Gigi, Clean Leif, Sydney the Dog, and I spent a wonderful day on the Green Mountain trail on Sunday, June 11th. We car camped the night before at the underutilized and seemingly always in darkness Buck Creek Campground. Despite arriving late in the day, we were able to land a spot directly on the creek and we settled in for a night campfire talking, fixing of headlights, and one excursion to Darrington for egg beaters.

We hit the Green Mountain Trail at 10:20. This was my fourth time on Green Mtn and the road was in very good shape. Boulders and downed trees have all been swept aside. The initial sections of the trail are forested and were generally cool. As we moved into the meadows below the tarns, the sun hit us with full force and it truly felt like a summer day in the Cascades. The flowers were in full bloom in the lower meadow sections and will likely open up in the next week or so in the upper sections. There were some bugs out on this section of the trail, but not enough to do more than occasionally annoy us.

As we turned make the push to the tarns, the snow appeared sporadically and then fully. We donned our gaiters and readied our ice axes/trekking poles. The tarns are still mostly snowed in with only small sections of open water. Reaching the base of the final hill to the summit, we saw mostly snow with a few rocky outcroppings melted out. The rocks were full of marmots. Sydney enjoyed pointing our little friends out to us (but she remained leashed!). We stopped on a marmot free rock to enjoy some lunch while a party of telemarkers we met at the parking lot passed us on their way to the summit and some skiing fun. We followed their trail straight up to the lower ridge and regained the trail 100 feet below the summit. From here, the snow was really starting to melt out and we joined up with our skiing friends. Many pictures were taken by all: The views of Baker, Dome, and Glacier were spectacular.

We could see the weather moving in and lightening in the distance so we decided to part company with our new friends and mosey down. We headed to the snowfield just below the summit. From here, the snow was perfect for the real reason we came: The Glissade! This was a first-time glissade for Clean Leif and Gigi. A short 20 minutes later we were back at the tarns with giant grins and snowy pants. If the weather was holding and the day was longer, I think we would have hiked up just to glissade down again! Instead, it was time to head for the car and home.

We didn't actually hike out on Downey Creek, but we did drive to the end of the Suiattle River road to check out the crossing at the down brige. The bridge is a few hundred meters down the road from the road's end. There is a sturdy ladder (2 meters tall, maybe) up to the remaining bridge segment (with bare dirt below). Given I'm a klutz, if I were there with a full pack, I'd probably take it off and haul it up with a rope, but normal people should have no problem climbing the short ladder. I can't vouch for any of the trail conditions beyond, but the brige, at least, is passable. There is parking and turn-around space for a few cars at the road's end.

We hiked up the Green Mountain trail. The Suiattle River road is in great shape all the way to the road's end, and the road up to Green Mountain - while steeper and rockier - is also in good shape. The trail up to Green Mountain is in good shape, and the meadows are beautiful. Bugs are out in force. Trillium are in bloom, but its early for most flowers. While halfway up the meadows, we saw a black bear about 100 meters below. The trail is snow-free up until just below the lakes (about 2.5 miles in, I think), at which point there's 2-4 feet of snow. We strapped on snowshoes and wandered around the basin, but didn't make it to the top - ice axes, which we neglected to bring, would be good to have for anyone heading up. Good views of cloud-cloaked Glacier Peak. We left before the thunderstorms moved in.

For the rock-minded folk, the trail winds past numerous outcrops of really pretty garnet-biotite schist; very pretty rock! Bring your hand-lens.

The weather has been very nice lately and a lot of the trailheads are melting out.The Mountain Loop Highway and other areas in the Darrington and Granite Falls areas of the MBSNF are still not

accessible by normal routes. Some trails such as the Goat Lake trail may require parking at alternate trailhead locations which will require an extended trek in on foot or an approach on a mountain bike.

The VEHICLE PROWLERS are also out earlier this seanson. The Lake 22 trailhead had sustained about (6) six break-in's in the past

several weeks involving breaking windows,Heather Lake had had(1)one vandalism to a vehicle (tires slashed & windows broken),and Barlow Pass area had had (1)one break-in by breaking a window.

With the exception of the Heather Lake occurrence,all have been

associated with vhicles that have had belongings such as car stereos

which had their removeable face-places in them,cases full of audio CD's,purses and wallets with personal ID and negotiable cards in them,GPS,MP3 Players,DVD Players,Cellular Phones,hiking gear and cloting,and even a briefcase with tax preperation documents inside of it.

Myself and the Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers that work

in and Patrol the facilities within the National Forest,have contact with persons who have had the above mentioned items with them in their vehicles...most are out in plain-view for everyone to see.

