• home
  • about me
  • latest
  • brooke beyond

  • destinations
    • WORLD MAP
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Aus + NZ
      • Adelaide & South Australia
      • Brisbane & Queensland
      • Hobart & Tasmania
      • Melbourne & Victoria
      • Perth & Western Australia
      • Sydney & New South Wales
      • New Zealand
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • UK
    • Latin America
      • Mexico
        • all Mexico
        • Baja Peninsula
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Panama
      • Peru
    • USA
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Oregon
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • Wyoming
  • hiking guides

brooke beyond

Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta
USA / Washington

Vanlife diaries #27: Mt Baker National Forest & Yakima

September 25, 2021

This week, we finally rolled out of Seattle and onwards to new adventures! It’s been amazing exploring the PNW for the last 2 months, and we’ve ticked some major things off our outdoor bucketlist lately, but all the long mountain trips have also left us missing our little home on wheels and we are definitely ready to hit the road again, this time “for real”. 

Our plan is to spend the next 1.5 years travelling through the Rockies, Mexico, Central America, South America, and all the way to Patagonia. And having now been vanlifers for 6 months, we feel dialled in and prepared for the trip of a lifetime! Here’s how the adventure began.

Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta
Vanlife at Mt Baker!

What we’ve been up to this week

Although we’d intended to leave last week (and make it all the way to Oregon this week), life had other plans. My laptop battery swelled and had to be sent in for repair, our AC took a lot longer to instal than expected, and we spent days running errands that should only have taken a few hours (basically, no one has anything in stock anywhere, thank you COVID).

And so, this week involved a lot of boring life admin— but also brought us up to Bellingham for a farewell camping trip with Dan’s friends and out to Mt Baker National Forest for plenty of jaw-dropping scenery at Picture Lake and Artist Point! It was my first time in this area and I was suitably blown away by what Dan refers to as his “backyard”.

Read more: 7 ICONIC BACKPACKING & MOUNTAINEERING ROUTES IN THE WASHINGTON CASCADES

Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta
Table Mountain overlooking Shasta
Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta
Camping out near Glacier, WA
Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta
Mt Baker National Forest Mt Shasta

We loved camping in the shadow of Mt Shuksan and especially enjoyed foraging for chanterelles in the nearby forest. Dan took a mushrooming class over a decade ago (and has been waiting for someone to laugh at his “fungi/fun-guy” joke ever since), so he is a trove of mycology knowledge and truthfully a very skilled shroom-spotter. 

I was surprised by how much fun it was to hunt under the thick forest duff for mushrooms, and even more impressed to learn that chanterelles can go for up to $45/lb at local markets. 

With our 3lb loot, we headed back to Issaquah for one final dinner with mum and Kevin, whipping up a new favourite chanterelle parmesan risotto and drinking our weight in wine.

Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
Hunting for chanterelles in Mt Baker NF
Mt Baker National Forest mushroom foraging chanterelles
The magic of mycology

By the end of the week, we were slowly making our way SE through Yakima and into Oregon, stopping to indulge in some awesome fresh hop beers at Single Hill and Varietal Brewing one day and spending the next doing impromptu wine tasting at 14 Hands in Prosser.

Like everything, it took us much longer than anticipated to cross the stateline, but we had plenty of fun along the way that made it totally worth the delay! 

Wine tasting at 14 Hands

Where we stayed this week

  • Camping on Forest Service land near Glacier, WA (free; 5 Sept)
  • Boondocking on Forest Service land near Artist Point in Mt Baker National Forest, WA (free; 6 Sept)
  • Boondocking in Bellingham, WA (free; 7 Sept)
  • Inside at Mum’s house in Issaquah, WA (free; 8-9 Sept)
  • Boondocking on a Walmart parking lot in Yakima, WA (free; 10 Sept)
  • Boondocking near Elgin, OR (free; 11 Sept)
TAGS:vanlifevanlife diariesvanlife USA
0 Comments
Share
brooke brisbine

I've spent the last decade exploring the world— everything from solo trekking in the Andes to overlanding in Zambia, all while completing a PhD in Biomechanics, teaching at a university & securing permanent residency in Australia. In 2020, I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! Whether it’s vanlife in Mexico, scuba diving in the Galápagos, ticking off incredible US National Parks, or climbing in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

You May Also Like

July 2, 2021

Vanlife diaries #16: More Sawtooth Wilderness

May 7, 2021

Vanlife diaries #8: Saguaro National Park East & the Superstitions

March 18, 2021

Vanlife Diaries #1: Washington & Oregon coast

hi, I’m brooke!

I've spent the last decade exploring the world— everything from solo trekking in the Andes to overlanding in Zambia, all while completing a PhD in Biomechanics. In 2020, I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! Whether it’s vanlife in Mexico, scuba diving in the Galápagos, ticking off incredible US National Parks, or climbing in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

read my story
currently exploring

currently exploring

mexico

img

travel resources

flights ✈️ Skyscanner

hotels 🏨 booking.com

adventure gear 🥾 REI

travel essentials 📸 Amazon

travel guides

hiking guides

vanlife resources

moving to australia

trip itineraries

recent posts

  • Alta Via 4 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 4 (day 0): San Candido to Rifugio Tre Scarperi

    December 28, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 13): Rifugio Boz to Croce d’Aune

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 12): Passo Cereda to Rifugio Boz

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 11): Rifugio Treviso to Passo Cereda + Via Ferrata Canalone

    October 11, 2022
  • Alta Via 2 Italian Dolomites hiking via ferrata guide

    Alta Via 2 (day 10): Rifugio Pradidali to Rifugio Treviso + Via Ferrata Porton & Nico Gusella

    October 3, 2022

…

travel beyond the ordinary

Explore my travel guides, custom itineraries & blog posts with an interactive world map ✨

all destinations

…

  • home
  • about me
  • latest
  • destinations
  • hiking guides
  • moving to Australia
  • vanlife resources
  • contact

COPYRIGHT © 2022 BROOKE BEYOND. TRAVEL BEYOND THE ORDINARY. Site Powered by Pix & Hue.