North Cascades Mini-Trip

22-23 July 2009

The weather had been hot and dry in western Washington so C.J. and I thought we'd get above it all by going north and into the North Cascades National Park Complex to paddle and hike.

22 July, Wednesday - Not content with the usual route up I-5 and over on SR 20, we programmed "Sheila", our GPS, to take us via Granite Falls and the Mountain Loop Highway. It was a good choice. Strangely, in Granite Falls, there was but one small sign directing us to Verlot, a tiny village on the MLH. We took a lunch break at the site of the Big Four Lodge, with a grand view of its eponymous mountain (We couldn't see the snowfields which supposedly formed the shape of a 4, however). Along the roadside on the way to Barlow Pass, a strip of yellow flowers the same shade as the painted centerline gave a splash of color to the typical greens of lowland northwest forest vegetation. The pavement gave way to gravel shortly after we passed the gated approach to the old mining town of Monte Cristo and continued dustily for fifteen miles. There were a mulitude of casual camping sites along the river-side of the road all through the National Forest. Since we had taken the scenic route, we didn't pull into Colonial Creek campground until after 4 pm and I was concerned that there might not be much of a selection of sites available. As it turned out, both sections of the campground were open and there were so many sites that we set up at one on the hillside and then moved to another one right down on Thunder Arm. C.J. and I used the kayak cart to move to boat to our campsite so it wold be ready for an early start in the morning, knowing how the wind would typically kick up in the afternoon. After a no-cook dinner, we walked around the south unit of the camp and then attended a short PowerPoint slide show on glaciers (312 in North Cascades NP, 4 in Glacier NP). It was still hot when we went to bed partly because the wind had died down; we left the fly off to promote as much ventilation as possible.

23 July, Thursday - An alarm clock bird (raven, maybe?) woke us at 0615 or so and we heated water for breakfast. By 0745 we were on Lake Diablo and padling under the highway bridge. There were some low clouds but we could look back and see Colonial Mountain with its glacier above the campground. After passing through the logboom (placed to keep debris from entering Diablo from Colonial Creek and floating down to the turbine intakes on Diablo Dam), we paddled along the eastern shore and around the point. Shortly beyond we spotted a second campsite tucked back in an shallow inlet (the first one had been on Thunder Point at the mouth of Thunder Arm).

As we paddled east, the lake narrowed until we were in a canyon that was the original channel of the Skagit River before the three dams had been constructed. The Diablo Lake ferry passed us just before we reached the dock and a view of the waffle-faced Ross Dam. Just about then I noticed that it was spitting rain, in fact it was more like sleet or hail. Then it started raining pretty seriously and we sheltered under an overhanging tree for a bit. As the shower abated we paddled up far enough to peek around the corner at the dam and the "Danger" signs. We beached near the dock and got out some wind-and- rain gear because the temperature had dropped dramatically. It still looked like it was just going to be a shower because we could see blue sky to the west. Nevertheless, instead of staying to walk around and explore the Ross Dam area, we opted to start back just in case the wind was going to pick up early. [We had been making 5-6 kph on the way in; on the downstream leg the gps was showing 6-7 kph]. We stopped briefly at the second campsite in the continuing light rain and then headed around the point and across to the west bank past the Thunder Point campground. Around then we heard the first of several thunder booms and began to feel exposed in the middle of the lake arm. We never saw any lightning,and got back to shore at our campsite around noon. Without a fly, everything in the tent was either wet or soaked - quilt, sleeping bags, some clothing - it was a mess. After waffling for a while, we decided to pack it up even though it looked like the sun might come out. By the time we got everything back in or on the car, it had cleared, but we didn't know if that was temporary or not. We pulled out of Colonial Creek CG and headed east to the Ross Lake overlook on SR 20 where we set our chairs up in the sun and had lunch. We were surprised to see a pika down this low (under 2000 ft msl) since the ranger had said they like temperatures below 70 deg F. After studying the AAA map for a while we decided on a short hike to Rowley Chasm from the Granite Creek Trailhead just a few miles to the west. We repacked for hiking and secured the kayak with a cable before crossing the Granite Creek Bridge and turning right on the Chancellor Ridge Trail. It was all uphill through forest with a deep gorge to our left and waterfalls on the opposite ridge.

