Lodge Lake Snowshoe Hike

Christmas Day 
December 2014

A bit of blue sky near Lodge Lake

Finally Snoqualmie Pass is getting some snow - not enough to open the ski areas but plenty to provide a winter hiking opportunity. Since we did not get started on the trail until 1215, we were surprised to find the trail untracked after a short distance. (We passed a family group returning from a brief foray into the forest.) Once through the woods we got into the deeper snow of the ski slopes and put on our snowshoes. The trail was reasonably easy to follow; someone had been through there a day or two ago and the packed-down snow had not been totally drifted over. Near Beaver Lake we guessed wrong and followed a snowmobile track up along the east side of the stream until we had to cross it to reach the real trail (part of the Pacific Crest Trail) on the other side. We used a drift and some bushes to get across the stream and then crossed a small inlet on ice before reaching the trail. Once we were in the forest, full of tall firs covered in a thick coating of newly fallen snow, the depth of snow on the ground decreased quickly to just a few inches and we were able to stash our snowshoes behind a convenient tree. Much of the rest of the 3/4 mile downhill to the lake was

Winter shadows and Guye Peak

on the gravel trailbed and across several unfrozen streams. We passed our 1430 turnaround time before we found the cutoff to the lake, but not by much. We made up for it by not stopping for lunch, or any sit-down breaks. With the low cloudbase there was not much to see except the frozen lake. The lodge built by the Mountaineers in the 1900s had long since burned down. On the way back we saw that someone had come in behind us on snowshoes and had stopped when the trail became more rocks than snow. We didn't replace our snow shoes until we had climbed to the 3500 ft high point on the ridge above Beaver Lake and had started down. Instead of retracing our route through the woods to the trailhead, we left the trail above the parking lot and went right down through the now-thinning crowd of sledders and other snow-players. It was 1615 before we reached the car and the sun had already set. Four hours to complete a three-mile snowshoe hike seemed a bit much but we got plenty of exercise and a good dose of winter scenery.

Sourdough Gap Hike

10 November 2014

C.J. crossing Sourdough Gap

 C.J. and I started off looking at the hike to Crystal Lake from Hwy 410 at 3500 ft climbing 2600 ft to the lake in three miles. Somehow that didn't sound like enough of a fun-to-effort ratio so we looked at starting much higher - like over 5000 ft at Chinook Pass - with a gain of 1100 ft in about four miles. The views were reported to be excellent. What we didn't count on was the snow that fell the night of the 9th...

G in snow at trailhead

We got an early-for-us start at 0730 and reached the trailhead parking lot around 0930. Beyond the turnoff to Crystal Mountain we started seeing a dusting of snow on the roadside. By the time we were climbing to Cayuse Pass, the snow was deep enough that it had been plowed off the road. 410 over Chinook Pass was icy but it had been sanded (unlike the parking lot (5400 ft) which was glare ice). One car in the lot indicated that there was someone who had gotten an earlier start. Snow depth was 4-5 inches and I was guessing that it would be deeper the higher we went, so we strapped our relatively light snowshoes to our packs [Relatively light compared to the ash and gut Green Mountain bearpaws we had sold only a few years ago].

Shadows at Sheep Lake

The trail paralleled the road along a steep slope for a mile and a half then climbed through forest to the partly frozen Sheep Lake (5800 ft) at 2.1 miles.I was pretty surprised that it had been so easy to get to the lake considering the trail was covered with snow and there were only two tracks ahead of us. But the snow had not gotten much deeper and we had not needed our snowshoes. The next section of the trail climbed 700 ft or so in 1.4 miles to Sourdough Gap at 6425 ft. We had a glimpse of the top of Rainier from near the Gap and good views of Naches and Yakima Peaks as well as the broad, U-shaped valley of the American River. But it was clear that we would have to traverse the steep slope on the backside of Sourdough Gap if we wanted

Rainier from lunch spot above Crystal Lake

a good view of Rainier. Much of the snow had slid or blown off the slope, but the trail was deep in wind-blown snow. We followed the tracks for a while, postholing with every other step. Finally we put on our snowshoes and then it went a bit easier for the quarter mile or so to

Gray Jay, this one was not a camp robber

the next ridge. Beyond that we found a great view to the west which included most of Mt. Rainier. We stomped a platform in the snow and had lunch in the sunshine and calm wind. We finished up just as the dark shadow from a crag to the south reached us.

The tracks of the people in front of us did not follow the steep trail down to Crystal Lake as we had expected. Instead they (and two other people) took the Pacific Crest Trail to Crystal Mtn ski area. We used our snowshoes to

C.J. at Sheep Lake

return to Sourdough Gap, then removed them. Once on the sunny side, the snow had softened up but as the day waned and the sun sank behind some clouds it started to cool off again. We left the Gap at 1350 and reached the car almost two hours later (It had taken three hours to climb to the col). The parking lot was even slipperier than before and I took a fall before figuring it out. C.J. had been doing really well both up and down, but her feet were still causing serious pain especially later in the day. This will be her last hike before another round of foot surgery to release the tension on the tendons in two other toes.

