Monte Cristo/Silver Lake

After work on Friday and buddy from work and I drove up to Monte Cristo trail head and headed the 4 miles toward the old mining town. The hike into the town is mostly flat, gravel and wide. It's pretty simple aside from a few detours where the gravel road had washed out and you meander through the woods on a small dirt trail and one giant log bridge used to cross a river. The log is really long and wide and should be fairly simple for most hikers, but because the rest of the trail is really simple there are lot of young, elderly, inexperienced hikers who attempt this hike and they might get frightened by the task of crossing a fallen tree several feet above cold moving water.

After crossing the river, the rest is pretty smooth sailing until you get into the town. There are several established campsites right outside the town center. This being a Friday night, and as expected, there were quite a few campers occupying these campsites. My buddy and I found a well treed spot since we were using hammocks to do out camping and awaited the arrival of the third member of our party. He got a later start than us and was on his way. He arrived shortly after we did and got our camp all set up for the weekend.

Once we got our campsite situated and everyone's hammocks were just perfect we headed into the town of Monte Cristo to check out the history of the old mining town. There is an old train turnstile that can still be moved, several buildings still standing and AMAZING mountain views. I can see why it was a popular destination; very beautiful.

The next morning we headed up from Monte Cristo to Silver Lake. The hike to Silver Lake is more of a typical hike; narrow, steep and dirt, with spots of awesome views. You reach the lake after 2 miles and 1600 feet of elevation gain, a lot of the elevation gain is toward the very end.

The lake was still partially covered in snow and ice, but beautiful nonetheless. There were a few parties up there that camped overnight. After we spent some time at the lake, and filled up our bottles with water we headed back down the trail. When we got back into town we relaxed a bit and started getting food ready for dinner. We all made up our own Mountain House meals and hung out for a while and gathered firewood for our campfire. We enjoyed a relaxing night around the campfire and then went to sleep in our hammocks.

In the morning we got up and cooked some breakfast and then packed up our campsite. We headed back to the trail head on a cloudy Sunday morning. When we got to the trail head we quickly realized my buddy's truck was MISSING. Someone had stolen his truck! We drove around the area in my truck looking for any signs of it off in a ditch or another parking lot with no luck. We reported it stolen to some park rangers we found at another trail head parking lot. On our way back into town we found it! It was parked on a side road. We talked to some people camping nearby and they witnessed this truck being used to break into other cars along Mountain Loop Highway. There was some minor damage to the truck and we couldn't get it started. We eventually had to get a tow truck to tow it to his house.

The hike, location and camping were tons of fun, but the bummer of my buddy getting his truck stolen was really lame and put a sour taste in our mouth about the whole trip. It's pretty sad how we can't go out and enjoy the wilderness without fearing for our possessions. I hope no one else has to experience this kind of bummer.


Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass-West
Distance: Monte Cristo 8 miles/Silver Lake 4 additional miles
Elevation Gain: Monte Cristo 700 ft/Silver Lake 1600 additional ft
Peak Elevation: Monte Cristo 2800 ft/Silver Lake 4350 ft
Difficulty: Monte Cristo Easy/Silver Lake Medium
Pass Requirement: Northwest Forest Pass

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

Barclay Lake

A good way to celebrate our nation's Independence Day is to enjoy some of the beautiful gems our country has and Barclay Lake is one of them. This morning we hike with a large group (my wife and kids and my sister and her family and my two brothers and their families) up to Barclay Lake. This is an easy 2.2 mile hike that can be done with little kids. My 5 year old hiked the full 4.5 mile round trip by herself. On a busy day (like today) parking can be a bit of an issue, so I would suggest going early if you can. Because we had such a large group, we did not arrive as early as I would have liked, but we did find parking.

Once we were all unloaded (and about 37 bathroom breaks later) we were ready to hit the trail. Immediately you are drowned in shade from the canopy of trees above. The trail conditions remain vastly unchanged for the majority of the hike. Very little elevation gain or loss with some roots and rocks on the trail. There is one log bridge that crosses over a creek which is a pretty neat spot. There is also a clearing a little further past the bridge where you can see a spectacular view of Baring Mountain towering over you nearly 4000 feet higher. Simply amazing. Keep going on you come to the lake, this year the lake was much bigger than in previous years. The very wet winter and spring made for a high lake level.

