Change Peak, Mt Washington

In an effort to re-establish my fitness level I headed up last week to do Mt. Washington. Originally I had hoped to do Change Peak but when I reached my jump off point I wasn't too enthused with the snow conditions so I opted to stay on the beaten path to the Mt Washington summit. There was continuous snow from the parking lot to the summit and there were many postholes to be had. I did switch to snowshoes to give me more consistent footing about 2/3 of the way up.

This week I had much more resolve buoyed by my better than expected legs from the previous week. I was simply amazed that the snow had receded so much in one week without really warm weather. I did not hit continuous snow until 2800'. Shortly after reaching snow I was at the junction with The Great Wall Trail at around 2950'. There where a few sets of boot prints to follow making it snowshoes unnecessary. I passed what I am guessing is the Great Wall, which was a bit underwhelming. A short ways passed the wall I was on my own breaking trail. The snow was consistent so I stayed with booting it. Once I joined the main road I switched to snowshoes. I had planed on heading left(east) but I looking at the map I wasn't crazy about the long road walk to the east. I instead decided to head up the north ridge which looked reasonable. I was happy to find an old snowshoe track heading my way. The grade isn't overly steep but is choked with many small trees but overall it is mostly pleasant. I  quickly reached the non descript summit. Not wanting to descend via my ascent route I headed down the south ridge to reach the road on the eastern side of the ridge. I had a hard time coaxing the new pup down a short talus field. I found it very interesting that dogs do not have an innate sense of what to do with rock slides and there is a learning curve for them. After some extra coaxing I was able to get the pub to rejoin me. I was now on easy terrain for the road walk to Mt. Washington's summit. I did have some trepidation due to some thundershowers nearby and gave some serious thought to dropping west off the ridge to regain the trail below. In the end my fears were unwarranted and I had no problem reaching the summit. All was left was the tedious descent to the car that was highlighted with a fall, which resulted in a sprain left wrist despite falling on my right side. All in all it was a very enjoyable day.


Approx  10 miles 3600' of climb 5:30 car to car
 

Solo snowshoe with solo snowshoe Monahan 3775’

With the new dog I have been longing to get out and do some climbing . I thought Monahan’ west ridge would be a good test for the young pups legs and not be overly taxing for his now aged brother. I parked just past Monahan road where there was enough space to keep me mostly off the road. I backtracked on the road and used the power line  access road to reach the forested slopes above. The snow was highly variable but improved once I was in the forest . The grade isn’t overly steep but there are enough bumps along the ridge to make navigating interesting . I ended up getting sucked too far south and had to traverse an unpleasant clear cut. Once back on the ridge the going once again was straightforward . 


The last bit there was a very steep 75’ portion that I was unable to coax the dogs up. Not wanting to downclimb and the reclimb the portion with each dog I decided  since I had already climbed Monahan I was good to head back . On the downclimb of a steeper portion my snowshoe submarined and wedged under a rock, luckily I was able to spin out of the tension on my leg avoiding injury . It took some time to figure out how to get my self righted , once free I was dismayed to see I had broken the hinge on my snowshoe . I managed to make it a short ways before it came  completely apart . I was forced to do more than half the descent with only one snowshoe . I managed to make decent time with only a sore left leg from constantly having to push up from my postholing right leg . Really good to get out again

Roaring Ridge 4988' 5.30.18

  With my Wife working more I had both daughter's for the day, thankfully my Wife had prepped my oldest who isn't the fondest of hiking that that was on the agenda for this day. Of course the youngest can't get enough, so now the only thing to do was to decide what to do. I wanted something low key but with a some effort needed to achieve the goal. Despite the fact I had already done Roaring Ridge I thought it would be a perfect goal for this day. While I knew I had done this one I couldn't even remember what route I had taken. For this day I decided to try to keep the approach on logging roads since I had no idea of the snow conditions. This made for easier going but did add substantially more mileage. We parked right at the major intersection just before reaching Lost Lake. I was a bit dismayed by my oldest daughter's shoe choice, certainly adequate for a road walk but not stellar for snow travel. Well nothing to do about it now, so we suited up and headed up under light breezes, filtered sun and NO bugs. At the next intersection we took a left onto the road that climbs above Lost Lake. It is certainly driveable for the first mile until a big snow patch blocks the way for most rigs. The grade isn't very steep so the elevation doesn't pile up too quickly. We reached consistent snow at 4200' and I left the road cutting the last switchback saving some mileage.

   For the most part the snow was well consolidated as I weaved through the smaller trees. As I suspected my oldest had a hard time getting any consistent traction. so I kicked bucket steps to make it easier for her. The snow in the shade was quite firm which necessitated me kicking four or five times to ensure her safe passage. Once crossing the road the pitch increased but a fun time was had by all as we weaved our way to the summit. I was immensely pleased that everyone was in good spirits when we topped out. I did have some trepidation for the descent but my oldest had the most fun sliding down on her butt on some of the steeper portions. I was somewhat relieved to return to the road for the long walk out. A really meaningful way to spend the day with my girls.