I drove carefully down Chinook Pass as the sun set. There won't be many more days before the pass is closed for the winter. We stopped for hot chocolate at Wapiti Woolies in Greenwater and ran into Harold Locke. We got home some time after 1730. Good thing we had some leftovers for dinner because neither of us felt like cooking.

Naches Peak Loop Hike

29 July 2014

Mt. Rainier from Naches Peak Loop Trail

Last year when C.J. and I were returning from our hike to Bear Creek Mountain in the Goat Rocks, we stopped at Chinook Pass and ate lunch in a meadow that was bursting with wild flowers. We were already aware of the relatively easy hike around Naches Peak, half in the William O. Douglas Wilderness Area and half in Mt. Rainier National Park, but we were short of energy that day and made a note to return. As the wild flower season approached this year, C.J. kept an eye on trail reports on the WTA.org site. On the 20th a hiker reported the trail was mostly snow-free and the flowers were starting to look good, especially the beargrass. On the 28th another hiker said that the flowers were peaking but the bugs were as well. We decided to go for it.

Avalanche Fawn Lily

To avoid the worst of the bugs we left later than we had originally planned, around 0830, got gas at Covington Costco (367.9) and parked at Tipsoo Lakes by 1045 or so, after some road construction delays. There were plenty of cars in the parking lot (and probably more at the other lots just beyond Chinook Pass) but, except for a couple of large family parties, the trail never felt crowded. It took very little time to climb through forest and meadows to the pedestrian footbridge over Hwy 410 at the 5400-ft pass. The bright-red Indian Paintbrush were abundant, and this time there were many white

Beargrass and the Snuffbear

Avalanche Fawn Lilies where snowbanks had recently melted. The pink heather was in bloom on the east side slopes of Naches. We passed a shallow tarn and reached a view of Dewey Lake, 700 ft below, shortly after noon and stopped for lunch at a scenic overlook just off the trail. Fortunately there was a breeze (or, maybe thermal cycles) which kept the worst of the bugs away. Continuing around to the south of the peak we passed the trail to Dewey Lake (a detour here would have added 2.2 miles to the 4.5 mi of the loop trail) and entered Mt. Rainier NP. In a short distance we had a full view of The Mountain. Taking the trail in a clockwise direction was the right thing to do to keep Mt Rainier in sight for much of the last half of the hike. We passed another shallow tarn. At a stream I filled my water bottle with cold water so we could mix up some Crystal Light. Unfortunately the batteries were low on my SteriPen and I couldn't purify the water so we were out of luck for cold lemonade. However, we were on the downhill grade and were soon crossing 410 below Upper Tipsoo Lake. We followed the trail around one side of Lower Tipsoo and were once again back to the parking lot (around 1400).

Selfie along the trail

On the road we were both feeling sleepy so we stopped in Greenwater at Wapiti Woolies. In addition to their stock-in-trade of Nepali knit hats ($28-$48) they had a coffee shop/ice cream counter in the back. I got a mud slide mocha - an iced mocha latte, not blended, with chocolate whipped cream, while C.J. got a cone. We enjoyed our treats in (plastic) Adirondack chairs on the lawn behind the store. Then we went back in and purchased a 12 oz jar of "mountain berry" honey, mostly because it came in a bear-shaped glass jar. Back on the road we only went a few miles before stopping to see what the Federation Forest State Park might have in their visitor center. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation and we skipped the chance to walk the short interpretive trails. 

G at the Flaming Geyser

Since we had never been to Flaming Geyser State Park on the Green River, we drove down into the park and walked a short distance to the small flame which was burning methane gas generated by a thin coal seam nearly a thousand feet underground. We also walked up a second trail to a spot where another exploratory drilling had reached a different layer of coal and allowed methane to bubble up through a stream. Afterward we walked along a trail with informational signs about salmon migration. We got as far as the put-in point for many of the folks who were here for the day to float down to the end of the park on various inflatable gizmos. The water was cold but the river looked mellow enough - maybe we should bring our Sevylor inflatable kayak down there some time.

We stopped one last time in Covington to get some groceries at Costco and Fred Meyer. We were home around 1700 or so.

Snow Lake Hike

 17 July 2014

C.J. and I have not done any hiking for a while so we thought we would start with something that was not too challenging. I thought it was a five-mile round trip but it turned out to be almost seven miles. The last several days have had temperatures in the 90's, much hotter than normal for the west side of the Cascades. [The east side is even hotter and getting hammered by wildfires.] Today was the first day forecast to have highs in the 70's.

