karenstrails

High and Low (A hike and a stroll)

2011-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

10-25-2011 (Crystal Lakes)

A dash to the still-colorful Crystal Lakes off SR 410 (between Enumclaw/Chinook Pass). Made it just in time for the last of the fall color before winter sets in. The trail was frosty but no snow (yet) to speak of. A little ice at the edge of the lake. We climbed above Upper Crystal Lake to look down on the lake and to the un-named gap as if we were headed toward Sourdough Gap (we could see Sourdough Gap from the "Gap Without A Name") but time was running out and the sun would descend all too soon. This hike makes a good fall hike even with a little snow. Might be OK until mid to late November. Time to carry (or use) traction devices, poles or ice axe if heading above the lakes or hiking to Crystal Peak (you can also hike to Crystal Peak by starting out on the Crystal Lake trail). With two cars you can turn this into a 6-mile one-way hike from Chinook Pass to the Crystal Lakes trailhead or vice versa but Time is off the essence these days. You might want to save the one-way hike until next summer as it takes time to set up a car shuttle.

The stroll was yesterday (10-28) through Lincoln Park, what we call a "desperation hike", simply to get outside and get some fresh air, snap a few fall-color photos before returning to the prison of a very tiny house. It's enough to keep Bob and I both sane as we suffer from SAD (SAD seems to intensify as we age).

Granite Mountain Trail October 2011

2011-10-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

GRANITE MOUNTAIN (Alpine Lakes Wilderness)

We have a love/hate relationship with the Granite Mountain Trail. It’s a hard hike for many with significant elevation gain and mileage; the reward for the toil is worth it for hikers who stick to it. Those who have hiked to Granite Mountain and the Granite Mountain lookout on a regular basis get to know each switchback by name (we’ve never counted them) and after several trips over the years we look for the tree that designates the beginning of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Our hike yesterday (10-17) was no exception though the weather was exceptionally good for mid-October. Though it was cool in the shade when we started by the time we were out of the forest and onto the open slopes of Granite Mountain the sun was warm and the fall colors so intense it looked like the mountain was on fire.

The first stretch of the trail – as many trails in the Pacific Northwest – starts out in forest but this is old forest, quiet and deep. When you get to the junction for Pratt Lake/Granite Mountain go straight uphill – you’d turn left if you were heading to Pratt Lake.

Still in the forest the trail continues its intense climb and eventually enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness (designated by a sign). The foliage thins out a bit and there are a few peeks ahead to blue sky and swatches of fall color.

Views improve every step of the way – this is high country at its finest with views down to I-90 and McClellan Butte resembling a great bird with its wings spread about to soar. The trail continues through the Halloween candy colors of fall – the blueberry shrubs were turning red; some still held bountiful berries. The beargrass that lined the trail earlier in the season has lost it’s white plume of a flower but the ragged, skeletal stalks remain amidst bright pockets of mountain ash, hanging meadows with occasional white snags and then looking very far away – the lookout comes into view.

The climbing relents as the trail approaches two small tarns in a meadow; the fall colors above the tarns were reflected in the water. The tarns are the ideal spot for a break before girding yourself for a still-steep ascent.

From the tarns the trail spurts upward again then winds more gently through large boulders and meadows. The lookout appears again, still looking very far away though it’s closer than it looks.

The trail relents again and is level for a bit before one more steep push through forest to a boulder field; then suddenly you are there. The lookout is closed for the season but there are plenty of places to settle and the views will take what breath remains away.

First we stopped for lunch at the lookout; where it was warm and sunny enough that a chipmunk popped up from the rocks and dashed about hoping for handouts. From there we enjoyed views of Mount Rainier amidst a sea of undulating ridges and Mount Adams further to the south.

Two companions opted to hike the trail back to the tarns; three of us opted for the scramble route on boulders to the tarns where we’d rendezvous. The scramble is not particularly dangerous though good balance and some off-trail hiking experience comes in handy. Later in the year when snow falls, the scramble route over the boulders becomes hazardous as snow fills in crevices between the rocks and it’s all too easy to twist an ankle or worse.

We suggest you hike this trail soon – once significant snow accumulates the trail becomes dangerous in the open areas and avalanches can roar down without warning.
However, with a dusting of snow the hike can still be done and is spectacular then, especially when there is still fall color (watch for ice as temperatures drop).

As always never hike beyond your comfort level and always tell someone where you are hiking and when you are expected to return.

The map is Green Trails No. 207 Snoqualmie Pass.

Kendall Katwalk, October 15, 2011

2011-10-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

KENDALL KATWALK (OCTOBER 15, 2011)

What can I say about the Kendall Katwalk that hasn’t been said before? It’s a fairly long hike (12 miles round trip with about 2,700 feet elevation gain via the PCT at Snoqualmie Pass). The scenery is spectacular from beginning to end.

The first stretch is mostly forested but with occasional flashes of colorful vine maple here and there. Devil’s club has turned yellow, its big leaves reminiscent of maple leaves but with treacherous needle-like stickers. It was no surprise there are few flowers now along the trail – in the forest remnants of Canadian dogwood, aged Solomons seal and vanilla leaf. At the Katwalk there were a few harebells and a bit of yarrow.

We always looked forward to that first view of Guye Peak as the PCT leaves the forest to contour below a boulder field. There are also growing views of Red Mountain and Snoqualmie Mountain (Snoqualmie Mountain was dusted with fresh snow that melted away by afternoon).

Shortly past a slightly tricky stream crossing there’s a junction for the Commonwealth Basin trail (it’s signed). The trail to Commonwealth Basin can be used as a shortcut back to the PCT trailhead but stream crossings in the basin can be dicey, especially after recent rain and some snow-melt. The “old” Commonwealth Basin trail is a stretch of the original PCT before the trail was rerouted – it was called the Cascade Crest Trail then.

Past the junction to Commonwealth Basin the trail climbs through dense vegetation - blueberry shrubs, bracken, fading hellebore and mountain ash. After a while the dense vegetation gives way to old-growth forest and another stream crossing, this one easier than the first though at first glance it looks worse than it is.

The next stretch climbs through old-growth forest and you’ll see where trail crews cleared a large blowdown earlier this year. You’ll begin to see bits of sky through the forest canopy and about the time you think the forest will never end the trail breaks out below Kendall Ridge. In October the views are mesmerizing. Colorful fall foliage extends to the base of the ridge (right) and you will unconsciously slow your pace to take in the colorful displays. There are also views of the Snoqualmie peaks.

I’ve only been on the true summit of Kendall Peak once and that was a few years ago. It was the last Mountaineer scramble that the late Paul Wiseman led for the Seattle Mountaineers. The scramble to the true summit is trickier than it looks (at least I thought it was so) and from the trail it is hard to tell which of the high points is the summit.

The PCT its way around Kendall Ridge and here we found a thin layer of snow and occasional ice in the shade; not enough yet to warrant Yak Trax or traction devices but that can change any day now. There was a definite winter chill in the air despite the sun and blue skies.

If you have time notice the boulders beside the trail – they are splashed with lichen in just about every color you can imagine and in places sparkled with a glaze of ice. After some minor ups and downs the trail reaches a viewpoint – this is not the Kendall Katwalk but the views are impressive.

The PCT continues, making a long curve as it contours above a talus slope then comes to the Kendall Katwalk. Just before you get to the Katwalk the trail is narrow and a sign encourages horseback riders to dismount. It’s no place for a fall. Just before you get to the Katwalk peer through a window in the big boulders that border the trail for an interesting frame and view of Red Mountain, Lundine and more.

The Katwalk is snow-free and was the ideal place to stop on this chilly, sunny day. Here we enjoyed views of the Four Brothers, Chikamin Peak and other peaks we weren’t sure we could properly identify. Since we’ve hiked this trail often we didn’t bring the map – that’s a mistake if you want to identify the surrounding peaks.

Since it was a sunny Saturday there were many other hikers on the trail but who can blame them? Most of the hikers we met were younger and probably work full-time – who can begrudge their desire for a golden hike on a Saturday? I used to be one of those weekend-warriors after all. In my 30s, 40s and 50s I mostly worked full-time positions and hiked, scrambled, snowshoed or skied both days of the weekend.

Bob and I dawdled both coming and going – you can blame that on the somewhat futile attempt to immortalize these splendid scenes with our cameras.

Don’t forget your Northwest Forest Pass as we did in our eagerness to get outside on a sunny day. I didn’t realize it was sitting at home until we were half-way to Snoqualmie Pass. We ended up having to use my debit card to purchase a day-hiking permit at one of the grocery stores at the pass. I don’t remember the name of the store but it’s the first one grocery/gas station you come to as you approach Travelers Rest from the west (Exit 52). You will need a permit to park at the trailhead and parking is not allowed near the freeway interchange. You’re likely to get towed if you attempt to park there. Buck up, admit you’re getting old and forgetful and purchase a pass if you need to (to be completely honest …. I often forgot important items in my 30’s too, like the time I forgot my blue foam sleeping pad on a wintry, snowy backpack but that’s another long story…..).

I guess that’s called being human.

Sand Lake via the PCT (White Pass)

2011-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sand Lake, October 9, 2011

It's a long drive to White Pass from Seattle but we'd never hiked there and wanted to before winter set in (then, we'll come back with snowshoes and/or skis). We enjoyed the drive from Seattle via SR 410/Cayuse Pass to Hiway 12 and to White Pass where we found the trailhead for the PCT where the PCT begins to head north. The traihead is at Leech Lake.

The trail to Sand Lake via the PCT is mostly in the forest but en route to Sand Lake it skirts several lush meadows and there's also a spur to Deer Lake (nice camps). Since the PCT is open to horses (plus late snow-melt and recent rains) the PCT was quite muddy in spots but not bad enough to deter hikers who don't mind a bit of mud on their gaiters. It's not too high a price to pay for this quiet lake created from snowmelt (no inlet or outlet).

The lake is shallow; hence a sandy bottom and shore. In October it was a pretty scene, the lake bordered by Halloween-candy-colored grasses and reeds on one side and a row of handsome evergreens on the other. There's a nice camp on the north side of the lake; perhaps even more as we weren't looking for campsites. Fall color is just starting up and mushrooms are emerging.

Not too far from the lake we came upon the Sand Lake Shelter; it was looking like it had a hard life but was still standing and ready to serve those in need of shelter. The shelter is used year-round not only by hikers but snowshoers and skiers. It'd make a fine winter camp.

A couple hikers we met were scouting out the trail for ski trips this winter; they knew this place like the back of their hands and told us how to get to Cortright Point a little further away. Who could resist?

However since days are growing short and you don't live in Packwood or Randle you should probably call it a day when you get to Sand Lake. We think the drive is worth it.

Stats: Sand Lake round trip is about six miles with 900 feet of gain. Cortright Point is a little further. You can also get to Sand Lake on the Sand Lake Trail No. 60 which is reached from another trailhead. See Green Trails Map White Pass (No. 303).

Scottish Lakes High Camp

2011-09-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

SCOTTISH LAKES HIGH CAMP (September 22-23, 2011)

You may have second thoughts about a visit to Scottish Lakes High Camp when a rusty, wind-shield cracked vehicle (or snowmobile) meets you at the gated road where the fun begins. Relax, the rollicking ride on this four-mile, rock-studded, pot-holed road is a jolly prelude to good times. Let the romp to the cabins or the Day Lodge be part of the experience. The proprietors, Don and Chris Hanson, wear many different hats and they are veterans of transporting guests up and down the road. When it snows, the aging Suburbans are replaced by Snowmobiles and Sno-cats and having experienced the ride to High Camp in winter we can attest you are in good hands. Don and Chris keep the high camp in top-notch conditions and their loyal care-takers when they are not available are the best. Zeke, the caretaker we met, was as likable as the Hansons and was patient with us when we had trouble getting a fire started in the cabin designated for our stay.

Not only are the Hansons and caretakers able to handle just about any contingency, they are patient with their patrons (I left my sleeping bag on the front porch in Seattle along with a couple other items). I’d like to blame such forgetfulness on anticipation rather than age though I’m probably not the first to leave a sleeping bag nor will I be the last.

Rest assured you won’t freeze to death if you forget your sleeping bag or have trouble lighting the fire (I was able to borrow a sleeping bag). If that’s not enough to attract you to spend at least one night at this remarkable place the Day Lodge is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Coffee is free though Zeke cautioned that if you want coffee before 8 a.m. it’s $5 a cup. We think he was joking.

The day lodge also provides maps (some created by the Hansons), reading material, games, puzzles and other amenities including a sauna and hot tub where you can relax and ponder the stars in the night sky.

Since it was mid-week we were the only guests (weekends are busy!) and our cabin, Larkspur, was ready for our arrival. After the rollicking ride the Hansons delivered us, with our gear, cooler and food, to the front door of Larkspur Cabin, a delightful A-frame cabin with a front porch and a loft.

Other than bringing your own food (and a sleeping bag!) just about everything else is provided other than hiking gear, skis or snowshoes. There were instructions inside the A-frame as how to light the propane lamps, light the fire in the woodstove and other helpful instructions on how to live off the grid for a while.

We were eager to hit the trails; it was a sunny day and fall color was beginning to show in the mountains. With a Green Trails map (Chiwaukum Creek) and a map of trails created by the Hansens of their trail system leading to McCue Ridge and other points of interest we set out for Chiwaukum Lake (6 miles round-trip) and Larch Lake (10 miles round trip). We started from High Camp and followed the trail system as it climbed through forest and tawny meadows toward McCue Ridge.

With plenty of time at our disposal we stopped to admire the wildflowers; many had faded though the buckwheat was still colorful and the desiccated leaves of balsamroot made for natural dried flower arrangements tethered to the mountain. Where the trail was vague there were cairns to follow as the trail continued to climb.

At an unsigned junction on McCue Ridge we turned left. If Lake Julius is your destination go straight. Just before the trail begins its descent to Chiwaukum Lake there are glimpses of the mile-long lake through the trees, then it disappears again. As the trail loses elevation it skirts hanging meadows just beginning to pick up fall colors, especially the fireweed, a brilliant red. The trail returns to forest and remains there, dropping more steeply until it breaks out at the far end of the lake, elevation 5,250 feet.

Though we didn’t see a trail sign we knew to turn right for Larch Lake. First we walked a short spur that led to a perfect spot for lunch in a clearing with logs to sit on at the edge of the lake. Here dark sedges and billowing green reeds bordered the lake and it was so peaceful there that my companion elected to wait there as I continued to Larch Lake.

To ensure we had plenty of time to hike out so we established a time to rendezvous at Chiwaukum Lake. That gave me an hour to get to/from Larch Lake but since that left no time for photography I opted to spend time in Ewing Basin which is situated between the lakes.

If Larch Lake (or Ewing Basin) is your goal - from Chiwaukum Lake the trail continues two miles to Larch Lake, skirting a large meadow on the way and crossing Chiwaukum Creek (an easy hop, skip and jump). After crossing the creek the trail began to open up as it entered the basin so I slowed my pace accordingly.

Ewing Basin is a about a mile from Chiwaukum Lake, a sublime high-country setting with touches of fall color in a boulder-strewn meadow, blueberry shrubs touched with crimson, ridges stretching above with hanging meadows, some still green, others just turning russet. As if that were not enough to keep a hiker spellbound there were still wildflowers in bloom including Indian Paintbrush, arnica, yarrow and blue gentians, a late-summer flower that heralds the end of summer.

It was so beautiful in Ewing Basin that I felt almost guilty for having the whole basin to myself. I knew I would never be able to find the words to describe such beauty so I focused on photography, hoping that my photographs could compensate for the inadequacy of words.

Muttering to myself about the tyranny of the clock and shorter days, I headed back, always mindful about sticking to a turnaround time when someone is waiting. Larch Lake would have to wait for another day. It was little solace that I’d been to Larch Lake so long ago that digital cameras hadn’t even been invented. What remains of that long-ago visit is a box of slides in the basement and good memories. Chiwaukum Lake is beautiful but plan on getting to Larch Lake if you can for even wilder and scenic views.

Back at Chiwaukum Lake my companion was waiting for me (I was only one minute late!) and we trudged out of Chiwaukum Lake already anticipating the comforts of the cabin. Hikes always take longer going out it seems – fortunately there were scenic spots the entire way back, including the way the late afternoon light brushed the dark ridges and mountains with a copper tinge.

The next morning we took an easy walk to Picnic Point (about two miles round trip from High Camp). The walk is on a gravel road through clear cuts with views of Glacier Peak. The clear cuts provide a feel for the topography; you can see the spine of the mountains rising from the earth and vegetation beginning to fill in the blank spots that were logged. First we stopped at the short spur to Glacier View (well signed) in hopes of getting a view of Glacier Peak but the clouds were too low. Glacier View is about half-way to Picnic Point where the road ends at an old landing with a connection to the McCue Ridge Trail. A picnic table is provided, of course, where you can enjoy a snack or feast on the views.

Additional Information: You can also approach Chiwaukum Lake and Larch Lake from the Chiwaukum Creek trail though that is a much longer approach and best done as a backpack. The map is Green Trails No. 177 (Chiwaukum Mountains). Other hikes easily within reach of High Camp are Lake Julius and Loch Eileen. Call the Wenatchee River Ranger District in Leavenworth for additional rules/regulations at 509-548-6977 or visit their website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee

For additional information on lodging, rates and seasonal bests or to make a reservation at Scottish Lakes High Camp call 509-763-3044 or visit the website: http://www.scottishlakes.com . You can also view the site for winter cabin availability (2011-2012), a trail map (including ski trails), and a 5-day weather forecast. Dogs are OK if well-behaved and last but certainly not least, Scottish High Camps is also family friendly.

Karen Sykes

An attempt to chat with Putrid Pete, June 10, 2011

2011-06-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

What’s In A Name? Who Was Putrid Pete? June 10, 2011

There is some understandable confusion regarding the name of this prominence. Some call it “Putrid Pete”, others call it “Webb Mountain” or the W. Peak of Defiance. There’s probably other names for it too since it’s a numbered high point on a ridge. Call it whatever you like, it’s a fun trail though considerably steep.

Dennis had been there before – it was Michael’s first time and also my first visit. Yes, I knew where the trail started. It’s pretty obvious where it leaves the Ira Spring trail near the trailhead.

Reports I’d read convinced me that I wanted to explore it some day, preferably with someone who’d been there. Dennis had been there so we were set.

Dennis is a GPS wizard so stop reading here if you are looking for GPS waypoints and such but if you’d like those I can probably get them from him and post them here. Admittedly, I’m not much into gadgets though I have a GPS. Like my “smart” phone, I don’t feel “smart” enough to understand these devices and use them only when necessary.

We didn’t quite make the “summit” – the combination of poor visibility (fog, clouds) combined with treacherous old age stopped us short of the summit. We could have made it – the desire to do so wasn’t just as strong as our desire to stop plodding uphill. Or should I say plodding uphill through wet snow (the wet vegetation and loose rocks were challenging enough).

We let Michael lead the way – his pace is easy to follow, moderate and deliberate. I’d have to say his pace qualifies as a good “forever” pace. Same thing can be said for Dennis.

Following the trail from where it leaves the Ira Spring trail is a cinch. Enough folks have used it now that route-finding isn’t much of an issue. When in doubt, go uphill. We crossed a stream (was it the same stream or two different streams?) – we didn’t pay much attention as the crossings were not a problem. Just a hop, skip and a jump, no raging torrents here.

The trail is steep and in good condition most of the way, especially through the forest. No worse than say, the trail to Mount Defiance or Mailbox Peak before that trail breaks out into the open.

We crossed a small talus field – there’s a cairn to mark where the trail re-enters the forest but if it wasn’t there, it’s still easy enough to spot. We left it. Some hikers knock them down – we don’t.

The forest gradually opens out into a steep slope of loose rock, wet vegetation (lots of emerging bear grass – that should be blooming within a couple weeks). As for the gradient of the trail, it never relents. There are no flat spots. No scary spots either. It’s just … well, steep.

Clouds obscured most of the views – at times we could see I-90 below and we’re pretty sure McClellan Butte made a partial appearance at one point. We could not see the ridgeline above us or the high points so we stopped for lunch, opting to play the rest of the day by ear.

It was a little too chilly to linger so we discussed the pros and cons of going higher. Michael was content to stop there and savor the rest of his lunch. Dennis and I still had a spark of summit fever so agreed to continue on a little further.

If anything the terrain even grew steeper, the rocks looser, the vegetation more slippery, yet we pushed onward. From time to time the clouds would part for views of the ridge above us; my gosh, this is a beautiful place. No wonder more hikers are finding there way to whatever-the-name of this place is.

We reached a point where we could see what we believe was the named prominence. A fat strip of snow would lead us to the top but there was still 400 feet or so to go. We were in all honesty – tuckered. Dennis and I opted to turn around since we knew that going down wasn’t going to be much easier than climbing.

We met Michael and we retraced our way down, grateful when we recognized landmarks though Dennis could have led the way with his expertise with the GPS. A couple of us fell – once – on the way down. I won’t tell you who. No injuries other than muddy pants and a sudden loss of self-esteem.

If you think this was misery – well, it wasn’t. Tiring yes - but also fun and exhilarating. I enjoyed it so much I’ll go back to tag the summit of whatever that chunk of rock is called but I’ll wait for dry vegetation and blue skies.

Stats: About 2,650 feet of elevation gain to our turnaround, 4.6 miles round trip. (What? Is that all?)

Iron Bear Trail, Teanaway, June 3, 2011

2011-06-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Iron Bear trail melts out earlier than most trails in the Teanaway. There's a little snow beyond Iron Bear/Teanaway Ridge trail saddle but not enough to obscure the route or warrant snowshoes or traction devices.

Flowers are off to a good start - bitterroot is coming out but not yet in bloom. We saw Indian Paintbrush, glacier lilies, spring beauties, ballhead waterleaf, stonecrop and a few more. The best is still yet to come.

We made it to the knob at 5,489 feet (this is a great lunch spot and turnaround). We enjoyed the views of Mount Stuart and minor peaks of the Teanaway. We did not enjoy the ticks we picked up en route. Wearing gaiters helps.

The hike was 7-1/2 miles round trip with 2,170 feet. Map: Green Trails Mount Stuart

Kachess Beacon Scramble

2011-05-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

May 23, 2011

Kachess Beacon Scramble Route (Easton)

Another great trip in Easton with friends – no ticks today, no sun either.

Four of us started from the Easton Ridge/Kachess Ridge (also known as the Silver Creek trail) trailhead. Instead of Easton Ridge we headed uphill (a steep start) on the Kachess Ridge trail.

The trail doesn’t mess around – it gets down to its business immediately. Perhaps the trail itself is in a hurry to get to the views and wildflowers for which this trail is known. The Kachess Ridge trail is a long trail (you can hike to Thorp Lookout on this trail system) but we weren’t going that far today. Besides, this time of year crossing Silver Creek can be challenging (especially this year).

After a steep climb with a few breaks to photograph flowers (first Indian Paintbrush of the season, at least for us) such as trilliums, yellow violets, lomatiums, even Calypso orchids at lower elevations we reached the hard-to-miss junction (unsigned) where a branched path leads off (left) as the main trail continues on.

We left the main trail and began our hike on a faint path winding between rock outcroppings, following the spine of a ridge with several good overlooks along the way. Dennis and Michael had taken this route before and when we began to hit snow patches they knew exactly where to go. The snow was perfect for hiking – not too icy, not too soft with only a little post-holing.

We were denied most of the views because of fog and clouds; but as we continued along the ridge there were interesting rock formations to ponder as we climbed. With wisps of fog coming and going it was moody and beautiful.

Then – a glitch for Bob. The lens popped out of his glasses and his eyes are as bad as mine. If we’d been born a few centuries ago we would have killed ourselves tripping or falling with our poor vision. This has happened before – he did his best to make a repair but it was time-consuming so he told us to carry on, he’d wait.

We continued on up, now mostly on snow. The last 300 feet or so were a bit of a struggle for me (I’d hiked the day before) but when I saw the Kachess Beacon I knew I could make it. We did not linger at all – it was too cold and we wanted to get back to Bob and eat lunch with him.

After meeting up with Bob again we continued down, seeking a warmer spot for lunch. Bob wasn’t able to fix his glasses so resorted to his “spare” glasses. He had a little trouble with depth perception but did pretty well considering.

Back at the car Michael shared a lemon pie with us, made by his daughter to celebrate his recent birthday. That made a sweet ending to a cold but fun day.

By the way savvy hikers can make a loop out of this by way of the official Kachess Beacon trail that takes off from the Silver Creek trail though that trail doesn’t seem to show on our maps. Perhaps it’s not an official trail anymore. If I were to do this as a loop I’d go up the scramble route and then descend down to the Kachess Ridge trail on the “official” Kachess Beacon trail. However now there’s still a lot of snow in the Silver Creek valley and trail reports indicate there are a lot of trees down on the Kachess Beacon trail from Silver Creek.

Stats: A little over 4 miles round trip with 2,200 feet elevation gain. Maps: Green Trails No. 208 (Kachess Lake, WA) and No. 240 (Easton).

To get there: From Seattle take I-90 east and turn off at Exit 70. Drive over the freeway and turn left onto a frontage road signed Kachess Dam Road and proceed to Forest Service Road No. 4818, turn right. Stay on Road No. 4818 to an unsigned road junction and turn right – continue about ½ mile to the trailhead, elevation 2,400 feet, no facilities. A Northwest Forest Pass is required. The maps are Green Trails Kachess Lake No. 208 and Green Trails Easton No. 240.

Additional information: Cle Elum Ranger District (509-852-1100).

Still kicking

2011-03-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so quiet of late. It's not because I haven't been hiking, I've been hiking my butt off. And when weather prohibits hiking I either go for a run or enjoy a photo foray closer to home.

About the hikes - I will do my best to catch up (albeit briefly) on where I've hiked and snowshoed the past few weeks.

Bear with me and accept my apology. I owe you more than this long silence.

Karen

Mount Washington, December 18, 2010

2010-12-21T16:03:00.001-08:00

Mount Washington, December 18, 2010

You never really know what the trail to Mount Washington will be like until you’re on the trail. This time of year the snow-line is fickle and the weather capricious. All we knew for sure is that we’d be hiking in snow at some point before we turned around - we didn’t feel like toting snowshoes (a necessity if the summit is your destination).

There was about an inch of snow at the trailhead (Exit No. 38) and it was a chilly, albeit sunny day. Most hikers know how to find the trail by now (it’s not signed but hard to miss) a little west of where the spur trail from the parking lot connects to the Iron Horse Trail. If you get to the spur down to Twin Falls you’ve gone a little too far!

Surprisingly there were only a couple other vehicles at the trailhead – hard to believe on such a beautiful day. We were equipped with Stabilicers, Yak Trax and ice axes but nothing would have helped much on the first stretch of the trail once it left the Iron Horse Trail. A very thin layer of snow concealed loose rocks/pebbles on the trail and it was slow going – the trail providing a great opportunity to sprain an ankle. Not enough snow for traction devices but just enough to make it entertaining.

I’d hoped there’d be a good crop of icicles to photograph and though they were beginning to melt we found several “batches” to play with (photography, not climbing!). It didn’t occur to me until later but it might have been interesting to shoot a short video of the ice as it melted. We passed the overhang (cave) where hardware dangles from the ceiling tempting climbers to practice their skills (no one was practicing).

About 2/3 of the way to the Owl Spot we hit enough snow that hiking became a joyful experience rather than a balancing act. The snow was beautiful but in dappled light, hard to get decent photos. Instead, we just enjoyed walking through the Christmas-y scene.

There was about 4 inches or so of snow at the Owl Spot (the view from the Owl Spot shrinks a little more each year as the trees grow) – we usually stop for a bite to eat but we weren’t hungry so continued hiking, making the stream our next potential turnaround. Strangely enough the snow deepened significantly as we made our way to the “designated” junction with the Mount Washington/Great Wall trail though we weren’t gaining much elevation. Just beyond the junction is the stream; not a problem to cross whatsoever but we turned around – the snow was more than deep enough to warrant snowshoes (the snowshoes were in Seattle). We bare-booted the Great Wall trail a short way just out of curiosity then retraced our route back to the car. En route we checked out a few of the “unofficial” trails.

We met a few hikers coming up on our way out, including a friendly gal who asked us where the trail went – she’d forgotten her map and was pretty sure she was on the Mount Washington trail. She’d started from Twin Falls so had already hiked quite a way. We told her she’d need snowshoes if she went beyond the Owl Spot – like us, she’d left her snowshoes behind.

There was still an inch or so of snow on the loose pebbles/rocks so though it looked odd we used our ice axes to keep our balance until we were on the Iron Horse trail.

As for photographs – I am not an expert photographer nor do I have high-end photo-gear but I get annoyed at what I call the “blue factor”. Snow and icicles that look white to us appear blue in photographs unless we’re out in bright sunshine. It is undoubtedly the color of evergreens reflected back onto the surface of the snow but it’s disappointing to get home, download the photos and find that most of the snow/ice shots are “blue”. Gives me the blues, in fact!

I do utilize my digital camera program and can either turn the blue shots into black and whites or play with the color a bit, adding a bit of red and yellow to brighten the snow.

A great day – is there any other kind of day in the mountains?

Stats: About 6 miles round trip with 2,400 feet of gain including side-trips.

Indian Bar, Mount Rainier National Park

2010-09-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

September 12, 2010

We did this as a day hike from Box Canyon (on the Wonderland Trail) to Indian Bar. It made for a long day but a good one - we hiked 14-1/2 miles round trip and gained 4,850 feet of elevation.

The first few miles along the Cowlitz Divide on the Wonderland Trail are mostly in the forest, no big views unless you enjoy looking at big evergreens like we do. There are some giants! The Wonderland trail transitions to meadows as it climbs to the first of several "high points" - on a clear day there would be views of Mount Rainier. Today we admired corn lilies (hellebore) as their green leaves transitioned to gold.

The last few miles of that stretch of The Wonderland Trail are along an undulating ridge with views on both sides. Views of what? Tarns, outcroppings, hints of other peaks hard to define in the mist and clouds. That part of the trail is heavy on meadows and everywhere you look you want to stop and take photos (we did).

Of course, every time we reached the top of another meadowy knoll we thought we'd see Indian Bar in the distance. We began to wonder if Indian Bar even existed but the terrain was beautiful enough that we were under its spell and kept on hiking.

Finally the rock shelter came into view below us at the edge of a meadow near the start of the Ohanapecosh River. We had it to ourselves, there was no one there. I'd only been there once before, a long, long time ago. It must have been about 25 years ago!!

We lingered as long as we could - we didn't want to hurry back or race the darkness. Neither words nor photographs (perhaps poetry?) can do justice to this magical place. It almost breaks your heart to leave and you cannot help but wonder as you climb away - will I see Indian Bar again?

I certainly hope so!

A major error on my part

2010-09-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've made a major error - I apologize to anyone who has written comments to me. Because they did not appear on my blog (and my blog page says I have zero comments) I did not think I was getting any comments.

Now I have several comments I'd like to address but it will take me some time to catch up. I am very sorry this happened - I'm pretty inexperienced at the ins and outs of blogging.