This is an open invitation for anyone who might not even normally steal something to do so. These are what we refer to a ""CRIMES OF OPPORTUNITY"".

The criminal elements that prowl the forests do not need an opportunity,they are already out there actively looking. Do not give them the opportunity.

Please leave any items that are not a necessity at home or throw

them into your pack and take them with you.

Some people choose to hide them in the trunk of their vehicles,

out of sight. The criminal elements have caught on to this and they know that if they break into a given number of vehicles,a percentage of them will produce ""loot"".

Do not be a victim. Clear out your vehicle and leave a note on the dash of the vehicle which states something to the fact of ""THERE

ARE NO VALUABLES IN THIS VEHICLE"". This tells the criminal elements that you have actually thought about it enough to have cleaned out your vehicle and left the note to let them know that. Chances are they are mush less likely to take the chance of breaking into a vehicle that has been posted as a ""CLEAN VEHICLE"".

Please report any suspicious persons and/or vehicles to the nearest Ranger Station,Public Service Center,or to the Local Police.

Call 911 from any local phone,or contact the 911 Center (SNOPAC) from your home outside Snohomish County,or your Cellular Phone at 425-407-3970 or 3971.

Cellular service is nor likely while in the National Forest unless you are at an elevated location,but call as soon is convenient. Your call could be the one that leads the police to the person(s) responsible for the break-ins.

DO NOT BE PARANOID ABOUT THESE ISSUES,BEAWARE AND EDUCATED ABOUT THEM.

Now get out and enjoy the great outdoors! =(:0))

Deputy Rasar

A great day following an uncertain evening. The forecasters were saying ""mostly sunny,"" while the Seattle sky portended otherwise. But at 5:30 AM there were breaks in the clouds and a few stars to be seen, so we deemed it a definite go.

On Highway 530 east of Arlington there were two minor roadwork delays - only a minute or two each. Then, just beyond the Sauk River bridge, a right turn put us on the Suiattle River Road #26 for 20 miles of mostly-paved, occasionally-rough travel. Then a left turn for 5+ miles of totally-rough road to the Green Mountain trailhead. The trail begins opposite a wide spot, next to the sign that announces a NW Forest Pass is required. (The road itself ends 100 yards further along at a berm and turn-around.)

The route begins in forest with steady uphill and a few switchbacks. My hiking partner Blue Towel and I marveled at the pale green mosses festooning trees and the bright green mosses carpeting the forest floor, with numerous tiny red mushrooms providing a fantasy highlight. The footing here was comfortably moist but not muddy, and remained so all the way to the summit. The snow reported a few days earlier had completely vanished from the trail.

After a mile or so, we emerged onto an open slope of bracken and shrubs. Here, the namesake green of the mountain was largely replaced by the gold and brown of fall. Looking up, we noted blue openings in the clouds. Looking down, other clouds flowed below us. From time to time, a cloud layer flowed around us so we sometimes walked right in the cloud. In this moist meadow setting a few wildflowers remained: pearly everlasting and yarrow, the occasional aster or daisy, a few harebells, and one lonely late magenta paintbrush.

The way entered forest again, and a single ptarmigan greeted us. After more uphill, the trail descended a bit to pass a small tarn. The water was shallow, and in the bottom mud we could see the crawl trails left by a myriad of insect nymphs. To the right of the tarn, the trail resumed its uphill trend through open meadows, and up ahead the summit was visible with bits of cloud blowing past. The final approach offered the steepest section of the entire trail, but footing remained secure and there were no problems.

From the summit, the views were dramatic and dynamic, with distant peaks emerging repeatedly from flowing clouds, then disappearing again. Glacier Peak was a prominent player (upper photo), as were other peaks of the North Cascades. The summit of Mt. Baker often was visible, along with the tips of Sloan Peak and Three Fingers.

For the most part, there on the summit of Green Mountain, we remained in the sun, though occasionally a bit of cloud flowed past and we could see our shadows adorned with spectral halos reflected in the mist (lower photo).

After about 20 minutes on the summit, we discerned an approaching dog outfitted with a pack. A couple of minutes later a lone hiker appeared, carrying a large overnight pack. He seemed disappointed that the long-promised restored Green Mountain lookout cabin had not yet been returned to the summit (perhaps in 2006??) He had thought of overnighting in the building but, fortunately, had a tent along as backup, which he would sorely need. Apart from this one hiker with his pooch, we saw no one else on the trail all day.

After leisure, lunch, and much looking, we began our descent. The sun was higher now and, particularly lower down in the forested region, the light seemed much different than on our ascent. We enjoyed viewing the trees and mosses in this different aspect before returning to our car for the drive home.