7 miles 1800 ' of climb 3:45 car to car

W Tiger 3, W Tiger 2, W Tiger via Cable Line

  Kendyl and I headed up the Cable Line Trail today with some pleasant weather. I had heard the Cable Line's reputation of being a tough climb, but neither I or Kendyl felt it overly hard. It was however a bit muddy so I decided on the way up we would descend via the well graded trail that exits at Tradition Lake. We made West Tiger 3 in around 90 minutes and discussed briefly whether or not to continue on. Of course Kendyl was game so we made the short ways to West Tiger 2. Knocking that one off easily I suggested we continue on the West Tiger proper which was met with enthusiasm. We made the summit 2:20 from the car and didn't linger for too long.  I chuckled as we made our way up the last bit of the return to West Tiger 3 when I prodded Kendyl to run up the last switchbacks and not let me catch her. We did our best to laugh at the summit despite both being winded.

   We enjoyed a nice leisurely descent on the much longer trail. I was pleased that we were able to tuck in all three peaks. I didn't realize that we had a bit of walk from the High Point parking lot to the car parked outside the gate, but we managed back to the car for a round trip of 4:15 covering 8.2 miles and 3200' feet of climb. It was a bit breezy but we managed to make it home before the rain began.

Mt Washington with Kendyl 1/10

With a deluge forecasted for tomorrow I thought it best to head out today. This proved to be a good choice because we were treated with light snow showers for the balance of the day without any rain. Since my 10 year old daughter has become my new climbing partner I was excited for the company. We decided to give Mt. Washington a shot, while I have been to the summit numerous time I felt a good test on my little one's legs. Last week we had stopped to get her suitable winter garb and I was able to find a complete outfit for $18 which if anything was too burly for this day. I also had the good fortune of having my brother send me a set of brand new gaiters for both her and myself. Thankfully the gaiters my brother sent for me were the exact replacement for my worn out pair. I did have to spend considerable time trying to figure out my daughter's setup. In the end they were perfect.


   We hit the trail around 10 giving us ample time to achieve our objective. I smiled as two groups suited up at the same time. Two ladies, one who had a toddler strapped to her back and a group of three with a high energy puppy tagging along. From the onset I had dead legs and I got a strong sense so did my daughter. The trail was wet but we didn't hit snow until around 2500ft and then it was still spotty. The snow was much more continuous above 3600'. The path was well worn so the snowshoes stayed snugly secured to my pack for the entire day.  We stopped for a quick lunch around 3000' and I assumed that we would turn back. But as has been consistently the case my youngest wasn't having that. We plodded on. I figured we would could at least reach the pond giving something interesting to finish with. Again that wasn't nearly enough for her and she wanted more. We kept chugging along finally meeting up with the party of three and their hyper puppy on their descent. They were quick to point out that we only had a short ways to go. I had already decided that we were to close to quit but this buoyed my daughter. A few hundred feet below the summit the trail traverse through an area with a shocking lack of snow. There was only a slight dusting of extremely slippery snow. This portion gave my some grief. Soon we reached the end of the packed trail. No one had actually gone to the summit they all had stopped short. Knowing the weather station and the summit were still to be had I blazed our way to the summit proper. We are both sunflower seed maniacs and we enjoyed trying to get the Camp Robbers to eat from our hands. I have many fond memories of youth feeding the birds during the winter and it was neat to share that with my own daughter. In the end we weren't able to coax any to eat out of our hands but it was apparent to both of us that they were thinking about it.

    The decent went without a hitch although the lower rocky portions with minimal snow cover are exceedingly annoying. By the end we were both very happy to make it back to the car. Truth be told I was rather spent by the time I got home. Again my daughter surprised me when she tagged along to her 2 year older sisters basketball practice and participated exceedingly well in the 90 minute practice..... oh to have young legs.


Approx 10 miles 3400 ft of climb 5:30 car to car

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

Not Quite Sleeepover Peak, Oversleep 4980'

I was feeling a bit under the weather and certainly very sluggish so I wasn't looking for anything overly taxing. I had a few ideas when I left the house because I wasn't sure what the weather and the conditions of the logging roads might be. I wasn't sure how low the snow level had fallen in the Southern Cascades so I was not overly optimistic if I would be able to drive all the way to Tacoma Pass. But the road was free from any snow which was quite a surprise for me. Also the weather was mostly benign. It was chilly so I layered up and headed the opposite direction on the PCT as I did last week.  The PCT meanders up the slope without much purpose which on this day fit my mindset.

After a few meandering switchbacks I reached a campsite with a sign pointing to a trail leading to water. On the way out I explored finding the water source further away than expected. Must be a nice oasis during the dry months where finding water might be problematic. Soon I started the long nearly level traverse towards my objective of Sleepover Peak 4880'. This is also where I hit snow, albeit just a dusting. I had hoped to leave the trail just south of 4566' and reach the logging road and follow the road to my higher intended target just to the SW. I found a good spot to leave the trail finding good footing.

 

I wasn't expecting too much cross country travel because the trail and the road are close together. I weaved my way up the slope making easy work of the elevation gain. Soon I reached an old road bed choked by many small trees, after trying a few different directions I realized that this might not be the best way to reach my objective, so I instead retreated to the PCT hoping to find a more pleasant option. I continued on for about a half mile where I spied a more pleasing road option above me, but to access this was rather short but a little too steep for my sluggish legs. I chose instead to continue on the PCT to see if I could outflank the ridge and try to find a more pleasing line of ascent. Soon I came out on a road junction with roads going in numerous direction. I was now off my printed map and while I knew the road that headed NW was my best bet, I didn't like the fact that it headed steeply downhill. The road heading SW not only headed steeply uphill but had recently been driven on giving me some curiosity where they might have been heading. The road continues for some ways before I reached a flat area, I decided to press on to see if I could find any higher areas. Soon I was under a knob that was clearly higher than any surrounding features, checking my altimeter it was also substantially higher than Sleepover Peak. I left the road and followed a good climber's trail to the summit. The point is 4980' is listed on the List of John as unranked point and is the Northern terminus of Blowout Mt's North Ridge. It does lack a few hundred feet of prominence to be considered a true summit but I felt like it still was a worthy objective. Since it was higher than Sleepover Peak I dubbed it Oversleep Peak.

