Green Mt. 12.10.02

Well the weather seems to have changed at last. Breezy and wet today with the snow level hovering around 3200ft. Today's attempt was Green Mt. which is located between Mt Teneriffe and Bessemer Mt. . I started approx 2 miles past where the Middle Fork road crosses the river, there is a gated logging road with ample parking. I followed the logging road to where it splits one way crosses the creek and the other continues east. Instead of following the road I just climbed straight up, the timber is easy going and is much shorter than staying on the road. Near 2100ft I regained the road just before it splits the lower branch is overgrown but isn't hard to follow. I continued on this road which is a VERY LONG traverse but does move you directly towards the summit. Near 2800ft there is a creek crossing that is very overgrown with small limber branches that sting more than you can believe when hit across your face. I decided rather than risk scarring I would try this at some other time or some other route. I would think this route would be a good spring route when the days are longer and the Hell branches are buried deep under snow. I think next time I will try leaving the Teneriffe climbers trail and do a ridge traverse to reach Green Mt. summit. It sure was nice to see some new snow!

Mt Si, Dixie Peak 12.6.02

I hit the Mt Si trailhead at 12:10 with nice sunny weather with just a little chill in the air. I had to fly solo for the first time in at least 10 years. Ryan my semi regular partner was out with his second torn achilles in 18 months and my faithful dog Tanner was out with a blown knee. I took the si trail for about .75 miles until a well worn junction which is the creek trail. I followed the creek trail until it switchbacks and runs west again. If you climb up and to the left you will hit an old logging road which is overgrown and deadends at a dry stream gully. Drop into "" garden hose gully"" and climb a short ways until there is a garden hose to aid in the steep sidewalls of the gully. Just a few feet of climb there you will connect with the logging road that starts at the end of Mt. Si Rd.. I followed the road until approx. 3950ft where there is a flag on the right side of the road. I left the road and climbed up the somewhat steep but open timber to reach the saddle between Pt. 4351 and Dixie peak( Pt 4606). I followed the easy ridgeline and tended due north to reach Pt. 4500. I could see Dixie Pk ahead of me but with time running short I opted to stay at Pt 4500. Good views of of surrounding peaks still NO SNOW. Crater lake with a light layer of ice.

Total miles approx 13+ miles Total climb 4100ft Total time 4:20

Mason Lake, Mt Defiance 11.26.02

Ryan and I got our usual late start, we hit the Mason Lake trailhead at 11:30. The weather was unseasonably warm and couldn't have been more ideal. The Mason Lake trail is fairly steep in places and you need some route finding skills to find your way through the rockslide. We passed 3 guys who were overnighting at Mason Lake. The lake had very little ice on it, amazing for this late in the season. We sunned ourselves for 15 minutes and then hit the Mt. Defiance trail which we stayed on until the long traverse over I-90. There is a good climber's trail that summits in 400ft. The views are 360 degrees, and since there wasn't a cloud in the sky you could see many of the major area peaks. There was no wind on top and the temp. was near 70 in the sun. With daylight ending sooner and sooner we hastily retreated to the car. What a simply amazing day for the end of Nov. Only small patches of snow on the backside of Defiance.

Total climb 3600ft 1:45 to Mason Lake 1:00 to summit 1:35 to car

Rainbow Lake 11/12/02

I set out to climb Pratt Mt., with the weather very balmy I left the parking lot at about 12:30. The trail was snow free until the saddle where the trail splits. I stayed on the trail that heads towards Rainbow lake. At approx 4400 ft I left the trail and climbed to the boulders fields that comprise the western side of Pratt. In the summer this would be a simple ascent but with about 6 inches of snow covering the rocks it was a bit more tricky. I climbed to 4700 feet and stopped (only 400ft to go). The weather was changing it was very windy on the exposed parts of the summit and the rain became torrential. I resentfully returned to the trail. Since I had a little extra time I dropped to Rainbow lake. Great views of Talapus lake and Ollalie lakes as well as Island lake. All are ice free. I only saw one other person and returned to the car at 4:30. Total climb 3300ft Total time 4:00

South Bessemer 11.05.02

Ryan and I set out for a somewhat mindless climb, the majority of it stays on logging roads. The climb starts about 7 miles in on the Middle Fork Rd. where there is a big gate with plenty of parking in front of it. Staying on the logging road it will split with one way crossing the creek and the other heading right. Follow the right branch and start climbing. The road is easy travel and there are plenty of stunning views of Russian Butte the Pratt river valley and as you rise farther Garfield, Preacher, Roosevelt, Thomphson, Chikamin and the Dutch Miller group. I reached the summit of South Bessemer (5028) to enjoy the arrival of rain. The climb down went way to slow and we made it out in the dark. Only some small patches of snow and the weather was very mild.

