Mt. Pilchuck

Today after work I drove straight up to Mt. Pilchuck trail head for a second attempt at the lookout. Last month I fell short due to a nasty storm and very poor visibility (I could have made it to the top, but it wouldn't have been worth it with no views.) I started from the trail head at about 3:45 pm and there were a few cars in the parking lot. I saw a few groups of people coming down the mountain as I was headed up. Today was a hot, clear, sunny day. It was in the mid 80's while I was climbing, so needless to say I got pretty dang sweaty real quick.

The trail is pretty rough. For those who haven't been on this trail before (and who hasn't, this is easily one of the most popular trails in the area) it is a mix of rocks, roots, boulders, man made steps, rocks, some dirt and more rocks. (This trail is VERY rocky.) But on a clear sunny day you can't beat the views you get along the trail and eventually once you reach the lookout. At the lookout you have views of mountains in all directions including across the Puget Sound. It is quite the sight which is probably the reason which makes this hike such a popular one. The climb isn't too terribly difficult climbing 2200 feet over 2.7 miles reaching a peak elevation of 5324 feet.

The lookout has a wealth of knowledge and history. Lots of history is posted about the lookout, the region and the Mountaineers, who maintain the lookout, with interested old pictures. All the peaks and mountains are labeled inside the lookout so you can identify them. As much wonderful information there is in the lookout I wouldn't advise staying in there too long on hot days because it gets super stuffy in there with no airflow. One of my favorite parts of the lookout is the big American Flag standing proud, high in the skyline. Very patriotic.

On especially clear days you can see Mt. Rainier towering in the skyline. Today I could just barely see it as clouds were starting to form just in that direction. But needless to say, the views here are breath taking, especially considering how close to town it is.

The climb back down was a quick one for me. I still had work the next morning and that makes for an early wake up. So after I took some pictures, ate a quick snack and enjoyed the lookout for a few minutes I made a quick exit and met a few more people on their way up, who probably had a much later bed-time than me.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2200 ft.
Peak Elevation: 5324 ft.
Difficulty: Medium
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

South Sister summit Attempt

While on vacation in Bend I had a short window that I thought I could squeeze in climbing South Sister Mountain. I got up and got ready way before the sun was up (on vacation, no less) and headed for the trail head. It took me a little longer than I hoped to find the location of the trail head and so I started off a little late. I hoped to be climbing before the sun came up, but I didn't get started until shortly after first light. The trail begins climbing toward Moraine Lake under a canopy of trees. Although it was still very early in the morning, it got pretty warm pretty quickly and I shed some layers just after a few hundred feet of elevation gain. I didn't encounter anyone on the trail on my way up to Moraine Lake. I first came across snow at about 6000 feet, where you hike a short distance on the snow in a clearing in the trees. Again you start climbing toward the lake and about this spot I lost the trail and had to do some route finding to get back where I needed to be. I finally reached the leveling off part where Moraine Lake was. The lake was still mostly all frozen over.

Here the trail splits and heads toward South Sister summit and becomes less of a defined trail and more of a boot path through the flat lands covered in snow. You make your approach toward South Sister with lava fields flanking you on either side, though covered in snow at this time. I lost the boot path, and as I stared down the mountain in front of me I tried to find the best route up the mountain. At this time of contemplation I saw a lone hiker behind me a ways off. I waited for him to see which direction he went. He was still on the boot path so I followed him and up the mountain we began our ascent. The sun was out full force at this time and it was beginning to get really hot really quick. Temperatures in the high 80's early in the morning.