 

 

Instead of retracing my steps down the climber's trail I followed the road back to my waiting footprints below. The trip out was very pleasant with a soft cushion of snow beneath my feet. When I returned to the car there were two Forest Service employees just suiting up. After exchanging pleasantries I inquired on what they were doing. Evidently they are setting up a wolverine station to try and determine if there are any in the area. I relayed that many years ago I had seen a wolverine near Hawkin's Mountain. The workers told me that there are actually 4 adults living in that general area. I found the whole conversation fascinating. With my goal being unmet I still made the most of a very enjoyable day.

 

 

Approx 8.5 miles 2200' of clime 3:45 car to car

Blanket Mountain and Bearpaw Butte 11/15/16

With plenty of peaks still to do South of I-90, I headed back to knock a few more of my list. I headed towards Stampede Pass and headed South on #41. I stayed on this until the signed junction heading towards Tacoma Pass and the PCT junction. Upon reaching the pass I turned around and parked. The weather was breezy and wet so I layered up. The plan was to take the PCT North and see if I could make it over Blanket which the PCT basically goes overtop of and continue on to Bearpaw Butte and if things went well head further to Snowshoe Butte.


The PCT was in great shape as I made my way up and over Blanket. I expected the weather to degrade into some snow showers which never materialized with any consistency. Soon I found myself at a saddle just East of Bearpaw. I drove into the wet brush finding it slippery and bit steeper than I was expecting. There were a few short lived breaks in the small closely spaced trees, but nothing lasting for more than a few feet. I thought that I couldn't get to much wetter so I continued on. There weren't any land features that could be seen because of the cloudy weather and the ridge is fairly broad giving me concern on becoming off line on the descent. Soon I found myself on the summit since there wasn't any views I didn't linger. Initially I was able to stay on line but as I feared there were no landmarks to keep me online. I got sucked to my right (north) and ended up being woefully offline. I hadn't looked at my map so I was unclear what elevation the saddle I had left from was. The downhill portion was much more slippery that going uphill and it was a major endeavor to remain upright. I started to feel a bit panicky because I was concerned I had dropped below my saddle elevation. I thankfully popped out on an old logging road on the North side, and followed that back to my jump off point. Feeling quite relieved I continued on the PCT towards Snowshoe Butte.


I was a bit whipped from the decent and wasn't really intending on continuing all the was to Snowshoe. Once I realized that there was a good road leading to the saddle I decided that it would be a fun Spring snowshoe to the Butte. I decided to head back, making my way quickly back to the car.


While I was a bit unnerved on my descent I was happy that I was able to keep a level head, and while I would have eventually found my was back to the saddle had I not run into the road. Running into the road did save some serious stress, making me want to take better care to mark a GPS waypoint in conditions when sightlines are non existent.


Approx 7 miles 2500' of climb 3:07 car to car


Map and a few pictures Here:

Daily Double, Poo Poo and Cabin Mt. 4980'

With the fine forecasted weather I thought I would head out and knock off a few more peaks. I was surprised when my wife asked if I would like to accompany her up Poo Poo. I was excited to spend some extra time with my wife so we met at the trailhead so that I could leave for another peak upon our return. I had a very enjoyable time sharing one of my passions with my wife. It was good to have some uninterrupted time with her. The weather was very unseasonably warm and the views were well worth the effort. In order for my wife to make it on time to her next objective we had to hightail it to the car. Feeling very thankful we said our goodbyes.



The next goal was for a summit of Cabin Mt, just SW of Easton. Last week I explored some upper logging roads that would put me in the vicinity, but I was not enthused with the wet weather so decided to forego the cross country portion. This week I decided to instead drive further and drop all the way to the valley floor to access some logging roads on the Southern slopes. It seemed funny to me to drop the elevation in the car to only reclimb it on foot. But for me the most important part is to get some exercise. I could have driven the road further but I instead parked at the bottom. I couldn't believe how warm it was, although it was much cooler than my climb of Poo Poo earlier in the day. The road was in mostly good shape as I easily swtichbacked my way up the slope. There was an interesting rocky sub summit that I had been on the north side of on the previous week. Very quickly I found myself near the end of the logging road. I decided on leaving the road before it's end. The crux of this trip was getting from the road to the slopes above both on the ascent and descent. Once this annoyance was passed the going was somewhat steep but straightforward. It was only around 200' of climb to reach the ridgeline. There is a rocky knob and a great viewpoint looking back towards Snoqualmie Pass. The ridge continues East with a slightly higher point that was annoying to get to. The ridge proper is choked by small stunted trees so I stayed more on the Northern side to find easier going. All in All, unless you are intent on tagging the very highest point I wouldn't continue from the viewpoint. I easily made it back to portion where I had to rejoin the road. I cautiously picked the short drop to the road without any issues. The return to the car went exceedingly quick.