C.J. and blooming beargrass on switchback

We got a reasonably early (for us) start from the trailhead at Alpental (3100 ft) at 0915. No snow along the steadily ascending trail until we reached the pass at 4400 ft. But the beargrass was blooming along with a small assortment of other wildflowers. From a boulder above the trail there was a great view of the lake with some ice and snow on the far end. We crossed several short, snowy sections of trail before reaching the toilet (a box with a cutout toiletseat-shaped cover over a deep hole) and several campsites near the lakeshore. At a trail junction (main trail / lake access) we walked down to the lake and then bumbled around trying to find our way back to the main trail on the maze of herd paths. Back on the main trail we found a good rock outcrop that jutted into the lake (4000 ft) and took a break for lunch (about 1215). After enjoying the sun and a cooling breeze, we continued on the trail up a short climb to the junction with the Gem Lake trail where the main trail continues way down  to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River (1482 ft) That was our turnaround point and we began to retrace our route. So far we had met (or usually, been passed by) about a dozen day hikers, not bad for this very popular trail; now we began to encounter several small parties of backpackers, some with young children, heading in to find one of the few campsites near

Snow Lake and the pass

Snow Lake. Once we climbed back up to the pass, it was all downhill on the rocky trail. We were back at the parking lot around 1530 - six hours to do seven miles - we've definitely slowed down over the years. [Despite C.J.'s foot pain she sets a pace that I'm happy not to exceed.] On the way home we drove down the old "wagon trail" passing the trailhead for the Franklin Falls trail and Denny Creek campground. A stop at Swirl in North Bend for frozen yogurt helped us cool off, but we were both more than ready for a shower.

Map on kiosk at trailhead

Dud of a meteor shower/ Memorial Day weekend

23-26 May 2014

A rare crossing of earth with the path of a comet from 200 years ago was supposed to produce anything from a few meteors to a "meteor storm" on the night of 23-24 May. Our friends, Peter and Naomi Gray, invited us to watch from their Eastern Washington yard and spend the rest of the night. Since they threw in a dinner and a breakfast prepared with fresh eggs from their "lap chickens" we couldn't refuse.

The drive to Ellensburg on Memorial Weekend Friday was unsurprisingly slow from the top of Snoqualmie Pass almost to Easton. As is usually the case with these kind of slowdowns, we saw no reason for it - no accident, no construction, no gapers block, even. [Maybe it had something to do with the rain - I know that I was wondering if we were going to be able to see the sky at all, much less any meteors.] Anyway that put us at Peter and Naomi's around 1800, a half-hour late, but we weren't on any rigid schedule. There was still time to cuddle their strangely-friendly hens, meet the new chicks and have dinner and visit. Sometime before 2300 we went out behind the house and studio to an open area that was reasonably sheltered from light and stretched a tarp out to lie on. The strong winds we had had earlier had died off and the temperature had dropped to where layers of fleece felt comfortable. Unfortunately the Camelopardalid Meteor Shower was more like a trickle and we saw only two bright ones with long steaks. There were, however, a surprising number of satellites. Mars and Jupiter were also in evidence. We stayed out until after midnight which should have been the time of maximum meteors then gave it up and went in to crash on the living room futon.

Peter and Naomi made a big pan of scrambled eggs and veggies and C.J. had brought blueberry streusel muffins for breakfast. Naomi had an 0900 class on oil painting to teach and we couldn't talk Peter into skipping the chores he had planned for the day, so we were on our own for a hike. The Desert Hikes book once again had many local choices and we picked one west of Thorp, Shell Rock. The road/trail was now gated so we didn't have the option of driving the first 3/4 mile to the top of the ridge [but it was a steep, rocky road anyway with one rough, washed-out area]. At the saddle (top, at the 3/4-mile mark) we took a detour to the south to climb a bump and look down at the Manastash canyon and the Lazy F camp and retreat center (with a field big enough to land a paraglider).

C.J. found many flowers to photograph along the trail

Then we continued NW along the road through scattered ponderosa pines and lots of flowers crossing a gate onto state land. Every so often we'd head west across rocky but flower-strewn fields to the cliff edge and look down into the Manastash drainage, but the wind was so strong that it would not have been comfortable to eat lunch there. We settled on descending a slope to the east into the trees where there were ponderosa pine needles to cushion the rocks for our seat pads. Not far beyond we came to a junction; one way indicated "authorized vehicles only" by order of the Dept of fish and Wildlife. Later we found that we had gone about 2.75 miles to that point (more with the detour to the first overlook). To make a loop trip, we headed south cross-country, eventually descending into a canyon and walking along a dry stream bed until we hit another road/trail which took us to the original saddle at 3/4 miles from Manastash Road where we had left our vehicle. The GPS and mapping app on my phone were a big help in doing the XC navigation and indicated a distance of 2.77 miles back to the car from our turnaround point. C.J. says, "And as we came back to the car, a group of young folks were just coming to the trailhead. They must've seen George's Purple Heart license plate, because one of them said, "Thank you for your service, sir." I thought that was pretty cool!"

The drive home through Thorp and along Hwy 10 following the Yakima River to Cle Elum was more scenic than retracing our route on I-90, but didn't take much longer. We were home around 1700 and ready for a shower.

Sunday I was back to replacing the deck boards near the sliding glass door, a job I had started on Thursday. Too bad the new treated 2x4s are so wet that I can't stain them until we have some dry weather and they dry out a bit. I did manage to get the front yard mowed before it started raining again.

Monday is Memorial Day and appropos of that I should note that Washington State provides veterans who have at least a 30% disability an ID card which gets the holder free admission, camping and boat launch at all State parks. We first saw a hint that such a thing was available when we camped at Beebe Bridge Campground near Chelan. The fee sign included a category for disabled veterans with ID card. When I checked with the Chelan PUD, which runs that campground,  they said that I had to apply to the state. C.J. and I are looking forward to putting the state parks on our list of places to visit now that camping there will not be so expensive.

