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Scott

Sacajawea and Hardscrabble: A Double Montana Summit Adventure

Nearly every hike I complete on our Public Lands becomes a favorite. From coastal treks past stunning sea stacks, to rainforest runs, canyon crusades and mountain top meanderings, every mile hiked is a memory I want to relive over and over again. These trails nourish my struggling soul, bringing back meaning and calmness to my …

Open Relationships and Our National Parks

Relationships are tough. They cause pain and heartache, but also bring happiness and love. They give us incredible highs not found anywhere else, while still having the power to completely destroy us for days, weeks, months or years. They come and they go, leaving us forever changed, for bad or for great. They take and …

The Groundbreaking Women of Yellowstone National Park

John Muir. Edward Abbey. Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. Ansel Adams. Aldo Leopold. These heroes of public lands have many things in common, including being old, white men. While the history of America’s Public Lands seem to be only filled with members of the patriarchy, there are hundreds, if not thousands of others who deserve the …

Don’t be Fooled by the Lowland Snow, Washington State’s Snowpack is Struggling

As Seattle and the towns of the Puget Sound, Skagit Valley and Olympic Peninsula prepare for another dose of lowland snow, a report from the US Department of Agriculture is issuing some trouble news. Despite snow falling all around the Evergreen State, our mountain snowpack is still way below average, once again leading to a …

The Hidden History of Olympic National Park’s Lake Crescent

Our National Parks are filled with incredible history. From buildings and battlefields, to the cultural importance of these lands to the first people’s, every single one of these places of Public Lands is steeped in historical wonder. Our Public Lands have a lifetime’s worth of stories and tales, iconic figures and shady characters, allowing us …

Healing a Hurting Soul at Lake of the Angels

I was stressed and sad, or as I called it in 2013, Tuesday. We were in the midst of a Government shutdown and I was surviving my job as a political consultant on fumes and alcohol. My job was safe for the year, but the future was not. I had reached my breaking point and …

Hoping 2019 Will Be An Amazing Year On Public Lands

Each new year, we find ourselves full of hope and optimism. When the clock strikes midnight, we look ahead to wonderful times with friends and family, as well as ourselves. In those few few hours, days and weeks of the new year, we have a pep in our step and feel motivated to make the …

Mount Rainier’s Nisqually Gate Is Now Closed Due to Latest Government Shutdown

Despite Mount Rainier National Park staff’s best efforts to let visitors explore the lands around the iconic Washington State mountain, the only entrance road open into the park during the winter months was closed on Sunday, January 6th, 2019. A simple announcement on the park’s website greeted visitors with the following: 

A Nourished Soul in Slot Canyons and Sandstone Sculptures

Born and raised in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, anytime I explore a public lands location that doesn’t get feet of rainfall each year feels, I feel incredibly strange. I am used to endless green, to rivers constantly flowing and to signs of life around every corner. I am accustomed to seeing towering trees …