Just a really great day to be out!


Approx 10.5 miles total 4 hours 3800' of climb

Cabin Mt. Wanderings

 With the predicted unsettled weather I wanted something low key and stretch the legs a bit. I accessed my route via Stampede pass before heading south on #41. The road had stretches of potholes but mostly it was clear sailing through the sputtering rain. Just before the road heads down to Cabin Creek there is an intersection, I headed left and then took the right branch. Even though the road was in great shape I turned around and parked on a wide spot in the road. I was surprised that there were more than a few rigs driving around the area. I wasn't expecting to see anyone. I suited off and headed up the road. The road has many ups and downs as it makes it way towards Cabin Mountain. After around 3 miles the road ends and there is an overgrown spur road that continues. I tried to reach the ridge by heading uphill, which was steep and slippery. I wasn't enthused with the idea of brush bashing in the rain so I decided instead to head back. I explored some of the spur roads to add to mileage. After returning to the car I headed drove further checking out some future trips. Although not much was accomplished on this day, it was very nice to get out again.

Goat Mt gate Thwart and Cole Butte West 5502'

I had hoped to climb Goat Mt. via some logging roads branching off Road #41 just West of Easton. I found my spur road at around 3.6 miles from the end of the pavement. The weather was much better than expected so I left some layers in the pack. While I could have driven the road I chose instead to walk to make the most of the day. I soon arrived at the second junction where I was stonewalled by a stout gate with many no trespassing signs, making the situation worse was the barbed wire fence making going around the gate tedious. I certainly felt like this was someone serious about not wanting people on their land.


I backtracked and followed the road to the nice little pond and I spent some time exploring the area. I returned to the car but not wanting to go home empty handed I decided to drive further up #41 to see how the conditions were higher up. In the past I had climbed Cole Butte West 5502' via a spur road off of #41. I instead stayed on the main line heading steeply up. I was surprised with the quality of the road, since there is an active logging operation using this road it is great shape.  I crested and the road started down hill so I parked. I decided to explore the road further on foot. I grew weary of walking the road and I decided to head in a more direct line to the roads above. The area is an old burn so the going is open and easy and the grade is pleasing. I popped back out on the road and could see a multitude of points within easy reach. I was very tough to determine which was the highest and since I didn't have a map I decided to keep climbing on the road hoping it would become obvious which was my new objective. Soon I reached the ridgeline and I followed a road heading West which looped around one of the highpoints. Guessing this was the proper bump I headed up along the ridge and found mostly easy going. A few blowdowns needed to be circumvented but I reached a point that seemed to be the highest but being unsure I continued on until I was satisfied that I reached the summit.


I returned via my ascent route when I reached the road I continued heading east and was dismayed to find the road ended and didn't reconnect with the road I needed. Undaunted I picked my way through the slash to reach the trees remaining on the ridge and followed that back to the proper road. For the descent I was tempted to head directly back to the car I could see directly below me but instead I decided to stay on the road the entire way. There is  a gate blocking access to the upper portions of the road. Soon I found my way back to the car thankful for making something out of the day.

Silver Peak 10.18.16

Headed up Silver Via the PCT. The road from Hyak was in good shape and snow free. The road is a bit rough right before the PCT junction.  The rain was pounding as I layered up but thankfully abated as I made my way along the soggy PCT , many small creek crossings along the way . At about 1.8 miles there is a cairned climbers trail junction . The trail reaches the ridge in short order . I encountered snow at 4200' but the trail was mostly melted out. Soon I reached the rocky slopes where the grade steepens . There was enough snow to make it easier than without snow. The weather was calm until I reached the more open slopes were I was greeted with a stiff 25 mph wind with stinging sleet. The wind blown snow was much more annoying to walk on. thankfully the route returns to the wind sheltered side with much better footing . The last 300' was open and the wind was really howling. Since I had been atop Silver on a few previous visits I decided not to hang out in the howling wind for another 30 minutes. Some care was needed for the decent but I soon found myself back to the car.

6.5 miles 3:15 car to car 2000' of climb

Thorp and Hard Knox

I have been slowly working my way back to peak bagging after taking quite a bit of time off to pursue other interests. While my new pursuit has been giving me much joy I still have been missing the call of obscure summits. I have been trying to strike a balance between the two. With today's less than stellar forecast I felt it best to lace up the boots and don the rain gear. Earlier in the year I had been to Thorp Lake with the kids and wasn't successful in convincing them to continue on the lookout above . I didn't want to repeat the route of my last visit so I chose instead to approach from the Easton side.


I used the Kachess Dam Road to access the myriad of logging roads above the lake. The road was in fairly good shape and it was quite fun putting the Allroad brought its paces. I reached the terminus of the road and suited up. It was in the upper 30's so i layered up. Not only had the expected rain not arrived the sun was breaking through the clouds. I did give some thought. Of reconfiguring my attire but instead decided to stay with my original choice. I followed a faint trail at the end of the road to access the ridge trail that I followed north towards The lookout site. There are more than a few ups and downs along the way but the tread  is in good shape and easy to follow. I passes two ladies coming down to before topping out. The weather started to turn into sone wet snow showers . I didn't linger long before heading back. After reaching the base of Hard Knox on the way out I decided to go for the bonus summit. I used the easy SW slopes to make my was easily to the summit.


