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  Sole survivor of deadly North Cascades climbing accident shares details

  We’re learning more about the climbing accident that left three men dead in the North Cascades last weekend. The men were identified yesterday as 48-year-old Vishnu Irigireddy of Renton, 36-year-old Oleksander Martynenko of Bellevue, and 63-year-old Tim Nguyen of Renton. One man survived what the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office says was a 400-foot fall. It's one of Washington state's worst climbing accidents since 2014, when six climbers fell to their deaths at Mount Rainier. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm spoke to Seattle Times reporter Catalina Gaitán about what happened.

  • Kim Malcolm
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  Hot hiking tips: How to find the trails less traveled in Washington state

  Washington's trails are filling up, but all is not hopeless.

  • Patricia Murphy
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  Quick tips for avoiding the crowds and enjoying the great outdoors in the PNW

  Whether you’re getting ready to hit the trails for the first time, or you’re a seasoned outdoors aficionado — Soundside is here to help you get prepped for hot hiking summer in the Pacific Northwest.

  • Libby Denkmann
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  Yes, hiking. No, traffic. Trailhead Direct offers car-free travel from Seattle to the mountains

  This year, Trailhead Direct features one route to Mount Si and the return of a second route, after a two-year absence, to the Issaquah Alps.

  • Stephen Howie
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  Cougar attacks five mountain bikers on a trail in Washington state

  Cougars are solitary animals rarely seen in the wild, but on Saturday, five people were attacked by one on a trail in Washington. No one died, but at least one of the cyclists was hospitalized.

  • Diba Mohtasham
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  Rock climbing could change to protect the wild — but will that make it more dangerous?

  What does it mean for land to be “wild?” It’s a question that federal land managers have thought about since the Wilderness Act of 1964, which defined wilderness as areas “...untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Our national parks and public lands have visitor centers, fire lookouts, and other approved "installations" that help us enjoy the wild safely. But just what defines an installation has become the center of a recent debate between rock climbers and conservationists.

  • Alec Cowan
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  A ‘haunted hike’ brings Washington disaster to life

  Lace up your hiking boots and pull out your flashlights. This Halloween, we’ll take you on what some people call one of Washington’s most haunted hikes. This hike passes through the site of the nation’s deadliest avalanche.

  • Courtney Flatt
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  They logged on to watch the famous fat brown bears. They saved a hiker's life instead

  Viewers of the Katmai National Park bear cameras caught more excitement than they may have hoped for last Tuesday when a hiker wandered into view, mouthing the words "help me."

  • Emily Olson
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  What'd you do on summer vacation? Oh, just scaled Washington's 100 highest peaks

  One of the premier peak bagging objectives in the Pacific Northwest is to scale the 100 highest mountains in Washington state. That challenge is called the Bulger List. Two years ago, an Oregon man became the first to conquer all 100 peaks in a single season. Just in the past few days, a duo from Ellensburg, Washington, repeated the feat — not quite as fast, but with an extra-hard twist.

  • Tom Banse
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  Take the bus to these King County hiking trails, starting May 13

  You can take the bus to the trails! King County Metro & King County Parks have partnered to get folks out of the city & into NATURE! Soundside host Libby Denkmann sits down with The Wilderness Society's "Urban to Wild" director Kitty Craig to talk about expanding equity in the outdoors!

  • Jason Burrows

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