Karen

August and September hikes

2010-09-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog it may appear I've given up hiking. I haven't. I've just been hiking more than anything else but now that the rain has returned I can do better about keeping up. I prefer to write about my hikes shortly after completing them but it's been a busy summer.

Here are a few of the places I've been over the last few weeks ....

Backbone Ridge

Indian Henry's Hunting Ground

Camp Muir

Indian Bar (as a day hike from Box Canyon)

Blue Lake (North Cascades)

Lake Ann (Teanaway)

Tamanos Mountain (via Owyhigh Lakes)

I still have a busy hiking schedule!! (That's good, not bad).

Summerland, Panhandle Gap

2010-08-21T13:03:00.001-07:00

Panhandle Gap via Summerland (Wonderland Trail) August 20, 2010

Curses, foiled again!

Yet I can’t whine too much about that last 80 feet to Panhandle Gap. The snow at that point was steeper and icier than we were comfortable with; poor run out too. Instead we backtracked to a rocky saddle and watched other hikers cope down-climbing that pitch with trekking poles (does anyone use an ice axe anymore?).

If not for the snow the hike is not all that arduous – about 3,000 feet gain and just under 12 miles. The scenery is well, uh pretty scenic, especially after you cross Fryingpan Creek on a not-so-robust ridge.

From that point it’s a flower show all the way to the moraine. A short, steep climb from the creek to the Summerland shelter (no occupants) – here the trail switchbacks through cliffs mainly composed of wildflowers. Well, you get the idea. Just some of the flowers we saw: avalanche lilies (hanging on in shady areas), magenta paintbrush, western anemone, bistort, Sitka valerian, Veronica and at higher elevations monkey flowers and small ground-hugging plants we weren’t able to identify – lots of heather, both pink and white.

One of the most amazing things about this hike are the colors – the blazing white of Mount Rainier, the moraines (gray, dun, burnt sienna), the almost phony-looking shades of blue and green in melting tarns (perhaps the Creator used Photoshop when he got around to making mountains?). The blue sky which later in the day were broken up a bit by odd cloud forms (no adjectives come to mind), the daubs of primary colors provided by hikers and backpackers on the trail, especially against the dull moraines and the flashy white snow.

Snow that refuses to melt – still a cornice above Panhandle Gap. From our rocky saddle there were some intriguing “trails” that went hither and yon, we suspect to some of the nearby peaks and a couple of trails on the other side of the gap that especially intrigued us. Too bad we didn’t have time to explore those because we had the energy. It was one of those days you felt you could hike forever.

Did I mention the neon, lime-green shades of moss near the stream? Incredibly beautiful. Nestled inside one mound of moss was a perfect arrangement of flowers so tiny we weren’t able to get a decent photo of them. I’m keeping the photo anyway – as a reminder of a beautiful day.

We met some interesting people on the trail – Beth Rossow, who also goes by the name of Bogachiel Betty, currently working on measuring and photographing the Wonderland Trail (she has worked with Bette Filley on Bette’s books on the Wonderland Trail). By the way Bette was at Wapiti Woolies yesterday signing books – wish we’d known, I’d love to meet her.

On the bridge at Fryingpan Creek we met an elderly gentleman with his middle-aged son (gotta be careful with the word “elderly” these days, I’m not a spring chicken). They were also bound for Panhandle Gap.

On our way back we ran into the most laid-back marmot imaginable – he lives in the forest (at least this time of year) between Fryingpan Creek and the shelter at Summerland. He was more interested in eating something under fallen branches than worrying about us – he looked to be on the vintage side and gazed back at us with a “well?” expression.

On our way down we ran into the two men again we’d met earlier and chatted a bit – it turns out the son of the middle aged man (and the grandson of the elder gentleman) was storming up Muir at the same time we were visually grazing on the scenery near Summerland. Today he plans to summit Rainier and tomorrow (Sunday) he plans to run The Wonderland Trail. The whole thing. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that this youth rode his bike to Mount Rainier on his bicycle. Well, that gives one some perspective. The word “awe” comes to mind. I wish we’d asked for his name, maybe you’ve encountered him.

.

Photos

2010-08-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

I might be skilled when it comes to hiking but not when it comes to "computer stuff". Sometimes I can post photos on this site, other times nothing happens even though I go through the same steps.

But you can view my photos on flickr - (see previous post for the linky)

August Hikes to date (more to come, stay tuned)

2010-08-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

August Hikes to date:

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenseyes/

August hikes to date:

Mount Washington (North Bend, 2010)

Red Mountain (Salmon la Sac via Little Joe Lake)

Red Mountain (Salmon la Sac via Cooper Road)

Nisqually Vista/Moraine Trail (MRNP)

Alta Vista (MRNP)

Stevens Creek/Box Canyon (MRNP)

Sauk Mountain (SR 20)

Indian Bar via Wonderland Trail (almost!) (MRNP)

Dewey Lakes (Naches Loop Trail) (MRNP and Pacific Crest Trail)

Chinook Pass to Bear Gap (Pacific Crest Trail)

Lake Valhalla

July hikes

2010-07-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

July Hikes (A few in June too)

As I wrote a few days ago, I’ve been hiking more than writing. I’ll try to fill in some of these blanks soon!

Thorp Lake and Lookout ) July 18)

Surprise Lake/Trap Pass (July 14)

Mount Defiance (July 16)

Marten Lake (July)

Sasse Mt/Hex (July)

Summerland (July)

Iron Bear (June)

Doe Falls (July)

Heather Lake (July)

Edgar Rock/Boulder Cave (late June)

Plus “conditioning” hikes in the Issaquah Alps/Mount Si Recreation Area

This is to let followers know that for reasons I can't decipher I am unable to post photographs. When I figure it out, things will return as normal.In the meantime you can view photographs of my recent hikes at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenseyes/

Photographs

2010-07-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is to let readers know that I am unable to post photographs of my hikes on this blog - I have no clue why.

If you'd like to view photographs of my latest hikes you can view them at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenseyes/

Hopefully, I will resolve this problem soon.

Karen

Easton Ridge, early June, 2010

2010-07-05T16:11:00.001-07:00

Easton Ridge – June 5, 2010

I meant to post this last month but I’ve been doing more hiking than writing!!
This was probably my 10th visit over the years, ranging from brutally cold Mountaineer snowshoes trips to solo hikes in spring when wildflowers are at their best.

However the days of having this trail to yourself are probably history unless you hike mid-week. Our hike took place on Saturday and while we expected to share the trail with others, we weren’t psychologically prepared for the crowd gathering at the trailhead for a Mountaineers-related Naturalist hike.

We waited for the group to get ahead of us before we started out. Despite our relaxed pace we soon caught up with them as a faster trio of hikers caught up with us. We guessed we’d have to lollygag for a measure of solitude (we don’t mind an easy-going shamble from time to time) so we tarried and then some. We stopped for photographs of wildflowers along the lower stretch of the trail between the creek and the unsigned junction where the trail meets a gravel road.

There isn’t a trail sign there so when you get to the road head left and pick up the trail at the first, big switchback in the road. It’s hard to miss.

Flowers were aplenty – Hooker’s fairy bells, Solomon’s Seal, waterleaf, vanilla leaf, flowering current, trilliums and at higher elevation lots of spring beauties and golden glacier lilies, always a sight for sore eyes. We also saw serviceberry, vine maple with new, bright green leaves and Luina (not yet in bloom).

The next stretch between the road and the Domerie Peak trail junction is steep but the trail is in good shape. We stopped briefly at the junction (signed Easton Ridge, Thomas Mountain and Domerie Peak) discussing where to go. That was an easy decision - we knew most of the hikers were heading toward Domerie Peak so we opted for Easton Ridge instead.

At this major junction there are two obvious trails. The trail to left goes to Thomas Mountain and Domerie Peak. The trail to the right is the Easton Ridge trail but after a few paces you’ll come to another junction that is not signed or as obvious as the first junction. Take the uphill fork. The other trail contours above the logging road and soon ends (I know, I’ve hiked it).

Though the Easton Ridge trail is not as distinct as the first stretch it’s not all that hard to follow. When in doubt – go up. The trail improves as it approaches the ridge and skirts a rocky outcropping. That first outcropping makes a good spot for a break or a photograph of Kachess Lake below.

From the first outcropping the way now is mostly airy as it continues toward the ridgeline; there are a few more outcroppings along the way. Each outcropping provides a more expansive view of Kachess Lake, Easton Lake and Easton below. On a clear day there’s also a good view of Mount Rainier.

After the third or so outcropping we left the trail, taking a shortcut to the top of the ridge – this makes a nice ridge-run (a phrase often used by hikers who enjoy following ridgelines.) There are several outcroppings that make outstanding turnarounds or lunch spots with views in all directions – here you can view the path not taken, the forested summits of minor peaks including Mount Baldy.

Here is where we picked up one tick – not nearly as prevalent here as they are in other sites east of the crest (Umtanum Ridge and Creek is teeming with ticks). Other than the tick we had the ridge to ourselves and enjoyed a lazy, leisurely lunch.

We dropped back down to the trail and continued (east) for another half mile or so before turning around. My memory is not foolproof – I seem to remember a few years ago we hiked the trail until it ended at a rock outcropping but today we stopped shy of that.

This was our first warm day hike in a long time; it was nice not to have to bundle up and wonderful to bask in sunlight. We retraced our route back to the trailhead. The big group was still on the mountain so there were still a lot of cars at the trailhead, more than I’ve ever seen. We also met more hikers on the trail, getting a late start.

On our way back we stopped at Turtle Bar in Easton for milkshakes and for me, a hot-spiced cider with a cinnamon stick. The Turtle Bar used to be a funky place with delicious but greasy grub. It’s been spruced up, the prices are a little higher than they were but the food is better. In the past the old restaurant was mostly used by snowmobilers or cold and wet Mountaineers in need of sugar, caffeine and grease - now it’s become a more popular spot for residents and visitors to stop.

We hiked about 5.2 miles round trip with 1,859 feet of elevation gain per the GPS. The map is Green Trails No. 208 Kachess Lake.

To get there: From Seattle take I-90 east and turn off at Exit 70. Drive over the freeway and turn left onto a frontage road signed Kachess Dam Road and proceed to Forest Service Road No. 4818 and turn right. Stay on Road No. 4818 to an unsigned road junction and turn right – follow that road about ½ mile to the trailhead, elevation 2,400 feet, no facilities. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

Howson Creek trail, July 4, 2010

2010-07-05T15:27:00.001-07:00

Howson Creek Trail (July 4, 2010)

What better way to celebrate July 4th than hiking? Given it was raining on the west side of Snoqualmie Pass we headed east (as usual).

This trail has been on my agenda (again) for some time. I first wrote about the trail in “Hidden Hikes” and wanted to find out for myself how “hidden” it was after a few years have passed.

The hike is just as steep as it ever was; finding the trailhead is harder. Unless, of course, you hike this trail every year – a few years ago a sign made finding the trail pretty easy. Now – the sign is missing. Therefore we drove right past it and had to backtrack to find it again (the map and “Hidden Hikes” helped). The driving directions in “Hidden Hikes” is just about right on – the odometer reads 6.1 miles from the Last Resort on the highway heading toward Salmon la Sac.

The trailhead (as you head toward Salmon la Sac) is on the right-hand side of the highway at an elevation of 2,246 feet. There’s plenty of roadside parking on the other side of the highway. The trail – an old jeep track – once you spot it soon becomes genuine trail though there are no signs to clue you in. In a short mile or so (elevation 2,663 feet) Howson Creek is crossed – an easy crossing in early July.

After this gentle start the trail gets down to business – it starts to climb steeply and doesn’t relent. Despite the lack of signage we found the trail easier to follow than it was a few years ago – though faint in spots we were always able to find our way. Someone (the forest service? A friend?) has blocked off the game trails with branches and placed a couple of flags where the trail is a little confusing. We would have been able to follow the trail without the flags but I’d been there before and recognized some of the terrain. If you find the flags leave them – for first-time visitors who could be confused. The game trails are many and some are almost as good as the trail. Or would it be better to say the trail is almost as good as the game trails? You can be the judge of that.

The trail falls roughly into “thirds” – the first third climbs through an old clear-cut, the second third through mostly mellow forest with a few wildflowers (not very many) and the last third a long contour on talus below a rocky ridge. The steep grade does not relent; it is a thigh-burner so we paced ourselves accordingly.

It was a cloudy day so the views we anticipated never materialized – other than a sliver of Cle Elum Lake on the way down that was about the extent of our views. We were a little disappointed not to see Lemah Mt, Mt Stuart and others but we were gratefully for the cool, cloudy day. It was perfect hiking weather for a steep trail.

Our favorite part of the trail was the “third” – here the trail is mostly on talus and rocky, a few “pointy” evergreens anchor the trail in place. Once you are on the trail that contours below a rocky ridge (left) you will see Hex Mountain (just a little bump on this cloudy day) and Sasse Mountain (a forested summit a half mile from the “end” of the Howson Creek trail).

Stay on the main trail – a couple of rocky spurs lead to the ridge (left) and another trail drops into the valley below (right). I have no clue where the lower trail goes – if anywhere – some time we’ll go back and explore it.

We stopped where the trail meets the rocky ridge (saddle) at about 5,422 feet. You can continue to Sasse Mountain from this point. There is a faint trail juncture just a bit below the saddle to the right. A faded flag marks the continuation of the trail to forested Sasse Mountain, a half mile away (the left uphill fork is the correct path). We skipped Sasse there’s no view – however, you can hike from Sasse over to Hex. That would make a dandy one-way hike via the Sasse Mountain trail with a car shuttle. Hmmmm – maybe one of these days!

On our way back the clouds had cleared enough we got a better view of Cle Elum Lake; the water is very high. Some of the trees along the shoreline appear to be inundated. We heard muffled fireworks as we descended the steep trail but were not surprised we had the trail to ourselves. I have yet to meet another hiker on this trail.

There are reasons why this trail is not as popular as many in the region – for starters it’s hard to find. It’s a steep, difficult trail. There are easier trails that lead to better views. But if you like lonesome trails and like to explore this one is fun.

We checked out one of the spurs on our way back down and climbed to the ridgeline we’d contoured below. From where we clambered the ridge was narrow and other than a glimpse of Red Mountain there were no outstanding views. If we had accessed the ridge closer to the saddle it would probably have been more interesting – looking back at the ridge it “fattens” as it approaches the saddle.

I bet there are some nice views up there.

Stats: 8 miles round trip with 3,381 feet of gain (including our side trip). The map is Green Trails No. 208 Kachess Lake.

Flowers: Indian paintbrush, vanilla leaf, lomatiums, penstemon, phlox, lupine, thimbleberry – with the exception of vanilla leaf the flowers were few and far between.

Dirty Harry's Truck

2010-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Damned Truck (Dirty Harry’s Deuce and a half)

Early June, 2010

How many times have I tramped up Dirty Harry’s Road near North Bend to look for that rumored truck? Friends had found it, other hikers posted photographs of it on their web pages yet I met with failure every time I tried.

Until last week – thanks to a friend - we found the truck. We hiked the rocky, miserable road again, ignoring the turn off to Dirty Harry’s balcony, bypassing the crumpled, rusted artifacts from Dirty Harry’s legendary days of gyppo logging along the road – after all, we’d seen those many times before.

It is surprising how close it is to Dirty Harry’s Road and Museum Creek. The mistake we made before was crossing the creek, THEN looking for an old road where the truck can be found. This might have been true once upon a time but that truck has been sitting there a long time and alders have grown, making the snippet of old road difficult to spot let alone follow.

This time we didn’t cross Museum Creek; we looked for a path a few paces below creek. It took us a couple tries to find the path - it is hard to distinguish the path from thick vegetation. So - the easiest way to find the truck – at least for us befuddled geezers – is to hike to the creek, turn around, backtrack a few paces and spot the trail on the uphill side of the road (left).

A much as we enjoy exploring this path does not invite exploration; it’s a mess. Don’t look for flagging – it doesn’t exist. If you miss it, try again. The path is short and claustrophobic with obstacles of small, downed trees, brush and an almost impenetrable wall of crowded cedars.

We did eventually spot a ribbon and knew we were on the right track. You could tell that this old road had been a working road but it has been taken over by alders. We were only a few feet away from Museum Creek. Per instructions we followed the road (easterly direction) to a switchback marked with a large boulder; here the road heads back toward the creek.

The road (if one could call it that) veered into a thicket of cedars and dense brush; a few ribbons guided the way and after a wrestling match with ferocious cedars we spotted the rusting hulk of the Deuce and a half through the vegetation.

There lay an old radiator in the stream, the truck itself still mostly in one piece, the doors riddled with bullet holes, the smashed, headlights, the engine block, the flatbed, the whole mess. Peering into the cab we saw a jumble of leaves and clutter; someone had left a Rainier beer can on the driver’s seat. The windows of the cab are long gone and there are holes in the roof of the cab where daylight trickles in.

At first glance it looks like it had run into a boulder come to rest against near the creek. We don’t know – of course – how the truck got there or why – one can only speculate. We spent a lot of time photographing the truck though photographs can’t capture the mood of the place. It’s odd – it’s almost like the truck doesn’t want to be “found” or perhaps Harry knew he’d come to the end of the line and left his truck there to quietly rust away and slowly disappear over time.

We’ve been hiking for over 30 years and never met anyone who met Dirty Harry, not even Harvey Manning. Last I heard he was in a retirement home – and the old place where he used to live amidst a clutter of aging trucks is gone, likely to become someone’s moneyed “dream home” near the river.

When – and if – you find the truck sit down for a moment in the silence and ponder the man who drove this vehicle up and down cliff-hanging roads and put in roads where others feared to tread. Dirty Harry’s roads are all over the place though they are slowly being taken over by alders. Some day there will be little evidence so if you find a mangled piece of metal along the road or trail, let it be – it has a right to rest.

(I think even Harvey Manning had grudging admiration for Dirty Harry – they were both curmudgeons and they both loved the land in their own, fierce way.)

To find it (or not): Exit 38 (I-90), head toward the fire training center (don’t park outside the gate you might get locked in if you’re late). After parking walk up the road, cross the Snoqualmie River and in roughly 1/3 to ¼ of a mile find the hard-to-miss path on the right-hand side of the road. There is no sign. The path is Dirty Harry’s Road, follow that until you get to Museum Creek and good luck finding the path.

Dirty Harry's Truck

2010-06-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Damned Truck - early June, 2010

Meeks Table

2010-06-16T15:30:00.001-07:00

MEEKS TABLE (A NATURAL RESEARCH AREA) June 11, 2010

Meeks Table was hard to find in the early 1980s – it’s still hard to find. And more than worth it.

It’s a long drive to Meeks Table and a short hike. I’d hardly call it a hike. Perhaps “experience” is a better description.

Meeks Table is just inside the Douglas O. Williams Wilderness – be thankful for that because logging is breathing down Meeks neck. The trail was short to Meeks in the 1980s, now it’s shorter still as the once-forested path to the table has been logged to practically its edge. This is a sensitive environmental area; please keep your party-size small and tread carefully. Meeks table has never been commercially grazed by livestock and is an interesting area for ecologists and botanists to explore. The table is home to old stands of Ponderosa pine and wildflowers; some rare.

The most unusual flower is Giant Frasera or green gentian (century plant). It is one of the few places (perhaps the only place) it grows in Washington. Do bring a wildflower guide – there are too many flowers to list. In June we saw Giant Frasera (some of the frasera was getting ready to bloom), grass widows, death camas, stonecrop, bitterroot, spreading phlox, penstemon, lomatiums and more.

The mileage? Not much – about 3.82 miles (maximum) with 735 feet of elevation gain. Again - the challenge is finding the trailhead.

Getting there: From Seattle drive to Chinook Pass on Highway 410. Continue down from Chinook Pass on Highway 410 to a signed bypass around a landslide. The road is in good condition. Turn onto Bethel Ridge Road (Forest Service Road 1500) – the sign is partially blocked from view by vegetation until you are actually on the road. If you find yourself back on Highway 410 you’ve gone a little too far. The road is paved part of the way then becomes gravel; it is narrow and steep with turnouts (proceed with caution). When you get to a junction turn onto Road No. 1502 – you will pass McDaniel Lake, your clue that you are not too far from the next junction (Spur No. 1502-130). We missed it the first time and ended up at the Mount Aix trailhead (a hike we also want to do), turned around and looked again for the spur (look hard for it). The spur is short and rough, the parking spot obvious where the spur is blocked by large boulders (coming from McDaniel Lake the spur will be on the right-hand side of the road, marked by a metal post).

You can either walk up the blocked spur a way or follow a faint, flagged path to the talus field, the “start” of the hike. Either way, you’ll spot the “table”. We followed the flagged path to the edge of the talus slope – according to another source if you walk the road that leads to a path that avoids most of the talus. Once you are on the table you can hike around the rim in either direction – don’t miss the parklands or the quiet stands of Ponderosa pines or views of the South Cascades, including Mount Aix.

We suggest you dedicate at least a weekend to explore this region; it’s too long a drive for a day-hike and there are other nearby gems to explore.

We also recommend a stop at the Naches Ranger Station in Naches – not only do they offer a wealth of information to hikers and other recreational uses but this is also the site of the Three Mile Fire where several firefighters lost their lives only a few years ago.

Granite Lakes, Thompson Lake

2010-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

June 16, 2010

Granite Lake(s) and Thompson Lake

Granite Lake, Thompson Lake (June 16, 2010)

I’ve been doing more hiking than writing lately so in order to stay more up-to-date on this blogs most entries will be shorter than my recent Barclay, Eagle Lake description.

We’ve gazed at the guidebooks and maps often, drooling over the possibility of getting to Thompson Lake, a hard-to-get-to lake no matter how you approach it.

Basically there are two approaches – one starting at the Ira Spring trailhead (the Mason Lake trail), continuing to Mount Defiance then dropping down to Thompson Lake. A lot of mileage and elevation gain. The other approach – and ours, is from the Granite Lakes road off the Snoqualmie Middle Fork road near North Bend. This is also a long, strenuous route.

We’d only intended to visit Granite Lakes on this cool but rare sunny day in June. The hike starts out on the Granite Lakes road (just past the Mailbox Peak trailhead) on the Middle Fork road. The road is a gated DNR road – there is room to leave a car or two there if you prefer starting from there. No trailhead pass required.

The guidebooks say it is about 11 miles round trip to Granite Lakes and that’s probably pretty accurate (PDA). Most of that mileage is on the road but it’s not an unpleasant walk. We passed stumps from past logging eras, Granite Creek (with a bridge) and all along the roadside, wildflowers. This also makes a good snowshoe walk in winter as there is no avalanche danger along the road.

In about 4-1/2 miles we came to a junction on the road, now with trail signs for Granite Lakes and Thompson Lake. This was the first time I’ve seen signs at this junction; they are a definite advantage.

For Granite Lakes, you hike downhill (right) onto an old road to where it ends. It is – roughly – a half mile from the junction. We stopped to admire violets and our first marsh marigolds of the season on our way. At the road end – no sign - look for flagging or if that is gone find an opening in the vegetation - that’s the trail.

The “trail” is probably less than ¼ of a mile to Upper Granite Lake but it’s a bit of a challenge. Crossing the outlet stream took a little cunning to keep feet dry but we managed (rock hop and vegetation belay). Not far from the stream crossing is Upper Granite Lake and it is a beauty. Since adjectives fail to describe such a pretty lake we’ll leave it at that. It’s damned pretty and larger than you might expect. Explore dim paths – some lead to secret campsites and one eventually takes you to Lower Granite Lake (we didn’t look for Lower Granite today). The ground cover is a glory of marsh marigolds, false lily-of-the-valley and Canadian dogwood just coming into bloom. Hellebore is just beginning to appear and beargrass will also bloom soon.

Back at the junction we had enough energy to hike further. I’d always wanted to explore the left branch from the junction – call it an old road or cat track, it’s rocky and lined with alders at lower elevations. Someone’s been lopping the encroaching vegetation (thanks!).

At about a mile – eureka! Another trail sign, this one for Thompson Lake – this, too, is a handy sign. Having never been to Thompson before we found it useful. The Green Trails map indicated it being about a mile to the lake.

We started out and soon came to the original sign for Thompson Lake, so weathered you could almost mistake it for a tree. A short steep stretch followed a level stretch, a couple of tributaries are crossed (not a problem), then the trail climbs to a ridge where you might expect a view of Thompson Lake. It’s only a partial view – trees obscure most of the lake and the trail continues on.

Silverback decided to take a break at the ridge while I continued, still hoping to get down to the lake. The last bit of trail is steep – it’s about 450 feet down to the lake and it’s steep, seemingly not often traveled. I had hoped to get to a viewpoint above the lake (it was too chilly to keep Silverback waiting for long) and I finally did where the trail breaks out into a boulder field with a stunning view of the lake, much larger than I thought it would be. To my surprise the lake was almost completely snow free (the trail was too) and I took several photos before turning around.

I dreaded the climb back to the ridge but I took it slow and easy; soon we were back on the road and on our way home. We both felt pretty good until about the last couple of miles on the Granite Lakes road; then, the fatigue caught up with us.

The stats: according to the GPS I hiked 17 miles (round trip) and Silverback 16. The elevation gain was about 3,800 feet (for me). The map is Green Trails No. 206 Bandera. If you skip Granite Lakes it’s closer to 16 miles round trip with less elevation gain.

Getting there: From Seattle take I-90 east past North Bend to Exit 34, pass the convenience stores and turn right onto the SE Middle Fork Road (Dorothy Lake road), continue about 3 miles to the trailhead for Mailbox Peak (left), park. Hike the road about ¼ mile to the Granite Lakes Road (a gated DNR road).

Barclay Lake and beyond

2010-06-02T13:21:00.001-07:00

Barclay Lake and Beyond (May 27, 2010)

It had been about 10 years since my last visit to Barclay Lake; that was on snowshoes. Prior to that I’d been beyond Barclay Lake to Eagle Lake on an old, rugged trail on a summer day. How different would the trail and lakes look after this 10-year hiatus? This being a dreary we weren’t sure what to expect nor did we know how far we’d be able to get – that damned late-season snow would pop up sooner than later (it always seem to pop up sooner on late spring, early summer hikes).

The 4-mile forest service road (No. 6034) was in great shape, even for passenger cars. Even the trailhead is in good shape with two clean portable toilets, a kiosk and a box with wilderness permits for hikers venturing beyond Barclay Lake into the new Wild Sky Wilderness.

Then, there was the footbridge over Barclay Lake, about half way to Barclay Lake. In the past the bridge was broken, missing or so deep in snow you had to side-step across it on snowshoes as you clung to the rail.

Readers know by now that stream crossings are my least favorite aspect of hiking; I dread them unless I am 100 percent certain the body of water either has a bridge or can be easily boulder-hopped without risk of drowning or soaking the camera. I kept my dread to myself, recalling the time I’d forded the knee-deep Stillaguamish River rather than balance on the footlog that spanned it (everyone else walked the log but me). Perhaps this is because I never learned to swim. Yes, I know I could have been swept away but I still feel safer IN the water as opposed to FALLING into the water.

The first half of the trail is in recovering forest; a victim of past clear-cuts though the forest is recovering nicely. The old stumps with springboard notches are hosting new seedlings and groundcover is carpeting the ground with false lily-of-the-valley, moss, lichen and ferns. Mixed in with early season greenery are sprinkles of yellow violets, bleeding hearts and trilliums. In a word, it’s lovely.

After the gentle promenade through the forest we reached Barclay Creek and the bridge was in excellent shape; not only wide but with a good handrail. No sweat!

The trail between the creek and the lake is through deep, dark delicious forest, much of it old growth. The trail crosses a blowout (no water in it) a little before the lake. There are views of Mount Baring from the lake (I can attest to that having seen them in the past) but we were denied the views on this cloudy day - you’d never know the mountain was there. Nevertheless the lake is pretty, provides several, spacious campsites and many spots where one can leave the main trail and bask in an isolated pocket away from crowds on a sunny weekend.

We continued on the trail but since my memory was dim as to where the “old” trail to Eagle Lake began I’d done a bit of research on The Internet, clinging to the nugget of wisdom suggesting that as long as you kept the creek on your left you’d get to the lake.

My companions, Silverback and Florida Bob, were depending on me not to get them lost – neither had ever been to Barclay Lake. We did have the appropriate map, compass and a GPS though I can usually find my way around without needing to use them. Oddly, I seem to have a photographic memory of terrain, routes and trails including particular trees and oddly shaped boulders.

On our way around the lake we noted two signs for toilets (away from the lake) and empty campsites. We noted – and ignored – a couple of dim trails that headed uphill – they didn’t “feel” right. Too, we wondered – which creek do we keep to our left? We concluded it was probably near the inlet of the lake and sure enough, it was. After a stretch of old puncheon we found a “better” trail heading uphill and the creek was on our left.

Up we went and I do mean up. Though steep the trail was mostly easy to follow as it spurted uphill, weaving between stumps the size of prehistoric beasts, old growth trees and downed trees hosting small armies of seedlings. Occasional boulders rested or balanced between the trees; some seemingly held in place by roots.

An occasional cairn or ribbon came in handy along this stretch; purists might sneer at those of us who are grateful for cairns. Many purists dismantle them when they find them or tear down flags that mark an obscure route. I will never dismantle a cairn; on a foggy day they are helpful and not all hikers are wizards of the technological gadgets hikers use today (some seasoned hikers do just fine with map, compass and memory).

As for flagging, I have only flagged a route a couple of times but taken the flags down on my return. There seem to be two schools of thought regarding flags and cairns: destroy them or appreciate them – that is unlikely to change. We like cairns; we consider them old friends. All in all we found only a few cairns and only in the most strategic places.

Still keeping on the left side of the creek we climbed through the forest to the first of several boulder fields. In the mist it was hard to see ahead so here we relied somewhat on the cairns and the lay of the land. I enjoy negotiating boulder fields; it feels like “play” as I decipher a route through the maze of rocks, holes, blowdowns, emerging vegetation.

The cloudy day brought out many shades of green ranging from somber forest green to cheerful lime. The best time to explore this route is spring or in the fall (sans vegetation). Later in the year the boulder fields will become more challenging -- Devils club will soon leaf out as will soldiering alders at lower elevations.

We were just getting into gear for the fun of the boulder field when Silverback said “We have a problem”. A lens had popped out of his glasses and he didn’t have a spare set. Luckily, he found the lens but he is legally blind without both lenses in place (Florida Bob and I share Silverback’s unfortunate vision – without our glasses none of us would have “evolved”) - we’d have dropped out of the gene pool long ago eaten by tigers or by falling off a cliff.

I volunteered my spare set of glasses but mine were not strong enough. What to do? He was able to put the lens back in place but it soon popped out again. This necessitated either turning around (with the lens tucked safely away in a pocket) or coming up with a better fix. Silverback found a rock, sat down and set about making a temporary fix with items from his first aid kit. Somewhat carefully, we kept on going.

At the end of another steep stretch on boulders Silverback decided to call it quits; his vision was still partially obstructed by the “fix” to his glasses, it was getting cold and we were hungry. He’d wait for us there, bundle up and enjoy his lunch.

Florida Bob and I continued on, pleasantly surprised to find the route almost immediately left the boulders onto a state-of-the-art trail through the forest. We thought we were probably close enough to Stone Pond to keep going but we were denied the goal. After that pleasant stretch on honest-to-God trail we stalled at a snow-covered plateau with sets of old tracks going every which way. This was a good turnaround - we don’t like leaving a companion behind and it was getting colder.