When the trail started downhill in a couple of miles we found a sign telling us that the Rowley Chasm trail was closed and not maintained. We headed down a ways and quickly came to a makeshift barrier which blocked hikers from stumbling into the deep vertical gorge which had cut the trail. We gingerly inched around the uphill end of it but decided not to hike all the way down to the Chasm (and have to climb all the way back up as well).











Besides, there were lots of downed trees to climb over or crawl under on the unmaintained trail. We got back to the car sometime after 1600 and headed for home in the sun and wind (Probably could have dried our stuff out if we had stayed in camp, but we had a good day anyway). The route Sheila suggested was south from Rockport to Darrington, to Arlington, then south on SR 9 past Snohomish to I-405 at Bothell. It worked fine and was at least different from taking US 20 and I-5 as usual. We reached home around 2030, tired.



And for another point of view, here's how C.J. described the trip to Paula:
We just got home from a cool adventure in the North Cascades: We paddled our kayak up Thunder Arm into Diablo Lake, right to the base of Ross Dam (end of the "road"!) and then back to our campsite. Amazing scenery, big mountains with glaciers, steep cliffs on either side of the narrow Arm, lots of waterfalls (it's not called Cascades for nothin'!), and then, just after we snapped a photo of the dam, deluge and thunder. Yikes!! The rumbles of thunder echoed and re-echoed for minutes, it seemed, in that deep canyon. We weren't cold, and the wind didn't get too bad, so it was just part of the adventure being right down on the water as the raindrops pounded down and bounced back up in tiny pillars of water at least an inch high. Too bad we don't have waterproof cameras – that would've been a cool picture!

Unfortunately, it's been so long since we've had any rain here in the NW (nearly a month), we'd forgotten that that's what it does around here, and we'd gone off without putting the rain fly on our tent. Duh! Our sleeping bags and pads were floating by the time we got back :0( With no way to dry things out – no guarantee that the sun would be back out any time soon – we had to pack up and head home a day early.

But, since by the time we were ready to leave it was only cloudy and not raining, we decided to hike into an area with the enticing name of "Rawley's Chasm." The trail was clearly marked on our AAA map, and on our GPS, but there was no mention of Rawley's Chasm on any of the info boards at the trailhead. Hmmmmm.

Turns out that the chasm is, indeed, very chasm-y, and the trail follows along well above the gorge for a couple of miles. Eventually, however, the route leading to the chasm had a sign saying "Rawley's Chasm - trail abandoned" on an old but official-looking wooden trail marker. It didn't say "turn back now!" or "danger de morte" so we decided to go explore. At first the only obstacles were large downed trees that we had to climb over or crawl under, but then we came to the real reason for the abandonment: A side chasm had opened up a huge deep gap, a split in the rocks that went almost straight down to the bottom of the chasm, too wide to leap across (and too scary to contemplate even if it had looked possible). We made our way up the hillside a bit to where we could get across the head of the side chasm and re-join the trail on the other side, but things went from nerve-wracking to downright terrifying – it was many hundreds of feet of cliff down to the bottom of Rawley's Chasm, right next to the trail, and there were a lot of obstacles that would have to be negotiated. Enough was enough, and we turned around.

When we got back to the parking lot, the sun was out and the wind was blowing hard enough that we probably could have strung a line and dried our tent and sleeping bags in no time. But we'd used up all our energy paddling and hiking, and drying things out and setting up camp again sounded like too much work, so we headed home, stopping at the scenic overlooks for excellent views down to the lake and the dam.

See some photos from this trip at http://picasaweb.google.com/GSturtevant .

