Atrium Peak 5359' Big Heart Lake 10.5.10

With an expected stellar weather day on tap I wanted to make the most of it. ONELUV1 signed up for a long trail day. I had been to Big Heart Lake 10 years ago when my wife and I made the jaunt to an overlook of Angeline lake where I proposed, so needless to say I many fond memories of the area. The goal was to climb the high point between Angeline and Big Heart Lakes at 5359' Atrium ranks #73 on the Home Court list. While there is a way trail that nearly goes overtop Atrium, the distance from the Trout Lake Trailhead is a worthy defense.

Mailbox Peak 9.28.10

With an emotional week and a compressed time frame I was looking for something closer. I needed something efficient and with some elevation gain. Mailbox was the perfect fit for this day. I had hoped for some good weather so I could run the ridge to reach West Defiance (Dirtybox) which is on the Homecourt 100 and I haven't climbed as of yet. The weather was wet and very humid so I packed up some extra layers to ward off the wet. Since I was going to be on a popular trail I off loaded some extra weight that I usually carry. Even with the lower weight couldn't offset my heavy heart. It has been almost 8 years since I have done a trip with only one of my dogs. Last week's lost Beagle didn't turn up and since I had more than one report of him along side Hy 2, I finally resigned myself to the fact that I have lost my faithful partner. Since I had been keeping myself busy at work I hadn't really dealt with the loss. On Sunday before work I decided to look through years of pictures to make a folder commemorating a dog's fine life. This provided an emotional two days that took a lot out of me. Undaunted I pushed on.

A Dogs Life 9.26.10

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The Badlands 6245', Painter's Thumb 6744' 9.21.10

 I was very happy to see a improved weather forecast and since I had an entire day I thought I would give the legs a good stretch. The main goal was Painter's Thumb which is just West of Painter Creek and can be attempted in a variety of ways. While the Peak itself poses no special problems it is defended by sheer distance. The shortest route is via Hatchery Creek and that is still 18+ miles and because of the ups and downs of the route has 7100' of climb. Using Chiwaukum Creek would be longer but it doesn't have nearly as much vertical. Since the Badlands trail nearly goes overtop the high point of The Badlands I thought this would be the route of choice for this day. I was happy to see some piercing sun when I arrived at the Hatchery Creek Trailhead. In fact I took a picture of my shadow since it seems to be such a rare sight for me of late.