Had we the time and better conditions we would have continued to Stone Pond, turned left and gone on to Eagle Lake but this was not the right time to pursue this. It didn’t take us long to get back to Silverback (he was just finishing his lunch). From there we made good time going down and as often is the case were surprised at how “short” the route is between Barclay Lake and Stone Pond - the route uphill feels “long” because it’s so steep!!

The hike back to the lake was uneventful – soon we were crossing Barclay Creek again and faster than you could say “Barclay Lake, Stone Pond and Eagle Lake” we were back at the car. Silverback’s glasses held up the entire jarring way much to everyone’s relief.

I forgot to mention that shortly after we left Barclay Lake we encountered our first “Wild Sky Wilderness” sign, our first sighting of a sign designating this wilderness area. Barclay Lake is not within the wilderness.

We will return – hopefully after the snow melts and before the worst of Devil’s club leafs out. Eagle Lake is still on the TBD list as is Mount Townsend. We’ll wait for a long, summer day and blue skies. Plus, we are still pining for that view of Mount Baring at the lake.

To get there: From Seattle head east on SR 2, turn left onto Forest Road No. 6034 (signed 635th Place NE), cross the railroad tracks, continue about 4 miles to the designated trailhead. A Northwest Forest Pass is required. The map is Green Trails No. 143 Monte Cristo.

Lost Lake, South Cascades, May 16, 2010

2010-05-24T19:45:00.001-07:00

Lost Lake, South Cascades (May 16, 2010)

It’s always fun to “get away with something” by hiking a trail earlier in the season than guidebooks suggest. Such an experience was our recent hike to Lost Lake from Greenwater Lakes in the South Cascades. Generally considered a summer/fall hike this less-seldom-hiked trail can sometimes be hiked earlier for those wishing to push the envelope a bit. Well, that’s us for sure!

The trail to upper Greenwater Lake is in good condition - bridges are in and with beefy railings. It’s only about 2 miles to Greenwater Lakes with 200 feet or so of elevation gain. Since I’ve blogged about Greenwater Lakes already this year I don’t have much to add except that I always enjoy this trail, especially the green, green, green lakes.

The Greenwater Lakes trail is popular so Lost Lake is a good hike to consider either in the spring or in the fall when there’s room to park at the popular trailhead. On this spring-like day in May, there were a few other cars at the trailhead.

Our hike to Greenwater Lakes, the first “leg” of the trail was without difficulty and not that busy despite it being a sunny day. We hiked at a moderate and steady pace – not too fast to miss out on the beauty of Greenwater Lakes but fast enough that we’d be able to get to Lost Lake without feeling hurried.

After crossing the Greenwater River for the last time (on a double bridge) the trail begins its gradual climb through old-growth forest with occasional views down to the Greenwater River the first mile or so. At about 3 miles from the trailhead we reached the junction for Echo/Lost Lake (elevation about 3,028 feet). For Echo Lake, take the left fork – otherwise stay straight for Echo Lake.

As is so often the case in spring we mostly had the trail to ourselves – past the junction we crossed several small tributaries (none of the crossings warranted a bridge) and noted that Devil’s club is beginning to leaf out as well as nettles. The spring flowers are out – stream violets, trilliums, flowering currant, vanilla leaf (not yet in bloom). Everything looks brand new!

As the trail pulled further away from the river we began to encounter snow. At first it wasn’t a problem; a few hikers had beaten a path into the snow and it was chilly enough in the forest that the snow hadn’t melted. A few stretches were a little on the icy side but we managed to get through that without an ignominious pratfall. You might want to take trekking poles in case you run into an icy, stubborn patch. Fortunately for us the icy stretches were layered with pine needles; we did OK without Yak Trax.

About a half mile from Lost Lake we heard voices and met a group of youngsters who had made it to the lake with their dogs. They said the snow was “worse” above the lake but that we should be able to follow their tracks the rest of the way. About ½ mile from the lake we passed lovely Quinn Lake (left), notorious for its turquoise-colored water and sense of solitude. A short spur leads down to the lakeshore – we don’t know whether or not there is a campsite there, we didn’t hike around the lake (we were on a mission to get to Lost Lake).

What the hikers meant by “worse” was that within ¼ mile or so from the lake the snow was deep, soft and we began to post-hole. This is exhausting and exasperating after a while – not enough snow to warrant snowshoes but just enough to make a hiker crabby. Well, I should only speak for myself.

I recognized the semi-open terrain from a previous hike to the lake (about the same time of year) so we carried on and am glad we did because I knew we were close. Where snow has melted beargrass is beginning to appear, a good sign of warmer days to come.

After a bit more of wallowing in soft snow we reached the lakeshore (4,007 feet). The lakeshore was snow-free and there was a good selection of logs to sit upon for lunch. The light was not good for photography (white sky) but we simply delighted in being there and having a whole lake to ourselves. There are some dandy campsites near the lakeshore but alas, we were only out for the day.

Noble Knob (and Lost Lake) can be reached from Corral Pass but getting to that trailhead is no easy task for passenger cars. Most hikers will be content with the view of Noble Knob from Lost Lake, Noble Knob is further away than it looks through a strong hiker with route-finding skills could probably get up to the knob and back down before darkness on a long, summer day. You can also get to Noble Knob from the Ranger Creek trail or the Deep Creek trail (two long, steep trails accessed from SR 410).

The snow had softened up some on our way out; that made walking easier on the icy sections but a little more challenging on the snow (more post-holing). We made good time heading back to Greenwater Lakes; where only a few hikers remained, like us, reluctant to end the pleasant, spring day.

The hike to Lost Lake is 12 miles round trip with 1,800 feet of elevation gain. The maps are Green Trails No. 238 Greenwater and No. 239 Lester.

From Greenwater continue east on SR 410 to Forest Service Road No. 70, turn left and continue about 9 miles to the trailhead (right). A Northwest Forest Pass is required. You will need a wilderness permit if you are camping at Echo or Lost Lake.

Barlow Point, Old Government trail

2010-05-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

Barlow Point, Old Government Trail, Railroad Grade (May, 2010)

The first time I hiked to Barlow Point was in the early 1980s with the late Archie Wright, his wife, Margie and Silverback (Silverback and I go back a long way but that’s a long story). It was a crisp, autumn day – Margie brought apples and an iced cake for our summit lunch and knowing Archie, he probably carried up a thermos of “cowboy” coffee.

Barlow Point is the site of a former lookout – there was little trace of it on that long ago fall day and even less in 2010 – just a mere twinkle of broken glass was all we could find and that may or may not have had anything to do with the lookout.

Either the mountains have grown taller or someone’s been taking down some of the trees because we saw many more Monte Cristo peaks than we did on that hike in the 1980s.

Just like my first visit I get all turned around on Barlow Point, even with the map and am never 100 percent sure of what peaks I’m looking at. To the best of my knowledge we saw Big Four (I initially had it confused with Del Campo, good grief!) and Mount Pugh (other peaks I won’t even attempt to name). It’s weird too – I’ve climbed several of those peaks yet they can look so different depending on where you are standing in relation to the peak.

At some angles Sloan and Pugh look like brothers, one’s just bigger than the other. But from another vantage point, they don’t look like they are related at all. In any event, the views from Barlow Point are – for lack of a better word, inspirational. If you’ve never wanted to take up climbing before you might develop an interest upon viewing these monstrously beautiful peaks from Barlow Point.

The trailhead for Barlow Point (and the Government Trail) is accessed from the upper parking lot at Barlow Pass. We prefer to park at Barlow Pass per se because we perhaps misguidedly believe we are less apt to get the car broken into along the Mountain Loop.
As for the Barlow Point trail there isn’t a sign for the trail at the trailhead kiosk.

Behind the restroom is a dim network of trails in dark forest. Look about for the “best” path; that’s the beginning of the Barlow Point trail. If you veer off too much to the left (toward the Mountain Loop Highway) you’ll find yourself on the Railroad Grade – that’s OK too if that’s what you’re looking for.

Keep on the main trail, you’ll soon come to a signed junction (2,335 feet) for Barlow Point (right) – the Old Government Trail continues straight.

After a bit of up and down the trail wraps rounds a rocky outcropping on decaying puncheon. Here we found trilliums and violets blooming like crazy anywhere there was a bit of earth to cling to. From the outcroppings the trail continues through forest. Boulders have come to rest and over time trees have embraced the boulders with their roots as if to hold them in place. The boulders came down some time ago, some under a fine sheen of moss. Old stumps rear up like the remains of bombed buildings, stark but lovely to behold and difficult to photograph in the dappled light. The forest is a pastiche of new evergreens, old evergreens and snags. We also spotted yellow cedar.

As the trail climbed our attention was drawn to growing views of what I mistakenly took to be Del Campo (it’s Silvertip Peak). We also found evidence of trail work here and there - piles of sawdust beside the trail attest to recently cut downed trees. En route to the summit there are openings in the forest where one could spend an afternoon dawdling on a mossy outcropping and enjoying the view.

We spent quite a long time on the summit (at 3,134 feet) gazing at the surrounding peaks and enjoying the sun. It felt like spring had finally arrived; there was no need to hurry, we had the place to ourselves (not uncommon). Silverback looked around for an old brace that held the lookout in place he remembered from our 1980 hike but no trace remained.

When we hiked down o the junction for the Government Trail we were surprised to run into a friend and fellow hiker, Kim, who loves abandoned, seldom-hiked trails as much as we do. Kim was on her way to Barlow Point – she had never been there. Before we parted company we talked about the historical trails in the area. When I mentioned remnants of old puncheon on the Government Trail she said her feet get all “tingly” even thinking about hiking on old puncheon. We know the feeling!

She continued on her way to Barlow Point, we set off to follow the Old Government as far as we could, perhaps as far as Buck Creek or at least to a tributary I remembered from my first visit long ago when I came upon a mink or a river otter at the seasonal waterfall that occurs there in spring.

The Old Government trail is a gentle one for the most part; with a few blowdowns and ancient puncheon. We found a few boot prints here and there though this trail doesn’t get much use. We encountered historic puncheon here and there, some of it broken and a broken bridge where someone had nailed wire to make for easier walking. However, it hadn’t rained much and it was a just a big step to cross the tributary the bridge once spanned.

At times we could see the old Monte Cristo railroad grade below the trail, a little further on we could see the Mountain Loop Highway and beaver ponds near the road. From the Mountain Loop Highway you’d never know there was a trail.

We called it quits at the tributary; it wasn’t as pretty as it was back in the late 1980s. There have been blowouts over the years and where the seasonal waterfall once fanned out over an outcropping there’s a mess of downed trees and rubble. Though you wouldn’t think so the trail continues to Buck Creek – cross the creek and pick up the trail on the other side. We turned around at that point so couldn’t vouch for what shape the trail is in beyond the tributary.

On our way back we looked for the railroad grade and when we spotted it we left the Old Government trail and dropped down to hike it back to the trailhead. We dropped down a bit too soon and had to work through some pesky alders before getting to the Railroad Grade. However, if you want to visit the railroad grade instead of heading to Barlow Point continue on the Old Government trail to an obvious trail that cuts down to the railroad grade (it’s not very far from the trailhead).

Barlow Cut is not as obvious as it used to be; we passed right through it without my recognizing it. The old kiosk that tells about Barlow Cut and the Monte Cristo railroad is gone, you’d be hard-pressed now to identify it.

The Barlow Point trail is about 2.4 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead (per our GPS). To get there: drive from Granite Falls about 31 miles to Barlow Pass - park in the upper lot (left) or along the highway. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.

Glacial Heritage Preserve, Prairie Appreciation Day

2010-05-11T15:07:00.001-07:00

Glacial Heritage Preserve - May 8, 2010

Two Wildflower Hikes: Glacial Heritage Preserve (May 8, 2010) and the Westberg Trail (May 9, 2010)

After a couple of cloudy-rainy-day hikes on Tiger Mountain I was in need of sun and wildflowers. It so happened that my friend Lola was free on May 8th; happily that was also Prairie Appreciation Day at the Glacial Heritage Preserve. Since the preserve is open to the public only ONE day out of the year we weren’t going to miss it.

The preserve is one of the last remnants of a prairie system that once covered large areas of our state. The camas-covered prairies also provided food-gathering areas for Native Americans; today the preserve serves as an outdoor classroom for students to study the plants and ecology.

Only a few years ago the entire area was covered in Scots broom but volunteers have spent thousands of hours restoring the area to it’s natural habitat – thanks to funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Forest Foundation and the Nature Conservancy. Volunteers have removed and continue to remove Scots broom and plant native plants. The Scotch broom is removed by pulling, burning, mowing, controlled fire and some use of herbicides.

The preserve is owned by Thurston County Parks and Recreation – the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife manages a portion as well. The land was purchased in the late 1980s when private citizens realized the importance of prairies and their role in human and natural history

The Preserve is not only a sanctuary for wildflowers, it is also a home to over a hundred bird species ranging from peregrine falcons to western bluebirds. Several species of butterflies can also be seen here; there are even herds of black tail deer and elk.

When we arrived the parking area was rapidly filling up with visitors but we managed to squeeze in. First we picked up a brochure at the Welcome Booth designed for the self-guided trail (a loop) with designated areas of interest (marked by numbers). There was also a shorter loop for visitors wanting an easier walk – the long loop was just under four miles. There were also activities for children including a hay ride.

Even on our way into the preserve we’d noticed camas growing in nearby fields and along the road. Inside the preserve the grassy mounds and swales were a sea of blue – from the edge of the road all the way to the horizon. Common camas was an important food of Native Americans. Bulbs were dug up in the spring and then cooked in pits dug into the ground. In addition to common camas we saw a bit of death camas as well as western buttercup and spring gold. The brochure said we’d spot chocolate lilies though we failed to spot them.

There were 38 “stops” along the self-guided trail, each with an explanation in the accompanying brochure. In one area Garry oak trees are being released from the shade of Douglas fir and shore pine. The conifers grow faster than the oak trees and have a high tolerance for shade. Prior to settlements fires destroyed some of the conifers but the oak trees withstand fires better than the conifers. Some of the oaks here are over 150 years old; the conifers are much younger. Today controlled burns and cutting are used to maintain the presence of the oak trees.

There were several displays to visit as well; one dedicated to butterflies, another to birds, another to bats, another to native plants and more. We got a kick out of the wildflower displays where volunteers had set up giant homemade plants and fashioned bee wings for children to wear so they could go out and pollinate the flowers. They were, of course, encouraged to buzz as they pollinated the flowers. It was fun to watch them; they never had stuff like that for kids when I was growing up!

I could dedicate more pages to this event but better yet – for a taste of the prairie you can visit nearby Mima Mounds year-round. Right now would be a good time to go – here you will see mounds in the earth; no one can say for sure how the mounds were created. The mystery of the mounds continues to mystify the experts. We stopped by nearby Mima Mounds after our walk through the Glacial Heritage Preserve; there were fewer people here so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We saw more common camas and flowers we’d seen in the nearby Preserve but there were tons of violets here as well.

Mima Mounds Natural Area: To get there: From Seattle go south via I-5 to 10 miles south of Olympia, get off at Exit 95, then go west on Maytown Road SW about 4 miles through the little town of Littlerock to a T intersection turn right onto Waddell Creek Road SW, continue 0.8 miles north and turn left. To get to the Glacial Heritage Preserve you’d turn left at the T intersection but the preserve will not be open to the public again until next year – UNLESS you’d like to volunteer some time to helping various organizations on their ongoing work in maintaining the preserve. If so, visit the website for The Nature Conservancy at http://www.nature.org/ or http://www.southsoundprairies.org/ for additional information. .

Westberg Trail – May 9, 2010

Last year I blogged about the Westberg Trail, a favorite trail that has become an annual event. The Westberg Trail is near Thorp on the east side of the mountains (see driving directions below). The trail is named to honor a popular high school coach (Ray Westberg) who died too young. There are memorials on the high point of the hike in addition to a memorial for Westberg. There’s even a summit register! The views of Mount Stuart from the trail are breathtaking, especially with clumps of golden balsamroot in the foreground and a green checkerboard of fields below. We made the mistake of not bringing a wildflower guide; never again!

In addition to “cow” clover and balsamroot we saw sagebrush violets, a variety of lomatiums, lupine, larkspur, sagebrush, serviceberry and flowers we could not identify. We missed out on seeing bitterroot this year – we were either too early or too late to see them.

After the climb to the memorial we continued hiking on a Green Dot DNR road (these roads are open to motorized vehicles) to a high point with views of Mount Rainier and a partial view of Mount Adams (in the distance). There’s a network of these Green Dot roads; one goes to an observatory but that is not open to the public.

It was the first “hot” hike of the year; shirt-sleeve weather has finally arrived! But if it’s flowers you want to see, go soon. The displays will soon be over.

Getting there: From Seattle head east on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass and get off I-90 at Exit 110 (Thorp Highway) and turn right. In about two miles turn right again on Cove Road, go straight at two stop signs. Just past the second stop sign find parking on the right hand side of the road, just before a gravel road and the beginning of the hike, about six miles from I-90, elevation 1,850 feet. There are no facilities. No permits or passes required.

Two hikes on Tiger Mountain, May 2010

2010-05-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Two Hikes on Tiger Mountain – May 2010 (Cable Line Trail, Middle Tiger via West Side Road, TMT, Artifacts trail)

This is May? What happened to spring?

This has been an odd spring but the work of getting (or staying) in shape continues no matter the weather or the number of birthdays (I wish I could slow those down!). .

I’ve become fond of the Cable Line Trail; it’s a great opportunity to get into or stay in shape. Though I am long in the tooth I get a little faster every time I tackle it and feel I could climb forever.

We arrived at the Cable Line trailhead on a rainy Saturday morning; despite the nasty weather there were already other hikers on the Cable Line. I passed a few hikers on the trail; a few passed me. It used to be that everyone passed me so I have no complaints. Besides, it’s not about ego – it’s about feeling fit because being fit feels good.

This trail simply gets down to the business of getting to the summit of West Tiger 3 as efficiently as possible; mostly straight up. When it’s muddy, care is needed to keep from slipping in the mud whether climbing or descending. When it’s dry care is needed to keep from skidding on the packed dirt, especially descending. It was muddy though we managed to stay upright, coming and going.

It was too cold to spend time on the summit; we elected to hike down via the Section Line trail, another favorite trail. We’ve hiked the Section Line trail often enough now that we have “favorite” trees and always give them a pat in passing; seeing our pet trees is almost like running into old friends.

At lower elevations spring is springing into action – woodland flowers are blooming. We spotted trilliums, bleeding hearts, violets, fringe-cup, vanilla leaf (no flowers yet), wild ginger, false lily-of-the-valley.

By the time we got back to Tradition Plateau we still felt like hiking so hiked the Swamp Trail, the Ruth Kees Big Tree trail and the Adventure Trail. These trails are more lonesome than many trails at Tiger though we did run into a few other hikers.

This reminds me -- a woman was recently assaulted on a trail near Tradition Plateau (a potential sexual assault) but she fought back and the man ran off. We were surprised to hear of this – that happened on a Saturday morning, generally a busy time on Tiger Mountain. Since then a sketch has been released of the assailant; if you haven’t already done so take a look at The Seattle Times for the sketch. And be on the alert.

As we hiked the lower elevation trails we noted how beautiful horsetails are when they are in their proper place; (not our yard thank you!). We’ve been battling horsetails for two years now and are slowly making progress. They’re ugly in the yard but beautiful in the forest.

The second hike on Tiger was yesterday (May 5, 2010). The weather was – well, awful. The forecast was for showers with partial clearing but it never cleared, at least not in Issaquah. We drove to the trailhead on SR 18; we wanted to start out on the Iverson Railroad Trail.

The Iverson Railroad trail was closed so instead we hiked the West Side Road to access the TMT; but soon after we started hiking we got side-tracked by the old “Artifacts Trail” and followed that instead, pausing at the site of a fatal train crash in 1925; mangled ties and contorted metal tell a sad story.

Though we had the map with us we were so wet that we elected to hike until we reached a high point or the next trail junction, whichever came first. Big mistake! After passing more artifacts we were unable to identify the trail grew steeper as the rain intensified. It wasn’t too much longer before the rain turned to snow – we kept on going.

As we climbed the trail grew even steeper and the snow deeper, not enough to warrant an ice axe or traction devices but enough to render the trail slippery, making it more difficult to follow the trail. When we could climb no higher we deduced we’d reached Middle Tiger (a summit without a view, even on a nice day).

Then we made another mistake. Rather than hike back the way we came we followed a more discernible trail we believed would connect to the TMT. We soon came to a signed junction (whew!) and only had to hike another mile to the West Side Road. This stretch was gorgeous but we were too cold to stop for photography; the precipitation intensified, turning from snow to rain.

Finally we reached the West Side Road but did not stop other than to gulp down an energy drink before the final stretch back to the trailhead. We were so wet that despite good rain gear, boots, hats and gloves we were getting cold, hungry and tired. That’s never a good combination - it seemed to take forever before we got back to the trailhead.

We were overjoyed to reach the car, a hot thermos of coffee and dry clothing. It was only after we’d changed into dry clothes we were able to eat our lunch – our fingers (despite our wool gloves) had grown so cold while hiking down from Middle Tiger that they were unwilling to grapple with packs and get our lunch out. It’s all too easy to see how hypothermia can get hikers into trouble.

It rained all the way back to Seattle despite a forecast of “showers” with a few sun breaks. We were happy to get home and dry out our gear.

In retrospect we should have turned around sooner than we did and putting ourselves at the risk of hypothermia. We had good gear but on such a wet hike it never holds up as well as we’d like it to; plus, I made the same mistake I have made over and over again, not bringing enough extra food. I don’t eat much when I hike; another mistake. I get so interested in what I am doing I just don’t think about food!! For that reason I carry a protein drink along and that has come in handy several times over the years (GU packets work well too when your fingers refuse to cooperate).

We are eager to repeat our loop on a dry day so we can enjoy this hike, rather than merely survive it. According to the GPS we hiked about 11 miles with roughly 2,800 feet of gain (taking into account numerous ups and downs).

West Fork Miller River, hiking

2010-05-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

West Fork Miller River (mid-April, 2010)

Hikers with cross-country hiking and route-finding skills will get a kick out of this hike as will history buffs; it’s not a hike for a novice.

It’s not the mileage or the elevation gain that make it a challenge; it’s the rugged terrain. The “hike” is an old road that it is becoming trail-like over time; this road will never be repaired – it is the kind of place where likely the only other people you might run into are fishermen, hunters and those looking for old mines.

For some, a place like this is a hiker’s paradise. The terrain is so scenic it’s hard to take it all in. For starters, the road parallels the West Fork of the Miller River for quite a way (nothing but clichés come close to describing the essence of a wild river), huge old growth trees, wildflowers (in season), boulders dripping with beaded moss and ferns, some with overhangs deep enough to provide shade for bears and such. The biggest tree we saw was a cedar tree; you can’t miss it, it’s on the right-hand side of the road, not very far from the trailhead.

Did I say trailhead? There is not a designated trailhead per se; nor is there a sign, not even a road number. However, it is easy to find if you want to find it (see driving directions below).

The scenery is not the only thing that will slow a hiker down – watching where you place your feet will also take concentration. Parts of the road resemble a stream; in fact, are a stream, especially the first mile or so. In April we did not have to cross raging torrents or resort to wading shoes but rock-hopping on slippery rock skills will come in handy. You might want to bring poles - again, nothing dangerous, just painstaking.

In late April flowers are becoming to bloom; trilliums, bleeding hearts, yellow violets were prevalent, especially along the first mile or so. There is also an ideal campsite a few steps from the “trailhead” above the river with a campfire ring.

There are several blowouts where streams came down and tore up the road. Avalanche activity, stream blowouts and floods have completely taken out sections of the road but again, not impassible.

When the fall rains return (or the spring snow melt) you may not be able to safely negotiate crossing these gullies and streams. You’ll have to check that out yourself; you won’t find trail conditions of this place at ranger stations or in guidebooks.

As the forest opens up cliffs comes into view on the right-hand side of the road. These are impressive cliffs indeed. A little further along a waterfall comes into view (right); to the best of our knowledge it is without a name.

The Cascade Mountain massif comes into view on the left side of the road as elevation is gained. At about our half-way point the road climbs above the river where you can see an enormous landslide or avalanche has taken a huge bite out of the landscape; it must have been a devastating climatic event to cause that amount of chaos. The slope all the way down to the river is composed of nothing but downed trees and debris. Past the avalanche debris the road returns to forest and is road-like for a while. We soon began to encounter snow with fresh boot prints (there had been one other car at the trailhead) and wondered if we would encounter other hikers before turnaround. Later we did meet the other hikers – they turned out to be a couple of young fishermen.

We also noticed a few cairns beside the road – where do they lead? Old mines? Secret campsites? Seldom-climbed summits?? Following the cairns is no easy task for a hiker; such temptations are best left to those with scrambling skills and in-depth knowledge of the topography.

Those who know how to do so safely can ferret out mines that can be accessed from the West Fork Miller River Road but proceed with caution – entering old mines can be dangerous and the terrain rugged. Hiking cross-country above the old road is about as far away as you can get from even a strenuous hike. According to what we have read from other sources, none of the mines are easily accessible.

Past the big landslide the road pulled away from the river through forest; here the road was in relatively good shape and out of harm’s way. The last mile or so was mostly in snow; not deep enough for snowshoes.

When we got to Coney Creek there was no safe way to get across. The creek was running high and wild; rock hopping would be impossible (upon more research we read an account where someone almost got swept down the creek while attempting to ford). This, Coney Creek is probably the logical turnaround point for most hikers.

Another caution; watch out for the resident bear. We almost met him on our way back to the trailhead. About ½ mile from the trailhead we stopped at a large boulder with an overhang; an ideal spot to pose a friend for a photograph. Silverback agreed to pose – I could not hear him about the sound of the river but just before getting into a sitting position under the overhang he yelled “Pinocchio!” to make sure there wasn’t an animal inside.

He reasoned that if there was an echo, there was “nobody” home. Much to his surprise he heard muffled snarls and snorts (which I could not hear) so I couldn’t understand why he was backing away from the overhang until he said there was a bear inside. We backed away slowly from the cave then picked up our pace, turning around every so often to make sure we weren’t being followed. We weren’t.

Don’t make the mistake we did – we should have known better. Make sure there’s “nobody” home if you think crawling under an overhang is a good idea.

6.7 miles round trip to Coney Creek, elevation gain about 1,000 feet

To get there head east on US 2 toward Stevens Pass and in about 1.9 miles past Skykomish and just past the Skykomish Ranger Station turn right onto Money Creek Road. The road is in good condition for passenger cars as of late April 2010. In about 3.5 miles from US 2, look for a green gate barring vehicular access to an old forest service road (right) and park in the unofficial parking area near the gate (no Northwest Forest Pass required). The old road that serves as “trail” is not signed.

Marten Creek trail - April 25, 2010

2010-05-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

MARTEN CREEK TRAIL (MOUNTAIN LOOP)

Marten Creek Trail to View of Three Fingers

The Marten Creek trail is a lonesome trail; perhaps it always has been except when miners worked the region in hopes of striking it rich. Mines remain today but are known only to a few but their handiwork remains – old puncheon, wooden bridges. The area around Marten Creek is riddled with old trails/roads, baffling to hikers over the years as they did their best to get to rumored-Granite Pass with views of Three Fingers, Liberty and Anaconda Peaks. Did one of the old roads once extend to the Darrington region? There are questions to be raised; questions, perhaps, that may never be answered.

What is true about Marten Creek is the beautiful, deep forest, site of the first experimental forest plantation (established in 1915) after a major forest fire destroyed much of Long Mountain. Signs along the first mile of the trail designate the year and place seedlings were planted.

A sign at the trailhead informs visitors that an Eagle Scout Project has worked or is working on a trail project. Details are unknown to us (the sign was mostly blank) though we suspect trail maintenance because this is the best shape the trail (road) has been in since my first visit back in the 1980s..

A road-bridge project on The Mountain Loop (from Granite Falls) makes parking a little difficult; find a wide place near to park near the highway, don’t block road equipment. Hopefully the trailhead sign will be back in place in the near future. Though the trailhead sign is not visible display the NW Forest Pass just in case the Forest Service takes a gander at vehicles parked at trailheads.

The hike starts out on an old road that once led to mines and passes the designated Experimental Forest Plantation by the Forest Service, the first of its kind in the country. Between evergreens of various ages/origins are boulders that broke away from peaks above before the trees took root.

We looked for and found a bus-sized boulder on the road/trail where a tree is growing on top. The boulder has been described in the out-of-print “Monte Cristo Area” by Harry M. Majors and Richard McCollum. It’s fun to find points of interest others have written about; we also found the remains of an old wooden bridge also mentioned in the book.

Marten Creek is on the west (downhill side) and at times can be glimpsed through the trees. Vague paths – mostly game trails – veer off into the green-gray glooms of the forest where they either die in brush or lead to forgotten campsites.

At about 3 miles the trail breaks out of the forest and the summit ridge of Three Fingers comes into view through the thinning evergreens. The forested peak beside it is Anaconda Peak (a high point of Gordon Ridge).

The trail was in fair condition to that point; we hoped to be able to follow it all the way to Granite Pass but our hopes were dashed. At about 3-1/4 miles from the trailhead we lost the trail altogether in a Rorschach mess of snow, downed trees, rocks and brush. We satisfied ourselves with the fine view of Three Fingers (3,875 feet) and resolved to return – when the snow melts, before the shrubs leaf out.

There were (are?) old trails – or wagon roads – on both sides of the Marten Creek valley. I remember years ago the trail crossed Marten Creek and dead-ended in brush. My memory might not be correct but it felt like we got closer to Granite Pass this time than in the mid to late 1980’s when we followed the “other” trail that ran up the valley closer to the creek. More recent trail reports indicate that the road (trail) we were on does cross Marten Creek before getting to Granite Pass. That makes sense but just how to get to that crossing is another matter.

The hike to our turnaround point is 6-1/2 miles round trip with 1,400 feet of elevation gain.

Hypothermia Hills, April 6, 2010

2010-04-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

HYPOTHERMIA HILLS (April 6, 2010)

Q: Where the heck is Hypothermia Hills? A: Just about any trail near North Bend on a rainy day.

This was just about the most entertaining but frustrating hike we’ve done lately. The trail is not really a trail, rather it is a route that has sprung up like weeds that lead to any number of destinations, none of them sane or easily described. Add rain, sleet and mud and you’ve got Hypothermia Hills.

This trail (for lack of a better word) is undoubtedly nothing to a rock climber but a hiker will have their work cut out for them. It could be considered one of the climbers’ trails off Exit No. 38 and you might be able to find more information about this trail by researching The Internet or a bookstore, especially a used bookstore.

Of greater interest to some: you can look up “Dirty Harry” on The Internet but this Dirty Harry is not to be confused with Clint Eastwood. Dirty Harry was a gyppo logger who put in logging roads where other road-builders refused to tread. Let’s just say the foothills around North Bend were his cathedral, a place where his used-up trucks and equipment could forever rest.