Our large group found a nice spot by the lake and ate some lunch and hung out for a bit and then made our way back to the cars. We went a little faster on our way out due to some of the little kids made their way to the toddler carriers on their parents' backs instead of walking. When we got back to the cars the parking lot had cleared out substantially. It was a great day for a hike and everyone had lots of fun.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, West
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 500 ft
Peak Elevation: 2423 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

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

Lake Valhalla Snowshoe

The morning after Christmas a few friends and I drove up to Stevens Pass on a nice winter day. It was around 30 degrees at the pass, cloudy with no precipitation. Although there was a big storm scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, it was quite pleasant in the morning while we were hiking. We parked at the Stevens Pass parking lot with the rest of the skiers and snowboarders, but instead of going to the resort like the rest of the masses we headed on the PCT toward Lake Valhalla.

The trail toward the lake was almost perfect. There was a path already made in the snow like someone had been there a few days before, but it was still soft and not real crusty. It made for great snowshoeing. We continued on the path taking in the great views of valleys and mountains covered in snow. We traversed a couple slopes that could be potential avalanche hazards, but the avalanche conditions weren't high today. We still proceeded with caution, but fortunately nothing of concern happened.

We hiked in a couple miles on the trail and decided to turn back before we reached the lake due to the impeding storm. We didn't want to get stuck in the high winds and downpour of snow. So we made our decision and headed back to the trail head. After we returned to the parking lot we decided to have lunch at the Ski Resort. That ended up taking much longer than we anticipated because one of the restaurants was closed due to not having any running water, so the only remaining open cafe was crowded. But it did give us time to catch up and visit for a while. After lunch we headed home feeling good about a fun and successful snowshoe trip with friends.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass East
Distance:  4.5 miles
Elevation Gain:  350 ft
Peak Elevation:  4800 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: None

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

Today my brother and I took the canoe out to our super secret giant hidden lake. Literally, it is a nearly 1700 acre lake that doesn't allow motor boats or swimming which is probably why it isn't a very popular destination. But it does allow canoeing, paddle boarding, kayaking, etc. So on a beautiful holiday weekend we set out on the canoe with no one else in sight. We explored the other side of the lake and found a good docking place and got out and looked around for a bit. Lots of cool untouched land. We got back in and paddled the glass like clear water into an inlet in search of more cool places to explore. We eventually canoed all the way to the far inlet of the lake and found a cool beach.

We beached the canoe and explored the area. Found a cool bed-down area where deer certainly have been, a good spot of gold-panning, and an excellent site for a future camping trip, and a bald eagle perched on a dead tree stump. We grabbed a quick snack and paddled back to where our truck was. By the time we got back it was mid-day and there was a total of 1 paddle-boat, 1 kayak, and 1 paddle-boarder in the lake in addition to us (on a holiday weekend with blue skies and perfect 80 degree temperature!!!)

We will definitely be back for an overnight trip to our secret beach site. And maybe, if you're really nice and I like you, I might tell you where it is...


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

Dirty Harry's Balcony

This is a new hike to me, one I've never done before. I think that is going to be a focus for me this year; hikes I've never done before. Should be a good year I hope. Well anyway I drove down after work Friday night to the trail head and slept in the bed of my truck. I have modified my truck to be quite a comfy overnight sleeping arrangement for such occasions. Saturday morning I woke up and ate some breakfast and headed out. The trail head is located on a firefighter training facility road, the road has been closed to civilian vehicles, so you have to park outside of a gate and walk about a half mile on the road before you get to the actual trail.

Once on the trail, you start to climb quite steadily and consistently almost the entire way with little areas of relief. Even though you are climbing the whole way it isn't so steep that it becomes too difficult. The trail is a bit uneasy though because the trail is almost all rock. So be cautious about rolling an ankle or slipping if the rocks are wet. Normally I wear my trail running shoes if I am just doing an easy day hike with a small day pack and only use my boots when going on longer hikes with a heavier pack or if I'm doing some scrambling. On this day I wish I would have had my boots because of all the rock.