Two Days at the Classic

Darren Darcy asked C.J. and me to help out for the last two days as launch directors/monitors/nazis at the Chelan XC Classic. Camping would be free at the horseshoe club behind the Chelan public library, it wasn't too hot and there was a BBQ the last night, so why not?

9 July 2009, Thursday - We got to Chelan early enough to set up our camp on the green grass (clue no. 1) of the horseshoe court near a bunch of other tents. Since it was Chelan we didn't put up the fly (clue no.2). The pilots' meeting was just ending as we got up to launch and we spent the next five hours (there were some re-launches) keeping the launches safe and more-or-less orderly. Conditions were pretty "big" with lots of flat-bottomed Cu's and later some towering CuNim's with at least one lightning flash. Even after lunch and a rest in the shade we were too beat to fly our own wings so we went down to hang out at the soccer field LZ where people were returning from great flights (or not returning - Sam Mulder had flown his pg to Creston and Meredyth was out at Wilbur!). Later we headed back to camp and found out why people protected their tents with flies - the sprinkler from the adjacent softball field had soaked our tent. Fortunately, we had only our pads and clothing bags in the tent and it was early enough for the sun to dry everything out. Chris A. joined us late for dinner (he had to rescue his tent which had blown away at Beebe). Before bedtime, Joe Jackson put a big rock in front of the sprinkler to keep the worst of the spray off of everyone - it worked pretty well, only two water streams hit us overnight - and, by then of course we had our fly on the tent.



10 July 2009, Friday - After breakfast we hung out in the campground until it was time to leave for the pilots' meeting. On the launch it was more of the same as yesterday but maybe even more dust devils. There was a time when none of the hang gliders were launching - the thermal appeared to be far out in front of Between-the-Rocks and no wind was flowing up the launch. Some people made the rounds of all the possible takeoffs with their gliders and ended up back at Green Monster. Still when we got the reports later, many pilots had great flights (Steve Stroming, for example, flew Withrow, Mansfield and back to the Butte; Brian Webb went to Withrow, Leahy and back to the soccer field). Around 1600, after lunch and a rest break, C.J. launched from Lakeside and got up over 9000 ft at the Butte, then made a run at the flats but turned back when the air started feeling funny. I met her at the soccer field and we hung out there until the BBQ was over around 2100. Pilots were still arriving from distant, or slow, triangles even after most of the burgers and brats were gone (Claudio was one - his route was Withrow, Sims and back, something that a hang glider would be happy with.)

11 July 2009, Saturday - Darren had to return to Seattle for a job so he turned the awards ceremony over to C.J.

She did a great job, getting each placing pilot to tell one story from the comp.

Sunny Jim told about dancing with the (dust) devil which resulted in a bent outboard leading edge, Naomi recounted her low save and flight to Withrow, Mansfield and back with Peter just ahead of her, both on Falcons. Later several of the competitors headed up the Butte and we found lots of PGs up there as well. But no one had launched (it was only 1130 or so) and it was already very hot, so C.J. and I decided to head home. First we stocked up on local cherries at Red Apple ($1/lb), then stopped at Aerial Paragliding's SIV clinic in the Entiat park to see how Patricia was doing (great!, as it turned out). The rest of the trip home seemed kind of long but when we got home there was still time to do some laundry and hang it out in the wind and sun while starting to water the dry garden.

Rat Race 2009

26 June 2009, Friday – We got out of North Bend around 0930 and pulled in to the yurt around 1830 with only minor stops and detours (like trying to check out the REI sale in Portland (not at Jantzen Beach anymore) and Eugene (missed the turn)). There were a few new features to the yurt including C.J.’s quilt, and a full-size futon/couch. We piled two fleece sleeping bags and our down comforter on another pile of futons on the floor and hoped we had brought enough warm clothes.

