Dog Mt 8.5.03

I guess every climber has the one climb or destination that something always goes wrong or doesn't quite work out the way you would like. Mine is Cougar Lake, this is the fifth time I have tried for the lake over the years.I have yet to wet a fly in it's waters. I have tried from every angle, today's attempt was to combine a visit to the lake with one of Dog Mt. I parked just past the Bare Mt trail where the road now ends and walked the approx 1.5 miles to the Lennox Creek Trailhead. The weather was warm and very humid as I made my way up the mostly unpleasant trail. There are many springs in this area keeping the trail rooty and muddy for long stretches. In typical fashion for my Cougar Lake attempts I had a boot blow out, but not bad enough to keep me from pressing on. I reached my jump off point for my summit bid of Dog Mt at 4200ft and left trail. As I zig zagged my way up the bench system on Dog mt's north side it began to steadily (much to my suprise) rain. The leafy plants soon became very slippery and I decided that the descent would be more challenging that what I was looking for. As I dropped back to the trail it was apparent that I had made a good choice. With time still on my hands I continued on trail towards Anderson Pass. This area has always left me with fond memories. I stopped to have lunch on one of the many polished slabs that overlook the Lennox Creek valley. As I sat I looked to the south and noticed easy access to the ridgeline via the rockslides maybe the sixth try will be the charm. The slog out went without incident.

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