Pathfinder (noun): A person who finds or makes a path, way, route, etc., especially through a previously unexplored or untraveled wilderness. Definition from Dictionary.com.

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About Pacific Northwest Pathfinders

I originally created this blog to serve as an open forum where hikers and outdoorspeople could share their favorite trails and hiking areas in the Pacific Northwest with one another. As I work towards that goal, I will share some of my own favorite hiking trips and trails, all rated by a simple review system. If you have some insider information, a blog post correction, or any other input, please let me know and I will add it to my review or make changes.

I encourage you to post pictures, highlights, and information from your own favorite hikes and trails in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Show off your photos, offer your impressions of a trail and its conditions, write about an interesting story from your hike, or provide some insider tips. I only ask that if you do post trail or hiking area details, you give enough information so that other readers can visit the same location if they wish to. Identifying the trail name and/or park or forest name (or city or county) should suffice. I also ask that you respect the opinions of the other people who post to this blog. Thank you and happy hiking.

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About the Author/Administrator

I hated hiking when I was 12 or 13. I grew up in New Hampshire and my dad was (and still is) an avid outdoorsman. Backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater canoeing – he did it all and always with his family in tow. When I was in elementary school, he became fixated on hiking all the 4,000-foot-high or taller peaks in New England. As a result, my younger sister and I spent most of our weekends hiking and backpacking in the New Hampshire White Mountains with our parents. To a kid who enjoys his Saturday morning cartoons, I can think of no greater punishment. In the end, I still remember a lot of those hikes, camping trips, and adventures. I can’t, for the life of me, recall any of the cartoons I watched back then.

Today I treasure my time outdoors, especially that spent hiking and exploring. Over the last 20 years I’ve spent a good portion of my life engaged in outdoor activities. I backpacked across the White Mountains’ Presidential Range. I lived in Down East Maine and explored Acadia National Park and the surrounding area countless times. And I’ve explored and hiked in several national and state parks throughout the Southwest and Pacific Coast.

In 2014, my wife and I moved to Washington State and soon after welcomed our first child into the world. Both avid outdoorspeople ourselves, we share this love and passion with our son. This blog recounts some of those adventures and offers tips and advice on hiking in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for listening and happy hiking.

Nick Gosling