As you continue up the trail you will see another trail off chute from the main trail, that's the one you want to take. I knew beforehand there would be a intersection of trails and one would lead to the balcony and the other would lead to the peak. I took the wrong trail and after a few hundred meters I realized I chose the wrong one and had to backtrack. But it wasn't much and I quickly was going the right way. Eventually I made it to my destination: Dirty Harry's Balcony.

Dirty Harry's Balcony offers great views of surrounding peaks and Snoqualmie river below and also of I-90 if you're into watching vehicles from 1000 feet above. There isn't a ton of room for large groups to sit and relax on the balcony so if it is a crowded day in the summer it might be kind of a bummer if there are lots of people there with you. I was lucky there were only 2 other people there when I arrived. After soaking up some sun and some great views I grabbed a quick snack and headed back down. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day at about 70 degrees. Couldn't ask for a better day.

Region: Snoqualmie Region, Snoqualmie Pass
Distance:  5 miles
Elevation Gain:  1300 ft
Peak Elevation:  2600 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Pass Requirement: Discover Pass

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

Lime Kiln Trail

This morning I took my two older daughters (age 4 and 1) on a hike. My 4 year old is finally enjoying doing the hiking herself, she used to be carried in the pack by me and thought that was what hiking was, riding in a pack. But now that she is older and I have a younger one to pack around she has had to do the hiking herself. This was the first hike that she actually loved walking herself the whole time. So that was good to see.

We headed toward down town Granite Falls and just outside of town is the trail head for Lime Kiln Trail. It is a great easy hike for kids, lots of old growth and if you make it to the Lime Kiln lots of old history. It's really cool. We didn't make it to the kiln today, our goal was really just to get outside and let the kids enjoy the wilderness. It was a success.


I packed the little one the whole time and let her out and explore when we stopped for a snack. She absolutely loved it. My 4 year old also loved hiking the whole way and was obsessed with how much mud there was (there wasn't even that much mud in my opinion). But to her it was way too much mud and made a comment about it every time we came across any mud.

The trail was in good shape, there was one downed large branch that easily stepped over. Even my 4 year old could get over it with no help. We only hiked in a little over a mile and then back out. But it was a good mix of dirt and gravel with open views of the sky and being dwarfed by large trees. Certainly a good hike to start the season with and get the kids outside and excited about nature and wilderness even though you are just outside of town.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance:  7 miles
Elevation Gain:  625 ft
Peak Elevation:  750 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: None

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

Yellowstone

We were able to spend a week with another couple and their son staying in West Yellowstone and visited the park on 4 days. I will say Yellowstone is a very unique place. Lots to see and wonder at. We got to see most of the park, and hit a lot of the big attractions. And we went on a short hike with the kids. Some of the things we saw were: Old Faithful, Midway Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, Fountain Paint Pots, Morning Glory Pool, West Thumb Geyser, Yellowstone Lake, Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Artist Point, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Mud Volcano, Hayden Valley, Lamar Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs, Firehole River loop, and TONS of wildlife.

We had lots of fun and the weather was perfect, sunny everyday but not too hot. The crowds weren't too bad either since it was near the end of summer. I think it was the perfect time to go. Great time was had by all.

Climbing Wall

For the past week or so, when I had a spare hour or more I have been working on building a portable adjustable climbing wall. I wanted to build one for my daughter so I can start teaching her the basics of sport climbing. I also wanted it adjustable to change the difficulty so I can get some practice as well.

I started working on the fabrication of the parts with my brother. We worked on it for a couple hours the first day and got a lot of the wood cut to correct size and a lot of the holes drilled. Then it was getting late so we called it a night.

After the first night I worked on finishing all the parts and getting it ready for assembly. I ordered the hand holds online and had to wait for those to arrive before I could assemble the parts.

