Meet Anastasia Allison and Jason Bickford, Backpacker's Seattle Trail Scouts

Anastasia Allison

Follow Anastasia’s adventures on her blog and on Instagram @anastasia.allison.

Age: 36

Hometown: Everett, WA

Day job: Writer, backpacking instructor, and adventurepreneur

All-time favorite local dayhike: Mt. Pugh or Gothic Basin

Favorite local overnight hike: Tapto Lakes

Best prehike breakfast spot: 5 B’s Bakery in Concrete, WA (the cinnamon rolls and the mini breakfast quiche are amazing!) or J5 Coffee in Leavenworth

Best posthike dinner spot: Cascadian Farms in Marblemount, WA for ice cream and espresso, Alpen Drive Inn in Sultan, WA for a burger and fries, or Munchen Haus in Leavenworth for a brat.

Favorite thing about hiking around Seattle: The variety. On any given weekend I can choose to hike the coast, climb a mountain, visit an alpine lake or wander through the desert. You can explore the wilderness areas around Seattle for your entire life and never get bored.

Top tip for Seattle hikers: Hiking on the more popular trails in the PNW can be really crowded and overwhelming. My advice? Get obsessed with maps. Scour them for new trails, lakes, or peaks that you haven’t visited before. Do your research.

Jason Bickford

Follow Jason’s adventures at Mountain Tested, on Twitter @mtn_tested, Instagram @mountain_tested, and on Facebook.

Age: 30

Hometown: Bothell, WA

Day job: Sales Manager at Bickford Ford

All-time favorite local dayhike: Mailbox Peak

Favorite local overnight hike: Jade Lake

Best prehike breakfast spot: Maltby Cafe, Snohomish, WA

Best posthike dinner spot: Ranch Drive-In, Bothell, WA

Favorite thing about hiking around Seattle: Summit views of the local beauty: Olympics, Cascades, Mt Rainier, Puget Sound

Top tip for Seattle hikers: Invest in a good lightweight and packable rain shell and hike in the rain.