Approx miles 14 and Total climb 4100ft 2:40 up and 2:00 down

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Snoqualmie Mt. 10/29/02

As previously stated the climber's trail to Snoqualmie summit starts in the Snow Lake trailhead parking lot. The trail is in great shape and is easy to follow. There was a light dusting of snow in the parking lot and about an inch and half at the summit. I saw one other person and his dog during the trip. I am sure the views are stunning from the summit, but not today it was socked in.

Total climb 3200ft 1:27 up and 1:05 down

Mt Teneriffe Road Ranchor Lake 10.2.02

Mt Teneriffe trailhead is located at the very end of Mt. Si Rd. . There is a bus turnaround and parking area next to a gated logging road. Take the logging road until it Y's follow the left fork until the creek crossing. There is a climber's trail that starts along the creek and doesn't cross it. Beware of Wasps on the lower portions of the climb ( I was stung 5 times ). The route is steep and a little difficult to follow. It stays mostly on the ridge line. I reached the summit in 2:20 and decided to follow the hikers trail that descends to the logging roads direclty over Ranchor Lake. This trail is very easy to follow and is heavily flagged. Once on the logging road it is a easy run (but much longer) to the car. 1:50 out Total elevation climbed 3650 feet.

Goldmeyer Hot Springs 9.18.02

The Middle Fork road is it's usual bump fest but very passable. The turn off for the hot springs is a spur off the mainline that has a fishing regs sign and a sign with a L and a B with what appears to be a pear on it. Follow the branch that drops to the river. There is plenty of parking riverside. Cross the river beware the water can be treacherous (benign for this trip). There is a path on the other side that quickly takes you to the caretaker's cabin. The fee is $12/day/person, and only 20 people are allowed per day. We only saw 4 people during our stay, but we passed 7 on our way out. There are some great campsites along the river. The hotsprings themselves are about a half mile from the caretaker's cabin. The trail is about 250ft of climb but the trail is very well maintained. There is an outhouse and a dry place to keep your clothes. As are most mountain hotsprings clothing is optional so don't be suprised to see plenty of naked people. The spring is set in a cave that spills out into two lower pools. The water is would guesstimate to be around 104 in the cave. I had not been to the springs in 20 plus years,but it is very much the way I remember it. Please do your best to maintain it's unspoiled nature.

Ridge Lake, Edd's Lake 9.11.02

Left Alpental for Ridge Lake around 11 am under warm and sunny skies. The crest trail if about 2 miles longer than it should be on its meandering way to Ridge and Gravel Lakes. I camped on the south shore of Ridge Lake. The fish weren't really biting. There are some nice rainbows in Ridge and in Gravel there are rainbows, cutts and California Golden's, as well as every combination of the three species. The bugs were suprisingly bad for this time of year. The night was pretty mild and was pierced throughout the night with gunfire and war yells coming from the Alaska lake outlet. I guess it was someone's end of world pary. In the morning brought more bugs and nice weather so I set off for Edd's Lake. About a half mile from Ridge Lake there is a climber's trail to Bumblee Pass. The trail is very steep but it it pretty short once crested,it descends into the basin of Thompson Mt. I crossed the creek and dropped to the huge talus field on the west side of the creek. The rock is very unpleasent and a little tricky. I then dropped the remaining 800 feet to Edd's Lake. Travel around Edd's lake is fairly easy with the water level low. I saw many big California Goldens as well as some smaller rainbows. I managed to catch some twelve to fourteen inch fish. After my 2 hour stay I climbed the much easier east side of the creek and returned to camp. One curious side note, even though there was good flow in the creek flowing above Edd's lake there was no water flowing into the lake itself.

Alta Mt 9.3.02

I got a late start so I decided to do something closer to home. The trail to Rachel Lake in good shape as were all trails today. I had no problem finding the climbers trail to Alta and it was a pretty straightforward ascent. I climbed down about 300 vertical feet and left the trail and dropped to the southern edge of the lowest Alta Tarn. There is a good trail all the way to the two upper tarns and to Alta Pass. It seems that it would be easy to drop to Park Lakes and it might even be faster than the Mineral Creek trail( with driving included ). There appeared to be a climbers trail traversing to High Box Peak. All in all a good trip. NO BUGS, although it is starting to get quite chilly.

Trout Lake, Jack Creek 8.21.02

I was hoping for Cradle Lake today, but my map showed the trail starting accross from Chatter Creek Campground. So after wasting an hour to find that the trail leaves from near the Rock Island Campground. The Trout Creek trail climbs to near 4500ft and does a very long traverse high over Trout Creek. The views of the logging really detract from this route. Trout Lake itself isn't much better shallow and very reedy. After a few minutes at the lake I decided to climb to the saddle above the lake via Jack Ridge trail. Near 5800ft there is a side trail that I followed to point 6280 where there is remains of an old Fire lookout tower. Great views of Cashmere Mt., Eightmile Mt, and some glimpses of Stuart Mt. I returned to the Jack ridge trail and dropped to the Jack Creek trail and followed it out. All trails in good shape with some minor blowdowns and the bugs weren't bad either.