A hike called “Dirty Harry’s Balcony” should also give you some idea of what to expect of the terrain and though guidebook author Harvey Manning was not fond of the logging industry (especially gyppo loggers), I believe he had a grudging admiration for wily Dirty Harry who built roads too stubborn to die. Legend has it that Harry is still around and if he’s not, his ghost is. Every time I come across a cable in the brush, I get a shiver thinking of Dirty Harry and the way he shaped the land up around North Bend. I also believe that though he used the land he loved it fiercely.

There’s also a place where a stream crosses Dirty Harry’s road where persistent hikers find and photograph the slow death of one of Dirty Harry’s trucks. I’ve looked but haven’t found it yet; like Harry, it eludes me.

I may have met his ghost. Recently on our way to Mount Si we screeched to a halt along the Mount Si Road where elk had just crossed and were disappearing into a field, silent as shadows. A few other vehicles braked to a stop and pulled off to the side for a closer look. A fiftyish fellow in a beat-up pickup had pulled over and rolled his window down – he was holding on to a cup of coffee with one hand and his lower denture in the other as he expounded to us on how “great” it is to see elk so close. We were as fascinated by this local as we were the elk – he was so amazingly unself-conscious about how he looked. I almost asked his name but didn’t. I’m basically shy. It’s one of the reasons I write.

When I was writing for The Seattle Post Intelligencer I got a handwritten letter from a reader who was a child when she encountered him on a logging road in North Bend. Her family had gone for a picnic and a Sunday drive on the back roads when their car broke down. It was getting on toward twilight and it was too far for the father to hike down to North Bend. As they sat in the car trying to think what to do a couple of rough-looking fellows pulled up in a beat-up truck. This was back in the days before cell phones; the men offered to drive the father down to North Bend for help. The woman continued her story describing how long it felt to sit in the car with her mother as darkness fell, waiting for her father to return. The story had a happy ending – obviously the ruffians were good men and did not harm anyone in the family.

Back to the present: Instead of going to North Bend we continued east, turning off I-90 at Exit 38; from there we continued east along the frontage road (Old US 10) to the east end of the exit (to head back west you have to drive back along the frontage road for the west-bound on-ramp). Parking is limited but there are a few spaces where you can park without blocking roads used by the Fire Training Center or land-management agencies. To find the beginning of the trail hike up the road as if you were going to the state Fire Training Center. Cross the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River on a bridge. Just after you cross the river on the bridge spot the trail heading east along the river.

Some hikers call this the “bird box trail” and I find this name agreeable despite the unpleasantness of the route on a rainy day. There are actually bird boxes on trees at several points along the trail. Nope, I don’t know who put them there but it’s nice to spot one (that way, you know you are “somewhere” at least).

We found the Bird Box trail by accident (we had planned to visit Dirty Harry’s Balcony) a few years ago. We’d planned to hike to Dirty Harry’s Balcony (further up the road past the state Fire Training Center) but spotted an obvious trail at the bridge. We’d been to the “balcony” before and since the trail near the bridge wasn’t signed we had to find out where it went.

That turned out to be a route-finding romp but the weather was good and my companions were jolly. The crafty path wove between boulders in forest gloom before finally climbing to grassy, bald knolls with views down to I-90, the surrounding foothills and ridges. After gaining 1,300 feet or so the trail came out on an old road with a sign and arrow pointing to Dirty Harry’s Balcony (you can also get to this spur from Dirty Harry’s Road). From there it only took a few minutes to reach the Balcony. After the visit to the Balcony we followed the spur road back to Dirty Harry’s Road and hiked back to the car – that made a nice loop.

Silverback and I attempted to repeat that loop yesterday; we were raring to go despite the rain. After crossing the South Fork of the Snoqualmie I looked for the start of the trail and spotted it immediately (it is on the east side of the bridge).

Off we went in the spirit of optimism despite the rain. The trail is level for a bit as it parallels the river and gradually becomes an old road. The next stretch of the hike is part of a cable line road. Signs prohibit “digging” because of the buried cable but who would want to dig here anyway? After a bit of this and that we paused at an unsigned fork in deep woods interspersed with boulders. You will encounter several forks on this trail system, each one more vague than the one before.

Memory kicked in; I recognized a tugboat-sized boulder pinned to earth by a chain mail of steely roots. While the surrounding forest is dark and gloomy the outcroppings, are graced with the yellow-green sheen of moss that illustrates how long the boulders have been there (a very long time).

Meanwhile, back at the “junction” I couldn’t remember the correct “spur” to continue on the Bird Box Trail. First we tried the east fork; but that was wrong – the east “fork” does lead to another jumble of boulders but that wasn’t where we wanted to go.

We tried the other path; the correct one (this is actually the old road that is marked with buried cable signs). From that junction it was up, up and up. Occasionally we’d spot a bird-box or a cairn to help us find our way though once you are on the correct trail, it’s easy enough to follow.

The buried cable signs disappeared; the trail climbed steeply, through pockets of forest, skirting rocky promontories with what are wonderful views on clear days. Today the views were of fog in shades of white and gray, obscuring the ridgelines across the freeway. From time to time I-90 would partially materialize before disappearing again into the void.

Of course, we were dealing with Harry’s weather; rain, drizzle and fog. Worse, we began to encounter snow. Initially the snow wasn’t a problem though we had to watch our step where the path skirted an outcropping with nothing below but fog. After skirting about the 5th or 6th outcropping (we weren’t counting, we were too busy hiking) we lost the trail in a forested section where snow had covered the ground. We gamely carried on a while because we knew we were close to the road that provides egress to Dirty Harry’s Balcony.

We were ever certain of success when we spotted a wooden arrow pointing the way on a tree but Dirty Harry had a trick or two up his sleeve. He wasn’t going to allow these city slickers into the Balcony today; we spent quite a bit of time looking for the trail, always returning to the arrow so as not to get lost.

Lest you think we are idiots without route-finding skills give us a break; the GPS is broken and our only assistance was my less-than-perfect memory and our ability to follow the trail as the snow continued to erase the tread. It was getting late, we were getting wet and after bungling about on what “might” have been the “trail” we had to admit defeat and start back down the way we’d come (earlier in the day we’d gaily remarked how nice it would be to hike back down on Dirty Harry’s Road rather than the Bird Box trail). Be careful what you say!

Descending the trail was not pleasant; where there wasn’t a thin layer of snow there was mud. Then, of course, add rocky outcroppings looming over a foggy void where a haphazard slip could lead to Certain Unpleasantness. While this descent could hardly qualify as having a good time it went quickly, much more quickly than we’d anticipated. Fantasies of dry clothes and coffee back at the car added inspiration to our somewhat reckless and speedy descent (we managed to descend without slipping, a minor miracle).
We were chilled to the bone by the time we got back to the car; even the best raingear and boots will fail to some extent on such a wet day. Sound miserable? It was; but it was also a lot of fun.

As for the weather we call it hypothermia weather; hence, Hypothermia Hills. So rest guaranteed that just about any place you hike around North Bend on a wet day might put you at for hypothermia – go prepared. Watch out for Dirty Harry’s ghost, allow time to sleuth the way and if you ever do find the connection of the Bird Box trail to the Balcony drop me a note!

Last but not least I’d love to say we’d climbed a couple thousand feet for a 10-mile hike but it appears we’d gained only about 1,300 feet of elevation per my ancient altimeter; and I’ll guess at the mileage. Three to 3-1/2 miles the at most; it felt like more.

Fuller Mountain

2010-04-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

NO FOOLING AROUND ON FULLER MOUNTAIN (March 17, 2010)

No kidding, you can get lost here. Ask me how I know that – yes, we came close to getting lost on a previous visit to this cute little peak.

My first visit was on a Mountaineer hike led by the late Archie Wright. That was a day in fall and as we switchbacked toward the summit through a high sea of swirling sword ferns, I wondered how we’d find our way back. Archie, of course, knew the way.

I returned a few years later only to learn the hard way that staying on the trail was easier said than done. We eventually found the bald little summit but lost the trail on our way back. Over time the sea of sword ferns had grown deeper, the trees taller. We stood confused in a Sargasso Sea of ferns, salal, Oregon grape and look-alike second and third-growth forest – there were no distinctive landmarks.

That was on a cold winter day and the hours were moving much faster than we were hiking. Flummoxed, we thrashed around, cursed a bit, briefly panicked and finally found the wisp of a trail, making it back to the car with daylight to spare.

Fast forward to the present – suddenly it seems like everybody is discovering or re-discovering Fuller Mountain though we did find recent trail reports confusing. It seems that most hikers can only describe staying on the trail a little challenging.

Finding the “trailhead” is a challenge in itself unless you familiar with North Bend and the logging road layout. From Seattle drive to North Bend on I-90, follow North Bend Way to Ballarat Avenue, turn left. Ballarat Avenue eventually becomes the North Fork Road (gravel) and jogs uphill (left). We continued on the gravel road about three miles to Spur Gate 10. Spur 10 is a network of logging roads managed by Hancock Forestlands (formerly managed by Weyerhaeuser). We parked at the major road junction, the last place a vehicle can park without a (costly) permit to drive on Hancock’s gated roads.

The hike starts kitty-corner at the road junction at Spur 10; the sign for Ten Mile Creek is gone. Find the creek near the road junction at Spur 10 and you’ll spot the obvious trail. You might hear the creek before you see it. You’ll see two posts where the trail starts, the only indication of trail (the interpretive trail was created by Weyerhaeuser years before these lands were acquired by Hancock Forestlands).

Along the short trail some trees are designated with signs to help visitors recognize the trees that grow here. We noted a “Red Alder”, the biggest red alder I’ve seen in a while. Shortly past “Red Alder” Ten Mile Creek is crossed on what used to be a rickety bridge. The existing bridge is an improvement - a fat log with a rope and chicken wire on slippery wood makes it pretty easy, even for landlubbers like me who don’t relish stream crossings.

Near the bridge we stopped to gaze at ponds created by beaver dams – by golly, this is a pretty place!

The trail crosses an old road before it comes out to a road junction at the edge of a quarry; the end of the old interpretive trail. After you leave the trail turn left for a short distance on the gravel road, then almost immediately turn right onto an older gravel road and look for the trail (left). Previous reports mentioned it was marked by blue flags; we did not find blue flags but the trail is easy to spot if you’re looking.

As for the trail itself it provides more challenges of a different nature; the trail is uneven, rocky and being overtaken by vegetation, lots and lots of sword fern. We enjoyed peek-a-boo views of Klaus Lake below as the trail switchbacked toward the summit. En route there are a few blowdowns; none impassible.

It’s when the trail levels out on the broad summit area that things get perplexing; here, a myriad of trails twists and winds through a jungle of vegetation. Plus, the vegetation is surrounded by look-alike-trees; there are no distinctive landmarks. There are also flags here and there (some with polka dots, some white, some orange) these merely add to the confusion. A GPS would be handy for this hike; ours is broken and needs to be replaced.

It is beyond the skill of this hiker to describe exactly how to find the grassy bald with the view of Mount Si, Fuller Mountain and beyond. You are on your own once the trail gains the undulating summit ridge; we aimed for the sky and followed tread as best we could and by luck more than crook, we found the mossy knoll and settled down, satisfied that we did actually find the “summit” of Fuller Mountain.

There were no views today; Mount Si was barely discernible through the thick layers of clouds but I enjoyed the ambience anyway; the thick layers of intricate mosses that covered the rocky bald were fun to photograph; this is also a summit you’ll likely have to yourself since it is no easy task finding it.

But worth the try!!

The hike is 4 miles round trip with about 600 feet of elevation gain.

Recent Hikes, March 2010

2010-03-24T17:32:00.001-07:00

Big Four Ice Caves (March 21, 2009)

Since this hike was described last fall I won’t go into detail except to mention that once again we hiked in a downpour.

The trail is free of snow and flowers are beginning to come out – violets, coltsfoot, skunk cabbage.

There were very few hikers on the trail; the rain kept the crowds away.

We’d planned to hike to Barlow Point as well but it was raining so hard we decided against that and turned the rest of the day into a photo-foray.

Stops included: Red Bridge (River Road), near the “Sinkhole” to see vestiges of an old Monte Cristo Railroad bridge, the Youth-on-Age Nature Trail and the Old Mill Pond; we also stopped at several points along the Mountain Loop, pulling off onto the side of the road for more photography.

The most “interesting” stop was at Red Bridge – here we parked at the gated road and walked a way. We’d spotted what looked like an old bridge on the far side of the river so wanted to investigate. We hiked the gated road perhaps 1/16 of a mile (this is called River Road but is not so signed) to where a rough path led down to the gravel bars of the Stillaguamish river. There we got a good look at the structure, definitely part of an old bridge. Here we looked across the river and saw the supports for the bridge on the other side. Neither of these edifices can be seen when the vegetation leafs out.

Since we wanted to see the other part of the bridge we hiked back to the car, crossed the river and parked on the other side of “Red Bridge”. Here we found a path that led to the bridge (not signed). It appears that this site does get a few visitors – there is some graffiti on the bridge but at least no trash.

To the best of my knowledge this old bridge is not mentioned in the Monte Cristo guidebooks – but I will double-check on that (I may be mistaken). Whether it was a part of the Monte Cristo railroad or an early logging bridge remains to be known. Anyway, it was fun to spot it.

We stopped at the “new” Mountain View Diner near Robe and are pleased to report that since ownership changed hands, it’s a good place to stop for food (or visit the Lounge). I’ve always liked the Mountain View Diner but we strongly recommend stopping when they are open – everything is baked/cooked and fresh. On Saturday they had had a brunch that morning and the leftover desserts were two desserts for the price of one because they said the “servings” were too small to charge for one. I enjoyed freshly baked ginger-bread, Silverback had a chocolate chip cookie. Before dessert, we shared a BLT (the best BLT I’ve ever eaten).

Mailbox Peak – March 23, 2010

The trail is just as steep as ever but it’s easier to follow the trail that it used to be. This was our second visit to Mailbox in the past few weeks; this time I got to the summit, Silverback stopped a couple hundred feet short.

We’re both in better shape than we were last time. A regime of hiking and eating better has helped us both. Though I am going on 67 this hike to Mailbox was the “easiest” it’s ever been for me. I never ran out of wind or energy.

When Silverback moved out here from Denver last April, he could barely walk uphill. He’s lost about 80 pounds and will soon catch up with me. It’s just a matter of time!!

There was no significant snow until we reached the boulders (where Silverback stopped last time). At that point hikers can choose between scrambling the boulders or hiking up beside the boulder field and scrambling up to the ridge on snow.

We tried the snow route first but gave that up soon – the sun was shining and the snow on the trees was melting. It was like a miniature rain-storm! Though we had ice axes, we didn’t have umbrellas so gave that up and continued on up via the boulder field.

I’m always happier on rocks than I am on snow; climbing on boulders is fun, it’s like play. There was a little bit of snow on the rocks but not enough to worry about. We soon met the trail again.

Beyond the boulder field there were scraps of snow here and there; but no significant snow until the actual summit itself. The mailbox is bare and open for business. There are always surprises inside and it’s fun to read the summit register (always).

As I started down another group started up; Silverback and I retraced our route over the boulders and back into the forest where the trail is marked with silver diamonds. The trail – while not snowy – is extremely muddy and slippery, the mud being the consistency (but not the flavor of chocolate icing).

Admittedly we were both tired by the time we got back to the car. We knew we’d be paying for our hike today and so we are. I’m a little stiff and am suffering a bit of a mountain “hang-over” – i.e., dehydrated, sleepy. Silverback is also feeling the effects from yesterday but neither of us suffering badly enough to say “Enough!”

The stats are about 6-7 miles round trip, altimeter said we’d gained 4,300 feet but I don’t think it’s that much elevation gain.

Other hikes:

March 20, 2010 (Cedar Butte and Rattlesnake Ledge)

This was a Mountaineer hike that I co-lead with Steve Payne as part of The Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series class. It was a pacing hike.

First we hiked to Cedar Butte (from Rattlesnake Lake), then hiked to the ledge. Cedar Butte was relatively quiet; we had the little summit to ourselves. Rattlesnake Ledge; that’s another story – it was probably the most crowded I’ve ever seen that trail but on a warm, sunny day it doesn’t matter. You expect a lot of people out on a trail like this on a nice day. It was fun to see other hikers – of all races, ages, shapes and sizes.

Cedar Butte is about 400 feet of elevation gain as I recall. Not sure of the elevation gain to Rattlesnake Ledge but it’s not a lot.

Wrestling with Wallace Basin, March 3, 2010

2010-03-09T20:13:00.001-08:00

Wrestling with Wallace Basin (March 3, 2010)

We’ve grown fascinated with hikes in/near Gold Bar, Sultan, Index, Skykomish and Wallace Lake. Old trail reports and hiking guidebooks hint of splendor in Wallace Basin – a lonesome place that apparently doesn’t see many visitors. That’s partly because it’s hard to get to, let alone find. That entire area is a complex web of roads (some closed), fading trails, ATV trails and sadly, garbage dumping.

Wallace Basin is seldom visited by anyone according to the lack of trail reports and descriptions. We’d been reading Harvey Manning’s explorations of Wallace Basin in his “Footsore” series; there and in other dated tomes he writes of an old trestle that spanned the Wallace River above the upper falls.

We wanted to find it though we suspected there wouldn’t be much of the trestle standing years later. By sheer luck more than brains, we found the road* that eventually gets into the basin.

To get there: hike the Woody Trail (Wallace Falls State Park) to Upper Wallace Falls. From the upper falls continue on a steep trail marked with blue diamonds to an old road.
Turn right on the road, continue a short distance to the Wallace River where the road ends abruptly. Of course there was little sign of there ever having been a trestle though Silverback spotted the landing where the trestle attached to the far side of the river. Though the trestle is gone the end of the road is a scenic spot for lunch or a good turnaround; you’ll also escape the crowds at the waterfalls.

Incidentally if Wallace Lake is your destination you’d turn left at this junction - signs along the road will tell you when you are leaving the park and when you re-enter it again.
We opted to explore further and headed toward Wallace Lake on the road. In less than ¼ mile from the blue diamond trail we came to a junction where a sign with a directional arrow pointed the way to Wallace Lake but we turned right onto an old road that invited our interest. Dare we hope we might actually get to Wallace Basin from that old road?

The road was wide enough to allow for logging in the past – big stumps with springboard notches, sporting caps of sassy salal brightened the dark forest of second and third growth. A lot of logging happened here, though the forest is gradually taking the land back. We passed what looked like a hunter’s camp with an old fire-ring and at another point an odd post painted white with a green “X”; its meaning a mystery to us.

We were often within sight and sound of the river as the road snaked deeper and deeper into the forest. A thin carpet of moss covered the road; indicating a lack of foot-travel. Soon we came to a thicket of salmonberry that had taken over the road; thankfully it had not leafed out yet and we could still discern the road. Silverback mentioned that it was a good idea to hike before the vegetation leafed out otherwise you’d have to eat your way through the salmonberries.

Past the salmonberry the road became more user-friendly again with only an occasional fallen tree to step over. It was so quiet that you could literally hear a pine needle fall to the ground. We found ourselves talking in low voices; such forest seems to ask that of visitors.

Then we came to a series of obstacles that might dampen a hiker’s enthusiasm: blowdowns, tangles of downed trees and the road all but gone where blowouts occurred. Tributaries had run amok here, tearing up the road up as easily as we’d tear a piece of paper. Peering through the ghostly gloom, looking up at the jumble of gravel, rootballs and boulders we can only suggest that one should tread lightly here when it is wet or streams are high. One can only guess when these blowouts occurred – or when they will occur again.

After picking our way across the washouts we picked up the road again and were given a brief reprieve on good road before our next obstacle; here, a blowout had occurred so wide that the road had become a seep. Coltsfoot burst forth from the muddy globs and boggy groundcover we could not identify doing it’s best to hold the water-saturated ground in place.

We picked up the road on the other side of the seep but all too soon we came upon another blowdown that almost obscured the trail. The road ran past areas that had been heavily logged, so long ago that some of the stumps were almost ethereal, slathered with lichen and moss. We lost sense of distance as we wrestled with the vegetation and navigated through more blowdowns – had we hiked a couple miles? Or less? Or more?

We stopped to consult our watch at an obscure junction and turned around regretfully; we’d have to come back when days grow longer. We felt like we’d hiked a couple of miles on the road though the mileage was less according to the GPS. As we retraced our route we descended to the river a couple of times for a better look at the landslides that had come down on the other side.

Hiking back went faster than we thought; perhaps because we were familiar with the obstacles. We hit the main road much sooner than we expected and made quick work of the hike back to Wallace Falls and the trailhead.

A Detour

Lake Isobel anyone? Like something out of Poe’s writing that “dank tarn” and “ghoul-haunted lake” is not easy to get to - not that it ever was unless, perhaps, you’ve got a floatplane. Now a part of the Wild Sky Wilderness the legendary lake remains elusive except to those who have fallen under her spell and understand her wily ways.

That graceful lake is tucked away in a sullen basin below the loosely defined Ragged Ridge – the lake is beautiful but often the lakeshore is strewn with garbage (an old moldy sleeping bag gave us the heebie jeebies). Today volunteers have organized work parties to haul out garbage and will continue to do so (see http://www.nwhikers.net/ ) for details on clean-up parties not only for Lake Isobel but other areas in the region.

We hope the lake – and it’s hidden waterfall – will become easier to access as land management agencies manage the complex, confusing road/trail system. As changes occur we’ll do our best to keep you posted.

I’d been to Lake Isobel with guidebook author Bob Dreisbach and again with friends. In the late 1990s Isobel was easier to access – then you could hike a gravel road to the Copperbelle Mine (now private property according to my understanding). Last time I was there the road was gated.

In the 1990s Bob led a friend and me past the Copperbelle the lake via an intricate route of tottering bridges, rocky roads and brushy trails – where there was no trace of a path we relied solely on Bob’s memory. No one I’ve met could read the land as well as Bob – a topographical genius who seldom needed to look at the map and never needed to use a compass.

On my last visit to the lake with friends we went a different way, bypassing the Copperbelle mine as we believe it was and is on private property. Starting from the “trailhead” at Reiter Road we ferreted out a route on ATV tracks, at one point shimmying across a log over May Creek. We also crossed a deteriorating bridge still being used by ATVs/Jeeps (that bridge is probably gone).

We may return and try to get to the lake again – if we succeed I’ll write about it. And if we don’t, I’ll write about that too as finding a way to challenging places is an adventure in itself.

Getting to a place is as much fun as being there; sometimes more so.

*There is a question as to whether or not the road to Wallace Basin is an old logging road or a railroad grade (railroad logging). Sources do not agree.

Greenwater Lakes, February 20, 2010

2010-02-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

Greenwater Lakes - February 20, 2010

It was a wonderful day for a hike – sunny and almost warm. Getting to the trailhead was easy too – Forest Service Road No. 70 was in good shape all the way to the trailhead, no ice or snow at all to contend with.

It’s unusual to be able to do this hike so early – in a normal year (whatever that means) the roads/trails off SR 410 are popular with skiers, snowmobiles, etc and a Sno Park is required. How strange to find the Sno Parks devoid of snow and only a dusting of snow on higher destinations.

We displayed a Northwest Forest Pass on the car at the trailhead and began our hike. We were not alone on this sunny day but that may be because some hikers assume it’s too early to hike this trail.

The bright sunlight increased our spring fever – we looked for other signs of spring as well as unprecedented warmth and lack of precipitation of any kind. Mother Nature is still holding her breath; uncertain as to whether or not more snow is to come. Despite the sense of imminent spring it felt like winter in the shady areas and foliage has yet to burst forth from tight, protective buds.

The lakes (also known as Meeker Lakes) are the greenest lakes we’ve ever seen; they are well named. An overcast day would have been welcome, at least for photography. The combination of blinding sunlight and dark shadows made photography impossible but we weren’t complaining; we were glad to experience sunlight so warm we didn’t need gloves until we hiked through shade.

The trail is in good shape with sturdy bridges where needed. We hiked as far as the turnoff toward Lost Lake before turning around and picking out a lunch spot in the sun on a sunny log. At various scenic spots a few hikers were setting up campsites; campfire smoke drifted across the green, green lakes like a good omen.

We spent so much time enjoying the lakes that we used up our turnaround time and headed back to civilization except for a quick stop at Wapiti Woolies to check out the sale rack and grab a hot drink.

To get there – from Enumclaw head east on SR 410, turn off onto FS Road No. 70 (left) – the road is paved. In a little less than 10 miles look for a short, gravel spur (right) that leads to trailhead parking and the beginning of the trail.

Do you need a Sno Park? We didn’t have one so displayed the Northwest Forest Pass instead. Most of the other cars at the trailhead did not have Sno Parks either so we are not certain whether or not a Sno Park is “officially” needed to hike here. Signs along FS Road No. 70 warn that Sno Parks are needed but in all honesty, we don’t know what rules apply when there is no snow whatsoever. We gambled and got away without one – however you might not want to take that chance.

Other recent hikes include another hike on Cougar Mountain – we hiked from Red Town to Coal Creek Parkway and got back to the car just in time to beat the rain. En route we hiked to Sandstone Falls though that trail is “closed”. We found a few signs of spring here and there; Indian plum is blooming and nettles are springing up though the landscape is still mostly in winter mode. The hike is about 6 miles round trip.

On February 24th we hiked to Twin Falls from Exit No. 38 off I-90 despite the rain. Where better to hike on a rainy day but to a waterfall? There were only a few hikers on the trail; no surprise given the weather. Despite the rain we enjoyed our easy stroll and were mesmerized (as always) by the waterfalls at the overlooks. The hike is a little over 3 miles round trip.

Index Galena road, revisited (February 17, 2010)

2010-02-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

Index-Galena road revisited, February 17, 2010

We were so intrigued by the roads/trails along the Index Galena road that we returned with our friends Jim and Maxine. Once again we had unusual but wonderful spring-time hiking conditions, not a cloud in the sky. Our objective was to see if we could hike around the road closure on a bypass trail and continue toward Mineral City.

En route we pointed out the “trailhead” for Jumpoff Vista where we had hiked recently. There were no vehicles parked at the trailhead and none further up the Index-Galena road to where it is barricaded (about 2.5 miles from the Jumpoff Vista trailhead parking).

As for the barricade it is hardly needed; there is still water flowing over the road. We can’t imagine anyone other than perhaps someone wearing hip boots that would likely tackle the road on foot. The bypass is absolutely necessary.

The bypass is not signed but it takes right off uphill on the right-hand side of the road near the closure. If you’re looking for it, you’ll find it readily enough.

The path is steep and slippery but there are trees and roots to cling to when needed. It’s actually kind of fun in a way, a little bit like playing in a gym. The forest that borders the bypass is absolutely stunning with mossy trees, the rainforest-like ambience punctuated by occasional big boulders. The route is also marked with pink flags and occasional splotches of paint but it wouldn’t be hard to follow without the flags – enough people have hiked in there that the trail is discernible most of the way.

It drops down again to another broken stretch of road where the asphalt crumpled like chunks of gingerbread creating an eerie scene. Fallen trees lie across the broken road as if to remind one and all that this can be a violent place.

The bypass climbs again around another washout before finally dropping down to the road again. From that point (indicated by another barricade) the road was in good condition.

We continued hiking the road stopping at various spurs; some spurs lead to mining claims (we did not try to find those, of course), others led to old campsites, even a cable car crossing (no sign of the cable car). The scenery along the old road is splendid – peaks we were not sure we could identify (I’d rather not name them at all then get them wrong and be taken to task by a topographical wizard). There are many places to stop along the way where you can sit in the sun and soak up the views beside the river.

Roughly a couple miles from our starting point we stopped to investigate an arrangement of big boulders beside the road – here, it looks like rock hounds have found some goodies. The rocks appear to be a conglomerate of jasper, quartz and granite.

Not too far past the boulders we crossed Howard Creek on a good bridge; and a little further we came to the strong bridge that still spans the river. The bridge was in the sun and that made a good spot for lunch and a turnaround. Silverback and I hankered to continue toward the site of Mineral City but figured we didn’t have enough time to “get” anywhere in particular. Jim was having trouble with new boots so we turned around resolving to return, next time to follow the Silver Creek road-trail as far as possible.

On our way out we met two hikers coming in; other than them we saw no one else on the road. Almost forgot to mention that it looks like the Index-Galena road is a likely candidate for a “new” road. We noticed surveyors tape and flagging on a route above the bypass trail and had heard that there were plans/hopes to rebuild the road higher up on the hillside above the river.

As is often the case in such soulful places I was “feeling” more than “seeing” and my photographs reflect that. The photographs I took do not do this place justice – but the contrast in light was not my friend either. The road-walk is far more spectacular than any of these photographs suggest. I’ve noticed that when I am truly excited about a setting that the resulting photographs fall way short of my anticipation.

Mount Teneriffe, February 15, 2010

2010-02-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

99 percent of Mount Teneriffe (2-15-10)

This was our conditioning hike for the week and a real workout. We didn’t take the “sekrit” route for two reasons – I’ve not taken that route and we figured there’d be icy stretches below the summit.

Well, we got our conditioning all right. It’s about 11 to 11-1/2 miles round trip with 4,000 feet of elevation gain. These stats were configured by the GPS from the School Bus Turnaround on Mount Si Road.

There were a few other hikers on the road but we mostly had the place to ourselves. I recalled my last trip to Teneriffe was quite a few years ago – on snowshoes, a Mountaineer outing. We were truly grateful that snowshoes were not needed today!! Adding snowshoes and breaking trail would have taken the last ounce of our get-up-and-go, we would have been running on empty, I’m sure.

I swore to Silvertip that this would be my “last” hike up the road for a long time (this being our third or fourth time, I’ve lost count). By now we have all the spurs and switchbacks memorized and even some of the evergreens along the way have become old friends we recognize.

It’s still a brown hike, still too soon for spring though it felt like spring. We didn’t get into snow until we passed the old clearcut and the junction where another road heads over to Mount Si.

The snow was thin and icy in the shady spots on the upper stretch. The snow gradually deepened as we climbed to the overlook of Rachor Lake. Here there was more snow, perhaps a foot or so deep. This was old, compacted snow.

A set of tracks led along the summit ridge making it easy to follow. However, further along the ridge grew steep and exposed enough that we were not comfortable without ice axes so we stopped about 50 feet shy of the summit. The snow alternated between being crusty and being icy. Ice axes and yak trax would be handy, at least for the time being.

We were a little disappointed we didn’t summit the peak and have not decided whether or not we’ll go back this year.

The exercise felt great though and we made good time (at least for us) as far as we got.

Jumpoff Vista, North Cascades, February 9, 2010

2010-02-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Jumpoff Vista (February 9, 2010)

It had been a few years since I last tramped this road with fellow guidebook writer, Bob Dreisbach (author of Seattle Outdoors). Then, the old 4-mile forest service road had been in fairly good shape and made a good off-season hike. In addition to the exercise we’d been rewarded with views of Gunn Peak, Baring and other peaks in the vicinity. Older guidebooks suggest views of Spire Peak and Conglomerate Peak as well.

Silverback and I set out to hike the road on a balmy, February day. First we drove the Index-Galena road to view the infamous washout (the road washed out a few years ago and it is not known whether or not it will ever be repaired). It appears that a rough trail cuts up the bank to get around the washout for those determined to continue on.

