Where We Hiked: Dec. 20 - 26

While we won't see the blizzard conditions the Northeast is mired in at the moment, we are in for some serious mountain snow in the coming days (The Seattle Times has details.) It'll hamper mountain travel and likely keep hikers to  lowlands for the next several days. Maybe that's why so many of you opted for some exhilarating snowshoe fun over the past week!

There are two Sunday trip reports from snowshoe routes near Snoqualmie Pass -- the same day that four women found themselves lost while snowshoeing the Gold Creek Trail in the same area (they're still missing, but in cell phone contact with Search and Rescue).

Trip reporter Hannah Hurey snowshoed with her family on the Twin Lakes route off the Hyak exit. She notes that this route requires a $20 day fee or $80 annual pass because it uses a portion of groomed trail. Also, Hannah points out that the mileage listed for this snowshoe in our Hiking Guide (4 miles roundtrip) may be incorrect.

Frequent trip reporter Wendy Wheeler discovered and enjoyed a great day hike near North Bend called Cedar Butte. According to the trail's Hiking Guide entry, provided by Mountaineers Books,this "may be the least visited mountain in the Snoqualmie Pass corridor."

Hikers also reported on snowshoe trips to Eightmile Creek near Leavenworth ("Highly recommended!") and Commonwealth Basin.

Stay safe out there!