Wright Mt.7.19.05

Today's goal was a summit of Wright Mt. which lies just NE of Gem Lake. I was priviliged to be joined with my Wife's cousin Scott visiting from Indiana. I needed something close because of the added time of picking him up and dropping him off in Seattle. We took off under warm and very sunny skies. Knowing that Scott has been training for a marathon I figured I would have a hard time keeping up. My fears were confirmed from the get go as we made it to the saddle above Snow Lake. As I suspected it was thankfully much cooler in the Snow Lake Basin. We rolled into Gem Lake in 2:14 which beat my guesstimate by an entire minute. We found a shady spot to let the dogs cool and for me to plan my route to Mt Wright's 5430ft summit. I was quite happy when Scott decided to join me. The route was quite straightforward. There is a small campsite on the Eastern shore of Gem Lake with a climber's trail that easily takes you the remaining 600ft to the summit. Views are amazing of the area peaks. Kaleeten is quite stunning from this vantage point. I struggled to keep up with Scott on the wayout as well finishing just under 6 hours car to car. I don't often get the privilige such engaging company, and look forward to doing something again. Sometimes seeing our state's beauty through someone else's eyes helps fan the flames of my love of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Surprise Mt. 7/12/05

Today's goal was for a summit attempt of Mac Peak. I arrived near the end of the Tonga Ridge Road with a heavy mist and a very sleepy head. I put on rain pants and was off for the the descent to Deception Creek. This approach saves alot of time compared to other approaches. It is the only trail that I know of that starts with a descent. Once I dropped the intial 200ft the trail became quite open so I didn't get nearly as wet as expected. I made great time to the junction with the Crest Trail, I went 100 yards towards Deception Lakes and left the trail. I consulted my map.... where is it? In my sleepiness I had left it in the truck. I decided to at least scout a bit. I easily climbed 200 feet with out much resistance actually following a faint trail for most of the way. The trail faded out and without a map I didn't feel it prudent I continue. On my way down I picked up an even more defined trail which intersected with another trail. I decided to follow this trail which dropped me down to South end of the middle Deception Lake. I decided that with plenty of time I would coninue on the Old Crest Trail to Surprise Gap and on to Surprise Mt's summit. The trail to the Gap is in great shape and would be much faster than the rerouted trail to Glacier Lake. A climber's trail easily takes you to Surprise Mt's 6330 ft summit. The weather improved as the day went on and left me with some good views of Cathedral Rock and the aptly named Terrace Mt.. The views to the North were non existent with heavy cloud cover stacked up by the summit. There is also a climber's trail that leads to Thunder Mt. but I didn't explore it. The bugs were out in force and were ruthless, be prepared for some unpleasantness. I flew out and made it back to the last 400ft climb to the truck. I chugged my way up the last bit and made it to the truck 6.5 hours after starting. 14 miles 4000ft of climb.

Dog Mt 6.30.05

With drier weather this week I was eager to climb Dog Mt.. The trail to Anderson Lake has never been my favorite. The lower stretches pass through some areas with several springs making the trail muddy and unpleasant. The road ends nearly two miles before the trail begins adding to the displeasure. However once you reach the polished slabs and rock gardens overlooking Lennox Creek all is forgotten. The weather today was mostly cloudy and quite humid but for the most part dry. I dropped pack at 4400ft,just after leaving the trees and entering the open area before Anderson Pass. My intent was to reach the SE ridge just above the small lake and then on to Dog Mt. summit. I instead headed NW on rockslides until I could reach Dog Mt's open and heathery North slope. I zig zagged my way to the summit in just less than 3 hours. The summit affords some stunning views of Treen and Garfield Peaks. With the mostly cloudy weather the views were somewhat stunted. I could however see my nemisis Cougar Lake. I did not intend on making a 6th attempt today but I at least for the first time saw it's waters. I dropped 200ft SW along the ridge which goes easily towards Cougar Lake. Feeling content that this route would work I returned to the summit. On the descent I had a tendency to drop too quickly and was thwarted with cliff bands. I however made it back to my pack rather quickly. I wanted to have a relaxing lunch but was forced to wolf down my food because the bugs were out in force. I found the bugs much less bothersome when moving. The slog out went more slowly than I would have liked as I reached the car 6 hours after starting.

Bean Peak 6.22.05

My plan was for a summit attempt of Dog Mt., but when I awoke to steady rain I knew I was in for a change of plans. I hoped for drier weather in Teanaway. As usual it was the right call, as I traded my raingear in for sunscreen. I am sure most people use the Bean Creek trail to summit Bean Pk, but my intention was to make a loop trip. I reached the trailhead around noon with mostly sunny weather that was in the low 70's. I passed the turn-off for the Bean Creek Trail and continued on until I reached the County Line trail. I was pleased that there was still plenty of water for the dogs to drink along the way. My plan was to stay on the trail until it reaches the saddle between Volcanic Neck and Bean Pk. When I reached the saddle I was greeted with some very strong winds. Because of the high winds I dropped pack and made my way easily along the ridge reaching Bean Pk in less than 20 minutes. I had hoped to continue South and descend to pick up the Bean Creek Trail in the basin below. The winds were much less on the summit as I searched for a summit register, as usual I couldn't find one. I retraced my route back to my pack and again braved the high winds. I dropped very quickly to get out of the biting wind and had lunch. The weather looked like it might turn for the worse so I opted to run parts of the descent. I am sure this route is much longer than the usual route, but I always like to make a loop if possible. I was happy to make this trip in 4.5 hours leaving me some extra time at home. I had to laugh as I made my way through a very soggy Snoqualmie Pass on the way home. It still amazes me how different the weather can be in areas that are really not that far apart.