Once the hand holds arrived I installed those in the wall sections and assembled the parts to create the  adjustable wall and got to climbing!

Goat Lake

On Friday I worked a half day at work and then went to meet up with a bunch of Boy Scouts from our church. We were going to hike and camp at Goat Lake. We all got in three vehicles and began our drive through Granite Falls and up to the trail head. We arrived and started off in two separate groups: the older boys and the younger scouts.

The trail starts off wide and well groomed with a gentle slope to it shaded by tall trees. Shortly after the trail begins there is a fork in the trail. You can either take the Upper Elliot trail or the Lower Elliot trail. Both take you to the same destination (presumably Goat Lake) but the lower trail is a little more rugged, up and down, and shorter. The upper trail (if I remember correctly, I've hiked this trail about 3 years ago) is a little longer, more groomed and consistent. Today we chose the lower trail, eventually after a couple miles the upper and lower trail join back together and flattens out while you hike under some tall skinny trees that allow streaks of sunshine in onto the trail. It is actually quite beautiful. After hiking in the valley most of the way, you begin your climb to the lake. You gain most of the elevation in the last half a mile or so. The trail becomes rocky and steep and after a few switchbacks eventually you can hear the falls near the lake and you've arrived. We hiked at a pretty quick pace and got there in about 2 hours.

Once there we picked out our campsites and set up camp. We waited for the younger scouts to show up, because naturally they were substantially slower. Once they arrived they began setting up their campsites and the older boys and another leader and myself went to check out the lake. A few of the boys jumped in off this cool dead tree that jutted out into the lake about 40 feet acting like a diving board. I was assured the lake was cold, and I believed them. After swimming in the lake for a bit we attempted to hike around the lake. That proved to be difficult as there is a trail that goes for a ways, but then disappears and turns into heavy brush. We eventually turned back and headed back to camp. We individually made our own dinners and ate whatever we brought up. The younger boys did some repelling of a rock cliff that they found, which looked like some good fun. At that point it was getting dark and late so we all headed to bed.

The next morning we woke up and took down camp and ate breakfast. Most of the boys had to be back by noon that day so we didn't do much at all except eat breakfast and pack up camp before we headed back down the trail. Again we took the Lower Elliot trail due to our time crunch. The group in front took about one hour and 20 minutes to get down to the cars. We waited about 30 minutes for the rest of the boys to show up. Once we all got back safely we headed home. It was a good, fun, short little over night hike.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance:  10.4 miles
Elevation Gain:  1400 ft
Peak Elevation:  3161 ft
Difficulty: Medium 
Pass Requirement: Northwest forest pass

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

Union Peak

Saturday morning I headed east toward Steven's Pass. Once over the pass I took Smith Brook Road up a few miles and parked at the Smith Brook trail head. There were a few cars there when I arrived at roughly 8:30 am. It was an overcast and cool morning and the day before had been a lengthy and vigorous lightning and rain storm. I thought perhaps that deterred a few would-be hikers for today.

I started up the Smith Brook trail and climbed the well groomed and nice trail until about the 4500 ft level where there is a large rock field. There is where I started to climb the ridge going in a north east direction. This was mostly large rock at first so it took some meandering around to find a good route. But eventually I got on top of the big rocks and was climbing the ridge heading in that same direction as the route turned more into forest. I made my way through the trees and underbrush until about the 5300 ft level and turned north west and followed that ridge up to the peak. I did a lot of bush whacking, and got completely soaked. It didn't rain at all, but as I mentioned it rained a lot yesterday and all those plants held onto that water until I got there. It was like hiking through a sprinkler all day.

As I approached the peak, it was hard to tell where the exact highest location was. The peak is a very gentle sloping dome shape. Honestly pretty anticlimactic. Plus it was cloudy and foggy all day so there was virtually no views at the top. Pretty mundane. But I'm sure the views are very pretty when there is something to see. My plan was to continue on to Jove Peak today as well, but considering the poor visibility and the fact that I was completely soaked and cold, I didn't see the point in continuing today.