On a side note the Index-Galena road leads to the site of Mineral City and a mostly forgotten trail that went to Poodle Dog Pass above Monte Cristo. As of this writing I don’t know of anyone who has successfully completed that entire hike and with each passing year, the terrain grows wilder and more desolate without road or trail access. That status seems unlikely to change.

There’s another road at the barricade that branches off to lakes known mostly to fishermen and the old Sunset Mine. Bob Dreisbach and I once hiked that road as well and did find the old mine – in my opinion such exploration can be hazardous and is not recommended. Given the rough nature of that road the fishermen won’t have to worry much about hikers despoiling their hidden lakes.

We got out of the car to photograph the washout but did not linger. At the barricade the road closure sign has been vandalized with racist graffiti and there are bullet casings all around. There is something about the end of a road that seems to attract unsavory elements though some may argue that hikers are also an unsavory element.

We backtracked to the gated forest service road (it is 4 miles from the Index turnoff on US 2). Our odometer said 3.9 miles – close enough. One other vehicle was parked there; there is room for 3-4 at the most. A bright yellow sign on a tree explains that Friends of the Forest removed trash from the site; thank you. I’m seeing more and more of these yellow signs, always a welcome sight.

There have been significant changes to the road since my visit with Dreisbach. As the road climbs toward Jumpoff Vista several washouts break up the continuity of the road. The first two or three are not enough to stop hikers; perhaps even cyclists (they will need to carry their bike across). Canyon Creek is responsible for most of these. In this odd winter that does not feel like winter, the crossings presented no problems for us. These crossings could present challenges later in spring with the melting snow-pack (assuming it ever snows again) or drenching rains. Right now, no problem.

Much of the hike is through forest but there are sporadic views of Mount Persis and the connecting ridge to Mount Index as well as the forested valley below. Further up the road are growing views of Baring and Gunn Peak; the higher you go, the better the views.

Before you get to those rewarding views you’ll come to a landslide or rock avalanche that destroyed a 200-foot or so stretch of the road. Some hikers may opt to stop here and I suggest you think twice before crossing this, especially if it has been raining for any length of time. We felt it was okay to continue since the weather has been stable and did so, proceeding cautiously across the mess of trees, dirt and rocks. Incidentally the road is snow-free all the way to the landing (as of this writing) though that can change.

From that point the road was in good shape with only a few trees to step over. As we climbed we passed a large, mossy boulder field (right) just before reaching pretty Bitter Creek. This is one of the prettiest spots along the road. A little beyond Bitter Creek Baring comes into view but it has a completely different aspect than how it appears from US 2 – it looks like a completely different mountain.

We continued on the road to an old landing where there are occasional unobstructed views of Gunn Peak as well as Baring; the road continues. Past the landing the road grows indistinct as alders are taking over. By spring the road above the landing will be even more challenging to follow as much of the upper road will be blocked by alders (at lower elevations you’ll also have salmonberry and devil’s club to contend with).

We can only imagine how impenetrable the road will be when the alders leaf out. Early spring or fall is the best time for this hike (now is a good time unless winter snow returns). If you do visit in the winter it might make a good snowshoe trip – at least as far as the rockslide.

From the landing there is a choice of two very overgrown spurs to get to that view; since the views from the old landing were good enough for us we made that our turnaround point. We estimate we were a couple hundred feet below the “end” of the road.

The hike to the landing is about 8 miles round trip with roughly 2,000 feet of gain (2,100 feet according to my altimeter). Silverback’s GPS gave us a slightly different reading. To get there from Monroe continue on US 2 (east) to the turn off for Index (left). Continue 4 miles to a gated road on the right-hand side of the Index Galena Road.

January hikes 2010

2010-01-29T19:21:00.001-08:00

Recent Hikes (Mailbox Peak (1-19), Mount Si (1-14), a couple of hikes to Cougar Mountain

The combination of Mailbox Peak, a post-hike cigar and Raymond Carver just about did Silverback in. You have to admit that’s quite a combination!!

After we got home from Mailbox Peak I plunked myself down on the couch while Silverback went down to the basement to smoke a cigar (there’s a lot of books down there too – hence, Raymond Carver).

I hike Mailbox Peak once a year whether I need to or not. It’s that kind of place. Long ago I resigned myself to never breaking a record in the length of time it takes me to summit. Let’s just say at best it’s respectable for someone my age.

But this was Silverback’s first visit to this hoary peak – but certainly not his last. We were denied the summit not because of age or lack of conditioning but rather conditions. By the time we reached the boulder field there was enough snow to slow us down (why didn’t I bring my ice axe?) and by that time Silverback had had enough “uphill” anyway. While I still had energy to keep going, I wouldn’t have been comfortable without an ice axe nor would I expect Silverback to wait for me while I trudged onward.

Lest you think us weaklings, consider this: Silverback has lost about 75 pounds since moving out here in April. At that time Grand Prospect via Rattlesnake Mountain was too much for him. By the way, he isn’t dying – he lost the weight on purpose. I lost some as well but not nearly as much. My 21-pound weight-loss has made going uphill a lot easier for me, too. It’s surprising what a difference weight can make when it comes to hiking.

The Mailbox Peak trail was in good condition, the main route now marked with silver, reflective diamonds. It appears there has been some slight rerouting since my last visit but that’s all to the good. I do miss the huge, mossy log that marked the beginning of the initial climb (you hauled yourself up that first pitch by pulling on branch stubs attached to the log) but I didn’t miss it enough to look for it. I also remember when the trailhead was marked by a toothbrush – now the trail is actually a designated trail with a sign warning hikers of potential hazards (not a bad idea, that).

All in all it was a great hike – our only concern a shady-looking character that had been parked at the trailhead and didn’t appear to be a hiker. We take everything with us – including car registration and any piece of paper that has our names/addresses on it just to play it doubly safe. As for items worth stealing, we don’t have anything worth stealing in the first place – though a hooligan wouldn’t know that. Anyway, despite our initial paranoia we came back to find the car unscathed.

Last week I hiked to the base of Mount Si on the regular trail. I made good time (for me) – I even passed a few hikers and only felt fatigue just below the boulders. The fatigue came on without warning, so intense I had to sit on one of the steps and pretend I was taking a photo (we writers have a reputation to live up to after all – fatigue must never be admitted!) As of last week the trail and the mountain were snow-free. That may have changed by now.

There’s not much new to say about Mount Si except I’d hate to think how we hikers will be affected if Mount Si, Little Si and other popular trails in the area are closed due to budgetary woes. I’m not much into politics but I sure hope this doesn’t happen. Where would we hike in the winter close to home or after work on a long, summer evening? Tiger Mountain is handy but it doesn’t have the “heft” of Mount Si. Other hikers have suggested a lot of this political stuff is just scare tactics and that may be the case. I sure hope “they” get whatever they need to keep these trailheads open. If it means ponying up more cash I’d be willing to pay $1 to park at the Mount Si trailhead – wouldn’t you?

Other recent hikes include a couple of visits to Cougar Mountain – these were “brown” hikes but it’s exercise and fresh air. Sometimes that has to be enough. There are a few signs of spring here and there; Indian plum leafing out, its flowers just beginning to emerge. I haven’t spotted any Coltsfoot yet but nettles are popping up “johnny-on-the-spot”.

Closer to home I spotted my first skunk cabbage last week in Discovery Park along the Wolf Tree nature trail and crocuses in bloom at Green Lake.

Squak Mountain, January 16, 2010

2010-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

Central Peak Loop, Squak Mountain (January 16, 2010)

It was just like a Mountaineer hike; 12 of us were desperate enough for a hike to venture out to Squak Mountain despite the likely chance of rain. Of the 12, only Silverback was not a Mountaineer; the rest were members of that hoary organization.

Every time I hike in the Issaquah Alps – whether it be Cougar, Tiger or Squak – I always claim that particular peak as being my favorite. So I guess you could say that Squak Mountain was my favorite peak yesterday. Next week it could be Cougar, Tiger or perhaps another “summit” along the I-90 corridor. Just call me fickle.

We parked in Issaquah, hiking up the Squak Access trail to the East Side trail, checking out Issaquah Creek on our way. The water was running pretty high in the stream though far from flooding (thank goodness). Starting out that way always feels odd as the trail weaves around townhouses and apartments before becoming genuine “trail”. As always, I envy the folks that live so close to a “real” trail!!

The trail begins in a forested blend of evergreens and deciduous trees; it is an especially pretty hike in the fall when the leaves of deciduous trees turn from green to red, orange and yellow. The trail crosses Crystal Creek and small tributaries; all waterways spanned by bridges (all slippery given the recent rain). Part way up the trail is one of my favorite stretches through a boulevard of vine maples where the ground is shad-carpet thick with moss.

Once past the vine maple the trail climbs more steeply to intersect the East Side trail. Here you can access Central Peak by continuing (straight) on the East Ridge Trail, following signs to Central Peak, or turn right on the East Side trail, then take a left (uphill) on the Old Griz trail, following signs for Central Peak. It makes a nice loop; we did it in reverse.

By the time we reached the junction with the East Side trail the nature of the terrain had changed; now we were mostly in evergreens, salal, Oregon grape, bracken and sword ferns. This area has been logged in the past; therefore, most of the trees are second or third-growth trees, there is little – if any – ancient forest.

The last stretch along the East Ridge trail is steep as it switchbacks through sword ferns, finally emerging onto the service road that makes a quick climb to the summit of Squak with it’s array of microwave towers (one of the hikers mentioned that the towers were 20th century old growth). There’s no view here but it is a “summit” and deservedly makes a good spot for lunch. If the summit is too bleak it is only a short distance from here to the Bullitt chimney where there is a picnic table or two.

After lunch we began our descent, following the well-signed trail system to the “Old Griz” trail. The Old Griz trail is an old trail and here and there you will find old signs here and there designating the trail as such. As trees have grown over the years the aging signs are now out of reach unless you are Jack and the Bean Stalk.
Since the Old Griz trail has not been as heavily traveled as other trails on Squak, this stretch has more of a wilderness feel to it. Here we found more lichen, fungi and a larger variety of vegetation than on the other trails. We met only one other person on this trail.

The trail descends steeply in places then intersects the East Side trail (the East Side trail goes all the way out to State Route 900) where we turned right in order to intersect the East Ridge trail again, hence making a loop. We saw no one on the East Side trail and hardly anyone else on the other trails.

The East Side stretch provides a slippery bench where there is no view; perhaps there was a view once-upon-a-time. Still, if it’s not raining, it provides a good spot for a break or lunch or simply to enjoy being surrounded by recovering forest lands. Here is the most dramatic scenery (thus far that I’ve discovered on Squak) where the trail weaves between big boulders before crossing a tributary.

After crossing the stream the trail climbs a bit before reaching the East Ridge trail and our return to Issaquah via the Squak Access trail. This hike was new to most everyone in our group; those who had never hiked on Squak Mountain were pleased with this loop that can easily be hiked year-round.

Our loop was about 8 miles with roughly 2,000 feet of gain according to the GPS. That’s good enough to help us stay in shape for more mountainous trails in the near future. If you’ve got the Green Trails map No. 203S (Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain) you’ll see there are other ways to approach Central Peak as well.

January hikes

2010-01-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hiker’s Block (January 15, 2009)

You’ve heard of writer’s block … well, I’ve been suffering hiker’s block as well as writer’s block.

Sorry for the long silence, for the long sleep so to speak. I have been hiking and hiking a bunch - two to three times a week – and as I have written perhaps once too often, most of these hikes have been “brown” hikes in and around North Bend and Issaquah (trails sans snow, flowers or fall color). Sometimes these hikes are conditioner hikes like Mount Si -these are always enjoyable and Mount Si is not devoid of beauty. The boulder gardens on the Old Si trail are gorgeous; I never get tired of walking through that mossy accumulation of “big” rocks adorned with fluttering licorice ferns.

We’ve done several hikes on Cougar Mountain as well as Mount Si. When we hike Tiger Mountain we usually make a loop and/or hike lesser-traveled trails (the Hiker’s Hut via the High Point and Preston trail). While the Hiker’s Hut is not a thing of beauty on a raw, windy day it made an ideal retreat for four chilled hikers and a good place for lunch. We got a kick out of the gray jays that have also discovered the hiker’s hut as a potential food source. Some of them even ventured inside!

We showed our friend Kelly a trail on Cougar Mountain she’d never done before and stopped for photos at the Erratic Boulder, also checked out the “new” trail to the Talus Development and its fancy houses (sigh). We’ve hiked up the Teneriffe Road a couple of times just for the exercise and also the road to Green Mountain via the CCC Road. There’s no lack of places to go.

One of the most interesting walks that Silverback and I have done recently is walking all the way around Lake Union, stopping at various parks and points of interest along the way. We especially enjoyed our stop at the Center for Wooden Boats – in addition to wooden boats in various stages of being rebuilt (or built) there are photographs of local shipyards taken years ago, including one of Blanchard’s where my Dad once worked (though the old photograph was slightly blurry, I am almost certain my Dad was in one of the photos on display). My Dad was a shipwright who also worked on tugboats (in Alaska) and at the Bremerton shipyard during World War II. The Arthur D. Foss (a tugboat), the Swiftsure (lightship) and the Duwamish (fireboat) are on display as well.

There’s a lot of history mixed in with the fancy houseboats and new businesses springing up – old railroad tracks, abandoned buildings, pocket parks and the occasional Starbucks where one can get a cup of coffee or a bite to eat (also fancy restaurants we couldn’t afford to set foot into). There’s so much more to see when you walk as opposed to driving or even riding a bike.

It’s just a little over 6 miles to walk around the lake – no appreciable elevation gain!!

Green Mountain Road (North Bend)

2009-12-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

December 29, 2009

Gold Creek Pond/Gold Creek, December 28 (Hyak)

Yesterday we drove up to Hyak, parked at the Gold Creek Sno Park and hoofed our way up the Gold Creek Pond. We thought Gold Pond wouldn’t be crowded but we forgot school was out for the holidays so an attitude adjustment was in order.

By the way, the Gold Creek Road is treacherous on foot without Yak Trax or the like – I wore mine but Silverback doesn’t have them yet. He fell a couple of times on the road but sustained no injuries. Maybe it doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager but falling down on an icy road is not such a good idea when you’re in your 60s. With the right vehicle you can drive closer to Gold Pond and park, of course. Don’t forget your Sno Park permit if you go.

Sans snowshoes we hiked up the road to the pond and started out on the loop counterclockwise. When we reached the junction for the Gold Creek trail we added that to our itinerary for the day. That necessitates more walking on the road to reach the actual trailhead, perhaps ¾ of a mile. We turned around in about a half mile where the trail breaks out of the trees at the obvious avalanche slope above the trail (Rampart Ridge loomed above, hidden in the clouds). There didn’t appear to be much snow on the slope but we didn’t want to take a chance; besides, we were aware of trail damage a little further along the trail. Other trail reports indicate blowdowns like giant stacks of pick-up-sticks not too far from where we turned around.

Other than a couple of folks on skis we had that trail to ourselves though there has been snowshoe activity on the trail (no need for snowshoes yesterday). Most folks we encountered at Gold Pond were wearing snowshoes but they were not needed. We bare-booted it the entire way, even on the Gold Creek trail. There is very little snow up there (or anywhere) as of this writing. Rampart Ridge stayed hidden in the clouds with only a bit of it emerging from time to time through the mist.

This was a good winter “shake down” hike for us; we didn’t layer up enough to deal with the cold wind and were chilled most of the time we were out on the trail. We didn’t eat lunch until we got back to the car where a hot thermos of tea awaited us.

We probably hiked 3-4 miles with a couple hundred feet of elevation gain at most.

Other recent hikes, including Green Mountain Road:

This has been an odd month for hiking – short days combined with a tight budget have kept us closer to home and the weather has been odd. Despite these challenges we’ve managed to get in several hikes in the last couple of weeks.

Our “biggest” hike was Mount Si – Silverback’s first visit to that lofty pinnacle. The weather has been so dry that we watched hikers scramble to the summit without difficulty (these, of course, are folks that have scrambling skills). I was tempted to join them as I’ve only climbed the Haystack once (when scrambling skills were fresher than they are today).

We’ve also hiked the Talus Loop (on Mount Si) and taken the “short cut” out to the Tenerife Road and made a nice little loop. We left a car at the school bus turnaround in order to make the loop.

Most of our hikes have been “brown” hikes and admittedly it is hard to get excited about such hikes. We use “brown” hikes as conditioners, to keep us in shape for snowier trails where snowshoes are needed and we can go to more interesting places. Neither one of us like to contend with the icy crud that is on the trails as of this writing.

We also took a peek at the new Kamikaze Falls trail but since it is not officially open I won’t say much about that except to say that the trail will be an excellent trail when it is finished. Having been on the “old” trail a few times, I can honestly say this is an improvement. I don’t know the completion date for this trail but hopefully that will be soon so I can say more about it in this blog.

We’ve also checked out the so-called trail to Green Mountain that branches off from the CCC road. Since schools were closed for the holidays we parked at the “school bus turnaround” on Mount Si without worry of getting towed. From there we hiked up the Mount Si Road, continued on the CCC road until we reached the turn off for the Green Mountain road. If you get to Brawling Creek on the CCC Road, you’ve gone too far. The Green Mountain road is roughly ½ mile or so before Brawling Creek – the old road is marked by a rusty gate on the left-hand side of the CCC road – easy to spot in winter, harder to spot in the summer when vegetation obscures it.

It was a windy, sunny day but once we were on the Green Mountain road we were somewhat protected from the aptly-forecast wind. We hoped for a little bit of snow or ice/frost “compositions” to photograph along the road – alas, this turned out to be another brown hike. Between us we probably took about 20 photographs – there’s not much to photograph here. Still, the road is a good conditioner, it’s quiet, it’s not crowded and if you look closely you’ll find a few artifacts here and there, left from past logging eras. The road is easy to follow with stretches of ankle-twisting loose rock to contend with but otherwise no difficulties were encountered. After crossing what we believe to be Brawling Creek we turned around, having gained about 2,000 feet of elevation to that point.

The views of the Middle Fork peaks I recalled from a previous hike on the road are partially blocked as trees grow taller and vegetation fills in the blank spaces. Though there are partial views to Garfield Peak and other Middle Fork peaks; it’s hard to get a good photograph because of the encroaching vegetation.

There are numerous, tight switchbacks on the road and one cannot help but imagine what it might have been like to come hurtling down the steep road driving a truck with a load of timber. There seem to be few pullouts along the way – that old road must have witnessed some exciting times. Now the road is in the process of becoming more trail-like; it would be interesting to come back in another 10 years or so and see what Time has done to the road.

On our way back the wind picked up, especially along the CCC road and we hurried, keeping one eye on our feet and the other on swaying trees.

Two outings, December 17 and 19, 2009

2009-12-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

Outside (December 17) Inside (December 19, 2009)

Thursday was Silverback’s first trip up Mount Si. Silverback moved out here late April this year, overweight and plagued with asthma. He hadn’t hiked for years and wanted to get back into hiking. So we’ve been doing a lot of hiking between then and now. Long story short he has lost about 75 pounds and his asthma has improved. So has the hiking. When he first came out I thought Mount Si would be a reasonable goal for NEXT year. He has not only surprised himself (pleasantly) by the weight loss and increase in stamina but surprised me as well. Having battled weight on and off since I was in my late teens I know too well how hard the battle can be. Perhaps the best news about Silverback, though, is that he enjoyed the process and if he suffered, he kept it pretty much to himself. How did he do it? By hiking – a lot. By finding a “forever pace”, a pace a hiker can maintain. And by cutting back on food (not even keeping track of calories or fat grams, just eating less).

The rule for our Mount Si hike is that there were no rules, no goals. We’d go as far as we wanted to, we wouldn’t push too hard. I barely broke into a fine sweat at my forever pace and in fact his forever pace is pretty much close to mine though he did sweat a bit more. Maybe that’s a guy thing. The weather was perfect – overcast with a little bit of sun from time to time, no precip, no ice, no significant snow on the trail.

Once we got up there we simply enjoyed being there. Looking at Mount Si through his eyes (his first time) was fun – the rocks, the peak, the view are things some of us may take a little for granted but to him, it was all new. And fun! I showed him a route I’d used for the haystack (I climbed it once alone) and there were three climbers going up the same route. The rocks were dry and conditions ideal for a scramble to the top. We checked out all the little side trails and sat on several of the outcroppings for a slightly different view. We follow the road over to Teneriffe a little way but when Silverback began post-holing in the snow we stopped. Nobody likes to post-hole and we knew we didn’t have time to go that far anyway.

However, we both felt great and it felt good to know that we had still had stamina left over. We could have gone further if the day had been longer and without the snow. And that felt good.

On our way down I ran into a couple of old friends. That, too, was a good thing. Contact has been re-established and we will likely go on a hike or snowshoe trip with them in January.

On Saturday we read in The Seattle Times of a pullout near the Nooksack River where you might find eagles feeding on salmon (we knew it was a little early for them but thought we’d give it a try). The directions to the view spot (Deming Homestead Eagle Viewing Area) were spot on but the river has created so many braided channels that we weren’t able to get to the river itself. Fortunately we were wearing hiking boots so hiked out as far as we could in hopes of spotting an eagle; we believe we saw a couple soaring overhead but our myopia and lack of high-end photo gear dampened our desire to try for a photo. Who hasn’t taken photos of birds in hopes of getting at least a half-way decent picture rather than a photograph that you peer at, wondering “what” you were taking a picture of (the bird, the subject of the photograph a dark smudge not even recognizable as a bird)? Those who have the means to get better gear (and with scads of time to wait it out) will do much better, of course, when it comes to bird photography.

Still, we enjoyed just being there. We stopped at grocery stores along SR 9 where we felt welcome as soon as we walked in the door. At one we bought (and enjoyed) what I claim to be the best cookie in the world, an organic ginger molasses cookie.

Back at Sedro Woolley we did indulge in some photography at the Northern State Recreation Area. Signs tell visitors to keep out of the buildings because they are hazardous but it was late in the day and no one else was there. We peeked inside a couple of the buildings (most of the buildings were part of a farm that was operated by the hospital – inmates worked on the farm).

If you do venture in, don’t say you haven’t been warned. It does appear (according to signs at the lower “trailhead”) they don’t want you to venture inside and the buildings ARE dangerous with sagging roofs, overturned boards, nails sticking up (had a tetanus shot recently?), slippery wood, mold, blistered paint. But the primary feeling we got from wandering about the grounds was sadness, deep sadness for the residents of that time when the place was considered the “best” place for troubled people to go (often against their will). Having had a brush with mental illness myself, I felt extremely sensitive to the colors, textures and shapes of these sad, abandoned buildings. The graffiti people have found the place; there’s a lot of that on the walls and charred boards where they (or someone) built a fire.

As for the recreational aspects of this place, I don’t know what the status is now. When I was there last year there were other visitors wandering around but today it was deserted. There do seem to be a few paths to wander but our visit raises more questions than answers.

If you decide to visit, you should google it and ferret out more information on your own. We do not want to lead you astray or venture into a place where “venturing” is discouraged or even prohibited.

December (little hikes)

2009-12-13T20:33:00.001-08:00

From Mushrooms to Ice and a Crappy Photo Shoot

December 7, 9, 12 and 13, 2009

We’ve been mostly doing brown hikes of late though our sanity has been saved thanks to ice formations brought about by our recent cold snap. On December 7 Silverback and I went to Cougar Mountain (his first visit) and hiked to Coal Creek Falls and other points of interest within this county park.

What is a brown hike anyway? You may have your own definition of what a brown hike is but for us it’s the time of year when there is little color in the landscape – the flame of fall color has dwindled, flowers-to-come are at best, tiny nubbins, tiny buds perched on stark branches months away from bursting into bloom. When I see Indian plum beginning to appear in late February early March I rejoice – that is when color slowly returns to the brown world. There is no need then to explain the brilliant colors, shapes and forms of summer in the mountains. Summer does not need a spokesperson! In early fall we concentrate on mushrooms and colorful leaves but by late November the mushrooms are blackened and broken, the colorful leaves all dun as they transition from leaves to duff.

Though temperatures were in the high teens we spent an inordinate amount of time at Coal Creek Falls, scrabbling around on rocks and ice formations in an attempt to capture the fleeting beauty of ice with our cameras. Neither one of us own high-end cameras; truth is, we can’t afford them. To compensate we try to combine our hikes with photography. We hope – and sometimes believe – that the ability to see what is there is as important to a photographer as high-end gear.

I believe we are surrounded by beauty – even on brown hikes but on brown hikes you just have to work a little harder to see what is there. Most of the time we are not disappointed - more on that later.

We hiked about 6.5 miles with roughly 900 feet of elevation gain. It was sunny. It was cold. There were very few other people on the trail.

Our next hike was on December 9th with the intent being exercise as opposed to a photography trip (this does not mean we leave the cameras behind!). We picked the Mount Teneriffe Road, always a good “conditioner” even if you don’t make it to the end of the road or Mount Teneriffe.

We knew we didn’t have time to get to the summit; plus, we parked on the edge of the school bus turnaround on Mount Si Road. On a weekday we’re not certain how this works though we did not block the road itself or the “turnaround” space. We “guessed” that we should get back to the car before the school buses arrived so that only left us about 4 hours or so of hiking time (we didn’t want to get the car towed!). On the weekend – or when school is out – to the best of my knowledge it is OK to park there but don’t take my word for it.

On our way up the road we came to DNR (Department of Natural Resources) rigs parked near the “new” trail that is being established to reach Kamikaze Falls. A sign warned of falling rocks as they worked so we stayed off that trail, of course, and continued up the road.

We were enticed by more ice formations along the way but still made good time to a turnaround point (a little beyond where Mount Rainier comes into view) and where you can look back to the big, forested bump that is Mount Teneriffe. Silverback was impressed when I told him I’d snowshoed all the way to the summit of Teneriffe a few years ago. I forget the mileage and gain of doing that (via the road) but I believe it’s about 12 miles round trip with a little over 4,000 feet gain. We were both feeling great though and could have continued but for the necessity of turning around.

By the time we got back to the car we were still in high spirits so after leaving the school bus turnaround we drove to the High Point trailhead on Tiger Mountain to look at High Point Pond.

There we found more fabulous ice formations, especially along the creek between the parking interchange and the turnstile. Our fingers were screaming from the cold but the ice formations along and over the creek were so lovely we found it hard to leave.

All in all a great day – about 8 miles round trip with 2,450 feet of elevation gain (Teneriffe Road).

Photographs? Some of our best.

December 12th deserves a name of it’s own: “The Crabby Photo Shoot”

Still in creative mode following the day of our Teneriffe road hike we chose to take photographs closer to home. We figured the Arboretum, especially Foster Island would be beautiful with the sunlight, especially since it was still cold enough that ice had not melted. After that we’d head over to Green Lake in time for the walk around Green Lake with Christmas carols and luminaries lighting the path.

We erred in getting too late a start. By the time we got to the Arboretum the light was already low in the sky – we had about an hour before sunset. At first the possibilities looked endless – Duck Pond was frozen over and despite signs warning of the dangers of walking out on the ice, there were scads of people on the ice. Some of them were playing hockey, others were ice skating, still others were romping with dogs and children. There was still enough light that we managed to get a few photos of the pond and folks recreating – that was a pretty setting as the trees were burnished gold by the sun and the sky a pastel blue.

From there we hurried off to Foster Island with visions of iced-over ponds and sunset colors on the ice. Instead we found little to photograph. There was very little ice and as the sun was dropping closer to the horizon the light was fading fast. Wildlife was scant – only a few cranky mallards here and there and a heron too far away for our puny cameras.

From there we rushed off to Green Lake hoping to catch the last of the sunset. The walk around the lake with Christmas carols and candles was scheduled to begin at 5:30; it was about 5 when we arrived (too early for Christmas carols, growing too dark for photography). Did I mention how cold it was?

We ended up walking part-way around the lake, growing grumpier and grumpier at our inability to get in a good photo shoot; we did try but suffice is to say that our “results” shall not be posted here!

Then, just as we were nearing the end of our walk, I tripped over Silverback’s feet and fell down. The last straw! I wasn’t hurt but somehow it seemed a fitting end to a disappointing day.

We’d started out with such high hopes!

Today (December 13th) we got in a good hike knowing in advance it would be a brown hike. This one was just for exercise.

We chose Tiger Mountain with Poo Poo Point being our goal. We parked at Tradition Plateau, hiked the Bus Trail to the Poo Poo Point trail and on to Poo Poo Point where we lingered long enough to talk about how cold it was. We hiked rather quickly as there was a possibility of snow and we hoped to beat it (if it fell).

From Poo Poo Point we made a loop back to Tradition Plateau by way of the Railroad Grade and the WT3 trail. Once we left the Poo Poo Point trail we didn’t see anyone until we reached the West Tiger 3 trail. The trail from the Poo Poo Point/Railroad Grade junction may be the most lonesome trail on Tiger. The trail has a “wilder” feeling to it and there are several creeks to cross (this area is called Many Creek Valley by some).

On the last leg of our loop (the WT3 trail) we ran into a couple of Seattle Mountaineer members, folks I’ve hiked with in the past. We chatted a bit; it was nice to run into them. You can almost always count on running into someone you know on Tiger Mountain.

The trails we hiked today were all in good condition, no snow on the trail, very little ice.

The photography? Between us we probably took 7-8 photographs but that’s OK. A brown hike can be thoroughly enjoyable when you know ahead of time there won’t likely be much to photograph.

We hiked about 8 miles round trip with 1,800 feet of gain.

November, December outings, 2009

2009-12-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

November, December Outings 2009

November is my least favorite month of the year. I’ll try not to whine but I really dislike “brown hikes” – by that I mean lack of fall color and gray skies when the landscape seems drained of color. I haven’t been keeping my camera very busy on trails the last few weeks; hence, no compelling trail descriptions. There are only so many lichen/mushroom photos one can take!!

I’ve been to the Issaquah Alps several times on hikes to Rattlesnake Mountain, Little Si, Boulder Garden Trail, Tiger Mountain and the like but those hikes were mostly for exercise. The most interesting “hike” in recent weeks is an outing to the Taneum, South Cle Elum region of eastern Washington. Here, we hiked on game trails and enjoyed sprawling views under a big blue sky but it wasn’t a “real” hike. At least not by our standards for trail descriptions as there is no trailhead for such a hike and with photography being the focus of the hike there is little need to keep track of “stats”.

Early December has been a little better as the temperatures drop – then, frost and ice make for interesting photography, especially what I call “abstracts” for lack of a better word.

We are not comfortable driving at night, especially in rainy or snowy conditions so our hikes (such as they are) tend to be closer to home. The budget is lean these days and “getting away from it all” in the usual sense of the word is a little too pricey for us at this time.

So here we are, ensconced in West Seattle and not venturing very far – to keep sane we enjoy neighborhood rambles to local pea-patches, county and city parks. For exercise we return (sigh) to places described before not only by me but by many – the Issaquah Alps and other lowland hikes. While such hikes are not terribly exciting it is better than not hiking at all.

