Pacific Northwest Trail

I came across a hike for anyone wanting to experience the Northwest. It's called the Pacific Northwest Trail.

The Pacific Northwest Trail stretches 1,200 miles, between Washington and Montana and was designated in 2009.

The trail begins in the Olympic National Park in Washington and ends in Glacier National Park in Montana.

Being so new, the trail doesn't have a "designated" route yet and hikers must navigate forest trails, highways, logging roads, city streets and even a ferry.

According to an article by Terry Richard of the Oregonian, it will take years -- perhaps decades -- before a formal route is surveyed and marked.

But just how many years could that be? Richards says in his article that, trails are works in progress. As an example, the Pacific Crest Trail was conceived in 1932, designated by Congress in 1968 and officially completed in 1993. Even now, the trail gets rerouted as storms damage sections, or as land ownership issues are resolved.

Imagine the views that you will have though. From the coast of Washington to the Rocky Mountains. All with desert, forests and rivers in between.

The Portland office of the U.S. Forest Service has been charged with the task to coordinate official designation of the route. I'll keep you updated as the route is designed.

Glacier National Park: Part One

Here is Part One of mine and Brandon's trip to Glacier National Park.

This is our journey there.

Part One includes: our road trip to Glacier National Park, our attempt to find a campsite for the night, and driving up the Going To The Sun Road.




Tune in tomorrow for Part Two: Hike to Hidden Lake.

Outdoor Photo of the Week: A view of Flathead Lake

Here's a photo Brandon took from his cellphone (!!!!) of a sunset on Flathead Lake in Montana last night.

Holy Cow!

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just Northwest? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

Glacier National Park turns 100

Today is the 100th birthday of Glacier National Park in Montana.

100 years is awesome. But will the park make it another 10? That's what an article in USA Today looked at.
The gorgeous million-acre park in northwestern Montana celebrated its 100th birthday on Tuesday. But many of its glaciers have melted, and scientists predict the rest may not last another decade.

The forests are drier and disease-ridden, leading to bigger wildfires. Climate change is forcing animals that feed off plants to adapt.

Many experts consider Glacier Park a harbinger of Earth's future, a laboratory where changes in the environment will likely show up first.

Average temperatures have risen in the park 1.8 times faster than the global average, said Dan Fagre, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist.

The change is visible to the naked eye, with the vast moraines left behind as the giant glaciers melt away. Climate change is blamed for the increasing size and frequency of wildfires, and lower stream flows as summer progresses.

You can view the rest of the article on the USA Today site.