Beach'N Weekend 2014

2, 3, 4 May 2014

From the top of Steamboat Rock

The end of April had a string of days with summer-like temperatures in the lower 80s. The weekend, however, was predicted to be rainy and cold again. Not so Eastern Washington and Chelan. Unfortunately for flying, the winds kept us on the ground and and on the desert trails. Of the almost thirty pilots who braved the "breezy" forecast, many got in flights either on Friday or Sunday, with a very few sneaking in a flight between even higher gusts on Saturday.


2 May, Friday - C.J. and I finished packing the car and trailer with almost everything (I forgot my hiking backpack this time, and we both left our cameras home.) and were off at 0930. We had no trouble finding a pull-through site at Beebe Bridge PUD campground for the off-season (and senior) rate of $15/night. After setting up, filling the water tank and hooking up electricity and water, we set off for Banks Lake and Steamboat Rock. (We had already checked with Steve Wilson who had flown

Split Boulder on Steamboat Rock

earlier, and he had not recommended the conditions.) It was about 1 hr 15 min to the State Park and trailhead for Steamboat Rock. Leaving the car parked at the rest room of the Dunes campground, we walked up the wide gravel trail through a sea of mostly bright yellow arrow-leaf balsam root flowers. The next bit of trail was a scramble on steep loose rock followed by a second not-quite-as-steep scramble to a trail junction. We took the left branch leading southerly and then another left to a third climb to the high point and the southern edge of this basalt erosional remnant. A trio of hikers followed us to the viewpoint and gave us some information about where to go for even better views. [The Desert Hikes guidebook showed a loop trail but the Best Wildflowers Hikes book showed no such thing.] We set off along the edge of the 600 ft high cliff and talus until the herd path petered out and then we cut cross-country to descend to the next section of the Rock. A short climb brought us to a boulder split vertically into several pieces, an obvious landmark. From there we

Six hundred feet to the surface of Banks Lake

ran into a more defined path along the edge of the cliff with great views to the west. We could see Barker Canyon across the lake where we had launched our kayak for a couple of paddle trips in previous year. We were glad not to be paddling today in the very

Shadows at Steamboat Rock

strong winds. In fact, we we glad that we were not walking on the very edge of the cliff, and that the wind was southwest and not easterly. The trail continued more or less along the cliff edge gradually closing the loop around the southern end of the Rock and skirting the eastern side. All along the way there were lots of wildflowers, some we recognized and some that were new to us. Eventually we descended to the trail junction we had left at the top of the steep "trail". Going down was tricky and our hiking poles were put to good use. Our hike of between five and six miles had taken about four hours. Instead of driving back through Grand Coulee and Leahy to Mansfield and camp, we headed south from Steamboat Rock SP along the eastern shore of Banks Lake to Coulee City where we hoped to find a place for dinner. The one restaurant was closed and the two bars didn't look promising so we continued on arriving an hour later at camp for a good meal of marinated fish, polenta and salad.

4 May, Sat - after a relaxed breakfast of pancakes with plum jam, we drove up to Lakeside Park to register for the fly-in with Lori Lawson. There were only about ten names on the list at that time, but more signed up later. Although we had seen three or four paragliders flying - most to the Chelan Falls soccer field rather than to the beach at Lakeside, we had decided that the winds were too strong to consider flying. Desert Hikes had several more hikes that were not too far away and Lori told us about some new trails right in the Chelan area. We decided to go for a hike in Moses Coulee near Jameson Lake, a nature preserve centered on Dusty Hills Falls (Dutch Henry Draw), about four miles north of US 2.  [On the way we drove through Waterville which must be the county seat of Douglas County. The courthouse is there as well as a museum and a hotel, and Shockers Snack Shop (the local high school team is "the shockers").] Unlike Steamboat

Dusty Hills "Falls"

Rock, there weren't many wildflowers and there was no climb at all. Dusty Hills Falls was not roaring or even flowing - dripping water was feeding a small pond at the base, fouled by cow pies. We headed south along a cattle trail which kind of disappeared in the forest of head-high sagebrush. Eventually we crossed the dry McCarteney Creek (all the dripping water must have percolated into the sandy soil) and came out into a meadow that looked to have been formed by a long-ago fire burning off the sagebrush. Another half hour of walking took us to a cleft in the wall of the coulee and a good, scenic lunch spot. We returned on the west side of the dry creek and found the trail much more defined. Back at the car we turned north to visit Jameson Lake, a long, narrow lake populated by somnolent fisherfolk in folding chairs and small boats. There appears to be a large DNR dry-camping area beyond the resort's RV park. It was pretty empty on this May weekend. On the way back to camp via McNeil canyon, we spotted the Jorgensens and followers at the old gravel pit/training hill and stopped to say hi. Later we heard that the wind was too crossed to be good for training. Back at camp we took showers while it was nice and warm and then rested until it was time to go

Pool below falls

back to Lakeside for the pizza feed. [When we got back to camp I noticed that the towbar was missing its 5/8 in. pin and was starting to pull loose. We stopped at Walmart to get a replacement on the way to

Spotlanding on the Lakeside beach

Lakeside. Did someone steal our pin? Did the safety pin get pulled off somehow?] Lori had ordered ten pizzas from Valerie's (after getting the "We're too busy to be helpful" feeling at Local Myth) and received eleven so there was plenty to go around. In the wind, the pizzas didn't stay hot very long - the usual problem in early May. Lori had also provided a nice Caesar salad, and watermelon as well as bottled water. We stuck around until 1930 then went back to the trailer to read and rest.