We did get a Sno Park permit and will be enjoying snowshoe trips further away from Seattle but right now the snow is downright nasty – in fact, it’s not even snow, it’s ice!!

In lieu of the kind of hiking I enjoy, I’ve taken up running again – I’m up to 6 miles and run 2-3 times a week. Oddly, I enjoy running in “bad” weather more than “good” weather. I’m truly grateful that I can run at my age without injury, aches or pains. I always come back from a run with fresh inspiration, even if such inspiration doesn’t reach this blog.

Hopefully this rather lifeless entry will soon be replaced by either a more compelling place to hike, write about and photograph.

More November hikes, 2009

2009-11-19T14:07:00.001-08:00

Boulder Garden Loop, Little Si, Old Si, Talus Trail (November 2009)

Time constraints and weather kept us from “finishing” any of the trails but we did venture far enough for photography and moderate exercise. These trails have been hiked sometime between November 7 and today, November 18.

The Boulder Garden trail is now signed again. The sign has been missing for a few years but those who knew about the trail could find it easily enough. The trail starts out on the Little Si trail in North Bend. Find the Boulder Garden trail within 1/8 of a mile or so along the Little Si trail. It’s a pretty trail, especially in the fall with a little bit of fall color still hanging in on the trees and shrubs. Spurs lead to viewpoints from mossy boulders down to North Bend, Rattlesnake Mountain and nearby foothills.

If you’re looking for the Old Si trail it is not signed but when you get to the high point there is another sign for the Boulder Garden trail with arrows pointing both ways. The Old Si trail heads uphill from there. The Old Si trail is steep, in places “rooty” and there are slick spots where wet leaves plaster the trail. We hiked about a half an hour before turning around.

Of course, if you’re doing the Boulder Garden loop continue on the loop (that part of the loop is actually a stretch of the Old Si trail).

We went part way up the Old Si trail but no one in my party felt like going to the top so we turned around and headed back to the Boulder Garden Loop. Rather than complete the loop and return to the car we headed for Little Si.

My companions did not know about the cliffs that are familiar to climbers and scramblers. However, that area is now posted with warning signs to stay on designated trails so if you venture into or onto the boulders/cliffs you have been warned – quite possibly you could get a fine for leaving the trail system. We admired the boulders from a discreet distance as I recalled past scrambles before such signs were posted.

After a look at the off-limits cliffs we retraced our route back to the car via the Little Si trail.

A few days prior I hiked the Talus Loop at Mount Si. The signs were missing for this loop but it’s easy enough to spot. Hopefully the hike is still “legit” because it’s a sweet little hike. I like the trail because it gives me a moderate workout without running into the crowds. Again, I enjoyed the last of the fall color (especially vine maple) and displays of mushrooms all along the seldom-hiked trail. There’s a nifty viewpoint along the trail from a boulder field, the boulder field bordered by vine maples and evergreens.

Kendall Road snowshoe outing, Gold Creek valley, Snoqualmie Pass

2009-11-19T13:34:00.001-08:00

Kendall Lake Road (snowshoe outing), November 18, 2009

Silverback and I caught a break between a seemingly endless series of storms so hurried off to Snoqualmie Pass to beat the next incoming storm. We lucked out – it was still mostly sunny at Snoqualmie Pass and temperatures were comfortable. The ski areas have opened up and late fall is transitioning to winter.

Silverback bought our Sno Park permit and proudly displayed it on the windshield; it had been several years since he had skied or snowshoed. He is still adapting to the Pacific Northwest after living several years in Denver but the Pacific Northwest has been good to him. Since he’s taken up hiking again he’s lost about 70 pounds and a chronic asthma condition has also improved. Nope, he’s not on a drastic diet – just eating healthier food and consistent exercise. Apparently my passion for the mountains is contagious; he gets as restless as I do when we can’t get outdoors.

It had been about 25 years since Silverback had snowshoed; snowshoes have changed a lot since then. I have the popular Atlas snowshoes but Silverback was fine using my old Sherpa snowshoes.

We were a little confused as to where to park at Gold Creek – we knew not to park in the I-90 interchange, of course, but weren’t quite sure where the Gold Creek Sno park began. To be safe from getting towed or getting a ticket (or getting yelled at) we asked a road grader if it was OK to park just shy of the Interchange; he seemed to think that was fine so we left the car there. Someone else had also parked there displaying a Sno Park permit. Whatever you do, don’t park under I-90, you will get towed or a ticket or both.

Back in the late 1980s through the mid-90s I did a lot of cross-country skiing; Kendall Road was one of my favorite trips. However when the skis wore out along with the boots I never replaced them – I’m considering taking it up again but would need to rent equipment and try it out again – I’d be feeling a little “rusty”.

There was a few inches of snow at Gold Creek; enough that we put on the snowshoes right at the start (we knew we’d get into more snow as we gained elevation). Since Silverback was rustier than me when it came to snowshoeing I broke trail and adapted my “forever” pace as I do when I hike.

We were the first on the untrammeled snow and the snow was lovely, the trees festooned with snow, the shrubs bore snow blossoms (fat chunks of snow) and ice crystals glittered in the sun. The forest has grown up enough over the past few years that there is no doubt where to go to continue on the Kendall Lake road. The road starts out on the level but soon veers uphill; you’ll have your work cut out for you.

Since I was feeling frisky I continued to break trail, stopping ever so often to chat with Silverback or take photos. There was no reason to hurry but once I get a rhythm going it’s hard to stop for a long period of time. I was hoping we’d get to the first “viewpoint” where Rampart Ridge comes into view at the end of a switchback but Silverback wasn’t ready for that. That’s OK – he is wise to follow his own “forever” pace.

I waited for him to catch up on the road; then after setting a turnaround time I continued while he stopped for lunch (he said he’d start down after lunch). Ordinarily I am against any party splitting up on winter hikes but the Kendall Road is close to civilization and the weather was fine. After another long switchback I made it to the view of Rampart Ridge; one of my favorite places to take a break whether on skis or snowshoes.

Consulting my watch I still had a few minutes to spare so continued on to the next viewpoint before turning around. I had set my old-fashioned altimeter at the parking lot but it wasn’t functioning properly so I am not 100 percent sure of how much elevation I gained. Hopefully, the altimeter will continue performing as I am fond of that old altimeter and found it reliable. It’s so old it might even be an antique!

I started down and soon met a young woman on skis who had taken the day off to take advantage of the good weather and a little further down the road, another solo skier with his dog. About half way down the road I caught up to Silverback and we snowshoed together back to the car.

The bad weather continued to hold off so we continued our outing by walking the Gold Creek Road to where the road is crossed on a bridge. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven down that road (or paralleled it on I-90), straining my neck for the brief but gorgeous view of the Gold Creek valley and the peaks at the head of the valley.

Most of the snow that had fallen on the road had melted so it was a simple walk to the bridge. En route we stopped for photographs, drinking in at long last, those views we hungered for.

According to the new-fangled GPS that Silverback carried he’d gained about 750 feet on Kendall Road, estimating I gained about 1,300 feet. Including the road walk his hike ended up being about 5 miles, mine roughly 7 miles.

The rain held off until Seattle – the timing couldn’t have been better.

In addition to snowshoeing, we’ve recently checked out some of the trails near North Bend including Little Si, the Old Si trail, the Boulder Garden Loop and the Talus Loop on Mount Si. I will not describe those hikes in detail here. Anyone who has read this far is probably already familiar with those trails - perhaps even TOO familiar this time of year but watch for updates.

Eagle Peak Saddle, November 4, 2009

2009-11-06T18:02:00.001-08:00

Eagle Peak Saddle - November 4, 2009

We felt like we’d got away with something. Pulling off a last-minute high elevation hike without significant snow or foul weather. Last weeks hike to Rampart Ridge was snowy and icy. Today’s hike to Eagle Peak Saddle was like a return to early fall.

To get to the Eagle Peak trailhead park at Longmire, then walk through the parks administration buildings and cross the Nisqually River on a solid bridge. The trailhead can be found just past the bridge on the left-hand side. There’s also a great view of Mount Rainier from the bridge.

The hike starts off in forest with salal, deer ferns and old growth trees; the trail is in good condition though there is one fallen tree to maneuver over or around. At the end of the switchbacks spur trails lead to an un-named tributary that flows into the river. We checked some of these out but the creek is hard to photograph, at least with our digital cameras.

The trail seldom stops climbing until it gets to Eagle Peak Saddle. We set our pace accordingly, what I call my “forever” pace. As we gained elevation the forest became more expansive and it brought back memories of previous visits, including a snowshoe trip on a cold, foggy day a few years ago. I also remembered a summer visit when the meadows below the saddle were a riot of wildflower displays. Mostly, I’ve hiked here alone – it is a good trail for solitude.

The climb is relentless and offers few level stretches to hikers but it’s a small price to pay for the rewards ahead. The forested, secluded trail does not attract many hikers – there are easier trails to get to for views but this trail can be hiked or snowshoed year-round. It’s a good place to go in winter when the road is gated at Longmire and safe as a snowshoe trip, at least for the first 3-1/2 miles.

After crossing the nameless stream on a footbridge the trail levels out for a bit before it resumes its climb. The trees thin out and a rocky peak comes into view above tawny meadows with dabs of fall color here and there. The trail contours below a talus slope then heads uphill again into another forested stretch.

There we ran into a little bit of snow but the snow was soft and didn’t obscure the trail. As the trail emerged from the last stand of trees short, steep switchbacks made quick work of the climb to Eagle Peak Saddle. Here a sign warns hikers they have gone far enough. I almost forgot to mention the views en route to the saddle – once we left the trees we enjoyed views of Mount Adams and Mount Saint Helens, too far away to photograph.

The last stretch of the trail was snow-free; we were glad to get to the saddle without having to negotiate steep snow.

In winter the first 3-1/2 miles of the trail offer a safe snowshoe trip. With snow the summer route becomes hazardous; only experienced hikers with avalanche awareness and winter-travel skills should venture beyond the last forested stretch. Even those experienced in the arts of winter-travel take a different route to get to the saddle, avoiding the open, exposed slopes where danger of avalanche is moderate to high.

As you approach the saddle on the last of the switchbacks Eagle Peak is to the left. There a climber’s path leads to the summit; I tried it once but turned around short of the summit. I was alone and getting to the summit was beyond my comfort level. Besides the view of Mount Rainier and the Tatoosh peaks from the saddle are eye-candy enough for anyone. Bring the map to identify other peaks in the region.

On our way down from the saddle we stopped for another break at the end of the switchbacks for one last view of Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens and the dark surrounding foothills. As we approached Longmire we spotted a raccoon near the administration buildings, our only “wildlife” sighting of the day.

I bet it’s snowing like Hell up there today.

Rampart Ridge, Mount Rainier, October 27, 2009

2009-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Rampart Ridge Loop (Mount Rainier National Park) October 28, 2009

These hikes at Mount Rainier National Park were only a week apart but as different as night from day. Rampart Ridge felt like a winter hike, Eagle Peak Saddle (to follow) a fall hike.

Hikers who hike year round sometimes refer to late fall/early winter hikes as “snowline probers”. Would we need snowshoes on Rampart Ridge or not? Where was the snowline? The snowline in November rises and falls on a daily basis; no two days in November are alike. Sometimes the only way to find out is to head for the trailhead. We gambled we wouldn’t need snowshoes for Rampart Ridge at Mount Rainier and left them behind.

As it turned out snowshoes were not needed but Yak Trax sure would have come in handy. Fresh snow had fallen but we were not expecting ice.

To find the trail park at Longmire and cross the Nisqually Paradise road to “Trail of the Shadows”, a popular nature trail where this hike begins. We hiked clockwise hoping the gray skies would clear – it’s about a 2-mile climb to the ridge-crest and you’re better off hiking toward Mount Rainier rather than away from it. Turn left and start out on the nature trail. In a few paces you’ll come to a bridge; there was no snow on the bridge but the trail was plastered with fallen leaves, the wooden bridge icy and slick.

The Rampart Ridge trail is well signed and starts on the uphill side of the nature trail. The trail begins to climb immediately at a moderate grade through forest and is in good shape except for icy patches here and there. The iciest patches are along the lower elevations of the trail. Long, lazy switchbacks through the forest lead to an opening in the trees where there is a good view of the Nisqually River.

Signs of fall are just about gone; the oak ferns and bracken are pale, the vanilla leaf thin and mottled, mushrooms have emerged, some of them dusted with snow, others shattered and lying in pieces beside the trail. The huckleberry bushes that hung heavy with fruit not so long ago have lost most of their leaves.

As we climbed fresh snow replaced the ice and at about 4,044 feet we reached a junction where a spur descends to an overlook of Longmire, foothills and the Nisqually River.
After enjoying the view we continued on the main trail to a high point (4,093 feet). The trail is level for a half-mile or so through the forest; here, the snow was 2-3 inches deep.

This is a pretty trail and we delighted in the ice-sheathed branches of shrubs and snow-dusted evergreens, the subdued tones of shrubs and fallen leaves. When we stopped for a break we were immediately surrounded by gray jays (camp-robbers); it is just about impossible not to be delighted with these birds, they are plucky and seem optimistic as they dart about in their endless quest for food. In logging camps they hung around mess-halls, hence camp-robbers. They eat insects, seeds and berries; they are also meat-eaters (better keep an eye on your lunch!).

As the trail levels off there is a good view of Mount Rainier on a clear day but we were denied the view. Given the overcast it was hard to tell the snowy mountain from the white sky. The trail reaches a junction for the Wonderland Trail at 3,912 feet; here we turned right to continue the loop. You’d turn left if you were bound for Indian Henrys Hunting Ground (5 miles further). We turned right again at the next junction where another trail continues to Van Trump Park and Mildred Point.

The Wonderland trail descended toward Longmire; as we descended the snow disappeared and we were on bare dirt for the rest of the hike. We noticed and stopped to admire several grand old-growth conifers on the way. We did slip and slide on a stretch of icy puncheon before coming out on the Nisqually-Paradise road. The trail crosses the road, enters the forest and in less than ¼ of a mile comes out again at Longmire.

We’d had enough of hiking in the cold but weren’t ready to leave Mount Rainier so extended our visit by driving to Christine Falls an attraction we’d driven by many times without stopping (you can see the waterfall from the road). However, to get the best view of the waterfall park on the far side of the stone bridge where a short path descends to a better view of the waterfall, framed by the graceful bridge.

Stats: 4.6 miles round trip, about 1,800 feet of elevation gain.

Halloween Hike, Robe Canyon, Big Four, 10-31-09

2009-11-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Robe Canyon and Big Four Ice Caves (October 31, 2009)

Sometimes the Monte Cristo Area is at its best when it’s at its worst.

Several of us got together for a Halloween hike in the Monte Cristo area. The setting, of course, was Robe Canyon with its spooky tunnels. With fantasies of getting to the tunnel, lighting candles, eating candy and being generally silly even the downpour could not dampen our spirits.

Besides, the weather report indicated only a 20-30 percent chance of rain. That didn’t sound so bad. As we drove toward the trailhead the rain intensified but we were prepared with rain-gear, good boots and some of us carried umbrellas as well. How hard can it be to hike 3 miles in the rain?

Well, we didn’t get very far - shortly past the point where the trail comes out near the Stillaguamish River we were stopped by a raging ….uh, tributary. Since parts of the trail to that point were literally under water and our feet were still remarkably dry, we thought it best to turn around and enjoy Halloween elsewhere.

My main concern with rain is keeping the camera dry and being able to see through my glasses so I carried and used an umbrella the entire way. My pack got soaked and so did my legs but both pack and legs dried out quickly at home. Despite the deluge we were jazzed by the colors the rain brought out on the trail, the brilliant green of licorice ferns growing on gold-green Big-leaf maples, the gray green of the Stillaguamish River flowing beside the old railroad grade.

Back at the car spirits were still high so Plan B went into effect; we’d celebrate Halloween at the Big Four Picnic Shelter. Diving into the cars, still in our boots, off we went up the Mountain Loop Highway to Big Four. En route we were mesmerized by the “new” waterfalls pouring off the foothills near Lake 22 and elsewhere along the route. Sheets of water, like panes of glass, slid across the highway. It was both ominous and gorgeous.

The Picnic Area was virtually deserted; another party was just leaving so we had the place to ourselves. We gathered under the picnic shelter and ate our lunch, passed out candy and donned our masks. Steve by far had the best costume; he emerged from the restroom in the form of a werewolf. My devil’s horns paled in comparison.

After finishing lunch we hiked out to see the new bridge over the Stillaguamish; we were already wet so we might as well keep hiking. After leaving the picnic area the trail crosses a marshy area on a boardwalk; here the water was almost as high as the boardwalk. It is the kind of rain I have been known to describe as “fat” rain. Big, big drops.

When we got to the bridge we thought we might as well continue to the Ice Caves; why not? Those of us with cameras hunkered down with umbrellas and took photos of mushrooms, the colorful leaves of Canadian dogwood and other vegetation. As the trail rounded a hillside of devastation from floods/blow-outs from recent years ago we came to another “tributary” that was flowing fast and deep enough to call for caution (though by then we were so wet it wouldn’t have mattered if we’d stepped into the water).

After leaving the mangled forest we came to another series of boardwalk and bridges; here it had rained so hard that the boardwalk was covered with water in places. One bridge is broken in the middle with a wicked slant; you can bypass it by walking beside it.

We were surprised by the fall color that still surrounded the ice caves and the waterfalls spilling down the cliffs of Big Four; the bad weather seemed to only enhance the rugged beauty.

Though the elements were downright unfriendly we felt it was a privilege to spend time there – however, we gratefully stopped in at Ike’s at Granite Falls for hot drinks and food before driving home.

Two "little" hikes

2009-10-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mount Pilchuck (October 24, 2009)

Mount Pilchuck!! It’d been a while since my last visit so when friends suggested going there, I happily joined them.

As we drove the Mountain Loop highway we saw snow on the peaks above; we couldn’t wait to hit the trailhead. There’s something about that “first” snow that is special.

There were only a couple of other cars at the trailhead much to our surprise. We set out on a trail-turned-stream, not too surprising given fresh snow and rising temperatures. We encountered a creek crossing that was a little dicey but managed to get across without getting our feet wet.

Though much work has been done on the trail to improve the tread it had rained hard enough that the trail was a stream in places and roots were slick.

We didn’t get to Pilchuck proper; one of my pals wasn’t feeling well so they turned around to head back to the car hiking slowly. I hiked for another 30 minutes then turned around, planning to get back to the trailhead about the same time they would.

With one eye on my watch and the other on the trail I was compelled to stop to marvel anew at the snow-dusted scenery. The boulders and trees were bedecked with fresh snow and the summit ridge was backlit by the sun; it was lovely.

By the time I turned around the crowds were coming up the trail; hikers (many of them with dogs) and it was getting too crowded for my comfort so I raced down the trail to join my friends and head back home.

Talus Loop (Mount Si Recreation Area) October 25, 2009

After Saturday’s short hike I opted to hike on Sunday. Weather was “iffy” so I headed for Mount Si to hike the Talus Loop. Wanting to avoid weekend crowds the Talus Loop was perfect. Never have I run into another hiker on that trail.

As it often the case I didn’t run into anyone on the Talus Loop and the trail has a “wilder” feel than the regular trail. As I approached the talus field for which the trail is named I stopped for the view, noticing that vine maple was still aflame at the edge of the boulder field.

Back in the forest I dawdled, taking photographs of mushrooms and the last of the fall color.

All too soon I was back on the main trail but I won’t grumble; Mount Si is a place for hikers of all ages, shapes and abilities. When I hike the main trail I usually run into someone I know; that’s always fun too.

Umtanum Canyon, October 22, 2009

2009-10-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Umtanum Creek, October 22, 2009

We were so intrigued with the Umtanum Falls Creek trail last week we went back to Ellensburg, this time to hike the Umtanum Creek trail from Highway 821 (Yakima Canyon Road). The weather was perfect for hiking, a golden October day with mostly blue skies and comfortable temperatures.

The hike starts off by crossing the Yakima River on a suspension bridge – though the bridge sways and creaks, it is perfectly safe. Then you can go over or under the railroad tracks to a network of trails that are not signed.

If you are unfamiliar with the area the trails (left) lead to various points on Umtanum Ridge; the Umtanum Creek trail goes (moreorless) straight. These are not your typical hiking trails – these are trails designed to roam and wander. As far as we are concerned “somewhere” is destination enough.

The Umtanum Creek trail heads into the canyon, following the creek, at times veering away. The first mile or so can be a little confusing; the trail changes each season depending on what the beavers are up to and social trails run hither and yon. Aim yourself toward the canyon and follow the “best” trail.

It used to be that you could find the remains of an old homestead at about a mile; but now there is little left but posts and a few apple trees gone wild. Imagination comes into play in such a setting; where would you put a homestead if such a thing were possible? How sweet it would be to live in a cabin and fall asleep to the chorus of frogs and wake to meadowlarks. Idyllic as this sounds, it would take a lot of hard work to set up a homestead and keep it going. In such an isolated spot you’d learn to read the weather and the land, you’d learn how to fix things when they broke down. Though these lowlands are lovely now in their golden October attire, in the spring it is tick-laden and you need to be on the alert for rattlesnakes.

We stopped at the remains of another orchard; an ideal spot for lunch. Here was a stumpy, lichen-encrusted apple tree laden with fruit; some apples had fallen to the ground, some we picked and ate on the spot.

Hunters we met said we might spot sheep on the canyon walls but I never seem to have much luck when it comes to spotting wildlife. Therefore when Jim spotted sheep I was delighted to actually see them; two of them sitting on a rocky shelf a hundred feet or so above us. As for wildlife photography, I will never put Art Wolfe out of business but I did get some decent images; so did Maxine and Silverback.

The bighorn sheep seemed aware of our presence but were not alarmed at our being there. We waited and watched; soon four rams headed purposefully toward the single ram and the doe. Not knowing much about the life cycle of bighorn sheep, we wondered if it was rutting season yet and would there be a fight for the doe?

Then, somewhat humorously, the rams joined forces and bounded off together, away from the doe. They reminded me of a bunch of gossiping teenage boys that weren’t that comfortable around girls. No girls allowed!!

We resumed hiking through mostly open terrain but the canyon began to gradually close in; at times the trail narrowed through brushy thickets and along the edge of beaver dams. At one point the trail contoured a talus slope; here, someone had built an elaborate walkway of steppingstones, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Who?

A few hardy Ponderosa pines graced the rocky slopes, alluring trails led to draws and rocky outcroppings that called out for further exploration. Always bound by the tyranny of Time we knew the hours were moving faster than our feet; we’d dawdled too long in the autumn glory of the canyon.

When we reached a thicket of tough, interlocking vegetation we knew it was time to turn around. Jim estimated we were still a couple miles from Durr Road so that would have to wait for another day.

On our way out an amazing thing happened: we had only seen a few people on the trail, the hunting party, a woman and her dog and a young local who had hiked all the way around the rim. So I was amazed when the brush parted and a familiar red jacket appeared; it was a local Mountaineer I have known for 30 years. It’s surprising how often this kind of encounter occurs when one hikes on a regular basis.

Back where the trail goes under/over the railroad tracks we met the young hunter again. He’d left his truck a few miles from the trailhead on Canyon Road so we gave him a ride back to his truck.

Stats: About 6 miles round trip, no significant elevation gain.

Hardy souls with rugged rigs can leave a car at Durr Road where the road crosses Umtanum Creek but since we have not done so, I cannot attest to what kind of rig you’d need to tackle the purportedly rough road. You’d need two cars for a one-way hike with a car shuttle.

As for hiking out to the Umtanum Creek Falls. trailhead on Umtanum Road, that would add up to about a 10-11 mile hike one-way. Perhaps a long summer day with a car shuttle; perhaps someday.

Squak Mountain, October 18, 2009

2009-10-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Squeaking By on Squak Mountain

I always wondered about the Old Griz trail, having heard it was an undefined trail, perhaps a challenge to follow. This week I found out more than I needed to know about the Old Griz trail. Squak might be tame as mountains go but Squak has a bag of tricks for unwary hikers or those who don’t hike there on a regular basis. It’s not a dangerous mountain; it can be annoying.

Just about the time you think you’ve got the trail system figured out (or at least your favorite trails) and figure you can hike your favorite loop without the map, Squak Mountain might trick you. No excuses here; guilty as charged. I didn’t take the map; I’d heard there was a new map available - so no worries there. It was a perfect golden day in October so I’d hike my favorite loop (East Ridge Trail, East Side Trail), no problem.

My goal was not only exercise but also photography; namely fall color shots and hopefully, mushrooms. I approached the East Ridge trail from Issaquah; that way I could enjoy the views of Issaquah Creek before hitting the trail proper. Issaquah, by the way, is aflame with fall color now as is Issaquah Creek.

The fall color continues along the East Ridge trail; there’s a grove of vine maple mid-way that is stunning right now. Also, at lower elevations the trail is lined with maidenhair ferns; I have never seen so much maidenhair in one place. There are a couple of small blow downs on the East Ridge trail before the junction with the East Side trail; but not too hard to get over or around.

The East Side trail was familiar; I especially like the stretch where the trail crosses a small creek and weaves between house-sized boulders. I met very hikers on any of the trails; a couple of runners and a young couple with a dog. Most savvy hikers were probably taking advantage of higher country before it shuts down for the winter.

As is so often the case, I dither as I hike and change plans as I go. Planning to hike toward SR 900 I stopped at a spanking new sign for the Old Griz trail. That intrigued me so I changed my plan and decided to follow the Old Griz trail instead of continuing on the East Side trail.

The Old Griz trail is in excellent condition; perhaps it always has been. Either that or someone has been doing a lot of work on the trail because it is easy to follow and junctions are signed. There are also a couple of original signs for the Old Griz trail nailed to trees that have grown high enough over the years that you’d have to be a giant to reach them now.

Since the Old Griz trail was climbing when I came to a signed junction for Central Peak I went that way. I could use the extra elevation gain so I continued on the Old Griz trail, following the signs to Central Peak.

Central Peak is one of my least favorite summits; it doesn’t feel like a summit at all. It’s the site of a microwave tower but that is not the only thing from detracting from summit ambience; it’s the lack of a view. Even minor summits provide a view as a rule (there are exceptions in the Issaquah Alps) so I didn’t linger.

I started down the mountain on Phil’s Creek trail; but somehow became confused by new signage and at one point thought I was descending toward May Creek valley. I continued on the Old Griz trail, relieved to find the junction to the East Side trail. I had been entertaining visions of ending up in May Creek valley and having to climb the mountain again to get back to the trailhead.

No GPS either; by the way. After all, who would need one on a tame mountain like Squak Mountain (well, don’t answer that question). I retraced my route on the East Side trail back to the East Ridge trail, still puzzled by not being able to find what I remembered as Thrush Gap. Oh well.

Soon I was striding beside Issaquah Creek again and I got another surprise; this one special. Right beside the trail was a huge pileated woodpecker, working away at a snag. I stood perfectly still so as not to startle him in hopes of taking a photograph but no dice, he sensed my presence and flew away.

I still can’t locate my old Cougar Mountain-Squak Mountain map but I know I gained about 2,000 feet of elevation and probably hiked about 7 miles round trip.

A Rainy Day in West Seattle

2009-10-17T15:51:00.001-07:00

The weather was not conducive to going to the mountains today so between showers I walked about my neighborhood - Delridge, in West Seattle.

Everyone probably has favorite places to go or look at on a day like this or any day when they have the blues (whether the "blues" is weather-related or personal makes no difference). I just know that when I am "blue" that on days I don't hike, getting outside is a must.

My companion on days like this is the camera. The camera is patient with me, doesn't mind if I dawdle or spend 15 minutes on my knees in a garden looking for exquisite rain drops. I've hiked with friends and will again but sometimes it's good to be alone.

Today, a double whammy, a blues-induced by loss of what I believed to be a lifelong friendship; that combined with the weather inspired me to escape my thoughts and what better place to go than outside? Whether it's the neighborhood, Mount Si or an abandoned trail doesn't matter; getting out. Out! Out! Out!

On such forays I don't see much to photograph at first. It takes me a while to get into "seeing" mode. After I've walked a while I begin to see "differently"; I notice small things I would not usually notice. Things like rain drops on leaves, the many shades of yellow spotted on a discarded corn stalk, a clutter of leaves at a curb. The ordinary becomes spectacular; at least to my eyes. The camera doesn't always agree with me but sometimes it does.

My first stop was Greg Davis Park on the corner of 26th and Juneau Street, not far from our little yellow house. Next was the neighborhood P-patch. After that I wandered through alleys and down Delridge for a ways.

I'm home now; listening to music that some might consider an odd combination: Dead Can Dance, Smetana, Vaughn Williams, The Doors -- it seems to lift me up and carry me not only to the past but into the moment. This moment.

Right now.

Old homestead, Umtanum Road, Ellensburg

2009-10-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

On our hike to Umtanum Creek Falls yesterday we also did some road-side photography and found an old homestead just off the road.

Here are a couple of photos from the old place, I hope you enjoy them.

Umtanum Creek Falls, October 14, 2009

2009-10-15T19:48:00.001-07:00

Umtanum Creek Falls, October 14, 2009 (L. T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area)

The last time I was at Umtanum Falls the cliffs above the waterfall were coated with ice and lethal; venturing beyond was then out of the question. Yesterday venturing out into the rain was almost out of the question too; where to hike without getting soaked? The weather forecast thundered that rain would most likely be statewide, even on the east side of the Cascades.

Umtanum Falls came to mind. Even if it were raining in Ellensburg, we figured we could put up with it for a three-mile hike. Indeed it did seem to be raining statewide; usually by the time we get to Easton rain is light if there is any but it was raining hard. It didn’t begin to slack off until we hit Cle Elum. Here we made a decision to drive to Ellensburg via Old Highway 10 rather than I-90. We stopped for photos a few times above the Yakima River en route to Ellensburg, then turned off onto Umtanum Road, driving approximately 10 miles to the trailhead. It had stopped raining by then but anvil-shaped clouds were stacking up in the sky; not a good sign.

Not too surprisingly we had the place to ourselves and set off on the trail hoping to spot some wildlife before we finished our hike. Other than a couple of Douglas squirrels and either a muskrat or a beaver dashing into the brush near the creek, we didn’t see wildlife but did see some fall color. The sweet smell of alders and cottonwoods accompanied us as we hiked, the trail was muddy in places near the creek and we could tell from wet vegetation we had just missed getting rained on.

In about a mile we came to the overlook of the waterfall; much smaller than it was in May but still a dramatic sight as the creek plummets into a punch bowl shaped by vast, geological processes. You’d never know that this dramatic place is so close to the road, sandwiched in between gentle, rolling hills dotted with Douglas firs; the drive to the trailhead gives no hint of this grandeur.

Striving for a closer look we crossed the creek to pick up the trail that continues down into the bowl and eventually comes out at the other end of Umtanum Ridge on the Umtanum Creek Canyon Trail. Years ago we’d hiked the Umtanum Creek Trail but lost it in dense vegetation before we got very far; hikers that hike the entire trail are likely few and far between.

Again, we must caution that the trail from the overlook to the punchbowl is exposed and narrow in places and drops very steeply into the bowl on a talus field. Down in the punchbowl below the waterfall we felt like we were in the Columbia Gorge with many waterfalls and dizzying cliffs. Here someone had formed a large cross of stones; there must be a story behind that.

