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Faint Praise
Web sites as erratic as this one don't happen by accident. A lot of different contributors have directly or indirectly made this all possible, despite their protests.
Content
Information presented here is based on personal observation. Though cross-checked against various sources (guide books, USGS quads, GPS tracks, etc.) not everything you see is guaranteed to be reliable. Use a little judgment before wandering out into the wilderness, OK? Despite relative proximity to very populated areas, there are real and serious dangers out there. All text content is under copyright, but you are granted the right to make as many copies as you want for your personal use and enjoyment — just not for commercial purposes.
Images
All images you see on this site are under copyright by Larry Trammell (aka the RidgeRat) unless specifically credited to another owner who reserves copyright. You may make as many copies as you want for your own personal use and enjoyment, but not for commercial purposes.
If you have commercial purposes in mind, don't panic! There are higher resolution versions of most of the images. Send me an e-mail at ridgerat-web AT nwi DOT net, and then settle back for a long wait.
All image preparation is done using GIMP 2.8, which is a free and open source software distributed by gnu.org.
Web Design
Pages on this site are derived from "open source" CSS templates, and let's give credit where it is due.
The home page and trip index page are based on the Andreas01 CSS template by Andreas Viklund. (Actually, I started from a wider-format adaptation by Jason Cole.) If you see something that is obviously defective, I can take full credit for that part. The original template is available for free use and distributed under the General Public License (version 2). In that spirit, if you want to use layouts from this site, you are welcome to save pages with your browser and recycle the saved CSS styling files for your own projects. But remember to use your own content and images! The site content remains under copyright.
The hikes pages were derived from another open source template, the 2green design by Minimalistic Design; however, I modified a few significant items: the page size, margins, font types, color scheme, graphics, and column placement. OK, basically nothing from the original stylesheet remains, but it was definitely helpful for getting started.
Other Resources
- REI. An important supplier for USGS and Green Trails maps, books, freeze-dried trail foods, etc.
- Topo! Originally developed by Wildflower Productions, then bought out by National Geographic Maps, this software has apparently been abandoned in favor of a phone app. Now you have the convenience of paying every time you use it. My advice: go as quickly as you can to your local software reseller and see if you can find a copy of one of the State Edition CD sets. Somebody check out hillmap.com for me.
- Green Trails maps. One of your best resources for trail route information, considered "the tenth essential" for trips in the Cascade Mountains.
- USGS 7.5' Series "legacy" maps. For detailed landform information and off-trail travel, go to the source. If you see outdated maps, even better, the landforms haven't changed all that much, but you might find clues about mostly forgotten old routes to mostly forgotten places. Newer USGS maps are available for download in various formats, if you have a way to suitably print them.
- Sierra Trading Post. Specialists in seconds, closeouts and overstocks, sometimes a great source for bargains in backcountry gear if you know exactly what you are looking for.
- Weather reports. Up-to-the-minute official predictions before you begin your trip, and believe it or not, they're close a lot of the time.
- Washington Trails Association. Trip and trail reports from the state's premier advocate for hiking trails. Unfortunately, high maintenance and high traffic trails seem to draw the bulk of their attention, as less known trails deteriorate into oblivion on all sides. See the endangered trails page on this site.