4 May, Sun - While we were eating breakfast we saw three paragliders flying down to the soccer field and one soaring. Since we had no idea how many more might be flying on the Lake side, we didn't waste too much time. Still we had to pack up the trailer and haul it up to the park where we found a place to park on the right side of the road. Rather than disconnect and drive up we asked Lenny Baron if we could ride up with him and he came back to pick us up after he dropped his son and friends off at the junkyard to hike to the top. It was pretty chilly and breezy on top and I pulled my flightsuit on over my fleece jacket. We watched a few people take off and the  hangs were doing fine but the paras had rough going as they flew through the rotor right off launch. We both decided not to fly as did Kevin White who we drove down with. Gene Beaver, Mark Rogers (a new pilot, student of Steve W) and Steve Wilson. When we arrived at Lakeside we found that Steve had landed in the lake, Ron had landed in shallow water and other folks had also found big sink just before landing and barely made it to shore. Mark had gone to the soccer field, Gene had flown across the lake to his lodging near the city park. C.J. and I hung out with the other pilots and had lunch before leaving around 1420. We ran into rain on the way to Wenatchee and more rain on and off the rest of the way home. It was still raining lightly in North Bend (around 1650) but we got unloaded and the trailer inside before it started raining harder.

Talapus and Olallie Lakes

 4 Nov 2013

Click on photo to zoom-in, ESC to return to blog

The sun was shining although the forecast for later was rain. There was a trace of snow near the top of 4000-ft Mt. Si in our backyard, but we didn't think anything of that. Once C.J. finished checking the beta of the December magazine (and finding several uncorrected edits) we bailed out of the house.

We were able to drive all the way to the trailhead on FS 9030, the old Lookout Point Road (I think, although it doesn't show that name on the maps any more). We had last hiked up to Talapus Lake, about two-plus miles and 1200 ft elev. gain, several years ago on Christmas Eve. This time we didn't bother carrying snowshoes...we would not have needed them this time either. There was one car at the trailhead and we met three other people on the trail. I understand that that's a really low turnout for this trail.

Wilderness Boundary

We started up what appeared to be a continuation

C.J. at Ollalie Lake

of the road at 1100, crossed some swampy area on sturdy boardwalks and negotiated several switchbacks all in hem-fir-cedar forest. We didn't stop at Talapus and it was another 1.25 miles and 500 ft of elevation gain to Olallie Lake. We had been walking in frozen granular snow and ignoring the snow and drips from the trees most of the way up, but now the snow started getting deep enough to hide the trail as we reached the upper lake. BTW, we hadn't changed out of our warm clothes for the whole hike; it was that chilly. The sun was still shining on the far end of the lake but the clouds were starting to roll in when we sat down on our inflatable pads for lunch at 1310 or so. Later we continued on, hoping that the trail continued around the lake; it didn't

G at Talapus Lake

and we started back down around1345. It took just about two hours to reach the car with a stop at the lower lake to enjoy the view up into the mountains. Total mileage was probably just over seven considering the extra distance to the north end of the lake where the obvious trail petered out. This was our first hike since PDT changed over to PST and it was already getting gloomy as we hiked the last mile (sunset was supposed to be around 1650). At least the threatened rain held off until we were home and had had dinner.

Putrid Pete's Peak

Putrid Pete's from I-90

21 October, 2013, Monday                    

Yeah, that's the name that has gotten stuck on this mountain in the I-90 corridor. It may have been named because you'll be plenty stinky by the time you climb the 3300 ft in 2.4 miles. [Hikingwithmybrother.com claims this bump on Defiance Ridgewas named in honor of Pete Schoening, a Seattle mountaineer famous for "The Belay" which saved six climbers on K2 in 1953] C.J. and I stopped at the first good viewpoint shortly after the trail ceased using switchbacks (twenty-some-odd to that point) to gain elevation. 