The colors in the punchbowl were so intense they looked artificial; the walls were slathered with blue-green and orange lichen, bright green grass grew in profusion near the pool, shrubs in shades of yellow and orange were strung like hanging lights across the dark cliffs, shedding leaves as brilliant as coins.

There is a campsite of sorts near the pool; sadly, a few beer cans littered the area (Silverback carried them out). We continued on the trail as it contoured below rock outcroppings, cliffs and lowland forest of firs and Ponderosa pines; we didn’t get much further. The trail soon became much more difficult to follow; brush not only borders the trail but has become part of the trail. Good tread alternated with tread that was almost non-existent. The shrubs that lines the trail were soaking wet; we became soaking wet too as we shouldered our way through the wet jungle.

Despite this unpleasantness we were compelled to keep at it; we could see open terrain ahead and rocky outcroppings that begged for a visit. Just when we thought we might get to the base of a colorful outcropping we came to a brush-choked draw where we lost any semblance of trail. Given more time we would have persevered but we were a long way from home and days have grown shorter.

Reluctantly we turned around and retraced our route back to the punchbowl and the overlook. Denied the outcropping we desired we crossed the creek above the waterfall and climbed the outcropping I’d climbed earlier in the year with my friend Jim. Getting to the top of this outcropping is on a user-made trail that wastes no time getting to the base of the outcropping. From there it’s a walk-up to the high point (2,543 feet) and views of the surrounding hills.

Back on the trail Silverback spotted what he believes were cougar tracks; fresh scat further along the trail seemed to confirm that we might not have been as alone as we thought.

Stats: About 3-1/4 miles round trip with roughly 6,00 feet of gain (according to the GPS).

Notes: If you’ve got one display your Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Vehicle Permit; though there is no sign requesting the permit according to guidebooks this pass is required.

Denny Creek, Franklin Falls (Snoqualmie Pass)

2009-10-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

October 10, 2009

Denny Creek and Franklin Falls, October 10, 2009

This was a Mountaineer hike led by my friend Steve with me operating as co-leader. What this really means is that I “sweep” and that gives me a chance to focus on photography as well as my duties as co-leader.

Just about every hiker in the Pacific Northwest has been to the Denny Creek “bathing rocks” and/or Melakwa Lake. It has been – and remains – one of the most popular trails off the I-90 corridor.

Last winter floods took out the bridge that spans Denny Creek; this time of year it’s not a problem but when the rains begin (or snowmelt in the spring) that will be a different story. I don’t know what the Forest Service plans to do regarding the missing bridge but when I know more about that, I’ll clue you too.

Most of the hikers we met on the trail were continuing on from Denny Creek to Melakwa Lake. Our hike would be easier and with much less elevation gain. When we got to Denny Creek there wasn’t much water in the creek; it’s just an easy rock hop across a narrow channel as of this writing. Looking upstream we were amazed to see how small the waterfalls were; I’m used to seeing those waterfalls roaring, not trickling. In fact you can even walk up beside the waterfalls for a closer view. The “bathing rocks” are dry slabs, you couldn’t slide on these slabs no matter how hard you tried.

After taking a look at Denny Creek we backtracked to the Franklin Falls trailhead where we’d left the cars for Part II of this easy ramble. Last year at this time Steve and I led the same hike and there were tons of mushrooms (that hike turned into more of a photography trip than a hike) but this year there were fewer. The trail is in good condition – no problems as of this writing.

The last stretch of the trail to the waterfall can be dicey; the rocks are slippery and tilt to the downward side. Today the down-sloping rocks were drier than I had ever seen them; there has been so little rain to date. We got down to the base of the waterfall without difficulty save one hiker who elected to stay back and enjoy the view from a different perspective.

The waterfall is in a strange setting – above are the supports of I-90 though you can’t see the waterfall when you are ON I-90. Between I-90 and the waterfall is one of the most splendid fall color displays I’ve seen so far this year. This was our lunch spot; who could ask for a better view? A waterfall surrounded by fall color (you just have to ignore I-90 or perhaps pretend it’s an ancient structure left by aliens).

We made a loop back to the Franklin Falls trailhead via the Wagon Road; that’s a much less traveled trail. The trail crosses the forest service road 2-3 times before it returns to the trailhead where our hike to Franklin Falls began.

Since the hike was short we extended the day by a stop at IHOP in Issaquah for various treats and hot drinks.

Stats: Both hikes are short – perhaps 1-1/2 miles for Denny Creek round trip and 2 miles (max) for Franklin Falls. I didn’t take the GPS or my altimeter.

Kendall Katwalk, NOT (October 13, 2009)

2009-10-13T19:46:00.001-07:00

Kendall Katwalk, October 12, 2009

Kendall Katwalk NOT – I’m not sure what happened to autumn but there were few traces of fall-like conditions on the trail today. Knowing that winter is not far off, though, I was prepared to hike in less-than-ideal conditions – one more trek into the high country before it is covered with snow. The weather report was more optimistic than reality – before I got to Snoqualmie Pass the skies were leaden and the sun looked like a hole poked through a gray blanket. I also noticed driving to the pass that the winds were kicking up so wondered if the inclement weather was coming in “early”.

There were 6-7 cars at the PCT trailhead; more than I expected on such an ominous day. I toyed with the idea of going up from Commonwealth Basin but decided to save that for the end of the hike; it makes a nice finish. I hoped for some fall color photography but the fall colors were almost non-existent; the vine maple leaves were dun and brittle, the leaves of alders were yellow but withered. I carried on, hoping there might be one more color show from the Katwalk.

Hoar frost poked up through the dirt near damp areas; exquisite forms shaped like rude diamonds but difficult to photograph. The first stretch of the trail is a good beginning to what’s ahead; a warm-up to loosen the muscles before steeper terrain. I also looked for mushrooms but didn’t see as many as I expected.

Just past the first major talus slope with a view of a moody Guye through a ragged screen of alders, I reached the turn-off for Commonwealth Basin and Red Pass. I continued on the PCT still hoping to get to the Katwalk before bad weather rolled in.

The stream crossing was a non-event; there was very little flow. A bit past the stream crossing the trail opens up as it climbs through a short, steep pitch through geriatric fireweed and some maple sporting shades of orange and red. That’s not all I saw; it was cold and the snow was falling horizontally driven by a strong, bitter wind. I almost turned around but I couldn’t resist the call to go higher.

Back in the woods there was shelter from the wind but it was cold. The snow was just starting to stick on the trail like a fine sprinkling of sugar but the forest was deep and peaceful. Then I began to run into hikers who had turned around short of the Katwalk due to the hostile conditions. One hiker had made it to the Katwalk but it was so cold his digital camera died. He said there were still a few parties going on up but I met most them coming down soon after running into him. One guy said, “This feels like the last hike of the season, snow’s coming!”

I at least wanted to get to the big talus slope near the base of Kendall Peak; and I did but did I linger? No. It was so windy and cold that I turned around. It was snowing hard enough that little could be seen and the wind was relentless.

Back at the junction with Commonwealth I decided to hike back to the trailhead via the old trail, rather than the senseless switchbacks on the PCT. The Old Commonwealth Basin Trail is shorter and in such conditions makes sense; besides, it’s pretty in there, even in ugly weather. The stream crossings were a non-event; I didn’t even need to rock crop (that could change any day given the impending forecast).

It was still snowing when I got back to the trailhead; I couldn’t get into the car fast enough to wrap my cold paws around a hot thermos of tea.

Stats: From trailhead to the talus field – 2,200 feet elevation gain; I didn’t keep track of the mileage.

Koppen Mountain, October 7, 2009

2009-10-09T16:34:00.001-07:00

Koppen Mountain (October 7, 2009)

The Boulder DeRoux trail to Koppen Mountain is a tricky trail; maybe that’s why its lonesome. The first time we hiked the trail was in 1982 and it was about this time of year. There were no other hikers on the trail then, nor were there other hikers on this golden, October day in the Teanaway.

The Boulder DeRoux trailhead is about 9 miles past 29 Pines Campground on Forest Road 9737 (North Fork Teanaway Road). A short spur off No Road 9737 (left) leads to a generous parking area and one of the cleanest outdoor toilets we’ve ever seen.

The trail crosses the Teanaway River almost immediately on a solid footbridge; remnants of an older bridge that was washed out by floods still clings to nearby boulders.

The hike gets off to a gentle start on this trail that is popular with horseback riders; the trail parallels DeRoux Creek though the creek is not always within sight. In spring the trail is lined with sweet vanilla leaf; in October the vegetation is mottled and shrubs are turning from green to orange and red.

In about 1.5 miles we reached a well-signed trail junction; here hikers stay right if Gallagher Head Lake is their destination. Ours was Koppen Mountain (left) – here, we crossed the creek on a bridge and the trail began to climb.

The now-steep trail switchbacks through forest interspersed with open areas where greenish deposits of serpentine compelled us to stop and marvel. As the trail climbs, views improve. We reached a pass at about 5,017 feet; here there are options. For Koppen Mountain an unsigned steep trail leads off (left) through semi-open forest toward the peak. The saddle is also a convenient place to take a break and so we did, commandeering an empty hunters’ camp near the trail junction.

Though it is not signed another trail drops down the other side of the ridge from the saddle; this spur that leads to the Middle Fork Teanaway Trail and other temptations, savvy hikers with route-finding skills may be able to loop back to the Boulder-DeRoux trailhead via seldom-hiked trails (study the map or the out-of-print “Teanaway Country” by Mary Sutliff for additional information, bear in mind some trail numbers have changed since her book was written).

After our break we tackled the steep trail toward Koppen Mountain, soon breaking out into the open. We enjoyed expanding views of Mount Stuart, other Teanaway peaks and Mount Rainier (on a clear day from higher elevations). There are several false summits along the scrabble trail that once served as a sheep driveway (we found old metal signs on trees). Silverback and Maxine elected to take advantage of a lower viewpoint and finish their lunch; Jim and I were summit-bound.

The last stretch of the trail is not user-friendly; the tread is scant in places and in the final push to the summit the path is eroded and exposed as it snakes its way to the summit of Koppen. You will probably want a hiking staff or trekking poles unless, of course, you go early in spring when snow covers higher elevations in the Teanaway (then, bring an ice axe and know how to use it).

We were surprised to find a summit register; we signed it. Murphy, Jim’s black poodle, did not sign the register though it was his first “official” summit. Though this is a lonesome path, the summit register shows there have been a number of visitors in recent years. Incidentally, you can also get to Koppen Mountain via the Johnson-Medra Trail as well as from the Jungle Creek trail; these trails can be difficult to follow, plus the 3-mile Jungle Creek Road is closed (you can also link up to the Jungle Creek trail from the Johnson-Medra trail and make a loop). The Johnson-Medra trailhead is also on the North Fork Teanaway Road just past the Beverly Creek campground.

We didn’t linger; it was sunny but the breeze was cold. A few sluggish bees hovered around the summit but there were few signs of life, the flowers had gone to seed. From our high point we could see some of the Enchantment Peaks and more Teanaway peaks but it was too chilly to get the map out to identify them all.

Jim and I retraced our route back to Silverback and Maxine. After a brief rest we hiked back to the trailhead, surprised how much shorter the trail seemed than it did going in. That’s why I call this a tricky trail – it’s a little less than 3-1/2 miles to the summit but it sure feels like more.

Stats: 6-3/4 miles round trip with 2,290 feet of elevation gain according to the GPS. Map: Green Trails No. 209 Mount Stuart.

Granite Mountain, October 4, 2009

2009-10-05T15:37:00.001-07:00

Granite Mountain, October 4, 2009

Even with an early start this popular trailhead was so full I had to park along the frontage road. Well, I can’t blame anyone for wanting to get high (no pun intended) on what could be one of the last warm autumn days of the year.

Usually I can cope with crowds on popular trails but there were so many hikers on the trail today that I felt annoyed (mostly at myself for being there in the first place). At times it was almost like being in a queue at the bank and the only chance for any kind of solitude was to go off trail in the lower basin.

I made good time (for me) to the marker for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Then I began to slow down as the scenery began to open up and the fall color began. I’m not sure how to gauge this years’ fall color in comparison to other years but some of the vegetation at lower elevations seemed more dead than colorful. The higher I went, the better the color, especially the reds.

The conditions were perfect for hiking this steep, rocky trail – cool, crisp and sunny. No one could complain about the weather. By the time I got to the lower basin with the tarns I was in need of a rest and solitude so I found a nice boulder off trail and hung out there for a while before getting back in line to reach the summit.

There’s a little bit of snow in the upper basin and just before the lookout; if there’s a hard freeze this could complicate the last stretch. Yesterday, the sun was warm enough that it was just snow, not ice. The lookout is closed for the year.

There was a large group of hikers gathered under the lookout, hikers here and there, just about everywhere on the summit rocks and a little below. After sitting for a while and eating lunch I “caught” the “good cheer” all around me. Everyone seemed happy – even those who chose to sit alone on a rock and gaze into the distance.

The walk back down was uneventful though I felt a little sadness at leaving Granite Mountain, perhaps for the last time this season. It’s not an easy place to get to at my age (for some, not at any age) and once I’m there, I find it hard to leave.

Getting to the trailhead: Go east on I-90 from Seattle to Exit 47, turn left over the freeway, left again into the Granite Mountain/Pratt Lake parking lot. Pray for a parking spot.

Stats: 8 miles round trip – 3,800 feet gain (according to “100 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness”. I didn’t bring the GPS today.

Kautz Creek, September 30, 2009

2009-10-03T14:20:00.001-07:00

Kautz Creek Trail (Indian Henrys almost!) September 30, 2009

We made a last-minute stab at Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground via Kautz Creek and almost made it.

The first ¾ mile or so parallels mineral-daubed Kautz Creek – floods tore out existing bridges and rearranged the topography dramatically over the last few winters. The first section of the trail no longer resembles the trail as we knew it years ago – it still parallels Kautz Creek and has an unfinished feel to it, as if waiting for the next weather-related calamity.

Alders are growing back in, filling in the blanks, playing their role in settling the landscape. The rock-lined trail near the creek is sandy, almost like a beach.

Kautz Creek looks like a madman’s playground; the old footbridge lays asunder, the water here copper-colored from minerals - boulders, sand, rootballs, uprooted trees tangled together – all attest to violent weather. Gaze long enough upon this scene and you’ll understand there is a very fine line between destruction and creation.

Once we crossed the creek the trail reverts to good trail as it starts to climb toward Indian Henrys. I have hiked the Kautz Creek trail in all seasons over the years, including snowshoe treks to Mount Ararat with The Mountaineers. It wasn’t an easy snowshoe or hike 20 years ago; it’s still a challenge.

With recent rains mushrooms are popping up, breaking through the duff, lighting the dark forest with their luminescent colors. Angel wings peek out from under decaying logs, speckled amanitas glow as if lit from within.

As we gained elevation we encountered bear grass long past bloom; snow had settled in the well of each plant, an indication of more snow to come. We crossed a quiet stream on a footbridge; soon after we came to a viewpoint though there was no view today.

The forest gradually opened up to small meadows; fresh snow had fallen and was melting. Hellebore lay yellow and flattened, the boughs of evergreens were weighted down with melting snow, blueberry shrubs glittering with water soaked us as we passed through.

Mount Ararat soon came into view above crimson, high-angled meadows. The scene was resplendent with fall color beneath a pewter sky broken by a silent stampede of wind-driven clouds.

By now our feet were soaked but we kept hiking, stopping only long enough to eat, drink and change into dry socks. A turnaround time was established; we suspected we wouldn’t have time to get to the patrol cabin at Indian Henrys.

The trail continued with ups and downs, none terribly steep; we hiked through wan meadows where flowers had gone to seed and grasses were bent by snow. The clouds lifted from time to time giving us an odd view of Mount Rainier and peaks we could not identify without consulting the map.

Though turnaround time was rapidly approaching we continued to a rocky pass where we hoped for a view of the patrol cabin but our high point only revealed we had further to go; the patrol cabin would have to wait until next year.

Reluctantly we turned around though found it hard to leave the moody, ever-changing landscape of snow, clouds, light and shadow. Only the promise of a hot thermos of tea waiting in the car enabled us to hike a little faster.

Stats: According to our GPS we hiked 11-1/2 miles and gained about 3,138 feet of elevation, including ups and downs.

Snow and Gem Lakes, September 29, 2009

2009-10-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

Snow and Gem Lakes, September 29, 2009

Snow Lake is just about the worst trail you can pick for solitude on a golden afternoon in late September. It’s also one of the prettiest so a hiker has two choices: prepare to share the trail with other hikers or go elsewhere. I chose to share the bounty.

Though the sun was shining it was chilly and I hiked at a brisk pace to warm up. I passed hikers on my way and was passed by others – that’s how it goes on popular trails. As I age, my ego has relented and it doesn’t bum me out as much as it used to when I step aside to let others pass. I am simply grateful that I can hike as often as I do without sustaining injury. My bones and joints have been good to me; I cannot complain.

The trail is in good condition and there is a hint of fall color at lower elevations; the best color is yet to come. From Snow Lake I continued on the main trail around the lake as Gem Lake was my destination for the day.

As I climbed toward Gem there was more fall color bordering the trail; unofficial paths through colorful meadows invited one to roam but I stuck to the main trail wanting to spend time at Gem Lake without needing to hurry.

I reached Gem Lake sooner than expected and found a sunny spot for lunch. There were a few other hikers at Gem Lake but not as many as I would have suspected. After lunch I still had the itch to wander so hiked around Gem Lake to the junction with the Wildcat Lakes trail. I was tempted to continue because I knew that the trail to Wildcat Lakes had been worked on since my last visit but days have grown shorter and I hate to hurry.

Instead I explored a path above the lake that led to an official campsite with a view above the lake. Having found this campsite I wondered why anyone would camp anywhere else; perhaps that is why the campsite is not designated but is rather “discovered” by those whose interest is piqued by unwritten paths.

As I hiked back to Snow Lake the sun was in position to backlight the vegetation enhancing the colors even more. As I rounded Snow Lake it had grown windy; whitecaps scudded across the deep, blue water.

The trail from Snow Lake back to the parking lot was crowded but I dare not complain. What right do I have – or anyone – to keep such a splendid place all to myself?

Stats: About 9-3/4 miles with 2,700 feet of elevation gain.

Paradise Glacier, Mount Rainier, September 24, 2009

2009-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Paradise Glacier Trail (MRNP), September 24, 2009

What a difference a few weeks can make!

A few weeks ago the Skyline Trail was bordered with wildflowers; today the trail was framed with fall color. While the colors are not yet at their peak they are off to a good start at higher elevations; the blueberry shrubs are turning crimson, the meadows range from gold to green and the air is spiced with the fragrance of fall.

At Paradise we took the Skyline Trail to the junction with the Paradise Glacier trail, passing junctions for the Fourth Creek Crossing and the Lakes Trail. Our pace was moderate; this wasn’t a hurry-up get-into-shape hike, but rather a meditative walk and exploration.

As we worked our way up Mazama Ridge I couldn’t help but think back to past overnight snowshoe trips with The Mountaineers and with my late ex-husband and our Boy Scout troop in the 1990s. I then realized it was the first time I’d been on Mazama Ridge without snowshoes! In the early1990s there were still enough of the ice caves left that you could venture inside them; now there are only remnants.

We’d encountered a few hikers on the Skyline Trail but once we were on the Paradise glacier trail we met only five; one, a friendly park ranger and two couples. The park ranger pointed out a small speck above the moraine (mountain goat!) – we would have missed it if not for the young ranger’s sharp eyes. We did not see or hear marmots or pikas.

The Paradise glacier trail is an interesting trek, beginning where meadows and moraines overlap. Early in the morning the view of Mount Rainier was sharp and clear; by afternoon the peak looked diaphanous, as if we were looking at it through sheets of tracing paper. Conditions change quickly – the sky went from clear to hazy in less than an hour.

Amazingly a few flowers were still holding on; a sole monkeyflower, a bit of arnica, even a bit of magenta Indian paintbrush below the moraine. The trail leaves the transitional zone and follows the contours of a moraine; the scene is austere, the beauty stern. When we reached the “end of maintained trail” we continued hiking on the trail following the track of the outflow from the Paradise glacier, the birthplace of the Paradise River.

At first glance the terrain appears devoid of life but there’s quite a bit of life on the moraine; it would take an expert to name the yellow-green cushions of moss and dark mahogany-colored sedges that cling to life here. Suffice it to say the colors are remarkable.

We met a young couple on a high point who pointed the way to a remnant of an ice cave at the edge of the glacier. They’d ventured inside – but only long enough for a photo near the entrance.

En route toward the “ice cave” we met the young ranger who warned of the dangers but said it would be OK to look in. He had crossed the glacier to look for mountain goats but admitted he was nervous about crossing (he could hear rushing water underneath the snow). He told us (but didn’t need to) that we shouldn’t cross on the snow or venture inside.

On our way we ran into the deteriorating remains of a once-bold sign warning of the dangers of entering ice caves. Though the ice caves are just about gone, it still remains as a warning to those unaware of the dangers of cave-ins and/or being swept away under the snow.

We found the remnant of an “ice cave”, I peeked in but the drip-drip-drip of the melting snow made me uneasy and I stayed only long enough for a photo or two. Here, I met a young couple also interested in peering inside (Silverback took a took a break as I explored); they, too, only peeked in long enough for a photo.

After lunch on the moraine we headed back the way we came, amazed anew at the vivid foliage at lower elevations, backlit by a low-slung sun.

It was early enough that we drove back to Seattle via the Stevens Canyon road rather than drive back the way we came. We stopped at Reflection Lakes but the fall color was nil as were the reflections. We also stopped at Sunbeam Creek (one of my favorite “little” photo stops), the bridge over Stevens Creek (site of a huge avalanche/blowout) and Box Canyon. We walked part of the little Box Canyon loop but it was too dark for photos.

By the time we were back on SR 410 heading west the sunset we’d hoped to catch en route had come and gone. Dusk descended so quickly we had to brake for elk standing right on SR 410 near the White River trail. We let them have the road and drove more slowly the rest of the way.

Red Pass via Commonwealth Basin, September 20, 2009

2009-09-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Red Pass via Commonwealth Basin (September 20, 2009)

This was a solo hike to Red Pass via the PCT and Commonwealth Basin. It was another warm September day, ideal for hiking. I got an early start and was pleased the PCT trailhead/parking lot had plenty of room to park. I filled out my Wilderness Permit and set out on the PCT, saving the “old” Commonwealth Basin trail for my return.

Big mistake; the PCT is longer and with additional elevation gain before the turn-off into Commonwealth Basin. It’s also much busier and I needed solitude. From the PCT I dropped down into Commonwealth Basin and picked up the trail toward Red Pass. The Commonwealth Basin trail is not in great shape; it isn’t maintained (except by occasional volunteers) and social trails wind throughout the basin. Of course, the plus side is that there are fewer hikers.

The trail climbs – steeply through the forest and with no breeze the heat was oppressive. It appears the trail has been damaged; it is much rockier than it used to be and many of the rocks are loose.

I broke out of the forest near Red Pond, saving Red Pond for another day. The trail contours below Red Mountain, climbing above Red Pond with growing views. This was a colorful stretch; the mountain ash is changing color and the sky a vivid blue. After contouring below Red Mountain the trail dips into the forest and follows a narrow ridge with views out to Mount Thompson and other peaks (bring the map to ID them).

The official trail “ends” at Red Pass where the old PCT once switchbacked down into the valley of the Middle Fork before the PCT was rerouted. Volunteers have made great progress in re-establishing this old trail (the Cascade Crest Trail); experienced hikers with route-finding abilities can explore beyond Red Pass if so inclined though the terrain looks steep.

Instead I continued on the climbers trail to Lundine Peak; here I met two young women picking huckleberry and blueberries (this is a good spot to pick them). The rough but discernible path leads to airy views of the Snoqualmie Peaks (my eye was continually drawn to Mount Thompson). I was a little too early for fall color; it should be at its best by mid-October.

After a lazy lunch and a peek at Lundine, I retraced my route and was soon back to Commonwealth Basin. I opted to hike the old Commonwealth Basin trail out, rather than the PCT (the “old” Commonwealth Basin trail is a remnant of the Cascade Crest Trail). The trail through the basin had a tough winter too – fortunately the crossings of Commonwealth Creek were manageable but the trail is overgrown in spots and social trails may confuse hikers who haven’t hiked this trail before.

The “old” trail reverts to an alder-lined road that grows narrower year by year. The “road” ends near the beginning of the PCT near the parking lot.

Stats: It’s about 7 miles round trip with 2,600 feet elevation gain via the “old” Commonwealth Basin trail to Red Pass. Add a bit more elevation if you go beyond Red Pass and onto the climbers trail.

Vesper Peak, September 12, 2009

2009-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Headlee Pass, Vesper Peak (September 12, 2009)

This was the destination for the annual Unbirthday hike. While it didn’t fall on my birthday, we couldn’t have picked a better weather day for this strenuous undertaking. Incidentally, I am not telling how old I am except to say I’m a year older than I was last year and this trip was proof that, well, uh … I’m feeling older too.

Stats differ on this hike – ranging from 8 to 10 miles (trailhead to summit) with elevation gain ranging from 3,900 feet to 4,200 feet. That being said, let’s just say it was a tough trip and the only reason I made it to the summit was desire (it wasn’t stamina).

Each time I’ve been there, I say “never again”; however, the passage of time is deceptive. I forget how rough the trail is but remember the wild, desolate beauty of Wirtz Basin and the rocky bowl below Sperry and Vesper Peaks.

This year was tougher than usual. For starters, there no longer any user-friendly bridges (man-made or otherwise) on the trail – in late summer/early fall the crossings are tricky but manageable. The fat, user-friendly log that spanned the Stillaguamish crossing for years bit the dust a year and the rocks are slippery.

After crossing the Stillaguamish we faced the next challenge; steep, brushy switchbacks in direct sun and the rocks under our feet were slick from morning dew. Thankfully, someone (WTA?) had brushed out this stretch of the trail so we could at least SEE the trail, an improvement over some of my visits in the past.

The trail continues to climb and enters shady old growth forest – here, there are many splendid Alaska cedars. This is a good spot for a break before tackling the next stretch. The trail then drops into Wirtz Basin, a conglomerate of talus, blueberry shrubs, mountain ash and shrubby evergreens.

You won’t see Headlee Pass until you are almost directly below it but you will get great views of Morningstar Peak at the head of the valley and Sperry Peak (right). This year the trail through Wirtz Basin was easier to follow than I anticipated.

The rocky trail contoured below Sperry Peak (gorgeous views!) toward the head of the valley. Blocky talus alternated with snippets of forest, a few old growth trees still stand, having survived countless avalanches and winter storms.

Headlee Pass comes into a view, a narrow gully lined by cliffs. It looks just about impossible to climb until you are actually on it; the danger here is rock fall, of course. We were careful on the switchbacks, staying close together just in case one of us kicked a rock loose. Once a rock is kicked loose, there’s no stopping it on such a steep grade. At Headlee Pass (2,600 feet) we took a well-needed rest.

The “trail” between Headlee Pass and Lake Elan (also called Vesper Lake) crosses a talus field below Sperry Peak. As Vesper Peak came into view it was inspiring enough for a second wind.

When we got to the lake we took another break (much needed, at least by most of us). After the break some of my friends decided to hang out at the lake; the rest of us continued to Vesper.

We crossed the outlet stream (an easy rock hop) and followed discernible trail through heather and evergreens, many of the stunted. The trail has been beaten so deep into the ground that it’s more like a ditch than trail.

The combination of heat and age caught up with me below the fabled granite slabs. I had to sit down and rest; the GU packets on which I rely were not quite enough to keep me going. Alan remarked that I looked “terrible” and advised me not to continue but after a rest I felt better and was able to carry on (Alan insisted on carrying my pack part of the way). I didn’t argue with him.

Once we were on the slabs (following cairns and relying upon memory) I felt much better and insisted on carrying my pack. A “third wind” kicked in and it was easy going on the sticky granite. Take the time to enjoy the view on the way – Lake Elan below (often with ice still afloat) and Sperry Peak rising above.

There’s more than one correct way to get to the summit – cairns mark the most obvious route but once you have attained the ridge, the rest of the route is easy. From the summit ridge there are views of Spada Lake and an endless sea of ridges and peaks.

From Vesper you can look down to jade-green Copper Lake, one of the most stunningly beautiful lakes in the North Cascades. Above Copper Lake Big Four Mountain rises – and beyond, more peaks and ridges.

There was no summit register; instead there were flying insects (not mosquitoes) and whatever they were, they were annoying (but not annoying enough to drive us away). We lingered as long as we dared, not wanting to hike out in the dark.

On our way down we met a couple that were backpacking and spending the night on the summit. Further down we met a group of four who were also heading up to Vesper for the night. We envied them getting to spend a night on Vesper but did not envy the gear they were packing.

Usually a hike down is easier than climbing; not so on this trail. Only about ¼ mile of the trail is a real “trail”; the rest a rugged route of rocks, talus, slippery roots and more rocks. Descending Headlee Pass was trickier than climbing it; we took our time, glad that no one else was coming down above us as we descended.

By the time we left Wirtz Basin (a lot of pika activity here!) we were losing daylight and were glad we had headlamps. When we got to the crossing of the Stillaguamish it was getting dark; here, we met a young man and his son heading back. The father had sprained his ankle and their plans to camp in the basin were scrapped.

It was probably about 7 or shortly thereafter when we emerged from the darkening forest (the father and son were just behind us). Our companions had been waiting for about 45 minutes – we were glad they didn’t wait for us at the lake.

We were tired, ravenous and overjoyed to find the Timberline Café still open in Granite Falls.

Lake Lillian, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, 9-10-09

2009-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Lake Lillian (Alpine Lakes Wilderness), September 10, 2009

This was Florida Bob’s last week to hike in the Pacific Northwest before heading back to Florida for the winter. After Tuesday’s hike to Iron Peak, we were able to send him off with one more spectacular hike before the end of an idyllic summer. We met up with friends Jim and Maxine for this “Farewell to Bob” hike.

We took the heralded “short cut” from an alder-lined forest service road. We managed to get to the end of the road in a passenger car but just barely – the road is deeply rutted and full of potholes. The trail is not “signed”, rather it is an unofficial but well-used short, steep route to Lake Lillian and provides access to Rampart Ridge.

Once again the weather was ideal – sunny and cool in the morning (ideal for the first stretch of the hike). The trail starts off climbing steeply, VERY steeply. Most hikers would want trekking poles on some of the steeper stretches – I don’t hike with poles and on the way down took a couple of pratfalls (no injuries other than pride). There are also several good vine-maple vegetable belays on some of the steep stretches.

Soon we were at the shoreline of Lillian and it was beautiful. The water was still, reflections of the surrounding ridges danced on the water. Most of the vegetation was still green with the exception of hellebore (ragged and yellowing). As for flowers only pearly everlasting was prevalent, a few other flowers still in bloom – asters, fireweed (on its last legs) and an occasional monkey flower.

