Asahidake Venting

Steam vents on the south face of Asahidake, the tallest peak on Hokkaido. Seen from the trail to the summit.

View from Niseko Anupuri

Looking toward the peak of Chisenupuri from the summit of Niseko Annupuri.

Jazzy Hiking

Ascending the slopes of Niseko Annupuri through bamboo thickets listening to jazz being piped through loudspeakers on the ski lift towers.

Melon!

Look at this! Melon dessert. I can't eat any more, but I'll try!

Izakaya Hirafu Fleur

Sashimi platter extraordinaire in Hirafu.

Yotei-zan Emerges

After a soak in the onsen I peered out my room window to see Ezo Fuji (Hokkaido Fuji) rising, wreathed with cloud, above Hirafu village.

Onuma de bento tabeta

A sun break at Onuma where we enjoyed our bento lunches. The peak of Iwaonupuri rises in the background.

Niseko Hiking

Buying our trail lunches at the Niseko Seicomart. Now it's off to Goshiki Onsen to begin our hike on the Niseko Circuit.

Shikotsu-ko from Tarumae-san

A view of mist-shrouded Shikotsu Lake (Shikotsu-ko) from the slopes of the Tarumae volcano.

Rolling and splashing

Off we go to Tarumae-san with our driver Jimbo-san at the helm of our Toyota Coaster. Rainy day.

Hokkaido no Kani

Crab on ice in Sapporo airport. Hokkaido is a paradise for seafood lovers!

Gateway to Hokkaido

The main hall at Sapporo's Chitose airport reflects the bustle of modern Japan. But outside only forty minutes away the mountains of Shikotsu-Toya National Park beckon!

Home Again!

Hiked up to Marmot Pass in the Buckhorn Wilderness of Olympic National Forest on a family backpacking trip last weekend. The last time I had been at Marmot Pass was about 27 years ago when I was a seasonal backcountry ranger for Olympic National Park. Since then, I've hiked in beautiful mountains all over the world, but I realized standing on the high ridge of Marmot Pass that the Olympics are still a favorite. Over the past quarter century, many things have changed, but the beauty of the Olympic Mountains endures! Breathing the yellow cedar scented air of the Olympic high country, it felt good to be "home" again!