C.J. on the lower trail around noon

It was another foggy, cold day in North Bend, but we had been inspired by Chris and Patricia's report on Mt. Si the day before - warm and sunny above 1500 ft. Naturally we got our usual late start, but we popped out of the gloom by the time we had reached exit 38. It was already warm enough to shed jackets at noon before we even left the Ira Spring Trail parking lot at the end of the 3.6 mi FS Road 9030. Just a couple of hundred yards up the old road, now a wide trail, we continued straight when the road switchbacked to the right. For an unsigned and unmarked trail, it was remarkably well maintained. We followed long switchbacks up and up finally crossing a talus pile that offered a bit of a view. Just beyond that, about 2 mi from the TH and 3600 feet above sea level we reached a rock outcropping that provided a good view across the valley and as far south as Mt. Rainier. C.J. was concerned about how her still-healing feet were going to do on the way down so we stopped for a late lunch on the outcrop. Later I pushed a little way up to a clearing and

G just above our lunch stop

had a better view of the treeless ridge above. But it was right at our agreed-upon turnaround time so we headed down stepping carefully on the quite steep trail until we hit the more gentle switchbacks. We were back at the car by 1700 and the sun was just disappearing behind the peaks to the south from our perspective. When we reached North Bend we could see that the edge of the fog was only a mile to the west and by the time we had showered we were once again in the gloom.

Dan Heath Memorial Party

and fly-in

"Business card" by Ray Kehl

9-12 August 2013

Dan succumbed to cancer a month or more ago but this was the first opportunity for his pilot friends to gather. Dave Verbois hosted almost two dozen friends and spouses at his cabin near Winthrop where Dan had been a frequent visitor.

Sunday morning balloon fly-by

9 Aug, Fri - Since nothing was scheduled for Friday, we got a late start, but around 1330 we pulled the Aliner out of the driveway and headed over Snoqualmie and Blewett passes. Traffic was minimal and we arrived in about 4.5 hours including a stop to top up the gas tank in Cashmere ($3.769) (GasBuddy app had pointed out that gas was over $4 a gallon in the Winthrop area). We had dinner with Dave and Jaro Lahulek and Leslie got home a bit later from her part time job at River Run Resort (or Riverside or River-something else). Ray Kehl and Forrest "Frosty" Keller arrived later and so did Steve and Susan Stroming. Dan "Sparky" Peterson dropped in for a while on his motorcycle then headed back to his lodging in town. We were glad that I had put the roof straps over the Aliner roof and the painter pole extended from A-wall to A-wall because we had strong winds, some rain and lots of thunder and lightning.

10 Aug, Sat - Patti Fujii arrived in her new 2010 Honda Insight; she had camped in her car at the local KOA not being sure if she could find the cabin in the dark. Ida and her husband of two years, Terry, showed up in a big motor home. Jim Lorenz and Roy Olson drove up together but just for the day. The forecast was pretty good for flying at Goat but there was a 30% chance of thundershowers and big cumulus development could be seen over the North Cascades. We all headed up to Mazama, minus Leslie who had to work, plus Leslie's daughter Julie and her friend Todd. We milled around at the Mazama store for a while and walked out to the corral LZ. Finally it looked like the wind was switching from down-valley to up-valley so we drove to the launch. Since Jim and Roy weren't staying for the dinner and informal memorial, they recounted some stories, mostly about trips to Mexico with Dan. Dave had brought Dan's cremains and we spread some around launch and put some in baggies to carry into the air. Just about every pilot flew including C.J. but I decided to drive down instead. C.J. landed after a good flight just as I got to the LZ. We hung out at the store for a while after getting packed up then most people headed back to Dave's. C.J. and I went back to the LZ and ran into Carl Bevis who had just arrived. Steve Stroming was finally heading out to land between Flagg and Bear Mtns and Carl found him first and gave him a ride home so C.J. and I were on our own. Back at Dave's there was a big tub of cold beer, wine and soft drinks plus a bunch of chips, salsa and chunky guacamole to eat while we told tales of Dan's exploits. When Leslie got back from work we had pulled pork and cole slaw for a main course. Ellen and Chaffee came in a bit late because he had gone up to hike and fly Bowen Mountain, but there was plenty of food. If anyone had any room left, there was rhubarb crisp from C.J. and brownies and ice cream brought by Ellen. Julie was doing some video interviews during the evening but neither C.J. nor I could think of anything significant to say. We headed off to bed and another night of gust fronts and thunderstorms.

That sure looks like a bear in the woods...

11 Aug, Sun - By the time we got up and joined the group who stayed over, Leslie had just about finished cooking up a bunch of scrambled eggs and sausage to go with the leftover rhubarb crisp and cherry coffee cake. Most folks started packing up and heading home after breakfast; unfortunately for some, the North Cascades Hwy had been closed by massive slides caused by the heavy rain up there overnight. Since the Sunday traffic  was going to be even worse than usual on I-90, we decided to stay another night. Flying didn't seem like a good idea since the chance of T-storms was 50%, so we took Steve's suggestion and headed north of Winthrop for a hike. It was about twenty miles to the Freezeout Ridge/Tiffany Mountain trailhead.along the east fork of the Chewuch and Boulder Creek. In fact, we drove through much evidence of the 2011 Boulder Creek Fire and even hiked

