because I'm incredible at making terrible life decisions, but at least I left with some wonderful hiking stories amidst the chaos.

While it would be easy enough to continue writing essays of my experiences with Minnesota State Parks and the Superior Hiking Trail, I would be remiss if I ignored the misadventures of my glorious mistakes in the summer of 2025, the context for which I'll leave in the unmentioned portion of the stories. Let's just say that, despite my best intentions, I always end up learning the most painful of lessons the hard way, and while I may still be digging myself out of those fatal errors of reason, I still find myself wanting to write about the one thing at which I didn't fail on a considerable level: my Washington state hikes. 

Despite my Discover Pass now gathering dust in my glove box, I pushed myself to considerable new heights and limits during my summer in western Washington. Though I was collapsing from within on a loop of sadness normally reserved for watching my Cleveland Browns attempt to play the game of football on Sundays, all of my previous hiking records were shattered in grand fashion in the process, so at least I have some cool photos and verified complete badges as a consolation prize. 

I don't have to tell anyone who would be reading a hiking travelogue that Washington state is in a league of its own for choice and grandeur. Even the lower-rated adventures still dominate the proverbial landscape better than the best of many other states in the union. I got to experience many, but not nearly enough, of them over the weeks of my stay in a tiny apartment I never should've rented in a place I never should've tried to live near people who never felt the way I did about them, but at least when my boots hit the quickly-elevating trail system, I could forget about that gaping wound in my heart for a little while. 

Unlike my other two series, this one will not follow any particular system or sequential sections of a trail, and even though I will still be continuing those adjacent to these one-off pieces, there are too many hikes I completed in this small window of time that I can no longer leave on the shelf. For instance, in one weekend, I shattered all my records with two hikes in two days. One was the highest point and most elevation gain (by over a thousand feet) that I'd ever made, and the very next day, I completed my longest and farthest, because I am amazing at balancing rest and recuperation with my numerous quests for statistics and photographic opportunities. 

I love hiking in Washington. Unfortunately, Washington doesn't love me back.