hiking | The Filson Journal

Grit: Marc Warnke’s Pack Goats

Will Kutscher — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 20:27:32 +0000

Goats are one of the earliest animals domesticated by humans. While they’ve been utilized for countless purposes, it’s still oddly uncommon in America to use them as pack animals, but one man hopes to buck the trend.

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How to Filson’s Guide to Conifers of the Cascades

Angela Becia — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 00:19:52 +0000

Washington’s forests are home to more than 25 unique species of trees. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to quickly identify the 5 key varieties in the North Cascades.

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Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 2

Angela Becia — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 22:13:58 +0000

When looking at pictures of rain jackets on a web page, they all kind of look the same. How does one choose? Simple: honestly prioritize your needs as a user and choose the jacket that best fits those needs.

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The Glaciers of the North Cascades

Angela Becia — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 22:59:52 +0000

North Cascades National Park counts more than 300 glaciers along this northwestern spine of mountains—and that’s just inside the park boundaries. The North Cascades are the most glaciated place in the country outside of Alaska, but this ice-clad range has remained relatively under the radar compared to places such as Montana’s Glacier National Park or Mount Rainier in the South Cascades. The landscape here feels wilder, at the edge of things, with a mystical feel of vastness and geologic time lent by the presence of these relics from the last ice age.

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North Cascades: Bastion of the Wild

Angela Becia — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 23:43:30 +0000

Sitting like stone guardians just below the Canadian border, the North Cascade mountains are keepers of the wildness that once roamed unchecked across North America. Soaring high into the skies, their stony and snowy peaks seem to scrape at the clouds that pass overhead demanding tribute as they float by. Sparkling like scattered gems, glacially fed lakes brilliantly reflect the sunlight while, through deep green valleys, bright, blue-gray rivers run down to the surrounding flatlands. It is a spot where a person could quickly leave behind all of the trappings that attach themselves to our modern daily existence and transport to another existence entirely.

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Climber Fred Beckey: Spirit of the Mountains

Angela Becia — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 23:43:13 +0000

If you listen hard enough, you can hear Fred Beckey’s spirit whispering among the towering peaks and hidden valleys of the Northern Cascades. Around campfires, bar tops, or anywhere that people gather, his name tends to pop up. He is an outdoors urban legend, the mythical mountaineer who spent eight decades solely focused on one thing and one thing only: climbing.

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Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 1

Angela Becia — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:02:47 +0000

When you’re outdoors and can’t escape wet weather, staying dry is a very real need. Quality rain gear not only keeps you more comfortable—in cold temperatures, it can prevent life-threatening hypothermia. Rain gear that strikes a balance between conflicting criteria such as water resistance vs. breathability, mobility vs. simplicity, and packability vs. durability solves problems for the outdoorsman. This article takes a look at some of the modern technologies available to keep us dry, and how they work.

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Leif Whittaker: My Old Man & the Mountain

Angela Becia — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 17:37:13 +0000

My Old Man and the Mountain is Leif Whittaker's engaging and humorous story of what it was like to "grow up Whittaker"―the youngest son of Jim Whittaker and Dianne Roberts, in an extended family of accomplished climbers. He shares glimpses of his upbringing and how the pressure to climb started early on.

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Amy David: Why I Guide

Angela Becia — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 23:40:25 +0000

As a professional skier, Amy David spends most days in the winter backcountry, skiing and snowmobiling while being photographed and filmed for media content. Simultaneously, She leads a backcountry retreat program for women and is currently working to earn a backcountry ski guide certification from the American Mountain Guide Association, the highest standard for mountain guides.

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The Evolution of Mountaineering Gear

Angela Becia — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 21:36:58 +0000

Humans have climbed mountains since they first crossed the Alps or left religious offerings in the highest heights. But it wasn’t until the mid-18th century that Europeans turned their gaze to the tops of mountains.

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