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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
About the Author
I have enjoyed hiking ever since my college days in the midwest at the University of Illinois. As a certified dendrologist (the study of identifying trees), I was drawn into the joy of knowing every tree I ever came across! I learned that there was all kinds of unique ways of identifying trees beyond the usual items such as leaves, bark and seeds. I would seek them out by their shape in the bare of winter, the fragrance of their blossoms in the spring, the sound of their rustling leaves in the summer, and of course their beautiful colors in the fall. My favorite tree is the Tamarack (or Western Larch) which is a rare type of deciduous (loses their leaves) conifer tree.
Upon moving to the beautiful Pacific Northwest I discovered a new joy... wildflowers in the subalpine regions of the Cascade Mountains! Identifying them is always a challenge, but after sixteen years the list of "ones that I know" keeps getting longer. Avalanche lily, alpine speedwell, sickletop lousewort, magenta paintbrush, sitka valerian, Jacob's ladder, and tiling's monkeyflower are some of my favorites. The wildflower experts not only know the common names, but their scientific names and families as well. My skills have progressed to that of knowing their habitat, elevational range, and environmental characteristics such as dry/sunny versus moist/shady, rock crevices, the edge of a brook, or simply along the forest trail. Once the wildflowers have captured your heart you'll be out seeking them for the rest of your life!
Currently I really enjoy backpacking to those special areas where it is so quiet that all you hear is the wind whistling through the subalpine trees, the murmur of a clear mountain stream, and the surprise of a hummingbird checking you out! Of course its really special to reach a crystal blue mountain lake along the way and catch a nice cutthroat trout and then release it back to its natural habitat. And in the distance a beautiful glacier covered mountain is always there for your complete enjoyment! Yes backpacking is well worth the effort.
Mountaineering was a part of my life for about five years. Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helen's, Mount Olympus, Glacier Peak all bring back exceptional memories. Scaling to the summit of these major peaks in the Cascades of Washington state was a tremendous experience to say the least! Clear vistas, clouds, fog, white-outs, rain, sunshine... you never really knew what you were going to get once you got to the top. But as all mountaineers know, it is always worth it no matter what!
And for family fun, it's really special to hike in with my daughter and find the secret "Pochahontas waterfall", or do a quick dip in the ice cold water of an alpine lake in the Sawtooth Mountains, or hike in to "Bear Cave" and hear your voices echoing multiple times throughout the cave. Family hiking is truly a great way to enjoy the outdoors!
Thanks for visiting the Hiker's Diary web site. We hope you'll bring one of our diary's with you on your next expedition!
Good Hiking, Tom Lasken |
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