I was able to cut a bit of distance off on the way out by heading straight to the road joining just a bit downstream from where I parked. The bumpy ride out went very quickly I found myself in Easton joined by sone fairly heavy rain . It was very good to visit a couple of home court peaks I had already visited

Approx 6 miles 2500' of climb

Not So Sasse 4.11.14

I had a stressful week highlighted by having to fix a car in the rain. Not having a garage sometimes is a problem. I didn't have a choice since  the windows kept rolling themselves down randomly. Not wanting to have a wet interior and a car that seem possessed fix it I did. Since the weather was clear and crisp I thought I would head out and enjoy the sunshine. I went out to warm up the car and found some very Gusty East winds. After getting the kids together and heading out the door we were greeted with some very substantial limbs down in direct path to the car. It really shows that life can change in  a matter of moments. I was so thankful that the events timed out the way they did it didn't even bother me when I found one of the branches had made direct contact with my hood leaving a sizeable dent. I dropped the kids at school and headed East.




     The plan was to do Howson Peak above the Salmon La Sac Road. I have been up the trail that starts right across the first snowmobile parking area. The trail stats as an old road until reaching the creek crossing where it turns into a most pleasant trail. The trail switchbacks up the steepish grade. I hoped to continue on the ridge trail until going over Howson and then to continue West to meet with the NW tending ridge that leads back to the trail below closing the loop. I had been up the NW ridge on a previous trip so I new it would be an easy descent. After around 2000' of climb my Plantar fasciitis started flaring giving me some trepidation about going too much further. Soon I was nearly under Not So Sasse. from this vantage I could see how long the ridge traverse was going to be.   Not wanting to but too much mileage on my gimpy foot I changed plans and started up to NSS summit. I had been there once before and I remembered the stunning views of Lemah/Chimney Rock along with many of the peaks to the North.  The going is open and pleasant as I made my way up to the ridge above me. Once reaching the ridge I easily followed it East to the Summit where some views of Mt Stuart loomed over the rest of the area peaks. The wind started to get quite gusty taking a bite out of the suns warming rays. I feared the descent to be painful but for the most part it was manageable. Soon I found myself back at the car.

Approx 6 miles 3400' of climb 4 hours car to car

Crossover Butte 4506' 11.04.14

I had hoped to head up to do this last week but life again had other ideas. I made it over the Snoqualmie only to find traffic at a standstill amidst the construction. As I patiently waited I heard some unpleasant sounds that I hoped weren't being emitted by my car. I was hoping that it was the truck behind me but when saw smoke coming from my engine bay I pulled over to survey the issue. Lucky for me I was in one of the few spots where there was actually room to pull over. I could see my fan belt was a molten mass of burning rubber but I the engine was idling fine. I was thankful hoping that my issue wouldn't be too serious. I was able to call my wife to come get me and she arrived at the same time as the tow truck. My AC compressor had seized which in my research didn't seem to be too expensive to fix. Too bad for me that anything Audi related is not cheap to fix.


Anyway with my car back in order I was off to finish what I had started the previous week. I also am contending with a stained plantar fasciitis coupled with the fact that  I have to drop my oldest off at school and I wanted to be home to  big her up since it was her birthday today.  The plan was to do both Crossover Butte and Cabin Mt further East. I exited towards Stampede pass finding some rather large potholes on the lower portion of the road. I took a left at the first junction finding much better road conditions. Soon I was at the spur road I wanted. I drove a ways up the road in order to hide my car since I saw quite a few people already which surprised me. I found a nice spot to park a short ways up the road. The weather was much better than what I expected but I had all my rain gear on just in case. I walked the road for a short ways until it quit climbing and I turned into the very wet brush. I zig zagged up the slope trying to avoid the areas of densely packed trees. Soon I crested a small point and I continued on the summit ridge to the summit. Since there wasn't anything to see other than the inside of  a cloud I headed down the road that leads to the summit. I gave up continuing when the rain and wind picked up considerably. I rejoined the mainline and headed back to my spur road. I was able to make it in plenty of time to pick up my daughter and have a memorable birthday evening.

Approx 3 miles 1:10 car to car 800' of climb

Scout Patrol Peak 4603' The Boomerang Route

   Well as it often goes in my life, things just don't work out the way I planned. I spent considerable amount of time getting my mountain bike back into shape after many years of non use. In addition I spent some extra time trying to reconfigure my car to allow for the bike to travel with me. Despite all this I made my way to the gated road off the North Fork of the Snoqualmie considerably earlier than expected. I was hoping to ride/push the bike to well past Calligan Lake and follow logging roads to just underneath Boomerang Peak. Here I would make the shortish climb to enable me to cross off another Homecourt 100 Peak. After getting everything in order I started off. Just as I passed the open gate I saw a truck heading back towards North Bend. The truck immediately turned around and followed after me. I stopped to hold the dog hoping the truck would continue passed me. Just my luck it was the head of security for Hancock and he wasn't too pleased with me. I had read all the signs and assumed that the road was only banned for motorized traffic but he was very quick to point out the first line was NO TRESPASSING. I have been up this road numerous times and I was always under the impression that was permissible . I tried my best to guilt him into allowing me to continue but it was obvious he wasn't having any of that. I was quite sure he would be back to check that I heeded his warnings so I didn't dare continue. Sure enough he returned just as I was finishing packing up to leave. If I had only been slightly early or a little late I would not have had any issues.


