Looking for easily accessible yet off-the-beaten-path outdoor adventures you can do year-round in the mountains near Seattle, Portland, and Bend? Look no further! Imagine escaping to old-growth forests, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, and hot springs. This beginner-friendly guide will show you where to go, what to do, and what to look for while you’re there. Covering the Olympics and West Cascades (Olympic Peninsula, Mount Baker, Central Cascades, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Deschutes National Forest, and Crater Lake) the book features a robust basics section with tips, gear guides, nature ID, geology, and safety info. Each mountain location includes background information, getaways (to campgrounds, cabins, lodges, fire lookouts, and yurts), and activities (green season and snow season). Green season features spring/summer/fall hikes and backpacking trips, while snow season includes downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hikes, and more. Activities are coded with icons (accessible, near campground, wildflower, berry picking, bird watching, dogs allowed, wow-factor, waterfall) and are indexed by icon at the end. This book will inspire you to get outdoors all year long with beautiful photography and illustrations, evocative descriptions, maps, and all the basics you need to know to go.

Filled with spiritual insights and stunning landscape photography, this devotional is for those who connect deeply with God through the beauty and splendor of the outdoors. Listen carefully. Can you hear it? Evidence of God’s design is everywhere, from a pristine sanctuary of snowy pines to the lilting refrain of a lazy river. From a majestic star scape in a summer’s evening sky to the ancient echo of a painted desert canyon. Throughout nature, revelation is naturally and exquisitely unfolding. Whatever and wherever your mountain might be, these short devotions will help attune you to that still small voice beckoning you from beyond the wooded path, the windswept clearing, or the creek-side meadow. As you celebrate each season with thoughtful prose, Scripture verses, and captivating imagery, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the One who has made this world His masterpiece.

With heart-pounding descriptions of avalanches and treacherous ascents, Barry Blanchard chronicles his transformation from a poor Metis (half-breed) kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world. He describes early climbs attempted with nothing to guide him but written trail descriptions and the cajones of youth. He slowly acquires the skills, equipment and partners necessary to tackle more and more difficult climbs, farther and farther afield: throughout the Canadian Rockies, into Alaska and the French Alps and on to Everest, Peru, and the challenging mountains in Pakistan. From each he learns lessons that only nature and extreme endeavor can teach. This is the story of the culture of climbing in the days of punk rock and rock ‘n’ roll, accompanied by the rhythm of adrenaline and the arrogance of youth. It is a portrait of the power of the mountains to lift us – physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually – and the depths of relationships based on total trust in the person at the other end of a rope. Includes climbs with renowned alpinists such as Kevin Doyle, Mark Twight, David Cheesmond and Ward Robinson. 432 pages with photos and a playlist.

In this dark romantic fantasy trilogy opener, a young woman discovers she may have the power to save a society that shuns her. Tales are told of the mysterious, powerful Mountain where the gods—powerful beings in the form of white horses—live. But Valeria knows no woman has ever been called to the Mountain. Until she feels a strange pull and answers the call—as a boy. . . . When her secret is discovered Valeria loses all that she’s won. Her anger and frustration with the Empire might be enough to give the barbarians a way into the Mountain. And so, the Empire now depends on the will, the strength, and the loyalty of one Rider. A Rider who has been rejected by all but the gods . . . Praise for The Mountain’s Call “Animal lovers and romantic fantasy aficionados alike will appreciate this . . . coming-of-age story and an exhilarating romantic adventure.” —RT Book Reviews

Filled with spiritual insights and stunning landscape photography, this devotional is for those who connect deeply with God through the beauty and splendor of the outdoors. Listen carefully. Can you hear it? Evidence of God’s design is everywhere, from a pristine sanctuary of snowy pines to the lilting refrain of a lazy river. From a majestic star scape in a summer’s evening sky to the ancient echo of a painted desert canyon. Throughout nature, revelation is naturally and exquisitely unfolding. Whatever and wherever your mountain might be, these short devotions will help attune you to that still small voice beckoning you from beyond the wooded path, the windswept clearing, or the creek-side meadow. As you celebrate each season with thoughtful prose, Scripture verses, and captivating imagery, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the One who has made this world His masterpiece.