27 June 2009, Saturday – After a leisurely breakfast (late because it was so cold when we woke up), we went over and visited with Geoff and Teri for a while. Then we went to Rat Race HQ where we thought we could check in early. Nope – not until after 1400. Fortunately we got an offer of a ride up the hill with Steve Thibault, Lynn B. and Chris A. We weren’t sure we were going to fly but it looked okay so we punched off around 1400 and got some of that famous Woodrat mid-day turbulence. No one was getting really high due to the inversion and C.J. and I ended up in the LZ while Chris made it down the Applegate toward Grants Pass. Back at HQ C.J. registered and I waited for the volunteer meeting at 1800. Dinner was provided – baked potato with chili and other toppings and salad from Gail’s garden, watermelon for dessert, and two drink tickets (with a hired bartender). When we got back to the yurt, it wasn’t as cold as the previous night but a good temperature for sleeping.

28 June 2009, Sunday – Chris had joined us last night so we all had breakfast together early enough so we could leave for the HQ by 0830. On the way out we saw a dead buck by the side of Humbug Cr Rd and wondered if any of the residents would do anything about disposing of it. C.J. and I got our wings on to the white bus and attended the meeting. We were on top around 1100 and I had another meeting with John Stallman about wind tech-ing. . (Task – Woodln- Rabies-Woodrat Pk- Burnt-FlyAir-Purcell) I took off north at 1158 (1230 was when the comp window opened) since people were already soaring above the launch. I worked mostly in front of launch and got as high as 4800 ft but I wanted to get over 5000 before trying to cross to Rabies (or Burnt Ridge – I did make a very short attempt to go to Burnt but turned back). Finally I decided to go to Rabies just about when the launch window opened. I got there way below the ridge and watched Julie find lift above me. I turned back at 2500 ft and made it to the LZ with not much to spare. After packing up many of us got a ride back to launch. C.J. had already taken off and I was able to get some photos of her when the gaggle sank down to launch level. After lunch I geared up and launched again about 1440. Lift was a bit better and I flew around for a while before deciding to try my luck on Burnt. I reached there just below the ridgetop and found enough lift to maintain and then to climb to 5500 ft. Rabies seemed like an easy glide but again I came in way below the ridge as I had to fly through a bunch of sink on the way. Once again I turned back to the LZ at 2500 ft and landed. Meanwhile, C.J. had made the turnpoint at Rabies and spent a long time scratching up to get the TP at Woodrat Peak. When she tried to reach Burnt, however, her luck ran out and she had to land at the “old folks home” on the way to the LZ. She had flown for two and a half hours and was really tired. After checking in and hanging out with the rest of the pilots, we drove back to the yurt and made a chef’s salad for dinner. While eating on the porch, two pairs of turkeys came through the yard eating the grass seedheads and whatever else turkeys eat – quite the show!

29 June 2009, Monday – It was colder again in the morning so a hot breakfast of instant oatmeal (Costco) tasted really good. We got to the HQ a bit earlier than yesterday and loaded on to the white bus again. The meeting wasn’t as long and we got to launch earlier. Conrad Kreik ran the wind tech volunteer operation today. (Task – Woodln- Rabies-Woodrat Pk- Burnt-Rabies Pk-Cemetary-Dark Hollow) I launched around noon and after a bit of a struggle found good lift to 5500 ft. I headed to Rabies on a line south of the LZ kind of aiming for the new cell tower and lost less than the direct line that Julie took. Even though I was well over Rabies Ridge, I found only spotty lift and had to return to the LZ and land after a total of 25 min. I hung out in the shade for a while, eating lunch, and listening to the traffic on the emergency frequency about the Australian who had thrown his reserve and come down behind Woodrat Pk. I thought C.J. may have landed in the field at the “old folks home” again so I walked back to HQ and got the car. I picked up a pilot walking down from there and he said he was the only one in that field. I gave him a ride back to the LZ where I found C.J. who had made the Rabies turnpoint before being forced to land. We went back to the HQ and hung out until the people who made goal returned, including Chris, Mer and Arun, among others. Then we drove back to the yurt for another chef’s salad, and turkey parade.