    I gave considerable thought to continuing on to make another attempt of Phelps since I had the time and I was in the neighborhood. I  have been down the North Fork Road so many times this year I just couldn't stomach it again. I decided to head back into town to check on the Middle Fork Closure. I found that it is still closed during the week until September 26th. I decided to head up the Hansen Creek drainage to do Scout Patrol Peak which I had orphaned. The Hansen Creek Road was in good shape and I found myself at the gated end of the road and parked at the new parking lot. I was surprised that it was rather warm since when I left my house it was drizzling.  I headed up the road reaching the first junction where I continued heading NE. I kept on the road to nearly it's end where I left for some small and very loose talus which was very cumbersome to walk on. I angled into the brush finding tedious going as well. I knew I didn't have far to go so I just sucked it up. Just one step from hitting more pleasing travel I fell sliding back into a tree. Thankfully I didn't hit with any force but I did shred two of my fingers leaving a bloody mess. I finished the last few feet off on nice stable talus. The summit wasn't much, with limited views. I had a hasty lunch, I noticed a pretty well worn path leading West so I thought a loop might be fun way to salvage the day. I also noticed that It would be easy to access Bearscout Peak's West Ridge that I had used to summit some time ago. This would bypass the immensely unpleasant approach via the standard Hansen Creek approach. There is a swath of densely packed trees that is quite an ordeal to breach.

   Heading West the trail peters out in a grassy area. I could see  a logging road beneath me so I headed down to it easily. The road is clear and open but other than deer doesn't look traveled at all. I followed the road to it's end where I found a major pile of bleached out logs blocking the way to access the older timber further along the ridge. I carefully picked my way through the rotted logs finding a very defined trail that ran along the watershed boundary line. Where the trail would get brushy there was always some flagging to show the way. Finally the trail drops off the ridge to the logging road to the North. I was surprised that there wasn't any cairn or flagging marking the start of the trail. It would be very tough to find it even if you knew where to look. I followed the road back to the first intersection and then back to the car. Well the day wasn't what I had drawn up, I managed to enjoy myself anyway.

Approx 5 miles 1400' of climb 2;20 Car to car

West Red Mountain (Money Creek) 5447'

I hadn't given much thought about what I wanted to do this week, when I received a message from Rich P about doing West Red 5447'. I hadn't had any interaction with Rich so I was surprised to get a message out of the blue. I was also thankful because I have had a tough time getting any partners lately. I had high hopes for making a big  dent in my Homecourt 100 list since I have been off since mid July. The truth of the matter is that my spending time with my family has won out over my desire to make any headway climbing. Despite all my time off all I could muster was Caroline Peak this summer which thankfully was a great solo trip. With my time off ending soon I was happy to tag along with Rich because  I knew my chances of success were greatly heightened. I was disappointed to see the weather forecast and my spirits were dampened further by the rain I heard on my roof throughout the night. I was pretty sure as I made my way through a rainy Monroe that this trip would not happen. I was already plotting some backup ideas as I made my way to the Sultan Park n Ride.


    I wasn't going to bring up the fact that a steep brush bash in the drizzle didn't sound appealing, and I was surprised that Rich didn't bring it up. Soon we were heading up the Money Creek Road which was in fine shape. We parked amongst the heavy machinery that is in the process of reclaiming the portion of the road past Lake Elizabeth.  It took me forever to get suited up since I had to pull out all my winter gear. I found it interesting that just a couple of days ago I was frying in the sun, and now I was getting dressed in winter gear. Finally we were off in sea of clouds following the reclaimed road covered in straw. Thankfully Rich had been here last week and was able to get us on the fisherman's trail to Crater Lake. With the straw on the road it was tough to see the start of it. The trail is muddy and rooty but it does get you to the lake. It has been brushed recently but unfortunately for me it was brushed by someone that was 5'8". most of the cuts left the remaining branches at my head level. My head found once such burly branch that knocked me backwards. Thankfully I didn't have more of an injury from the branch or the ensuing fall. After clearing the cobwebs we continued on to Crater Lake. We took a short break at the campsite on the Southern shore. The water level was low enough that we could walk the waterline to the campsite on the Northern End. We found a path we wanted heading NW from the campsite. The trail petered out and soon we found ourselves mired in some fresh avalanche debris. Thankfully we could see the waterfall that was our next objective. The reports I had read used the left side of the waterfall but I thought the contours on the right side looked more pleasing. Rich had read another report stating that the right side was no better than the left. We decided to head up the left side. Just before committing I happened to notice a worn boot path heading up the right side. It was distinct enough that I could see it from a couple hundred yards. There is indeed a well worn and well flagged route going up. Unable to believe our good fortune I expected it to stop before reaching the ridge. But luck was shining upon us because we were able to follow it all the way to the ridge. We did pass some sort of survey that neither I or Rich could figure out what they were doing. There is a small area with innumerable amount of numbered nails pounded into trees in no discernible order . The trail after this is much less defined. We found slippery going along the ridge, I hadn't read the reports very closely so I didn't realize that most groups aim for the saddle between West Red and 5331' to the SE. Rich wanted to head for the saddle but I didn't realize that that was the standard route, so instead we stayed on the ridge traversing a few points before reaching the summit ridge West of the summit. The going was fairly easy except for everything being slippery.

