Category Archives: Musings

Urban Walking and Biking in Seattle

October 23, 2026 Robert Payne Leave a comment

When I first settled in the Wallingford-Fremont area in Seattle back in 2019, walking or running around Green Lake became my go-to. I’ve done that loop more times than I can count. I’ve also circumnavigated it on a stand up paddleboard (SUP), as well as a kayak on several occasions. It is still part of my exercise regiment, but I’ve since expanded my reach across a larger and more diverse footprint of Seattle that offers so many different opportunities to engage this awesome and accessible city. So let me share it with you.

Now I often mix it up with long walks and runs on the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop, which I can pick up just a few blocks from my house on the Burke-Gilman Trail. Sometimes I will add additional flavor by cutting up the Queen Anne Galer Steps, over to Kerry Park, and then down to the waterfront and the Myrtle Edwards Park and Centennial Park corridor. Other times I will head straight downtown to Pike Place Market. Or you can walk on to the Seattle Ferry Terminal on Alaskan Way. The variations are endless, and if I get tired I can always get on the 62 Bus line back to my neighborhood, or grab a Lime bike or scooter.

Other times I will go East and over to Capitol Hill via the East Howe Steps or Blaine Street Stairs past the Streissguth Gardens. You can walk all the way up to Volunteer Park and enjoy some of the remarkable Capitol Hill mansions along the way. After getting your steps/climb in, it is a long and easy downhill descent towards Cal Anderson Park, and the variety of places – and people watching – between.

My other big realization has been how accessible Seattle is via bike. I am frankly blown away with what you can experience in a day via 2 wheels. I highly recommend this route.

Seattle in a Day by Bike

You will enjoy gorgeous views of Lake Union, Fremont, the Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks, Magnolia, Elliott Bay, downtown Seattle, Seattle Aquarium, Alaska Way, Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, Chinatown-International District, Lake Washington, City of Bellevue, Washington Park Arboretum, University of Washington, and so much more! I guarantee you will feel like you’ve been on urban adventure at the end of the day. Special call out to the City of Seattle for the awesome dedicated bike lane that runs all the way through town on 2nd Avenue.

Thanks to early visionaries, Seattle has an abundance of parks and beautiful vistas, many designed by the Olmsteds. This is a plaque in the Water Tower Observation Deck in Volunteer Park.

“Landscapes move us in a manner more nearly analogous to action of music than to anything else…Gradually and silently the charm overcomes us: we know not exactly where or how.”

I hope this helps you find new ways to discover Seattle wherever your feet or wheels take you.

Musings

Olympic Peninsula

September 8, 2026 Robert Payne Leave a comment

Every photographer should have a 10-stop neutral density (ND) filter to cut the light entering your camera lens by a factor of 1,000, allowing you to use very slow shutter speeds in bright daylight.

Musings

Mount Si Trail Hike

May 14, 2026 Robert Payne 1 Comment

After almost seven years in Seattle, I finally got up the gumption to hike Mount Si. It was not the four miles of vertical gain that dissuaded me, nor the call of more remote and pristine hikes. Rather, it has simply been the mountain’s extreme popularity given its close proximity to Seattle, Bellevue, Issaquah, and beyond.

Striking out on a warm and hazy Tuesday afternoon in mid May, I found the large parking lot about half full. It still felt like a lot of people to me, but throughout the hike I found enough spacing between those I encountered that the trail felt surprisingly peaceful overall. I do not know whether it is because the trail ranks so highly in searches for day hikes near Seattle, or because the outdoors have become a playground for so many new recruits, but proper etiquette dictates that hikers going uphill have the right of way. Let’s get it right, people.

Trail Highlights

I set a pretty good pace and reached the top in exactly two hours. The highlights included moss covered maples and ferns mixed with intermittent stands of large hemlocks at the beginning of the trail, a grove of 350 year old Douglas firs in the middle section, and of course the summit itself, with views of Mount Rainier, Snoqualmie Pass, Seattle, Bellevue, and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie meandering through the North Bend Valley below.

The Haystack

Do not be fooled by the false summit. The true top is the Haystack farther up the hill. The best approach is to continue along the trail and wrap around the back side of the Haystack, where you will find a steep Class III ascent. This route is not for everyone, so use your best judgment. People have fallen here and suffered serious injuries, including at least one fatality.

Trail Map

Once on top, it is tempting to descend and continue all the way out to Mount Teneriffe, then return via the Mount Teneriffe Trail, Talus Loop Trail, and Mount Si Trail. But I knew my winter feet were not ready for that distance, and I had not gotten an early enough start.

Geology

The top of Mount Si is made up of metamorphic rock that was once igneous rock formed beneath the ocean 150 million years ago. The valley below, unsurprisingly, was carved by glaciers. Nick Zentner, as always, does a great job explaining the geology in more detail. You will be dropping “metagabbro” into conversations at your next party. You’re welcome.

For all its reputation as Seattle’s crowded proving ground for hikers, Mount Si still manages to deliver. Ancient forests, sweeping views, deep geologic history, and just enough exertion to get you ready for more demanding and scenic hikes in the Cascade Range.

Musings

The Winter That Didn’t Quite Stick

April 27, 2026 Robert Payne Leave a comment

Well, that’s a wrap on ski season. It was an odd one, and I’ve seen my fair share of strange weather shifts across the Cascades, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Wasatch. Warmer temperatures plagued ski areas across the region, resulting in rain. When it did snow, we dealt with power outages, landslides, avalanches, and tree falls that blocked roads.

Washington state and the greater Seattle region did not bank the snow needed at higher elevations, and we will see the ramifications as summer comes into view. El Niño is adding uncertainty, but it looks like conditions will be dry and fire prone. Lower river levels in the fall will have a cascading effect on salmon and, in turn, on orcas.

Nevertheless, Seattle has been in full bloom, and the longer days and beautiful weather are calling for other forms of recreation, even if we know there is always a good chance of May showers, June gloom, or whatever else the Pacific Northwest has up its sleeve. See you out there.