30 June 2009, Tuesday – We got up earlier in order to get to a free breakfast at Fiasco Winery just outside of Ruch. The winery is owned by a longtime hang glider pilot and there is a landing place behind the tasting room. So now we have two wineries vying for our paragliding presence. The pilots meeting and shuttle departure was from the winery as well. I launched around noon again (after slipping on the gravel and falling on my first attempt) and was able to climb probably a thousand feet above launch before crossing to Rabies above the cell tower where the lift was turbulent as I pushed through the inversion (I assume). At just over five grand I left for Burnt and arrived below the top. Lift was spotty and not consistent enough for me to climb out. I was hoping to fly to the goal at Donato’s but ended up in the usual LZ after 40 minutes. Later I got a ride to the winery and then waited around for C.J. to land – she had made the FlyAir turnpoint. We drove in to Costco in Medford for gas then came back for socializing and the mentor lecture on speeds-to-fly. Afterward most of the pilots went to the dinner at Las Palmas in Jacksonville.

1 July 2009, Wednesday – We got to HQ just barely before 0900. The forecast was for “epic” conditions – early breakup of the inversion and then climbs to 9,500 ft. However, on launch, conditions seemed about the same as the previous days. Wind techs were not getting high and no time had been posted for the task which optimistically had been set for Grants Pass Pk and back to Donato’s with some other turnpoints. I waited until 1310 to launch and had a 37 min flight of no special significance – I tried once again to get up on Rabies at the cell tower but was unsuccessful and landed in the LZ. Dave Wheeler was the only wind tech to get high and eventually go to goal. I went back up in case more wind techs were needed but by the time I had reached launch the window had opened and the gaggle was forming. I had a chance to get some pictures of C.J. launching before the start window opened and the gaggle cleared. By the time I was ready to take off, the gaggle was back over launch and I waited until the sky cleared to go. I had some good lift but more sink and found myself down the ridge working near the mid-launch and expecting to sink out. But I caught a last-chance thermal and got back over 4000 ft and crossed to Burnt. [Before then I saw C.J. land in the LZ after tagging the Start, WoodLn and Burnt turnpoints.] After scratching around the ridges and bowls I caught a good one over Burnt and climbed to 5200 ft, then headed toward Poormans (TP). I didn’t get a single bit of additional lift even as I approached the ridge and had to bail out and land on the dirt road below. I quickly packed up and hiked out to Poormans Creek Rd and caught a ride on the white bus shortly before I got to Sterling Cr Rd. The bus went out to Donato's and picked up most of the 20-25 pilots who had made goal, and a few more along the road. We didn’t get back until 1830 (?) and I was glad to see C.J. and head back to the yurt for a shower and supper.

(C.J. launching and flying toward Rabe's Ridge)

2 July 2009, Thursday – I had missed my volunteer garbage pickup job last night so we went in early to do it in the morning. At the meeting the volunteers all got a big round of applause. The weather was forecast to be better than yesterday with possible climbs to 12,300. At launch there were clouds over the Siskiyou Mountains in the distance and around much of the horizon. However, the wind techs were barely getting above launch. I waited until 1315 to launch and there was still not a task called. I was able to climb above launch almost to 5000 ft and then sank down and had to climb up again away from the usual ridge thermal source. I crossed to Burnt, climbed and crossed on a lifty line to Rabies where I climbed to my highest point for the day at 6000+ ft. Then I dived back to Burnt thinking I might be able to go to the goal at Donato’s (Mike H had announced the course over the meet frequency – LZ-Burnt-BaldH(beyond Humbug Cyn)-Poormans-Donato’s). Unfortunately I sank like a rock at Burnt and had to squeak towards the LZ. On the way I ran into some lift and climbed out enough to reach Rabies Ridge again. I flew over the cell tower and kept going west toward FlyAir in lift and zero sink. I had already decided to land at the Longsword Winery and turned south about 1 km from FlyAir. The wind was strong enough at Longsword that I hovered down in the middle of the field and practiced my high-wind landing technique (bend knees, grab D’s or C’s and pull them when feet hit the ground and straighten the knees to unload the glider) for about an hour-and-a-half. Several more pilots landed after I did and there was a glass of wine for each. C.J. landed there too using Big Ears and speedbar to penetrate. Back at HQ we later found out that many pilots had been able to climb to over 10,000 ft, an unusual occurrence at Woodrat. Some had made the transition from Rabies to Donato’s on a glide from 9000 ft. After Brian Webb’s mentoring session on XC Skies, most of the pilots went to a catered dinner at Fiasco Winery (C.J. and I collected tickets and money with Paula Steed).