At the top I laid on the ground for a good 30 minutes and took a quick cat nap while trying to dry off/warm up. It was quite chilly up there for an August summer day. But once my synthetic pants dried it got a little easier to tolerate the cool temperatures, and even though it wasn't raining I put on my rain gear and headed back down intent on staying dry while bush whacking. As I came to the rock field portion I think I found an easier, safer option down to the trail than the way I came up. And as I got back onto the main trail I encountered several people on their way to Valhalla Lake I presume. I made my way back down to the parking lot to find it completely full of cars (it is a relatively small parking lot) with cars lining the road in both directions. So it turns out the previous day's lightning storm didn't deter as many people as I thought.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, East
Distance:  3.4 miles
Elevation Gain:  1680 ft
Peak Elevation: 5696 ft
Difficulty: S2, T2
Pass Requirement: No

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

Devil's Gulch

So this was quite a unique adventure for me. I don't usually do mountain bike trips, in fact I don't think I've been a proper mountain bike for at least 10 years. But I was asked to help take some of the youth from our church out on a mountain bike trip. So I obliged. We left town around noon on Friday and headed east toward Wenatchee. After a few hours of driving we arrived at the trail head of Devil's Gulch where the boys and a couple leaders were going to ride up the mountain to our campsite. Another leader and I were going to drive up to our campsite and take all the gear and set up camp and have dinner ready for the boys once they finished climbing the mountain on their bikes.

The boys starting their trek up the mountain at around 3:00 pm and expected to be at camp around 7:30. So we had some time to kill. So the other guy I was with new of a state park where we could hop on our bikes for a couples hours to kill some time and have some fun. So we started riding, heading up the hill looking for a lake that he knew about but couldn't ever find previously. We climbed for a bit and after a while we got up above the trees and could look down at the valley and see the towns of Wenatchee and Cashmere. It was pretty cool. We climbed a bit more searching for this lake, but never did find it. Eventually we decided it was time to head back down and get camp set up. We were bombing down the mountain and since it was Eastern Washington the trail was dry. My buddy in front of me was kicking up tons of dust and my sunglasses were covered in specks of dust. As we came out of the trees the sun was shinning right in my eyes through my dust covered glasses, needless to say I couldn't see anything. Not good when flying down the mountain on a bike. I couldn't see the large rock or root or dip in the trail or whatever it was that I hit that caused me to fly over the handle bars and take a nasty spill. After a few seconds of gathering myself to make sure I wasn't seriously injured (which I wasn't, just some scraped knees, legs, elbow and hands) I got back on the bike and continued down the mountain, a bit more cautiously.

We made it to the truck then drove to our campsite to set up camp and got dinner cooking. We expected the rest of the crew to show up around 7:30 pm so we had dinner ready by then, but they never showed. So we waited...and waited...and waited some more. At around 9:00 we got worried and tried calling them to see where they were, but they had no cell reception. So I drove to the trail head where they were supposed to come out onto the highway. Not there, so I waited there for them to show up...and waited...and waited. Still didn't show up. At around 10:00 pm they finally got cell service and called for me to come pick me up at a lower elevation closer to where our campsite was. So I drove over there and found them riding down a forest service road. They were absolutely exhausted and out of water. So I gave them all some water, loaded up the bikes in my truck and drove them all to the campsite. Once at the campsite, we quickly ate (mostly) cold dinner and went to bed.

The next morning we ate some breakfast, took down camp and bandaged up any wounds we had. Then we drove all our bikes and crew up to the trail head where they were supposed to come out of last night. We started biking around 10:30 am. We climbed about 600 feet or so on our bikes before we began our long and fast descent. It was a grueling ride up, especially for those who rode all the way in yesterday. After climbing we reached the peak and got some amazing views of Wenatchee below. It was pretty cool to look down on the valley as you ride a narrow sketchy trail with a cliff inches away. But eventually we got to go downhill. That was way fun. I felt like I was riding the brakes the whole way down and still was cruising down the mountain faster than I wanted to be going. All of the boys fell at least 3 times on the downhill portion, but luckily none were very serious. Just attention getting. It took us a few hours to ride the 15 or so miles of the downhill portion of Devil's Gulch trail. Then we rode about 10 miles on the road into the town of Cashmere. And finally after being scorching hot in the near 100 degree weather and completely exhausted with wounds and sore butts we got to enjoy some awesome BBQ at Country Boy's BBQ in Cashmere. That was some good eatin'. After lunch we drove over the pass and back home.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, East
Distance: 14 miles
Elevation Gain: 3200 ft
Peak Elevation: 4963 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

