June 2020 – Turigrinos

June 2020 Loot!

Bit of a slow start this month but I'm hoping to finish strong: Exped FlexMat Plus Foam Sleeping Pad At one-and-a-half inches thick Exped's latest closed-cell foam pad is the cushiest offering on the market. Closed-cell foam has always appealed to me: it's inexpensive, indestructible, and setup and teardown are hassle-free due to the lack of inflation. However, in practice it's never comfortable enough to work on its own - it always feels like something I'll have to "get used to". The FlexMat Plus is actually comfortable all by itself on a hardwood floor: no bottoming out anywhere, even at [...]

By Person A|2020-06-21T18:53:41+00:00June 21st, 2020|

Trip Report: Polallie Ridge

Diamond Lake Yesterday I went on a day hike along Polallie Ridge, which separates the Waptus River and Cooper River valleys in central Washington. The goal was to reach the site of an old fire lookout just shy of Waptus Pass and then try to summit Cone Mountain. I'd noticed Cone's formidable eastern face while backpacking to Waptus Lake. After examining a map of the area post-trip I noticed that the western side of the mountain wasn't even a face at all, it was a flat expanse filling the space between the summit block and Polallie Ridge. Although satellite imagery [...]

By Person A|2020-06-21T19:10:08+00:00June 21st, 2020|

Trip Report: Waptus Lake

Mount Jerry Garcia from the south shore of Waptus Lake Last weekend I went on a two-nighter to Waptus Lake. Nestled within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Waptus Lake offers incredible views of Summit Chief and Bears Breast Mountains as well as access to the PCT. The relatively flat 9-mile hike in follows the Waptus River on and off and sports a number of small creek crossings to keep things interesting. The horse ford Unfortunately the foot bridge at the end has been washed out so access to the main campground is via a horse ford where moderately-paced water currently sits [...]

By Person A|2020-07-12T20:38:47+00:00June 11th, 2020|