Glenn Nelson
Based in Seattle, Wash., Glenn Nelson is the founder of The Trail Posse, which explores the intersection of race and the outdoors. He also is Community Director, leading antiracism activities for Birds Connect Seattle, where he also led the name change from Seattle "Audubon." Nelson has won several national awards for his writing, photography and Web publishing, including second place in 2020 from Best of the West for his columns on race for Crosscut and South Seattle Emerald, first-place honors from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 for his columns on race for Crosscut and South Seattle Emerald, and Outstanding Beat Reporting (Race, Inclusion and Environmental Justice) from the Society of Environmental Journalists. His photography is published in Bird Photographer of the Year and has been honored by North American Nature Photograhy Association, the Audubon Photography Awards, and Share the View.
Nelson also is a founding member of the Next 100 Coalition, a national alliance of civil rights, environmental and community groups advocating for more inclusive management of public lands, and a founding steering committee member of the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, which advises outdoor brands on DEI work. A graduate of Seattle University and Columbia University, he was born in Japan and started his career at The Seattle Times. He later founded HoopGurlz (now at ESPN), which covered girlβs basketball and college prospects nationally, and helped found Scout.com, a network of sports websites. Nelson is the primary author of a teen book about the NBA, has been published in numerous magazines and book collections, had his photographic work appear at the Smithsonian, and has been profiled by NPR. He has served on the board of directors for several nonprofits, as well as the Washington Governor's advisory committee on outdoor recreation, the advisory committee for the Japanese American Remembrance Trail, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Task Force.
Thunder Knob (WA)
Pinch me. A hike with major mountain views without a major climb. Awesome overhead vista of Diablo Lake with Davis Peak and crab-claw-looking McMillan Spires to the side. And, get this, real benches β on the trail as well as the summit. A perfect hike?...
Rainy Lake (WA)
One day youβll tell a friend, βI just took the best hike.β When you divulge the location (Rainy Lake), she or he will respond, βThatβs no hike. You can take a walk like that anywhere in the city.β Donβt back down. This is a hike....
Cuckoo Over Owls
It once roosted in a thicket the size of a two-car garage, amidst wetlands and diked agricultural fields near Stanwood, Washington. The brush was so thick, the Long-Eared Owl must have felt unassailable. Long-barreled photographic devices proliferated and trained at it like arms in a...
Bench & Snow Lakes (WA)
This down-and-back has a lot of what the average hiker might look for β enough up and down for aerobic challenges but not too strenuous for children and the creaky kneed, nice wildflowers and foliage, a couple of good payoff lake destinations, and breath-taking views...