Bald Eagle Peak Attempt 7.14.08

I think it is well known that Bald Eagle Pk. is miss labeled on many current maps. Silver Eagle and Bald Eagle are swapped on most maps. I wanted a direct line with no trail work at all. I parked just after crossing the 2nd concrete bridge on the Foss River Rd. I had some issues with a lost key and road work so I was already behind schedule. The ridge is very to easy to follow and there isn't an abundance of brush for the first 3000' of climb. Around 4500' the brush appears and slows things down. The brush last for about 700' of climb and is manageable. I knew water would be at a premium on this ridge route so I packed enough for both myself and both dogs. I can't say the extra weight was too pleasing. But I didn't want to run dry. I didn't think I would see any water until I neared the summit. I stayed on the ridge which has it's up and downs until around 5400'. I read some reports that stayed on the ridge until 5700' but that didn't look appealing for a solo effort. I traversed for nearly .25 mile most of which was on snow. I found some nice snow slopes to climb towards the notch below the false summit which is dominates the skyline to the South. I reached 5600' and noticed that I was already an hour over my turn around time. I was feeling like the route wasn't quite as apparent as I had hoped. I decided that not freaking my wife out was more important than the last 600' of climb. I really wished for another climber for this trip. I wasn't feeling real good about pressing on solo. I picked my way along the ridge until I was just before the descent really started and dropped pack and had a nice lunch. The views from the summit must be amazing. Just the ridge views were worth the effort themselves. The first part of the descent was the worst with the brush and just enough steepness to be cautious. I was able to more or less stay on the ridge for the entire descent. I always felt like I was heading too far South but I still popped out on the road just North of the car. I crossed the road and walked the short ways the East Fork of the Foss so the dogs could get some well deserved water. Great day and a route that I will repeat with some company.




Approx 5 miles 4100' of climb 8:45 car to car

Miller Peak , Jester Peak 7.7.08

I am still licking my wounds from last week's brush bash so for today I decided a trail hike was in order. Again for me the weather was ideal. I had been eyeing a loop trip leaving on the Miller Peak Trail and coming out the Bear Creek Trail. I would bag two more summits along the way. The Stafford Creek Road is a little bumpy but no major issues. I parked and packed up. I had anticipated around 7 hours for the 15 miles but I wanted to try to get home an hour earlier so I kept a brisk pace for the balance of the day. There is very little snow remaining in the area so route finding was of no issue. I steamed to Miller Peak's summit, #62 on the B/C 100, in just over two hours. Right behind me were two older gentlemen which surprised me. I found out they had come from the Blewett side making more sense to me. I couldn't envision them making the same climb in less than 2 hours. I snapped some pictures and had some small talk with the my summit companions. I considered just returning to the car but I figured I could still make my evening's plan if I pushed it. I cut some mileage off by dropping more directly to the trail off the summit. I followed the ridge dropping down to 5000' and then regaining the elevation to reach Jester Mountain 5520+' #84 on the B/C 100. The views were not exactly stunning so I dropped down and then climbed up to 5489', which had much better views. I was now downhill all the way to the car. I passed two ladies at the 3-way intersection. I dropped quickly passing a nice spring just after the junction. I was happy to let the dogs drink their fill. The trail crosses the creek many times but the water was low enough that I never got my wet feet. I passed the climbers that I had met on Miller Peak just before exiting. They had followed my up route down and now were ascending my descent route. I don't know for sure if they actually knew were they were going but they seemed in good spirits. The mosquitoes were very bad along Bear Creek which pushed me to move even faster. I was very pleased to make it back to the car a whole hour before I had expected to exit.




Approx 15 miles 4100' of climb 6 hours car to car.

Coney Creek 7.1.08

With another sunny and warm day ontap I was excited to have a full day to work with. I was on the road by 0530 and made good time to the West Fork Miller River Road. I should say the former WMRR. The road which was never really very good to begin with has sustained recent substantial damage. I was hoping to make the turn off for the Coney Creek Miners trail in an hour, that didn't happen. I took an extra half an hour to negotiate the landslides and downed trees covering the road. I was able to find the miner's trail without any issues. It was much harder to follow than the last time I was there 10 years ago. With so much water flowing everywhere I had routefinding issues. I couldn't be sure which of the many creek branches was my intended route. I wasn't able to find an easy route and I couldn't cross the main channel because of the heavy water flow. I angled to the East and found some mostly open slopes that were much steeper than I remembered from my previous trips. I really struggled with motivation and really had to dig deep to keep moving. I reached solid snow at 4300' which buoyed my enthusiasm and made for much quicker climbing. I topped out on the ridge at 5000' much further East than I had hoped. I followed the ridge West and climbed to 5275' which provided a nice seat for some great views. I could see Lennox Mt which was the goal for the day looking really far off. I downclimbed enough to realize that making the ridge below was feasible but I didn't have the energy. I could see making to Lennox would be a fun ridge run to Coney Lake and then a 800' climb to the summit. I knew if I continued on I would descend a different way than my upclimb. I was worried about the descent because I remembered some nasty cliff bands that I would have to blindly negotiate and then hope I could cross the creek. I toyed with the idea of heading East instead. I could have easily climbed


Easter Peak 5326'. I know that there is an straightforward direct decent from there to my parked car. I hadn't left instructions for that route so I was hesitant to go off my intended route by so much. The descent was off my map so I would have to descend without a map. The decision to descend via my up route was easy to make. The snow was still very hard so I descended with great care. I didn't have any issues with the downclimb and was very happy to return to the road to have a lunch break. I don't recommend this route, while at one time it would have been a fun climb, it has degraded into an unpleasant route.



Approx 10 miles 4100' of climb 10 hours car to car.