Dirty Harry's Peak 12.13.17

 In an attempt to maintain a weekly schedule of hiking with my youngest last week we headed out to do Mt. Washington. Unfortunately for both of us I had lent my parking pass out to a friend and although it was returned it didn't make it back into my car. Not wanting to risk a hefty ticket I struggled to find another option. I had been up Dirty Harry's Peak a few time many years ago and since it was close I thought we would give it a go. We drove up and down the road to the fire training facility without being able to find the correct jump off point. On the way in we there was a single hiker coming down the road looking as lost as we were. Finally I found the correct spot to start our adventure but it wasn't nearly what I remembered. From the onset I new I was in the right spot but the road had been reclaimed making for exceedingly tedious travel. My little one quite enjoyed the higher order gymnastics involved on making any progress. Thinking surely this mess couldn't be long lived we continued on. I decided to detour from the unpleasant former road travel to the relative easy going in the forest. After some time I realized the reclaimed road wasn't going to morph into any easy route to the summit so we decided to head back to the car. After doing some research I realized there is a new trail being built to circumnavigate the tangled mess of the former route.


    Originally I had hoped for a route up Mt Washington since I now had my pass, but the sun was shining intently on the East side of I-90 making it for an appealing alternative. I found the new trailhead without issue and we parked and layered up since there was a biting wind. The trail shortens the distance to the bridge crossing the South Fork of the Snoqualmie considerably over walking the road. I was unclear where to look for the start of the new trail but immediately after crossing the bridge I spied a trail and we headed dove into the unknown. The trail is still being constructed but is easy to follow as it meanders up the slope hitting a couple of nice view points which we briefly took in. Around the 3 mile mark the trail reaches the old road be that I remember from previous trips, thankfully this portion of the road hasn't been reclaimed making for steady elevation gain. Once reaching the route I didn't have any aspirations of reaching the summit since the route was considerably longer in both time and mileage than what I had expected. Surely my 10 year old daughter wouldn't have the legs for the completion of this one. Since the there was a serious inversion in temperature, I couldn't imagine not taking advantage of the Spring like temperatures so after a hasty lunch we pressed on. Around 4200' we hit consistent snow which was a new experience for my daughter so I spent some time to pass on some wisdom that I have acquired over the years. I now knew that we were too close to turn around and after over 4 hours we were able to reach the summit for a short lived break.


  The down climb was a bit tedious for my little one but I was very proud to see her patience and grit making our way to the lower slopes. Thankfully the descent went quicker than expected coupled with some robust conversations made time fly by. Thankfully we outran the setting sun and found ourselves with plenty of time to make the rest of our evenings obligations. 


Approx 11 miles 3500ft of climb and 6.5 hours car to car. and one immensely proud dad
  

Bandera Mt. Kendyl's First Homecourt 100 Peak

   My work life has changed considerably in the last 6 months and routine hasn't been anywhere to be found. I took a new position that involves considerably more hours but this is offset with the routine that I have been missing. For some time I have wanted to get back to more regular treks into the mountains but golf kept winning out. One of  my coworkers has been talking to be about some of his trips and inspired me to give some more thought to heading out more often. While both my daughters accompany me in the summer my oldest doesn't hold much enthusiasm for our trips. Thankfully my youngest has shown a much stronger draw. A couple of weeks ago we did a very wet hike and I was amazed that despite getting soaked she wouldn't consider turning back, in fact she lobbied me to add some miles. With me having to drop my oldest off at school in Preston and my youngest free, a plan was hatched to pound out some miles. After tanking up with a few supplies we are on our way. I really wasn't even sure where I wanted to go. The weather was quite pleasant except the blinding sun that we were forced to drive towards, that didn't last for long.

    I decided that we could give Bandera a go, while I had been there eons ago I thought it would be a worthy test of my 10 year olds legs, and my suffering fitness level. Right on cue as we set off the rain arrived, I still in awe on how fast the weather changed. The trail was in good shape, around the 3 mile mark I suggested we should turn back because we weren't ideally equipped to handle the growing rain and wind. My daughter pleaded that we go at least another half mile in order for her to make it a 7 mile round trip making it her longest trip to date. While part of me thought it might turn out to be a poor idea, I relented. Soon we found ourselves at the junction with the climber's trail. As we headed up the steepish and rocky trail the wind and rain began building. My daughter was now fixated on the summit and despite the poor weather there was no stopping her now. Her good spirits remained intact until we reached a few false summit and the disappointment started to take there toll. Like a trooper she stuck it out to top out. As a father I have been blessed with many opportunities to be proud of both my girls but this was one of the more special times. I was thankful to see such determination to achieve a goal knowing this will suit her in future endeavors. As we headed down warm from the achievement , the weather did its best to douse that flame. It was quite miserable as we made our way back to the trail proper.  My daughter fought valiantly against the demons of the brewing bad attitude, keeping at bay long enough for us to reach the lower slopes were the wind thankfully abated. As we made our way down the weather seemed to warm as did my little ones attitude. I was thankful to enjoy the final 3 miles with some great conversation and laughs.


Approx. 7.5 miles 3000ft of climb 4:20  car to car