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.

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.

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.

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.

Boardman Lake

Today was a clear blue sky day, but seeing that it is still February that meant it was also pretty cold. But my daughter and I bundled up and headed out on the Mountain Loop Highway. We passed the super popular Lake 22 trail head which is right off the highway and noticed the parking lot was already completely filled with people parking on the highway. We kept driving, way too many people for my taste. We eventually arrived at the trail head for Boardman Lake, finding ourselves to be the only car there. But that didn't last long, before we hit the trail another car had pulled in right behind us.

The trail starts shadowed by trees and in almost no time at all you reach Lake Evan, which is a small lake with no real lakefront to enjoy. We did find that the lake was frozen over with a thin layer of ice. But we quickly got back on the trail heading for the larger more prominent Boardman Lake. The trail climbs slightly just about 300 ft worth over the one mile total hike, all in the shadows of large cedar trees.

We reached Boardman Lake with my daughter, who is not yet 3, walking the entire way by herself, which is a big accomplishment for her. I have taken her hiking quite a bit in her early years, but always carried her in my pack. Now I'm trying to convince her "hiking" is not daddy carrying her in a pack but actually she does the walking. Today was a success, and I think she enjoyed it immensely. We spent some time at the frozen lake sitting in the sun trying to warm up. We ate a few snacks and saw more people arrive as the time past. On the way back I carried her in the pack just to speed things up a bit. But I have to say it was a glorious day enjoying the cold wilderness with my daughter. I look forward to more of that this year and in the years to come.

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.

Old Robe Trail

Today was an extraordinarily warm January day, so I thought it would be a perfect day to take my oldest daughter on a quick and easy hike. With the local air temperatures reaching 65 degrees and blue skies we headed past Granite Falls on the old trusty Mountain Loop Highway and stopped at the Old Robe Trail. The trail head is right off the highway where you will see tons of cars parked along the road in the height of summer, but today there were only 6. As you leave the highway you walk through thick trees heading toward the Stillaguamish River. Soon the trail takes you down the hill from the road, descending about 200 feet to the river valley bottom. Then you walk about a half a mile until you meet up with the river.

We didn't venture very far after reaching the river. We only walked about a mile before we turned around and headed back toward the car. I had my daughter in my pack the whole time and she only wanted to get out to eat some snacks and throw rocks in the river. But she quickly wanted to get back in the pack. She very much enjoyed riding in the backpack making daddy do all the work. We had lots of fun just taking a quick jaunt into the woods. My daughter talked constantly about all the beautiful things she was seeing saying "[Fill in the blank] is my favorite!"

This is certainly a great way to get out in the woods and see lots of nature and wilderness when you are pressed for time and want to stay close to home. Great for kids and the whole family, just beware of crowds on summer weekends. The trail continues on a little further to an old train tunnel that is quite fun for young kids, but the trail ends shortly after the old train tunnel.

Region: North Cascades, Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2 miles
Elevation Gain: 230 ft.
Peak Elevation:1100 ft.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Pass Requirement: No

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

Lake Twentytwo

Today a friend and I left straight from work and drove out past Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway for a quick hike to get some exercise. Lake Twentytwo is a hike I've done a handful of times, and I like it because it's a beautiful mountain lake that you can swim in, it's easy to get to, it's an easy hike and you can be up and down it in 3-4 hours, including travel time.

We made our way quickly up the trail and made it to the lake in just under an hour, and since we were hiking so quickly we were drenched in sweat even though it was only 70 degrees. After we ran around the lake my buddy decided to clean the sweat off himself by jumping in the lake. He assured me the water was quite comfortable, but I didn't join him. I wasn't prepared to hike back with all my clothes wet. Next time I'll be prepared for that.

After his quick dip in the lake, we literally ran down the mountain taking extra caution on the rocky bits with substantial rocks and boulders so we didn't twist an ankle. Although there were a few close calls of trips and turned ankles we made it through unscathed. Again drenched in sweat my hiking partner decided he needed another dip, this time in the creek near the start of the trail. We made it back to the trail head after hiking up, around the lake and back down with a couple dips in the water in a little over 2 hours. It was a fun quick exercise and next time I'll be prepared to jump in the lake to cool off.