Clarence explored the forests around Penny, hiked the mountains of the beautiful Bearpaw Range and traveled by boat up and down the far reaches of the upper Fraser River. Many days were spent putting up birch wood for the kitchen stove, gardening, picking wild berries, fishing, and hunting.The book will give the reader an insight into the life of a very interesting man. There was lots of hard work, music, storytelling, humour, and family commitments. Clarence just celebrated his 90th birthday and is still full of fun. You will have a laugh or two reading about the adventures of a true British Columbian mountain man!

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ECPA BESTSELLER • The husband and wife behind the popular Earls Family Vlogs share their inspiring love story of how an expedition to climb Mount Everest deepened their faith, strengthened their commitment, and sharpened their vision to make a difference in the world. As a senior at West Point, Harold Earls dreamed of summiting Mount Everest after graduation and bringing awareness to the issue of PTSD in soldiers and veterans. But as a novice mountain climber and newlywed, could he really leave his wife, Rachel, on the other side of the world to pursue such a dangerous quest? After all, Rachel’s dream was to be a wife and mother. She knew that her husband’s audacious goal might lead to her to give up everything. A Higher Calling takes us on a beautiful journey through the ups and downs of their relationship, from their unlikely introduction and whirlwind romance to their fairy-tale wedding and the dreams they shared. Dreams that required tremendous sacrifice and faith—in each other and in God. As their dreams are realized, witness how Harold and Rachel used their powerful bond of love to overcome obstacles and learn that life is about doing versus having, serving versus getting, being versus wanting. A Higher Calling shows each of us that when God’s purpose and our passion meet, we can transcend any sacrifice we make on the mountains of adversity. And as we approach life with an attitude of thanksgiving, we realize that being joyful and living in love is worth it. Every time.

Written with verve and enthusiasm, Higher Calling explores why mountains have such a magnetic appeal to cyclists the world over. But Max Leonard, himself an accomplished amateur cyclist, does not forget the pain, the glory, the sweat, and the tears that go into these grueling climbs. After all, cycling up a mountain is hard. So hard that, to many, it can seem absurd. But for others, climbing a mountain gracefully (and beating your competitors up the slope) represents the pinnacle of cycling achievement. It is where legends are forged.Many books tell you where the mountains are, or how long and how high. None of them ask why. Why are mountain ranges professional cycling's Coliseum? Why do amateurs also make pilgrimages to these high, remote roads? Why are the roads even there in the first place to lure us on to these obsession inducing climbs? Just why are mountains so enthralling? "This is real cycling, where the glory is and where dreams come true," according to Bradley Wiggins. Mountains are where cycling's greatest heroes have made their names. Every amateur rider wishes they could climb better, too. Are all these people addicted to the pain? To the achievement? Or to the allure of the peaks? Some spend their weekends and holidays cycling up mountains from start to finish. But how does a rider push themselves beyond their limits to get up a 10% gradient on pedal power alone? What is happening when they do?Higher Calling explores the central place of mountains in the folklore of road cycling. Blending adventure and travel writing with the rich narrative of racing, Max Leonard takes the reader from the battles that created the Alpine roads to the shepherds tending their flocks on the peaks, and to a Grand Tour climax on the "highest road in Europe." And he tells stories of courage and sacrifice, war and love, obsession and even elephants, along the way.

Famed naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) came to Wisconsin as a boy and studied at the University of Wisconsin. He first came to California in 1868 and devoted six years to the study of the Yosemite Valley. After work in Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, he returned to California in 1880 and made the state his home. One of the heroes of America's conservation movement, Muir deserves much of the credit for making the Yosemite Valley a protected national park and for alerting Americans to the need to protect this and other natural wonders. The mountains of California (1894) is his book length tribute to the beauties of the Sierras. He recounts not only his own journeys by foot through the mountains, glaciers, forests, and valleys, but also the geological and natural history of the region, ranging from the history of glaciers, the patterns of tree growth, and the daily life of animals and insects. While Yosemite naturally receives great attention, Muir also expounds on less well known beauty spots.