Upper and Lower Wildcat Lakes 8.14.02

We left the Alpental Trailhead at 10am, after our drive with the car overheating and gears slipping. Needless to say we were happy to get out of the car, with only a passing worry if we would be able to drive home. The trail to Snow Lake is in great shape as is the trail around the lake. We stopped in a small patch of shade at Gem Lake and relaxed before the drop to Lower Wildcat Lake. The trail is in good shape and is easy to follow. Once to the lake cross the creek and follow the fisherman's trail until it splits follow the left branch that climbs the 300 feet to Upper Wildcat Lake. There is a great campsite near the outlet and the fishing was good for small cutts. In the morning I climbed the northern ridge over the lake there is a climber's trail that roughly follows the ridge line. I had wanted to go to Caroline lake but was unable to make it in my alloted time. Stunning views from the ridge top. I did catch sight of Derrick lake that looks like an easy cross country from Upper Wildcat. The way out was long and hot but we made it home I guess that is what is most important. Total elevation gained approx 4200 feet hiking time 9hours with full pack.

Mccellan Butte 8.7.02

Hit the trailhead at 5:10 Pm hoping to wash away yesterday's failed attempt at Francis Lake. MUCH drier today. The trail in great shape made it to the summit scramble(not dog friendly) 2:10 up and 1:30 down. Had to use headlamp on way out. Nice to get out two days in a row!

Francis Lake 8.6.02

I tried for yet another try for Francis Lake. Take the Money Creek exit off of HY 2 Just before Skykomish. Follow road to Miller River Rd. take a right and go to just before first bridge. There lies a jeep road that follows the West Fork of the Miller River. Follow the very rocky road to for Approx. 3miles At this point we crossed the river ( watch out river crossings can be very dangerous). We were unable to pick up the fisherman's trail on the other side. With the weather being VERY wet we decided against The brush scramble up to the Lake.

Turquoise Lake, Cuitin Lake 8.1.02

I Took French Creek trail to French Ridge trail about 5.1 miles. Trail easy and in good shape. The climb up French Ridge trail somewhat brushy left trail at approx. 4320ft. There is a well flagged fisherman's trail that climbs and intersects with the Turquiose Lake Trail at about 5150. From there it is a very easy trail to the lake. I met a couple on their way out who suggested the camp site that is on the major point. Thank you an excellent suggestion. Four hours total to lake. The bugs were above average as was the fishing. Many Many trout of different sizes. I left for Cuitin Lake in the morning, I found a fishermans trail that leaves the Turquiose Lake trail at 5850 and climbs to the saddle and drops into the lake. No camping is permitted at the lake. The bugs were very bad and the fish were really jumping. I left and rejoined the French Ridge trail at 5500ft and continued out on French Ridge Trail. Great Trip 9 hours Hiking time. I do think the fishermans trail that leaves the French Ridge trail and intersects with Turquoise Lake trail is faster but it is much steeper but saves both distance and extra elevation gain.

Terrace Lake, Ptarmagin Lakes, Fisher Lake 7/18/02

I started at around noon Tonga ridge trail in good shape until turn off for Fisher lake. The first part is difficult to follow due to deep snow. Best bet is to climb to 5200 feet were the trail crosses and starts to descend. The drop into Fisher is easier to follow and much less snow. Cross the outlet of Fisher lake and pick up fisherman's trail to Ptarmigan lakes. Trail is fairly easy to follow, drop down to Lower Ptarmigan and follow rock slide on western shore. Cross the outlet of Upper Ptarmigan and there is a great campsite on northen shore of the upper lake.

Left for Terrace Lakes in the morning, I climbed out of Upper Ptarmigan in a se direction. Pick up the creek and climb to both of the Terrace Lakes pretty easy cross country.

Bugs were above average but not a trip killer. Above average route finding ability required until melt out, which won't be too long at the rate it is going. Great Trip aprox 14miles round trip.

Rainy Lake 7.9.02

The fisherman's trail to Rainy Lake starts as soon as you cross the bridge from the Middle Fork trailhead first turn right as soon as you leave the bridge and continue downstream toward Rainy Creek. Once you hit the sandbar the trail starts to climb and traverse towards the creek, cross the creek and start climbing. The trail for the most part is easy to follow and the first half is fairly easy grade. At approx. 3200ft cross the creek resume climbing. Here the pitch steepens and is much more sustained. The trail crosses the 3900 ft mark before descending to the lake. There is some snow ringing the lake, but is ice free. The bugs weren't too bad, all and all a great day!

Snoqualmie Lake, Lipsy Lake 6/26/02

Alas Snoqualmie Lake once again. My usual overnight opener each year. Imagine my suprise to find the lake 99% frozen, no trout for dinner this year. Trail is good shape and fairly easy to follow some snow on upper stretches of trail. Windy and very cool in the evening. Bugs alot of flys but of very little bother. Stopped at Lipsy Lake on the way out. Well worth the side track.