As I climbed on the snow, I kept thinking to myself how the heck is this snow still here when it's 90 degrees outside!? But I just kept climbing and drinking lots of water. Eventually I left the snow and started climbing amongst rocks and very loose gravel with two glaciers on either side of me. This was the most arduous part, the sun was beating down on me, I was at 9000+ feet with little oxygen and every step I took I slid backward on the loose gravel, I had been hiking for several hours and I was hungry. I found a large rock I could sit behind for some shade and ate some lunch and drank more water. I started climbing toward the summit again although it was slow going. I was reaching my predetermined turn around time and it was apparent I wasn't going to reach the summit in time. I could have made it if I had more time, but a wise man once told me "Never miss your turn around time for any reason." I wasn't about to go against that advice today especially due to the excessive heat and my dwindling supply of water. So I decided to turn back about 500 elevation feet short of the summit and make my way back down. Coming down wasn't as easy as I had hoped, at least not on the steep loose gravel part. I slid several feet on the loose gravel at least a dozen times. But once I got off the loose gravel it was smooth sailing. I even glissaded down quite a lot of steep snow parts without ripping my pants, which was my fear.

I saw several people on my way down either attempting the summit or most people just stopping at Moraine Lake. It was a good trip, but a little too hot for me. I think we are coming back next year, a little earlier in the year and I'll allot myself more time to try for the summit again.

Region: Central Oregon, Outside of Bend
Distance: 12 miles (total distance)
Elevation Gain: 5000 ft
Peak Elevation: 10358 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.

Alta Mountain/Rachel Lake

I had a 3 day weekend due 4th of July holiday. I went to work on Thursday with all my stuff for a 2 nighter packed up in my truck. I left work early and drove down to the Tenneway corridor. I arrived at the Rachel Lake trailhead and quickly got my hiking gear together and started toward the lake on the trail. There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot when I started hiking. The trail starts off climbing just slightly on a relatively well kept trail. I saw a couple people coming down this section as I was heading up. After a short climb the trail evens out for a bit while you walk through the Highbox Valley covered in shade by the large forested canopy overhead. The peaceful jaunt through the forest all by myself was just what I was looking for, beauty and solitude.

Occasionally you escape the canopy and can see the surrounding peaks including Highbox Peak. Alta Mountain is one that can't be seen from the valley trail (or at least I couldn't find it.) After a solemn walk through there is a stream crossing which is rather sketchy, to put it nicely. I managed to get across without removing my boots and wading across (though that might be a good option.) Almost immediately after this crossing the trail climbs steeply and the trail becomes more rough wrought with roots, rocks, mud and the like. The climb is about a mile and there are more stream crossings, including one directly under a beautiful waterfall. Eventually you reach the lake. I found a few snow fields around the lake, but none requiring any snow equipment. There was only one other group up at the lake that night, so I found a great spot all by myself right next to the lake, great lake front property for the night.

The next morning I got up cooked a good breakfast and got ready to head up to Alta Mountain. From the lake you start out climbing a rock field which was covered in snow at the very bottom near the lake. The snow was melting fast so falling through and landing on some of the rocks and twisting an ankle was a real concern of mine, but I managed to get through unscathed. After climbing the rock field there is somewhat of a boot path that leads all the way to the top of Alta Mountain. The climb isn't too terribly difficult but there are large portions still covered in snow. It probably wasn't necessary but I did have my ice axe and I used it. I reached the top at about noon and I relaxed at the summit and ate lunch and took in the beautiful sights for about an hour by myself. I didn't see a single person on the climb up or down to Alta Mountain. On the way down I could see clouds rolling in from the west and by the time I got back down to camp at the lake there was some pretty good cloud cover.  I camped again that night at Rachel Lake however this night there were far more campers than last night. There were about 6 groups that night but things were still peaceful and didn't feel crowded. I got up the next morning before most of the other campers and made a quick exit. On the way down I encountered a few more hikers coming up for the weekend, some looking to go to Rachel Lake and some more looking to go all the way to Alta Mountain. It was a great trip and one I would do again in the future. Most enjoyable!

Region: Snoqualmie Pass
Distance: Rachel Lake 8 miles (total distance), Alta Mountain via Rachel Lake 12 miles (total distance)
Elevation Gain: Rachel Lake 1600 ft, Alta Mountain 3150 ft
Peak Elevation: Rachel Lake 4600 ft, Alta Mountain 6150 ft
Difficulty: Rachel Lake Medium, Alta Mountain Medium-Difficult
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass.

As always check out all the photos from of the hike and every hike by clicking on the "Photos" tab.