We continued on the “path” counterclockwise partway around the lake to continue the climb on a steep path to the ridgeline. Views of Mount Rainier and the lake below were mesmerizing though it was hazy enough that getting a decent photo of Mount Rainier wasn’t even worth the attempt.

After a climb of about 1,500 feet we stopped at the ridgeline for a break; though we would have liked to have gone further into the “Ramparts” we ended our hike there – I have a strenuous hike coming up on Saturday and didn’t want to work too hard and Maxine’s foot was just beginning to bother her. We dawdled, left our packs and ventured a little further along the trail to the “first” tarn before calling it a day and retracing our route.

On our way down we met two hikers, two bow and arrow hunters and a couple of berry pickers. Everyone we met was friendly and we enjoyed the variety of folks we encountered. It’s good there are places like these that are inaccessible enough that they don’t get overly crowded and still remote enough that when you do encounter someone you’re happy to see them.

We stopped at Jim and Maxine’s for a cup of tea before driving back to Seattle.

Farewell, Florida Bob – come back soon. Don’t forget the M&Ms.

Iron Peak, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, September 8, 2009

2009-09-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Iron Peak (Teanaway, Alpine Lakes Wilderness) September 8, 2009

Iron Peak is one of my all-time favorite hikes. It’s only about 7 miles round trip to the Iron Peak saddle (8 miles round trip to the summit).

The trail is in excellent condition and with views the entire way. We only encountered two people (mid-week); bow and arrow hunters on horseback. The flowers are just about gone but the views are as outstanding as ever.

The trail is partially in the forest – alas, so much of the forest has been devastated by infestations of pine bark beetles. Trees that were once green are now mahogany-colored – the beetles mostly seem to be attacking white pines and lodge pole pine in this region. Fire resistant Douglas firs seem able to resist the onslaught, at least along the lower to middle elevations of this trail.

It was a perfect day for hiking – sunny, warm and clear. We stopped at the “pass”, marveling at the array of colors in the rocks. From the pass we continued another half mile or so to the summit where the views of Mount Stuart and Mount Rainier are startlingly clear.

Here Florida Bob and Silverback signed their first summit registers. The summit register was pretty full; this is a popular and accessible summit. I was glad the register was there for them to sign – I remember what a thrill it was to sign a summit register the first time.

We lingered as long as we could, snacking, lazing and admiring the beauty surrounding us. Between the pass and the summit we saw bluebirds, ladybugs, lichen-splattered rocks, remnants of summer flowers, endemic ferns still blooming in the golden rocks along the summit ridge.

It had been a perfect, golden day.

Approach: Teanaway River Road (Road No. 9737), Iron Peak trailhead (just short of the Esmerelda/Ingalls Lake parking lot at the end of the road).

Stats: About 8 miles round trip, 2,700 feet gain – map (Green Trails No. 209, Mount Stuart).

Guye Peak, September 4, 2009

2009-09-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite "hikes" in the Snoqualmie Pass region. I'll post a more detailed report later but suffice it to say that Mtn Dog and I missed the impending bad weather by about 10 minutes.

The "hiking" approach to Guye Peak starts at Alpental (if you get to the Snow Lake trailhead you've gone too far). The unheralded trail starts off heading in a beeline toward Guye across from the parking lot and doesn't waste a lot of time getting there.

About 1/3 of the way the trail "splits" - continue straight ahead for Snoqualmie Peak, turn "right" for Guye, follow a few cairns and obvious tread. The terrain is a mix of trail, scramble route (Class 2) and vegetation. Lots of blueberries and huckleberries gave us an excuse to stop and catch our breath.

We started out in feeble sunlight and by the time we reached the peak we could see the weather coming in. The skies were sullen but the view down to I-90 and Snoqualmie Pass is dizzying. You can also see the PCT, Red Mountain, Rampart Ridge and other Snoqualmie peaks from the summit. Fall color is just starting to pick up.

We made good time - 2 hours up, a little over 1-1/2 hours down including time for snacks and photography. The trail is steep and a few stretches are slippery - rain will make this trail worse than it already is.

Karen

East Side Trail, August 30, 2009

2009-08-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

East Side Trail (Mount Rainier National Park), August 30, 2009

The East Side Trail has been frustrating us for some time. We had been unsuccessfully looking for the “upper” trailhead on Highway 123 based on data in mainstream hiking books. On our way to other hikes, we’d looked several times for the unheralded trail but never managed to find it. Yesterday we tried again – and did not find it.

Failing to find the upper trailhead we continued driving and parked at a lower trailhead for the Silver Falls Loop/Laughingwater Creek trail. (For the lower trailhead you can also park at Ohanapecosh and find a link to the Silver Falls Loop/East Side Trail). We opted to park on the highway instead.

The trail drops in a short stretch to a signed junction; hence we followed signs to Silver Falls and followed that trail to the next junction (always following signs for the East Side Trail). Silver Falls is pretty quiet this time of year but it’s always worth a stop – if nothing else to ponder the water-scoured depressions in the cliffs and the pick-up-sticks piles of downed trees that come to rest perhaps forever.

The East Side Trail crosses the Stevens Canyon Road and the main parking area for Grove of the Patriarchs. The East Side Trail continues on the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail then splits off again a short ways before the suspension bridge crosses the Ohanapecosh River (the East Side trail does not cross the river).

The East Side trail begins a long, gentle climb through mostly forest, some of it ancient and spectacular with ferns, moss and thimbleberry. The vine maples are beginning to get a faint tinge of fall color but the real color is yet to come. The trail is lined with vanilla leaf, some of the leaves mottled with age, reminiscent of the hands of octogenarians.

Several streams and tributaries are crossed on a variety of bridges, ranging from recently-rebuilt bridges with a single hand-rail to broken bridges that are still passable and other than presenting the opportunity to fall on your butt, not a danger.

We planned to hike the entire trail to the upper trailhead on Highway 123 (that way, we knew we’d finally find the “hidden” upper trailhead). That would be about a 7-mile hike one-way with roughly 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

Our hike ended at the Ohanapecosh River where a narrow bridge with handrails spanned the chasm where waterfalls roared like lions and the distance between the bridge and the cataracts was a little too narrow for my comfort. The bridge seemed sturdy enough but the supports that held the hand-rails were a little too far apart for my comfort level. Everyone has an Achilles heel when it comes to hiking and mine is crossing on high bridges above water without “significant” railings. I’ve been known to ford rivers rather than cross on high bridges.

In order to “get over” my dread of such contraptions I crossed the bridge twice but there was no getting over it. We had the stamina to finish the hike and hike back down to the car but I simply didn’t have the gumption to hike all the way to the upper trailhead then face another crossing of the bridge again.

Head (mine) bowed in defeat, we retraced our route, not meeting another hiker until the turn-off to Grove of the Patriarchs.

Since we had time to kill we continued on the suspension bridge to the Grove; Silverback had never been to the grove and it was fun to see it through his eyes. We spotted a nurse log there so large that several good-sized trees had taken root and were thriving. The vine maple there is still a young, vigorous green – these trees are an experience that cannot be captured by writers or photographers.

On our way back we were determined to find the upper trailhead for the East Side trail and stopped at several likely spots where an unmarked, obvious trail might be found. No dice. Until we figured out (finally!) that the “upper” East Side Trail is accessed from the plainly signed Owyhigh Lakes trail. Had we stopped at the Owyhigh Lakes trailhead in the first place we would have read the small sign informing hikers that the East Side Trail (and Deer Creek Camp) was .4 miles away. It would also be helpful to hikers if the guidebooks explained that the “upper” East Side trail starts out on the Owyhigh Lake trail on Highway 123.

The Green Trails maps are of little help; (Packwood Lake and Mount Rainier East). The trails in that part of the park are all squished together in a hard-to-read tangle at the edges of the maps.

We’ll be going back this week to “finish” off the East Side Trail.

Snow Lake, August 28, 2009

2009-08-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

Snow Lake (Alpine Lakes) August 28

Since just about every hiker in the Pacific Northwest has been to Snow Lake this report will be brief. It may be the most popular, most-often visited trail in Washington and is justifiably so. Where else can one find such a beautiful trail only an hour away from Seattle?

That being said we were dismayed to find the trailhead toilet at the Snow Lake trailhead in such disarray and so filthy we could not bear to use it. We understand that land management agencies have had money and staff slashed to the bone but to abandon this privy seems “overkill”. This is a trail that is hiked on a regular basis by many; it is the first “serious” trail a new hiker may undertake, the first trail a visitor from another state is apt to visit (the trail is heralded in all forms of media past and present).

It is not only the land management agencies at fault; they did not leave the fetid piles of trash inside to be discovered by unwary visitors – though the odor as one approaches may suggest an alternate place to “go” (such as nearby vegetation – how’s that for keeping the wilderness pure?). For the time being we suggest stopping at “Travelers Rest” at Snoqualmie Pass before parking at the trailhead (just to be on the safe side).

As for us, we “passed” on using the outhouse and warned others who were approaching the trailhead.

The trail is in good condition, the vegetation poised between summer and fall. There are too few flowers to call it Summer; not enough fall color yet to call it Fall. Sadly, much of the vegetation that would turn brilliant color in fall has simply died due to lack of rain. Leaves that should be red and gold may never get brighter than “brown”. The berries are still plentiful, especially on the “old” trail to the lake.

At the trail junction for the Source Lake “overlook” and Snow Lake, we continued toward the Source Lake overlook. Even if you are not hiking the “old” trail to the lake this is a pleasant stretch of trail where you may find (and enjoy) some solitude. You may run into a climber or two heading for – or back – from the Tooth or other airy goals. Perhaps even another hiker (just like you) who also prefers avoiding crowds.

The “old” trail begins above the overlook on a sketchy path (or two) up a steep, rubble-strewn hillside held together by loose rocks and scraps of vegetation. If in doubt, look for a cairn (you are aiming for a more discernible path below the “waterfall”). As for that waterfall, in summer it is merely a trickle but you’ll know soon enough if you’ve scrambled too high.

We went a little too high on the scrabble path but memory served me well; we descended a bit and spotted the old trail just where it should be – “under” the waterfall (now mostly damp boulders).

From there the old trail is relatively easy to follow through patches of vegetation, mountain ash, evergreens, small meadows (some even sporting gentians!) to the ridge where the regular trail climbs to a pass before it drops to Snow Lake. However, the old trail drops a little below the pass (below “lunch rock”) where it meets the regular trail. This time of year there are no difficulties of any kind on the trail.

Once on the regular trail we hiked down to Snow Lake and took a few photographs (it’s hard to get a poor picture of Snow Lake on a nice day). We stopped at the chimney of the old cabin where part of a wall still stands; surrounded by blazing fireweed still in bloom. We followed the lakeshore trail partway around the lake; not surprised to find most “prime” viewing spots already “taken” (even on a weekday).

From the lake we hiked the regular trail back to the trailhead, stopping at the privy to see if anyone had stopped by to clean it up.

Nope.

High Divide Loop, August 24, 2009

2009-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

High Divide Loop, Olympic National Park (August 24, 2009)

This is the short version of a very long day hike (a longer version will appear later, I hope).

My friend Lola and I hiked the High Divide Loop in a day. That was 19 miles with about 3,800 feet of gain.

We started out on the Sol Duc trail, followed the Sol Duc River trail to the High Divide, hiked to the top of Bogachiel Peak then hiked back down to Sol Duc Falls via the Copper Canyon Trail. We did the loop in just a little over 11 hours.

Highlights: Heart Lake (shaped just like a heart!), Seven Lakes Basin (looking down on scattered potholes and tarns), views of Mount Olympus and the Bailey range, trails and tarns literally bordered with gentians, old growth trees, gorgeous weather – we didn’t see any mountain goats but saw the shaggy rump of one big, black bear as he scurried away into blueberry jungles. The 360-degree from Bogachiel Peak (5,474 feet) is just about impossible to describe. Let’s just say it’s one not to miss.

Conditions: The trail is in good condition; all major bridges in and sturdy. The Copper Canyon Creek trail is rocky and steep. Very few bugs.

Recommendations: Camp the night before and/or after or stay at Sol Duc Resort. We stayed at the resort. The food is expensive but delicious. The pools are a worthy treat before and/or after the hike. Most people will want to experience this gorgeous hike as a backpack. It can certainly be done in a day but you have to keep an eye on the clock unless you don’t mind walking out with a headlamp. Pray for good weather.

2009-08-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Huckleberry Creek (Mount Rainier National Park) August 21, 2009

Imagine three guidebook writers on the same hike – now before you think this is a tale of warring egos think again. It was a great trip with Alan, Craig and Silverback (Silverback has also taken the plunge into the life of a writer). We had a fun time from beginning to end.We met up at the Dalles Picnic area for a car shuttle (this one-way hike involves a car shuttle).

Alan and Craig had driven their rugged rigs to the lower trailhead on Forest Service Road No. 73 (the last stretch of this road is rough) before meeting us at the campground. When Alan and Craig met us we all rode up to Sunrise in Silverback’s car (not a 4WD).After a short stint on the Sourdough Trail we descended into Huckleberry Basin on the Huckleberry Mountain trail (the trail is signed). Short switchbacks with breathtaking views got us off to a scenic start on this 10-mile hike.

It’s fascinating to hike through a variety of terrain and this hike is no exception. After a scenic stretch through the remains of a moraine interspersed with meadows we stopped for an early lunch as biting bugs at Forest Lake seemed likely.

There are a few flowers still in bloom in the meadows – namely monkey flowers, yarrow and asters. Lupine has already mostly gone to seed. Gentians were the dominant flower in the meadows – I think these lantern-shaped flowers are brilliant blue because they herald the end of summer. It is always heartbreaking (for me) to leave the high country behind but the forest and the promise of a seldom-hiked trail also have a strong appeal.

After dropping about 1,100 feet or so we reached Forest Lake, a campsite on the edge of heaven where forest, meadows and high country overlap. There is one designated campsite at the lake (not occupied) and there were no bugs.

From there we continued to descend into deeper and deeper forest, crossing Huckleberry Creek several times on footbridges. The forest was a mix of yellow cedars (not a true cedar tree – this, we learned from Craig who has a background in forestry), Douglas firs, Alaska cedars, vine-maple with an under-story of huckleberry/blueberry shrubs, Devils Club (higher than we could reach), Canadian dogwood (a few still blooming), ferns (oak, deer, bracken, sword ferns).

The trees grew larger the further we descended; becoming a Hansel and Gretel trail as the trail wound through the forest. Mid-way we hiked through the aftermath of a blowdown above a gorge where trees had been cut out to free the trail from limbs and brushy tangles (otherwise the hike would have been extremely difficult). In addition to Huckleberry Creek we crossed Prospector, Josephine Creeks and Lost Creek (in that order). None of the crossings were difficult.

Though seldom-hiked the trail was easy to follow in its entirety with only one short stretch where route finding with our boots was required (the trail was covered with vegetation). We stopped to admire several gargantuan cedars and Douglas firs but found the dappled light in deep forest a challenge for photography.

Just inside the border of the park we came upon an old patrol cabin; locked and shuttered for good. An old trail register (not used in a very long time) was on the porch, fading signs with rules and regulations inside the park were still apparent, including one that dating back to the 1940s. Here we also found a boundary sign and a benchmark dating back to 1900.

From the patrol cabin it was roughly a mile back to FS Road 73, the trail still easy to follow. However, there is no longer a trailhead sign for Huckleberry Creek. We believe it is probably just as well, it is undoubtedly the parks intent to keep it from becoming a party place (though the nature of the terrain would keep most evil-doers out).

Alan’s rig was waiting at the trailhead; we all piled in and headed back to the Dalles Campground where this pleasant adventure came to an end. Craig faced a long drive and headed home; Alan ferried us back to Sunrise to our car - only a few cars remained late in the day. It was so cold at Sunrise that we bundled up in jackets, taking only a few photos before driving back home. It felt like fall was well on its way.

Stats: Elevation loss (about 3,834 feet) in about 10.1 miles (according to our altimeter).

Note: This is a steep, downhill trail, not recommended for those with bad knees. Forest Road 73 is not recommended for passenger cars. Most hikers will be happier hiking from Sunrise to Forest Lake, then climbing back to Sunrise (that would mean a reasonable elevation gain of about 1,100 feet).
Posted by karen at 3:37 PM
Labels: Huckleberry

Skyscraper Pass, August 16, 2009

2009-08-17T16:43:00.001-07:00

SKYSCRAPER PASS (WONDERLAND TRAIL, Mount Rainier National Park)

We like trails with solitude but do make exception for trails at Sunrise, Skyscraper Pass (and peak) being one of them. The hike starts out on the Sourdough Ridge trail where we turned left, following the ridgeline. After passing the junction for the Huckleberry Creek trail (right) the river of hikers began to thin out as the trail crossed a talus – just past Frozen Lake we came to a 5-way junction, where many casual hikers call it a day. Here we turned onto the Wonderland Trail, following signs for the Wonderland Trail and Berkeley Park.
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From the 5-way junction near Frozen Lake the trail begins dropping to a plateau where Skyscraper Peak comes into view (be glad Skyscraper Peak is closer than it looks). As we continued marmots whistled, warning of our presence. At the next junction some hikers turned off toward Berkeley Park (right) - we continued on the Wonderland Trail (left).

Most flowers have passed their prime though there were still some blooming in the meadows - asters, magenta paintbrush, yarrow, lousewort, lupine and bistort. There is a bronze tint to the meadows, an indication that autumn is not far off. We also saw several marmots dashing about (or lazing) between the Wonderland Trail junction and Skyscraper Pass.

It’s about 1,000 feet of gain to Skyscraper Pass at 6,786 feet. The Wonderland Trail continues, descending to Mystic Lake (alas, too far for a day hike). We had considered dropping from the pass to Granite Creek Camp on the Wonderland Trail but backpackers we talked to say the trail was mostly in forest until Mystic Lake.

We love forest hikes but on a clear day at Sunrise there was no dithering about where to go. From the pass a boot path climbs to Skyscraper Peak – our revised goal for the day. The peak is only about 300 feet above the pass.

Skyscraper Peak is a minor summit but with 360-degree views and well worth the effort to get there. From the ragged summit directly below is the silver squiggle of the White River winding through the valley and views down to the lush green of Berkeley Park. Take a map to identify other peaks and places - need I mention that there are also great views of Mount Rainier?

The trail to the summit is rocky and somewhat exposed; if you don’t like heights you can always stop shy of the summit – the views are almost as good. The peak is a jumble of volcanic rocks, many serve as great places to settle and bask.

Though most flowers will soon fade, don’t rule out this hike yet. Gentians are popping up in the meadows and marmots are busy dashing about. Late summer and early fall are also an excellent time to visit for fall color though with chillier temperatures you may want to add an extra layer of clothing or two in your pack.

Getting to the trailhead: From Enumclaw go east on Highway 410 to the White River Entrance of Mount Rainier National Park and continue 14 miles to Sunrise, elevation 6,400 feet. Trail. Allow about 2.5 hours drive time from Seattle.

Trail data: It is about 8 miles round-trip to Skyscraper Pass with about 1,200 feet of elevation gain including ups and downs. Skyscraper Peak is about 8 miles round trip with 1,600 feet (total) elevation gain. The map is Green Trails No. 270 Mount Rainier East.

For more details on fees, rules and regulations contact Mount Rainer National Park at 360-569-2211 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/mora

Kachess Ridge Trail, August 12, 2009

2009-08-13T20:12:00.001-07:00

Kachess Ridge Trail No. 1315 (August 12, 2009)

We needed a break from Mount Rainier (not because we don’t love it but because it’s a long drive). Besides, weather was marginal at best.

If I had a $20 bill for every time we’ve turned off I-90 at Exit 70 to access the trailhead for Kachess Ridge (Easton Ridge, Domerie Divide, Thomas Mountain, etc), we could take a long vacation. I admit it’s been a while since I’ve trekked up to the high point of Easton Ridge on snowshoes but it’s still first on my list of places to go when spring flowers begin to appear and it’s sunny on the east side. In summer not so much – there are too many other places to go and the “trails of Easton” are accessible earlier and later in the year than many other favorites.

As is often the case there was no one else at the trailhead – a good thing, really – because there’s room for only 4-6 cars. The trail doesn’t give you a chance to warm up; it takes off at a steep run – straight up. The trail is shared with mountain bikes; at times we encountered loose rocks over a thin layer of dirt. It’s more of a challenge going down this trail than climbing.

Steep switchbacks climb to partial views of rocky ridges. A side trail at the end of a switchback leads to a nice viewpoint of the valley below (for a view of Lake Kachess continue on a scramble path to higher points along the ridge).

The main trail keeps climbing until it turns (left) into the Silver Creek valley – here the creek announces itself with a splashy waterfall and an alluring but potentially dangerous path leading to its base. We continued following the main trail, at times within sight of the creek, at times within sound.

Just a bit past the signed trail junction for the Kachess Beacon trail, you’ll reach the first crossing of Silver Creek – there are several crossings, some of them dry. The first crossing is the worst but in August it’s not too bad.

After crossing the creek the trail alternates between shaggy, pocket meadows and forested sections. Many flowers have gone to seed but we saw Monkshood, cow parsnip, arnica, mountain daisies, yarrow, fireweed, a little columbine and splash of monkey flowers near a rivulet.

At one point the trail has been detoured to pass the site of what appears to have been a huge avalanche; trees on the far slope look like the proverbial matchsticks or pick-up-sticks hurled by an angry giant.

Memory is a tricky thing at best; I remembered meadows big as football fields below the West Peak of Kachess Ridge; I was looking forward to showing these “big” meadows to my Bob and Silverback. After what seemed an endless climb with no sign of a meadow anywhere we stopped for a break; Silverback said he’d catch up. I said we’d wait at the big meadow.

We soon came to a small meadow; certainly not the Ponderosa-sized meadow I remembered so we kept on hiking, passing the Silver Tie trail (that trail will have to wait for another day).

The trail kept going; and so did we until it dawned on me there was no “big meadow” and we were not far from the pass below West Peak and another peak (without a name but certainly worth of one).

Thinking that Silverback wouldn’t catch us and seeing the pass within reach we climbed up to it and took a break. Hence we were surprised when within 5 minutes Silverback appeared through the mist and joined us. Having a snack had given him the stamina he needed to get to the pass. It was chilly and starting to drizzle; our visit was short.

I’d like to say I scampered up a side trail on the peak-without-a-name to a viewpoint of Red Mountain but it was truly more of a trudge. The side-trail continued but time was running out.

Incidentally you can get to this “pass” by a system of logging roads from Salmon la Sac (we don’t know the condition of the roads). Also a 12.8-mile loop (from/to Easton) in this mostly forgotten land is described in “Best Loop Hikes Washington” (Mountaineer Books) – it is called West Peak/Thomas Mountain. I won’t describe this loop – I haven’t done it but hope to try it soon.

As for our sorry butts we returned the way we came, wondering as we often do why a hike feels so much longer on the way out than going in, even when it was mostly downhill.

This doesn’t sound like a compelling hike but we like it – folks seldom hike here and though this land has been logged, it still has a wild and lonely feel that other places near Teanaway and Salmon la Sac do not. There are ridges to run and explore, peaks to climb (even those without a name!) and meadows that are lush enough to attract deer, elk and the occasional lonely photographer.

Getting to the trailhead: From Seattle take I-90 east and turn off at Exit 70. Drive over the freeway and turn left onto a frontage road signed Kachess Dam Road and proceed to Forest Service Road No. 4818 and turn right. Continue to an unsigned junction; turn right. From there it is just a hop, skip and jump to the not so obvious trailhead near Silver Creek. There are no facilities but display your Northwest Forest Pass anyway. Follow a short little path to the signed trailhead for Easton Ridge and Kachess Ridge. Easton Ridge is to the right (you cross Silver Creek on a footbridge). Kachess Ridge is straight uphill.

Maps: Green Trails Kachess Lake No. 208. Call the Cle Elum Ranger District at 509-852-1100 for road and trail conditions.

Boundary Trail, August 9, 2009

2009-08-10T16:10:00.001-07:00

West Boundary Trail (Mount Rainier National Park)

Hiking abandoned trails is a little bit like listening to jazz - you know where the trail begins but you never know where it will take you.

The Boundary Trail is one of our favorite hidden trails within/near Mount Rainier National Park. It is believed that most of the Boundary Trail was built during the Civilian Conservation Corps era; most of the trail was removed from the parks maintenance list in the early 1970s. The trail once circumnavigated the boundary of the park. A few stretches remain and are still somewhat user-friendly including a section near the Carbon River entrance and another near the Nisqually entrance. Some maintenance continues on those trails – don’t attempt these trails unless you have route-finding skills and equipment.

We’d hiked the trail from the Carbon River entrance to Alki Crest 5-6 years ago, getting as far as Tolmie Creek (no, we don’t know why it is called Alki Crest). We didn’t know how far we’d get today but conditions were ideal for a steep hike in the forest: cool and cloudy.

The boundary trail starts from the nature trail just on the other side of a footbridge (assuming you are hiking the nature trail clockwise); it’s hard to miss. The “abandoned trail” sign was missing but again if you are looking for the trail, you won’t have any trouble spotting it. Though steep, the first part of the trail is as good as established trails inside the park, at least initially. We also spotted 3-4 old signs for the Boundary Trail along the way.

The trail is mostly in old-growth forest, ideal conditions for saprophytes such as coralroot and Indian pipe. We don’t see as much Indian pipe as we used to so we were glad to come across some at the end of a switchback. We also saw vanilla leaf, a variety of ferns and moss (a little on the dry side), Devil’s club with spikes of red berries and lots of thimbleberry past its prime. We found a few blueberries off-trail; always good to find these. Shelf fungus juts out from snags peppered with woodpecker holes and from fallen/downed trees beside the trail.

At one point the trail crosses a steep slope where a washout occurred; a path of rubble descends all the way to the Carbon River Road. It would truly have been a sight to witness from a safe vantage when this occurred. A little further there is a split in the trail at a cut log – turn left.

At about 3,200 feet we crossed a stream; not a problem in August. This is a pretty spot to linger a while and take a break, especially on a hot day. Beyond the stream the trail is a little rockier but still easy to follow and in surprisingly good shape even where maintenance ends.

At another point we skirted a boulder field (left); it was so foggy we could barely see the shapes of the rocks. Here the hellebore was almost tall and Corydalis covered parts of the trail; we sought the trail with our feet. It was moist enough from fog and drizzle that we got soaked going through the Corydalis; we’re grateful for our quick-dry pants.

Once past this spot the trail was easy to follow; near the crest we encountered markers on the trees, some with numbers but don’t know what purpose those serve or have served in the past.

The trail levels out briefly at Alki Crest, a forested pass without views. Nevertheless, this is a good turnaround and there are fallen trees that serve as places to settle for a while before turning around or continuing. We elected to turn around as we were short on time and knew it would take us almost as long to get down as it did to climb to the crest.

On the previous visit we did get go down the other side of the “crest” and got as far as Tolmie Creek. The crossing was tricky and from the creek the trail was marginal at best, difficult to follow. It is about a 1,200-foot descent from the crest to the creek.

There is also a route of sorts to Florence Peak from the Boundary Trail but I’ve only done it on snowshoes and it was a long time ago. I don’t know whether or not there is a “trail”. Some branches of The Mountaineers lead Florence Peak as a winter scramble.

Stats: 6 miles round trip, just under 3,000 feet gain.

Lakes Trail, Paradise (August 5, 2009)

2009-08-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Lakes Trail, Paradise (August 5, 2009)

Wow! What a tangle of trails at Paradise! A first-time hiker may find the trail signs more confusing than helpful, especially when you have an older map that doesn’t correspond to the trail system depicted on hand-outs, trail maps from the Visitor Center. Guess you can choose between following your nose, following one of the maps or following the signs. That’s all OK as long as the weather is clear. If you’re not sure where you are, don’t be afraid to ask or get counsel from one of the knowledgeable volunteers at the Visitor Center.

Our goal was to hike the Lakes Trail starting at Paradise, stop at Reflection Lakes, head up to Mazama Ridge then hike back down to Paradise on the lower Skyline Trail, about a 5-6 mile jaunt.

We got off to a bad start. Perhaps I should rephrase that to say that I got off to a bad start. My friend, Lola, was well equipped for this hike. As for me, I didn’t notice until we got to the trailhead that I’d packed Silverback’s boots rather than my own. Silverback is a big fellow and no way could I wear his boots.

Fortunately, Lola had an extra pair of trail runners so I was able to get into those. Still not an ideal situation as I have a tendency to sprain my ankles without mountaineering boots, even on easy trails.

We started out adventure on the Paradise River trail (signed Lakes Trail, Narada Falls). The last time I was on this trail (only weeks ago) there was snow and snow glacier lilies and avalanche lilies were competing for open space. Today the trail was lined with asters, pearly everlasting, rosy spirea and lupine. We quickly dropped down to the first junction – turning left toward Reflection Lakes (it’s hard to go the wrong way at this junction).

The Lakes trail crossed the Paradise Valley road a couple of times before coming out near another trailhead (accessible by car). Here we paused at the lakes, aptly named – though the Mountain was hazy the reflection cast by the peak into the lakes was bold and sharp, the lakes framed by a fringe of fireweed. Later in the season the lakes will be framed with the bold colors of fall.

We hiked along the road a short way, picking up the trail again as it climbs toward Faraway Rock. Ordinarily, I would have thought nothing of climbing to Faraway Rock but without my sturdy boots I was tense on the steep dirt with its covering of ball-bearing shaped rocks. We then came to a broken bridge across a dry creek in a small but deep gorge. The bridge was broken right in the middle and V-shaped. No railing. Here, I elected to pass up the opportunity to fall off the bridge and scrambled down into the streambed, only to fall down anyway and bruise my hip. Lola gingerly worked her way down on the bridge and made it without falling. Jeepers, I hope that bridge can be repaired.

Faraway Rock is a great place to stop for a break or photos; we did. From here you can look down into the lakes below, glittering in the bright afternoon sun. Above the lakes are ridges, peaks and high points – bring a Green Trails map to identify the peaks you are not familiar with.

There are several small tarns all along the Lakes trail, especially between Faraway Rock and the Skyline Trail, all framed by sub-alpine trees and some with views of Mount Rainier above the trees. The meadows were a blue haze of lupine with occasional splashes of magenta paintbrush and golden arnica.

We never did come across a trail sign for “Mazama Ridge” – and while I have been there several times over the years I’ve climbed to the ridge on snowshoes and snow-camped. I didn’t want to encourage off-trail use so we followed the Skyline Trail toward Paradise. Before heading back to the car we hiked some of the “little” trails near the Visitor Center, including the Water Fall trail and a trail with a new name “Avalanche Lily trail”. We wanted to get to Nisqually Vista but the return “loop” back to the car was closed and by that time we were ready to take our boots off and head home.

The flowers are nearing the end of their peak but should be good for another week or two. The meadows are now predominated with bistort, valerian, lupine, arnica and paintbrush. We saw a few sere avalanche lilies near the tarns at higher elevations but they will soon be gone. Anemones have gone to seed and barely resemble the way they appear when they first bloom.

The views from all the trails we hiked were magnificent – views not only of Mount Rainier but peaks of the Tatoosh, the sparkling tarns and lakes; last but not least, the glory of the flowers.

Stats: We hiked a little over 6 miles with about 1,350 feet of elevation gain.