3 July 2009, Friday – I did the morning garbage pickup again because Mayumi had gone home. We got to the top a little later than usual and people were already soaring. The task was called by 1200 and I launched as soon as I could, 1230, to stay ahead of the 1300 start window. I climbed to almost 5000 above launch and felt a bit crowded so I crossed to Rabies and found lift over the ridge above the cell tower. I climbed to 6200 and went back to Rabies Peak and managed to stay pretty high. Then I pushed on toward Humbug canyon without much lift. I wasn’t worried because I was going to go north around the head of the valley and that meant flying right over Isabelle Peak. To my surprise and dismay, there was no lift at Isabelle and none along the valley headwall so I had to land in Al’s field just a short distance north of the yurt. I carried my bundled wing down to Terri and Geoff’s and folded up on their lawn in the shade. Terri gave me a ride back to the HQ in her Rabbit convertible. C.J. had made it at least as far but landed in the Applegate valley NW of Applegate and hitched a ride back to the HQ driveway where Ron Paul gave her a ride the rest of the way in. After the wrap-up mentoring session (where Meredyth got a round of applause for being the only person to make goal), we had a scholarship benefit dinner of burgers and leftover fried chicken (from the Fiasco dinner last night).

4 July 2009, Saturday – The last day of the Rat Race – at the morning meeting C.J. and two others received a Loyalty Award for seven years of attendance from the first year to the present. At launch no one was soaring and there was a long wait before the task (LZ-Burnt-SugarL-WoodLn-Mt_Isa-Purcell (later changed)) was called. I got tired of waiting, and took off when there were a few pilots soaring. I got up near 5000 ft thermalling back from the ridge and crossed to Burnt where there was a tiny Cu. Sure enough, there was strong lift that took me to 6500 at up to 1000 fpm, and 640 fpm on the averager. Then I headed across the valley to Rabies in big sink (up to -1000 fpm) and a headwind. I found some lift over the ridge but by then I was down to 3500 ft and the lift was inconsistent. I flew back to the LZ and landed in turbulent conditions but not much wind. Meanwhile wind tech Nicole was getting to 11,000 ft over Woodrat. I went back to the HQ and could see the first competitors launching around 1445. A half hour later the task was canceled and many pilots, including Jeff Farrel and C.J., drove down. Some of the pilots who flew got as high as 13,500 ft, probably a new site record – from there they could have made goal on a glide! The awards dinner began around 1800 – lasagna, bread, salad and a couple kegs of beer – and was followed by the awards presentation…followed by half the crowd getting thrown in the pool. We headed back to the yurt around 2100 – looks like the neighbors are having a party so it’s anything but quiet here tonight.

(Debbie V., C.J. and G at the yurt)

5 July 2009, Sunday – We cleaned the yurt and got headed home around 0930. I’d considered going via the coast but we didn’t have a tent with us and it would take more than a day. So we went back up I-5 with a Costco gas-stop at Eugene. It was mostly smooth going until we were almost to Olympia then we had a ten-mile stretch that was stop and go driving. We got home around 1845 and C.J. immediately started watering her thirsty plants, some of which had apparently been gnawed by deer.