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

Barclay Lake

Today we hiked with some friends to Barclay Lake. There were 5 of us with 4 kids. This is an easy hike and pretty flat that is covered in shade by trees almost the entire way. My 3 year old daughter walked almost all the way to the lake before she wanted to ride in the pack. One of the other 3 years old boys walked the whole way, in and out. I was pretty impressed.

Once you get to the lake and the trees clear you see Mount Baring soaring high above you. It is quite spectacular. I have hiked here only once before, like 5 years ago, and the lake is much smaller now. Lots of water has disappeared, I imagine it has something to do with the alarmingly low amounts of snow this past winter.

After taking a break at the lake and eating a quick lunch and having the brave 3 year old boy swim in the lake for a bit we headed back down. It was a beautiful day and great to get out and enjoy the sunshine with the family and some friends. This is a great hike for families and kids of all ages. Definitely should be on the list for getting kids started and interested in hiking.

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass, West
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 500 ft
Peak Elevation: 2423 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

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

Labyrinth Mountain

Today was my first trip that I have led with the Mountaineers. I led a group up to Labyrinth Mountain. This trip was intended for alpine scrambling students so I posted the trip as a slow easy pace, and boy am I glad I did. It was crazy hot that day, 96 degrees. We stopped a lot to drink lots of water and rest in any shade we could find.

The first part of the trip is on a trail that takes you to Minotaur Lake which, luckily, is very well shaded by tall trees. The climb to Minotaur Lake is very steep but short. The lake is quite beautiful with Labyrinth Mountain as its backdrop. That was to be our destination.

After reaching the lake we squirted the side of the lake and headed toward the mountain. The climb to the top of Labyrinth is open, with no shade to protect us from the blistering sun. There is a footpath that leads you to the top, but it has many different off-shoots and some fade rather quickly. So after a while we kind of just trudged up the hill toward the top. After a good climb in the heat we reached the summit and enjoyed the views of the many peaks in every direction. We ate some lunch signed the summit registry.

Then we headed back down to the lake. At the lake we took a good rest and some took off their boots and soaked them in the cool water. After feeling refreshed we headed back down the steep trail under the cover of the tall trees and made it back to the cars. It was a good trip, and a successful first trip as a leader. Hopefully many more to come!

Region: Central Cascades, Stevens Pass East
Distance: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 2800 ft
Peak Elevation: 6350 ft
Difficulty: S2, T1
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

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

Boardman Lake

This morning we hiked up to Boardman Lake with some friends who all have young kids. This is a good easy hike for young people and families. The trail is easy, short, and mostly flat. Gaining just 300 feet of elevation on your 1 mile hike to the lake. The day was pretty foggy, and had lots of low clouds although it didn't rain, which was nice. Our three year old daughter hiked all the way to the lake by herself. But she rode in the pack on the way back.

 

My wife carried our new born on some sort of baby carrier on her stomach, which the baby seemed to enjoy. Although the weather could have been better and views grander with fewer low clouds it was a good day to get out in the woods.

This is a great way to introduce young kids the the wilderness. Lots of large old trees to wonder at, and a peaceful short hike to a lake with established campsites. Highly recommend for beginners to enjoy the great outdoors.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation gain: 300 ft.
Peak Elevation: 3100 ft.
Difficulty: very easy
Pass requirement: Northwest forest pass.

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

Experience Field Trip 2015

Today was the Experience Field Trip for the 2015 Alpine Scrambling Course I was helping teach through the Everett Mountaineers. After having covered all the basics it was the students turn to show what they know and take the lead on a real scramble. We had several groups going to different locations, I went with the group going to Guye Peak at Snoqualmie Pass.