   It had taken us nearly 4 hours for the 3+ miles to the summit despite finding the time saver trail. We couldn't see anything so we didn't linger. Rich did a great job navigating back and we rejoined the flagged route with out too much issue. The way out was wet and slippery but the flagging and distinct trail kept us on route without any issues. I was dreading the short portion between the waterfall and the lake because of the avalanche debris, but it isn't really that far and I was very happy to be back to the lake. All in all it was nice to head out with Rich and knock another peak off the Homecourt 100


Approx 6.5 miles 2800' of climb 6:06 car to car

Upper Wildcat Lake, Caroline Peak 7.25-26/14

  While I had expected to have another week of work before I leave on vacation,.  Life had other plans. My  place of work is in a Bellevue tower and when the fire department was testing the fire suppression a pipe failed over my livelihood.  The deluge filled the space into two feet of water, forcing the closure for the foreseeable future. It appears that this may be a blessing since because of the closure I was able to experience this memorable trip.  I have been told that insurance is covering my salary until repairs can be made. I love my job but believe me I am in no hurry for anything to be fixed.


   I now have an immense of free time, what to do. I have always loved the campsite at Upper Wildcat and I could knock off Caroline and maybe give Wild Dare a shot.  I had feared that the Snow Lake Trail would be crowded but nothing could prepare me for the hordes I encountered. I saw more people in the first mile than I have seen in the last 3 years combined. Thankfully the weather was cool and some cloud cover blocking the midday sun. I struggled with making any reasonable time  to Snow Lake. If I stopped for every person coming down I would have taken all day to get to Snow Lake. I managed to make decent time to the overlook and the short descent to the lake

The trail now meanders the length of the lake crossing the outflow on an impressive log. Finally after some up and downs the trail climbs to Gem Lake. There is an interesting mix of terrain and area peaks start standing out. A short ways before reaching Gem I passed a young couple with a young one making the hike. It was good to see a young one that far in. I changed my plans to camp at Gem instead and go Caroline the next day. All I could think was passing him gave me a better choice of camps..... if any were available. I laughed a few minutes later the man passed me. I was sure he had thought he had better get the jump on getting the best spot. When I reached the lake I thought I saw the man going to the East. I could see the prime camping on the Eastern shore was taken. I dropped pack and scouted the area finding a spot that would work.  A short time later the wife who I had passed earlier was unsure which way her husband had gone. I pointed in direction that she needed to go. A short time later her husband came from the West looking for his wife and child.  Feeling a bit foolish about leading the wife astray, I decided that it best to continue on to Upper Wildcat. I was thankful when I passed the couple on the way out and found out that the husband had gone the entire way around the lake. The trail climbs to saddle and drops steeply to  valley below. The trail is good shape and provides some nice views.

There were some larger areas of snow to negotiate before the grade lessens and meanders to Lower Wildcat Lake. There is a decent campsite at the end of the maintained trail. Just after the campsite there is a distinct fisherman's trail that climbs 400' steeply before reaching the lake. I had a real concern that may spot would be taken. I wasn't too surprised when there was a single man camped. The spot is huge so I debated on asking if he minded sharing but I thought better to continue. The fisherman's trail continues along the lake and I found a spot that I could make work. Had I continued there are two other camps that would have been much better. I set up camp in the midst a swarm of black gnats. After quickly getting the tent set up I decided to wait them out in the tent. I was very thankful that I had brought a tent just because to the bugs. As I laid there I could see the clouds building above me reminding me in order to save space and weight I hadn't brought a rainfly. When the sun started waning the mosquitoes added to the hordes of bugs present. I decided to eat some food that needn't be cooked and retire for the night. I awoke thinking I heard the patter of rain but when I opened my eyes all I saw was stars. I rested much more peacefully after that. As always Bosco ran out some animals in the night. I was sorry that it bothered my close neighbor but having the dog standing watch always gives me a sense of peace. Getting woken up by the dog barking is small price to pay to sleep peacefully the rest of the time. I had erred and not brought enough shirts and I soaked the two I had. I decided that my best course of action was to sleep until I saw sunlight on my tent. At 10am the sun finally made it way down to my tent. Thankfully I had laid my wet shirts in spot the welcomed the sun a bit earlier. I really don't like putting on a wet shirt in the morning, or any other time for that matter. I cooked up some food and filtered some water.  I  took off on the path heading the lake I started a rising traverse to reach the col  between Wild Dare and Caroline Peaks. My objective dominating the landscape

I had been on the fisherman's trail that goes to Caroline Lake on a previous so I knew what to expect.Now your see me.

Now you don't

I was feeling sluggish and started to get frustrated with losing the trail. I had planned on 3 hour round trip but after an hour I had little to show for it. I contemplated turning around when magically the trail would reappear forcing me to continue. As I started getting closer to Caroline Lake the trail became much easier to follow. The trail crests and drops to lake. Here I left the trail making my a short ways where I found a nice campsite. While I hadn't thought I would end up on the Eastern side of the ridge. I could see a gully heading up for an easy run further up the ridge. I dropped to this gully and easily made my way up. It was wet in spots but was an easy ascent line. I now was on the ridge with a view of the summit block. There were enough snow patches that I could leave directional arrows pointing my way to the correct gully.

Getting closer.

