We hiked Mount Sawyer in mid-September, and decided to come back on this day to see if the blueberries were ripe. They were! It was a little drizzly and cold, but still a beautiful hike. The fog wraps around the lower slopes, making for a whole new kind of beauty. Unfortunately, it turns out that 3 miles up a mountain is too far for my 10 year old (we'll be working on that!) Additionally, picking blueberries in the cold is difficult. Finally gave up due to very cold hands and a child who was more than ready to go home, despite thermos full of hot cocoa.

No bugs, but it was very wet, even when it wasn't raining.

On Labor Day, my husband and I decided to hike Mount Sawyer, in order to enjoy the wildflowers and berries and see the southerly views from the summit.

All in all it was a great hike marred only by couple of things...one of which happened off the mountain.

The views from the top and wildflowers were, as advertised, really phenomenal and worth the work to get there. The berries were a little bit of a bust because we are having such a late summer...I saw lots of green berries though and would bet they will be ready in the next couple of weeks. It may also be that others got to the berries before we did...being one of the last hikers to go up the mountains on Labor Day weekend. We did get a few though - and the ones we got were good.

Bugs are a bit of an issue right now, particularly at mid-day, which was when we started our hike...I could be wrong but it seems to me that normally by this time they are starting to die down...this year because our summer came so late, the bugs are still in full swing, particularly on the lower parts of the mountain. The bug situation died down at the higher elevations and later in the afternoon when a breeze came up. We coated ourselves in DeepWoods Off and were not overly bothered except while standing still on the lower parts of the trail around mid-day.

Another minor issue was actually finding the trail that goes up to Mt. Sawyer off Tonga Ridge. The trail guide does say that the trail up to Mt. Sawyer is unmarked. This is true...which is why we missed it. This added a couple miles to our hike, which was okay for us. On our way back we did notice that there was a marking of sorts, if we had known what it was. Someone constructed a small rock cairn at the turn up the mountain...so as long as no one moves or destroys it, there is a marker for as long as it lasts. Failing that...the turnoff goes basically straight up a very steep hill...if you are not going straight up, you are not on the right trail. :-)

I marked "blowdowns" and "snow on trail" in the issues survey, but did not find them to be issues per se. There are a couple of trees down but you can go over or around. Also, there is a little bit of snow on the trail on the northeast side of the summit where the trail passes through some trees, but it is also not much of an impediment.

The third issue did not happen on the mountain, but is something I want to make readers here aware of...and that is...DO NOT STOP AT THE SKYKOMISH GAS STATION. We had a horrible experience there, and according to others we have talked to, our experience was not an unusual one.

The reason not to stop is that the meanest man on planet Earth works at the gas station in Skykomish. Apparently he is not the owner, but an employee (I'm told the owners are nice, so why they hired this Bozo I can't quite figure out).

Anyway, after climbing Mt. Sawyer, my husband and I drank the last of our water, but it was a hot day so we were still thirsty. I also had to go the bathroom. So we stopped at the Skykomish gas station on our way home. My husband was going to acquire the beverages while I used the facilities. However, I made the (apparently) huge mistake of asking about the bathroom before any purchases had been made.

The individual working behind the counter went off on us...verbally abusing myself and my husband, accusing us of lying to him about whether or not we intended to purchase anything (which we did), claiming that there were 3 other rest areas that we had passed where we should have stopped (which there are not, because we were only coming from two miles down the road). He also dropped the F bomb on us, amongst other things and threatened to call the cops if we did not leave.

Apparently, Skykomish must be the only town I have ever heard of where needing to use the bathroom is a crime? Whatever the deal was, it was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had anywhere.

Obviously, we decided that hell would freeze over before we would be spending any money at this place, nor would I be using the bathroom. So we went a couple miles down the road (further west on Hwy 2) to the Espresso Chalet where we were treated very nicely, and were able to use the bathroom, and acquire beverages. Our negative experience at the Skykomish gas station was more than made up for by the two delicious milkshakes we got at Espresso Chalet. We had blackberry (made from fresh blackberries grown on the premises) and a chocolate malt. They also have about a hundred other flavors to choose from, and everyone there is very nice. So from now on, when we are on that section of Hwy 2, we will be giving them all of our business.

In the end, we left with a sweet taste in our mouth, rather than the sour one when we left Skykomish - and one of our more bizarre hiking memories.

I came from the end of the Tonga Ridge Road which wasn't my intent. There is quite a bit of lingering snow but not enough to hinder route finding.

Read the whole report here:

http://alpinelakesaficionado.blogspot.com/[…]/mt-sawyer-5501-8911.html

The Foss River road off of Highway 2 just east of Skykomish gives access to some wonderful hikes in the Central Cascades. One of these is Tonga Ridge. Most of the altitude gaine is by car. The trailhead offers very little parking and no outhouse. The trail itself canters along for about 2 miles at a very easy pace with soft duff to tread and only moderate undulations in altitude. Mothers with babies on board were casually walking the trail without difficulty. At 2 miles is a delightful meadow and just beyond is the trail up Mt. Sawyer.

This trail starts out abruptly but then gentles out to an upward stroll through vast slopes of blueberries. The brush encroaches on the trail but nowhere blocks it. From the top of Sawyer the views are stunning. Rainier, Daniel, and Hinman line up to the south. West is Mt. Baring and even the Olympics in the distance. North is a grand view of Glacier Peak and Mt Baker peeks out from behind the North Cascades. Because of trees at the summit, you have to move around to get a 360 view but it is worth it. The whole central Cascades is open from the top of Mt. Sawyer.

At the summit are two geological survey markers and a geocache. The upper part of the trail is heavily crowded by young trees and as a result the path is badly sloughing down the hill.