Wildflowers on Freezeout Ridge

through some burned area. It was a surprise to reach the trailhead (1200) and find a half dozen cars already there since the last few miles of the road were gravel and pretty well washboarded. Starting from 6500 we climbed steadily through forest (some burned) until we broke out on the ridge which was covered with grass, rocks and lots of wildflowers. As we passed the jct leading R to Whistler Pass and started climbing more steeply toward the 8200 ft summit, the sky began showing signs of overdevelopment closer to us. By the time we had reached 7900 ft it was pretty clear that we were in for a storm. Another hundred feet or so higher we felt the first raindrops and the temperature dropped along with the increase in wind velocity. We pulled on cagoules and rain parkas and headed down after a quick detour to look over Whistler Pass and the Conconully valley. Thunder was rumbling in the near distance but lightning was fortunately so far absent. On the way out we saw one other couple heading down and two other folks coming up (!) the ridge. It never rained hard which was just as well since we had not brought along rain pants and I didn't have a fleece jacket, not having expected it to get cold. Most of the cars were still at the trailhead when we left (1530 or so). Back in Winthrop it was hot and dry and we stopped to get an ice cream cone and window shop the nifty-gifty stores along the main street. When we arrived back at Dave's cabin he and Leslie looked pretty tired so we decided to move on and camp somewhere different. We drove down through Twisp and then up US 20 to Loup Loup Pass and a Forest Service CG of the same name. It was in the forest at about 4000 ft and was nice and cool - great for camping - and uncrowded. We had no storms there overnight.


12 Aug, Mon - After breakfast we drove back down almost to Twisp and then backtracked as far as Chelan where we got enough gas ($3.879) to get us to Cle Elum at least where gas was supposed to be $3.559, but when we got there we found that the credit price was 10 cents more. Oh well, that's something that GasBuddy could improve. [Later we found out that gas prices had been dropping and in Issaquah Costco was selling regular for $3.559.] We were home by 1600.

13 Aug, Tue - Took the 1430 shuttle to fly at Tiger.

Bear Creek Mountain, Goat Rocks Wilderness

Aug 4-6, 2013

Wildflowers near Chinook Pass

It's been decades since I've visited the Goat Rocks; it would have been my first trip with Explorers Caravan back in 1966 (?) when we packed into McCall Basin. This trip was partly inspired by a report of the XC pilots flying from Bethel Ridge above Rimrock Lake. Then, when I was in the library, the hiker's kiosk had a book about the best wildflower hikes in Washington. I glanced at it thinking about returning to Mt. Rainier where the wildflowers had been so good at Paradise, but my eye was caught by a hike to a mountaintop with a view into the Goat Rocks as well as a more distant, but still close, view of Rainier and Adams. C.J. thought it sounded good even if the distance was right about at the limit of what her healing foot could take. The predicted wildflower peak season was the last week of July to the first weeks of August, so we were right on the best time.

4 Aug, Sun - We decided to leave on Sunday afternoon to avoid the crowds and take our time. Allowing four or five hours gave us plenty of time to stop at Costco Covington for gas and lunch, and also make stops at scenic pullouts along the way. The weather cooperated nicely with warm but not hot temps, and blue sky

Clear Creek Falls

with some afternoon towering cumulus development. Our first scenic stop was at the Palisades viewpoint on US 12 not far from its intersection with SR 123. At White Pass we pulled off the highway for a quick glance at the ski slopes before starting back down. We passed White Pass CG (at Leech (!) Lake) and stopped to drive through the small CG at Dog Lake with Spiral Butte above. At Clear Creek Falls we wandered alongside the fence above the quite spectacular falls. In the distance we could see part of Rimrock Lake and our first view of Kloochman Rock, a jagged, 1200-ft-high cleaver written about by Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas in Men and Mountains. We turned off US 12 on to FS 1200 Tieton Res. Rd. and then took the left fork to Clear Lake CG North. There were two small campgrounds across the street from each other and we chose the one that had no other campers. C.J. and I had decided that for a one or two night stand in summer weather it didn't make sense to take the Aliner, so we quickly set up the tent and put on the rain fly in case the overdeveloped cu's decided to drop some rain. Then we took a scouting drive past the Clear Lake Dam and the Clear Lake CG South (where we saw a sign for potable water). Back on FS 1200, we drove down to Rimrock Lake passing the turnoff for Section 3 Lake which would take us to the trailhead for tomorrow's hike. The drive was somewhat disappointing because the road was separated from the lake by a wooded ridge so the views were not spectacular until we reached the shore. Then we could see a couple of nice islands, Goose Egg Mtn and glimpses of Kloochman. We could also see Bethel Ridge in the distance. Passing the long emergency airstrip (looked like a good LZ) we returned to US 12 and turned west back toward camp. The road ran along Rimrock Lake for much of the distance and we stopped once to read the history of the dam that impounds the lake and provides irrigation water to the Yakima valley. Back at camp C.J. prepared a surprise dinner of stir-fried fresh veggies, garlic, bacon and parmesan cheese (in lieu of the carefully prepared sauce left behind in the refrigerator) served with angel hair pasta. The bugs and bees were a bit of a nuisance and we ended up hiding out in the tent before it was fully dark. Fortunately the temperature cooled right down in the evening and the conditions were right for sleeping.