Knowing that I couldn't tackle head the summit block head on. I instead headed to the West Ridge on some large snow fields. The snow made more much faster travel that what lies beneath it. I could see the West Ridge and could see that I could make it up without too much bother.

I dropped pack and broke out the ice axe. I really never needed it but I thought I might, so I took it. It seems the closer you try to access the ridge to the summit the harder it is. I angled further down the ridge to find some easier access. I reached the ridge  after 75' of scrambling. I found easy going to the summit. I found a huge cairn but sadly I couldn't find the summit register. What I did was find views beyond compare. Standing out was Lake Caroline below.

It had taken me 3 hours to reach the summit from camp. I still needed to get back to camp and huff it out in time for dark. now just to make my way back. I easily scrambled back to my pack. I made great time on the snowfields. I was thankful to find my snow arrow pointing me in the right direction. I dropped the gully and climbed back to the campsite without any issues. I managed to stay more on the trail than not as I made my way back. I had hoped to climb Wild Dare, but I had neither the legs or the time. I thankfully found myself at the col and I found manageable travel back to camp. I had some lunch before packing up. I was dreading the 1000' climb back to Gem Lake. Thankfully it was later in the day making staying in the shade easier. I kept it grinding finally making it to Gem. I found some nice views in the fading light.

Now it was mostly down hill. I just kept the wheels turning. The last mile seemed twice as long but in the end I beat sundown back to the car. I very thankfully changed into some very dry clothes. 

Approx 21 miles 6800/' of climb 31 hours car to car

Tinkham, East Tinkham and Silver Peaks Loop 7.21.14

I had hoped to do a 3 night camping trip but as things sometimes go, life got in the way. Instead I was limited to just Monday. I wasn't able to land any partners so I was again solo. A recent report I had read rekindled my interest on a loop trip I had attempted last year. Since I hadn't done either Tinkham or its Eastern summit I thought I could bundle it all together. I was expecting cloudy weather but instead I was fortunate to have full sun all day with comfortable temperatures. I was also expecting the bugs to be bad but again I was fortunate. I only had some minor bug issues near Silver's summit. I got a late start but I knew I had plenty of time. The road to the PCT intersection was in much worse shape than the last time I was there. Be wary there are some bigger potholes. I was the only car parked at the PCT intersection.  I kept a good pace for the nearly 2 miles to the climbers path leading to the ridgeline. On a previous trip I had walked past this junction but today I didn't make that mistake. I found a bit funny that the only people I saw on this day I crossed paths with right at the junction. It made me feel like someone was watching out for me. I quickly made it up the good tread to reach the ridge. My first objective came into view.

  The climber's trail starts on the ridge keeping North of the boundary for the watershed.. The trail was mostly easy to follow. A few time I got suckered too far North on way trails that led to overlooks.  The trail becomes quite steep but there isn't any exposure. The Last 200' are more of a rock scramble with some slabby areas.  I was rewarded with some nice views as I topped out along with a view of my next objective.

  The path continues on to the Eastern summit which is 3' lower. The going is surprisingly easy and soon I found myself on the Eastern summit. My next objective of Silver Peak looking very far away.

I quickly retraced my steps taking great car to stay on route on the way down. I missed one obscure turn following a worn path leading to some very steep down climbing. I resisted the urge to take a more direct line and instead found my error and kept myself on trail back to the lower reaches of the ridge. Thinking I had made it through the worst of it, I  instead had much more trouble on the lower portions. The recent rain had made some of the exposed roots exceedingly slippery. Thankfully the grade is much less so it didn't pose any real issues. I followed the path and dropped a short way just after the junction with the Abiel climber's trail. I was surprised to find some very large lingering snow patches.

As I climbed a bit higher the views of where I had come from opened up

The initial portion of the climb is very tedious with a lot of very loose rock. After 200' of climb the footing improves greatly. I passed a neat snow patch that was 10' tall and small cave melted out. Soon I found myself on the summit. I continued heading NWon a defined climber's path. The path traversed on the West side of the ridge high above lake Annette. I followed for some time before climbing up to the ridge line and dropping to the East. I think had a gone a bit further I would have found an easier way to the snowfields below. I angled a bit North and found some lower angled terrain to get me onto snow.

 There are two broad gullies here, I chose the western gully. After reaching the end of the snow I had some steeper areas to contend with to get me down to trail visible below. Once reaching the trail it promptly led to another rock slide. Growing weary of walking on rocks I instead stayed in the light forest. This led me to an steeper area that I didn't want to climb down to reach the more benign slopes below. I had intended on backtracking a short way back to get back on route. I instead found some easier slopes to the East which gave me access to some more rock slides. I stayed on the margin of the rock finding some evidence of prior traffic. I reached an are of steeper wet, loose rock in a small gully. Fearing rock fall from the dog after I dislodged a huge rock that fell 200', I urged the dog ahead. Thinking the dog was out of harms way I continued down dislodging another big rock. I waited with bated breath as I feared the rock would connect with my pup. Thankfully the rock crashed harmlessly below. I was now back in low angled forest as I did a Westerly tending traverse. I found a fire ring just before the another rock slide with a structure built of timber and stacked rocks. It was like a big rock cabin with no roof. Thankfully a short time later I found the path leading to the logging road I needed to connect with to make my way back to the car. I highly recommend this rout because it has a lot of varied terrain.

Approx 7 miles 3000' of climb 4:45 car to car