Region: North Cascades-Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 1350 ft
Peak Elevation: 2400 ft
Difficulty: easy
Pass Requirement: Yes. All passes honored.

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

Lake 22

This weekend I was finally able to get out and enjoy the wilderness again, it had been far too long. A buddy and I headed out toward Granite Falls early Saturday morning. We got to the Lake 22 trail head around 7:30 to an empty parking lot. A car pulled in right behind us as we were getting our gear together. I was surprised to find a complete absence of any snow all the way up to the trail head. We decided to leave the snowshoes at the car, because we didn't think we'd need them.

So we headed up the trail, we found the trail completely snow free until about 1 mile from the top. As we hit the snow and starting trucking through the snow along the rocks we found it very advantageous to have our trekking poles with us. It did get pretty slick walking on those slippery rocks. Once we did get to the top we found quite a bit of snow, and once we stopped moving it got fairly cold rather quickly.

We took a few pictures, drank some hot chocolate, walked around the Lake as far as we dared, even blazed a few feet of new trail in the snow. We turned back and headed back down. We passed a few people on their way up (who I thought were very ill prepared to be out in the cold/snow...). We made it down in good time and were able to be home by early afternoon.

 

Region: North Cascades-Mountain Loop Highway
Distance: 2.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 1350 ft
Peak Elevation: 2400 ft
Difficulty: easy (slightly more difficult due to some snow at the top)
Pass Requirement: Yes. All passes honored.
Water Source: Lots of creeks and streams due to the snow-pack. Lake 22 2.9 miles (iced over, covered in snow.)
Wildlife: Very limited due to the cold weather and time of year.

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

Boardman Lake

GNATS! The hike to this lake is a quick and easy one. You reach your destination of Boardman Lake in just under a mile. This was my first time there which is surprising considering it's one of the more popular ones on Mountain Loop Highway. GNATS! But I decided to finally make my way up there for a couple reasons: I knew it was an easy hike (and that seemed like a good plan because I was just coming back from an ankle injury) and I wanted to camp overnight because I knew the weather was supposed to be great and Boardman lake has established campsites.

The trail up to the lake is almost all dirt and considering this is Western Washington it was mostly soggy /muddy due to the wetness of the region. GNATS! (For a brief time I was hiking behind a family and a girl about 10 or 11 years old was complaining that her feet were wet/muddy because she was wearing sandals. Her mom said "I told you to wear shoes." And the young girl replied "but those didn't go with my outfit, and you never know who is going to see me up here!" I thought the whole thing was funny and it made me laugh.)

Unfortunately the trail was in pretty bad shape. There was quite a bit of blow-downs all over the place. They were easy enough to maneuver around but it just made the trail seem sub-par. GNATS! I'm sure it has to to with the recent budget cuts. And at one point where there is a switchback in the trail there is a mudslide right into the trail and it masks the turn, consequently I missed the turn and went a few yards before I realized the trail had disappeared and had to backtrack to find the right trail again.

Once I reached Boardman Lake I had to cross a single narrow log over the outlet of the lake to get to the campsites. I made it across just fine but the family I previously mentioned didn't even attempt to traverse the lone log. I searched for a suitable campsite where I could hang my hammock between two trees. I found one and set up camp. GNATS! I slept great on the hammock, for those of you who have never tried it, you should, sure beats sleeping on the ground! There are 4 campsites at Boardman Lake and all of them were full: one looked like it was a boy scout troop and two had families with young kids and then I occupied the last one.

In the morning I got up, took down my gear and headed out early...I planned on hanging around a bit more and enjoying the day but there was one major problem with this lake. Perhaps you've already noticed it. GNATS! The bugs were absolutely unbearable. Every single second they were swarming unrelentingly. I was afraid to open my mouth for fear of consuming several gnats at one time. I was totally unprepared for the bugs. I didn't bring any bug spray or any kind of repellent. The only solace I found was in my hammock with my bug net. So I made my quick exit and left the others to deal with the bugs.