5 Aug, Mon - Thinking that we had a fairly long drive to the trailhead followed by a fairly long hike (for us), we started getting ready around 0630. I heated up some water for tea and cocoa but we had cold cereal instead of taking the time to make and clean up oatmeal. The route started off as good gravel (FS1205), became gravel with water bars (FS1204) and then became big, angular gravel for the last few miles. Somewhere along the route we were surprised by three large female elk bounding across the road in front of us. On a sidehill stretch of the road we took a couple photos of a snaggletoothed extension of Pinegrass Ridge before finding the parking area empty at Section 3 Lake/Bear Creek Mountain trailhead (1103). I think we were there by 0830 and on the trail at 0845 but the first mile was slow-going as we climbed a few hundred feet through the forest, almost immediately passing into the Goat Rocks Wilderness. The next mile was mostly at the same elevation through forest and meadow. We crossed Bear Creek at two miles amidst a profusion of wild flowers and began to climb through rocky and sandy/ashy scree gaining 1000 ft in less than a mile to the ridgecrest. Once on the ridge the trail wended through scrub pines with a view southwest to the

Mt Gilbert from Bear Crk Mtn

G climbing to ridge

Goat Rocks and Mt. Adams. Once we had reached the rocky summit the view opened to the northwest where Rainier dominated the horizon. Both the major volcanoes were partly shrouded in clouds but Mt. Gilbert, Ives Peak and Old Snowy were clear in the near distance (about four miles). We signed the summit register and noted that there had been a bunch of people up there the day before. While eating lunch (a little early since we had reached the summit by 1130), we were joined by the only other hiker to climb to the top (and his young dog). After trying to take a panorama photo with my phone camera, we started back down - much easier at first but then more difficult as my knee began to hurt and C.J.'s foot likewise. Nevertheless, we were back at the car by 1545 - about 6 hours to do 7 miles, but that's including 45 minutes of lunch and summit time. Along the way, at Bear Creek, I tried to purify some water with my SteriPen Traveler but the power light did not illuminate - perhaps the batteries were too old. I last used the SteriPen in Arizona when we were down there staying at Pine Top and Flagstaff. [Should have checked the batteries before dumping out the last of my water.] We met one other couple on the trail about a mile from the trailhead and ran into the guy and his dog who had taken a cross-country route down from the summit.
On the way back to camp we tried to find the water faucet at the south Clear L CG and finally noticed that there was a pump. Unfortunately it produced pretty brown water so we would use it only for washing. We also stopped at the Clear Lake dam and walked to the shore - nice lake! Back at camp we heated a pan of water and hung up the solar shower so we could rinse the day's sweat off. Dinner was soup and salad - could have used some cold beer, for sure, after that long, dry hike. We relaxed in our little camp chairs before the bugs got bad until we were ready to get some sleep.

6 Aug, Tues - Since there wasn't any great rush, we got up a little later and by the time we had oatmeal cooked there was some sun in the campsite. We were still on the road shortly after 0900 and headed for

Clear Lake Falls

closer views of Kloochman Rock. On the way we stopped at the falls just below the Clear Lake dam, and checked out some alternate camping sites. Various maps, paper and electronic showed us a route to the east side of Kloochman [FS 1202, 571, 570 and unnamed spur]

NW spires of Kloochman Rock

and we drove on steadily narrowing roads until we reached the end. Apparently there is no close approach to the base of Kloochman on a road. We had to settle for glimpses of one section or another of the rocky ridge. When we returned to US 12 we turned east and almost immediately came to the turnoff for Bethel Ridge (A sign indicated that FS road 1500 went all the way through to SR 410 (at Nile) but it looked like a long drive on gravel.). By the time we had reached the junction with 410 we were in a more typical dry E WA ecosystem with lots of columnar basalt lava flows. According to Roadside Geology of Washington Cleman Mtn is a tightly folded anticline and 410 runs in the syncline between it and the next ridge to the south. Our first stop was just

G in Boulder Cave

beyond Cliffdell at Boulder Cave and picnic area (USFS). There were a surprising number of cars in the small parking lot considering that it was a Tuesday but we were lucky enough to have the 400-yd-long cave to ourselves. It was 0.25 mi or more uphill paralleling a deep slot canyon to the cave entrance. The cave resulted from the collapse of a big chunk of undercut lava flow and the stream still flows along the floor of the cave. Farther along 410 we stopped at a viewpoint for Fife Peak (Tom Fife was a local miner according to the information posted). Around 1300 we reached the Chinook Pass area and it looked like we were definitely back in the crowds we had experienced last week in Mt. Rainier National Park. Still, we found a place to pull off the road almost beneath the pedestrian overpass/entrance arch to the park. We grabbed lunch and our "sit-upons" and headed down the PCT trail toward Tipsoo Lakes. Wildflowers were present in profusion and we selected a place to sit in a little meadow where we could enjoy the color of glacier lilies, magenta paintbrush, pasque flowers, lupines and many others. [The loop trail around Naches Peak looks like a good bet this time of year for a reasonable (4.5 mi) wildflower hike without any major ascents or descents. Parking is also available at Tipsoo Lakes.] Back in the car we drove down the switchbacks on the west side of Chinook Pass remembering why it wasn't advisable to attempt to ski that road. We took the detour around the east side of Enumclaw to avoid city traffic. We stopped to shop, get gas and buy an ice cream bar at Costco and then headed for home arriving around 1600.