Guye Peak is a short but steep climb and normally this time of year still has lots of snow. But not this year. Not a single instance of snow until we reached 4800 feet, and then it was just small patches where the sun doesn't shine on a regular basis. There was one 30 foot section that was pretty steep that required good ice axe skills, and that was pretty much it. The rest was pretty much a walk up.

We took the trail from the Alpental ski area up to Guye Peak, and on our way down we went back down the other side (on purpose) out through the Common Wealth Basin. The weather, temperature-wise, was excellent. Not too cold, and not too hot even when we got moving. But the visibility was non existent. Lots of fog in the parking lot, and once we reached the summit, you literally couldn't see anything but white all around. It was actually kind of eerie, looking off the edge and not seeing anything.

Despite not having a great view at the top, it was a great day with a great group. Lots of fun, and it was a good end to the course. Look forward to scrambling with these students in the coming summer and upcoming years. Great job everyone!

Region: Snoqualmie Region, Snoqualmie Pass
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2100 ft
Peak Elevation: 5168 ft
Difficulty: S2, T3
Pass Requirement: Yes, Northwest Forest Pass

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

Snow Field Trip 2015

As a volunteer instructor for the Mountaineers I went up to Mt. Baker to help teach snow travel and ice ax arrest skills as part of the alpine scrambling course over the past weekend. The snow fall this year has been alarmingly low and the snowpack has suffered greatly. Luckily if you gain enough elvation you can still find some snow.

We began the weekend with basic travel on snow, how to hold and walk with an ice ax, how to step, where to step, traveling up, down, and across snowy/icy hills. We then got into glissading and how to stop yourself; ice ax arresting. We spent a good portion of the first day then hurling ourselves down the mountain while trying to stop ourselves from sliding too far. We went down on our butts, on our stomachs, on our backs, with our pack, without our packs, every way you could think, and learned how to stop ourselves from sliding to our demise.

After  good long while of sliding down the mountain we had a short demonstration on how to dig a snow pit to learn about different snow layers and avalanche conditions. After that informative display we headed back to the lodge to eat some good food and rest for the next day.

The next day we did some more ice ax arrest practice, and then we took a short hike up to Huntoon Point. It was a short scramble, but gave the students a great opportunity to practice navigation skills, and all their newly learned snow travel skills. Each student took turns leading and got the pleasant opportunity to kick steps in the new snow.

The views form Huntoon Point were pretty awesome with the clear blue skies and mountains in every direction. Some of which were Mt. Baker and the allegedly most photographed mountain in the world: Mt. Shuksan. It's easy to see why it may-or-may-not be the most photographed mountain...

At the top of Huntoon Point we ate a quick lunch, and socialized as a big group, and then had the joy of glissading down one at a time. That is by far the funnest part of snow scrambling. Then we headed back down to our cars and drove home. It was  great weekend and had lots of fun and sun.

Region: North Cascades, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation gain: 1200 ft.
Peak Elevation: 5150 ft.
Difficulty: Easy
Pass requirement: None.

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

Rock Field Trip 2015

I volunteer as a trip leader and alpine scrambling instructor for the Mountaineers. This year we took our rock field trip to a new location a few miles away from our old location that we have been using for many decades. So this year was special, and presented new challenges with familiarizing ourselves with a new site and how to best utilize it. But after much planning and hard work buy several other volunteers we had our trip planned and were ready to teach.

We taught the students taking the course how to traverse on rock fields and slabs, basic bouldering moves like mantling, stemming, counter pressure, wedging and others, using a map and compass, route finding, leave-no-trace, ropes and knots and belaying using a hasty harness.

The day was perfect, it was clear and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was warm with a cool breeze. We had lots of fun with the new students and things worked out pretty well for being at a new location for the first time. After the learning was over we headed down to eight mile campground and had a BBQ and enjoyed good times and tasty food. Lots of fun!

Region: Central Cascades, Leavenworth Area
Pass requirement: None

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