Distance: .9 mile
Elevation gain: 300 ft.
Peak Elevation: 3100 ft.
Difficulty: very easy

Pass requirement: Northwest forest pass.
Vegetation: Lots, everywhere, including but not limited to conifers, deciduous, and evergreen trees, ferns, moss, mushrooms, skunk cabbage, and sticker bushes.
Water source: Evan Lake .1 mile into the hike, Boardman Lake .9 miles.
Wildlife: Gnats, lots of them, everywhere. Snakes, birds, woodpecker, fish, posting of "Beware of Bears" at the trail head.

Lime Kiln Trail

Well today I was back in my home town and looking for a hike I've never done before. This one just happened to be only a short distance from where I lived so I thought I'd give it a go. I headed toward the trail slightly later than I anticipated and when I normally would have gone. But when I got to the trail head I found out I was lucky I did, because the trail head is closed until 7:00 am. So I got there about 7:20 am and started during a slight drizzle and about 56 degrees. The trail started out looking like a bonafide rain forest. (Or perhaps it just seemed that way since I just spent the last week hiking around the much dryer central Oregon.) But needless to say it was very green, with trees, ferns and moss all under a beautiful canopy.

After a short distance the trail opens up, the canopy disappears and you are walking down a wide path that looks like a 4wheeler trail (although they aren't allowed here). The trail is mostly heavily packed dirt and rocks. There is little elevation change and is quite easy. The scenery changes off and on from under a thick canopy and narrow trail to an open trail where you can look to the sky, which happened to be covered in clouds today, however the light drizzle did stop shortly after I started this morning.

Once I got to the kiln site I was amazed at how big the kiln actually was. It was much bigger than I anticipated. I did have the desire the climb it, but there was a sign that said "Please do not climb" so I didn't. But all in all it was an impressive thing to look at and examine. To be able to build such a thing hundreds of years ago is quite a feat. At the site there is also a bunch of scattered bricks and metal shards of old tools. After the kiln I continued on the trail which descends to the South Fork Stillaguamish River. Down at the river it seems to be a common practice to stack rocks on top of each other...which seemed a little strange to me.

I jogged about half way on the way back. This trail is well suited for trail running, however I didn't run the whole way because I wasn't wearing my trail running shoes, and my hiking shoes weren't made for jogging. On my way back I only came across 6 people. Which isn't entirely surprising considering its a Friday morning and not-so-great weather. But it made for an enjoyable hike for me. This is a great hike for kids and the whole family, its easy and it has some interesting history to it. Check it out.

Vegetation: Lots, everywhere, including but not limited to conifers, deciduous, and evergreen trees, ferns, moss, wildberries, mushrooms, skunk cabbage, wildflowers, and sticker bushes.
Wildlife: I heard lots of birds singing along the whole trail. While walking along I heard some movement in the bushes, I'm assuming they were just birds. I saw a rabbit, slugs, snails and a snake. Bugs were almost non-existent. I didn't have any problems with pesky bugs or mosquitoes, too cold for that still.
Water Source: About 1.3 miles in you pass Hubbard Lake which is small and is easy to miss from the trail due to thick trees and vegetation. About 1.7 miles in the trail follows South Fork Stillaguamish River, but you cant access it very easily because the trail is high above the river. But the trail does end up at the at the River after 4 miles.

Deschutes River Trail

Today was a pretty easy hike, it was more or less a walk. But it was pretty and enjoyable. I had my wife, baby and pregnant sister tag along with me this morning. We hiked along the Deschutes River Trail here in Redmond Oregon. Nothing too strenuous, just a nice easy dirt trail along the river. There were several other people hiking along the trail and all of them mentioned how cute the baby looked sitting in my baby carrying backpack. The morning started to warm up under the bright sun and as we headed back our little one fell asleep in sitting up in my pack. It was just a nice relaxing hike by the beautiful river.