My nephew had read an enticing trip report about some guys who had snowshoed up onto Russell Ridge, north of Rimrock Lake, and onto Ironstone Mountain a few weeks earlier. Their report inspired us to do the same, or at least attempt it. The snow and weather conditions were right for our attempt on March 18th. We were able to drive up FR 1382, across from the Indian Creek Campground on Hwy 12. Logging work in the area had kept the road clear enough for high-clearance vehicles; we were able to park off the road about a mile from road's end before making our way up a steep, clear section of hillside at the base of Russell Ridge. The views were great at the beginning of our day and we enjoyed lunch on the sunny, south facing slopes of the lower flanks, with views of Rimrock Lake and Round Mountain. (My husband sheepishly admitted leaving his lunch on the kitchen counter... so mooched off the rest of us for sustenance for the coming climb). We would need the fuel to achieve our goal.
The four of us (my husband, nephew, his wife and myself) tackled steep, clear terrain in places and thick, heavy woods in others. We plodded through deep drifts, skirting a deep creekbed to our left and a few threatening tree wells, gaining ground. Sun breaks were an encouragement to us, and highlighted the ridgetop every now and then. We had gained approximately 1500 feet in 2 miles when my husband declared, "I'm not gonna make it." We stopped for water and agreed to keep climbing. On one of the many steep grades, my niece told to her husband, "I seriously need televators! I'm serious, Andrew!" Three of us were putting our televators to good use - the heal lifts on the back ends of our MSR Lightning Ascent snow shoes. They are an awesome feature for preserving the calf muscles on steep ascents, a feature which my niece's snowshoes did not possess.
We entered a thick wooded area, estimating our time on the hill was coming to an end... our bodies were getting weary. We knew we wouldn't reach Ironstone Mountain, but were determined to reach the top of Russell Ridge. Alas! We could see a clearing of light and white snow ahead through the trees. We busted out into a giant snow bowl at the base of the ridge. Snowmobile tracks had carved designs throughout the vast meadow, up and down and around scattered clumps of trees. The top of the ridge was in sight and we excitedly made our final push to reach it. At no point was there a danger for avalanche. As we reached the high point, the weather moved in with a vengence. Snow began to fall in giant, fast flakes. Winds kicked up and gusts blew across the meadow. We snapped a quick pic to prove we had made it (1700 feet and 2.5 miles), then quickly descended in the tracks we'd made... noticing how quickly our tracks were being covered up by the blowing weather. What took three hours to climb, only took 1 hour and 15 minutes to descend. We retreated to our vehicle in no time, re-entering the pleasant, less stormy weather in which we'd started. The 45 minute ride home to Yakima was a restful one. We studied and reviewed our maps, wondering how far off the Andy Creek Trail #1111 we'd been. We basked in our day's accomplishment and replayed its highlights. When the time came to exit the vehicle, we realized, as we forced our aching joints to move again, we would surely be crippled! - at least for a while. We had given our bodies quite the workout! It was a rewarding experience to blaze a trail to the top of Russell Ridge, in good company, inspiring each other to meet the goal. We look anxiously forward to the next big adventure!

Overnight along Russell Ridge, starting out at the Andy Creek trailhead by Rimrock Lake. Beautiful views of Mt. Adams, the Goat Rocks, and Mt. Rainier - plus watched several herds of elk, and nearly ran into some goats.

No snow along the sunny side of Russell Ridge, but we lost the trail along the ridge itself just after Bootjack Rock (we found it again and had a nice, flat camp spot - surrounded by 9' of snow). Met some Forest Service folks who mentioned lots of snow at Fox Meadow. We also met someone who had managed a dayhike to McNeil Peak, but it didn't sound like easy going.

Some water early in the trail, but mostly just snowmelt along the ridge. No mosquitoes (...but a few ticks).

We hiked the two miles up Andy Creek trail in some pretty warm weather. Shade was very welcome. Lower down, strawberry plants were in full bloom. Once we reached the intersection with the Russell Ridge trail, there was snow in the trees especially as we climbed up to 6,000 feet.
Camped on the bench just east of Bootjack rock. Views to the South, Mt. Adams and the Goat Rocks were stunning up the North Fork Tieton drainage. Larkspur, phlox, yellow bells, spring beauties and fawn lillies were blooming profusely. 20 mountain goats including 5 kids and 10 elk visited the south facing meadows. Nice trip, a few blow downs to navigate around.

I led a Cascadian backpack this sunny weekend to a campsite on Russell Ridge with a spectacular view up the NF Tieton to the Goat Rocks: one of my favorite early season spots. After setting up camp & having lunch, we went over and climbed Ironstone Mtn with its 360 degree views. The next morning we had a herd of elk cows with calves almost in camp before they spooked at the sound of our cameras. A little later, a bald eagle flew by. Before lunch the rest of the party went farther down the ridge to get a full view of Rainier, but Ironstone had been a bit much for these old legs so I just lazed around camp for a couple of hours. There was no snow on the trail, no mosquitoes, a couple of blowdowns once we were in the wilderness, and lots of small, but nice wildflowers. It was a great way to begin the season.