Johnson Ridge, Scorpion Mountain
Aug 05, 2011
by
Brighidoon
—
last modified
Aug 06, 2011 02:51 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Johnson Ridge
- Region: Central Cascades
- Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Skykomish Ranger District
- Trails: Johnson Ridge (#1067)
- Avg Rating: 3.62
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Scorpion Mountain
- Region: Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - West
- Trails: Scorpion Mountain (#1067)
- Avg Rating: 3.00
- Why You Should Go Now
- Wildflowers blooming
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Snow on trail
- Bugs
Wildflowers and snow (?!) adorn the summit of Scorpion.
Photo by Hike-A-Thoner Gwen Tollefson.
GWEN'S HIKE-A-THON HIKE NO. 1
Rule #1 - Always drive to the trailhead.
8AM in Woodinville dawned overcast and misty. 10AM In Monroe was no different. Noon @ the trailhead was full of sunshine and only partly cloudy skies. The weather broke right about Skykomish, just before the turnoff for the Beckler River Road.
Relatively short drive from Monroe, less than an hour out to Skykomish, about 10-15 minutes up the Beckler River Road and about 20-25 minutes up FS 6520 which is in great condition since they filled in the few potholes while I was hiking! Only two other cars at the trailhead (one with California plates - odd).
Craig Romano's description of this hike is accurate. The way starts off on an old logging road, currently lined with lupine and desert parsley and new forest. It's a little bit dusty but it's relatively short lived. Once real trail is reached (in about 3/4 miles), the dust subsides. The climbing, however, does not; you're either climbing up or down most of the way, sometimes quite steeply.
There are a few blowdowns over the trail, all easy to navigate over or around.
Snow was first encountered about a mile in (around 4,650') and was intermittent most of the way, still topping both Sunrise and Scorpion Mountains, but was soft and easy to walk on. Navigation could pose a small problem for one not familiar with the route since a couple of the snowfields are quite long. I just followed the boot tracks of the two parties before me. I expect it should be mostly gone in a week or two as the snow was never more than 2' deep.
The meadows were full of wildflowers galore (although the pitch of the slope that the trail traverses made me a little edgy, probably because I was hiking solo). The two smells I love the most are pine forests in the heat (which brings out the smell of the resins in the trees) and high meadows filled with wildflowers (intoxicatingly sweet). There will be plenty of huckleberries in the fall.
The views were grand although the clouds obscured some of the larger (Glacier, where are you?) peaks. But the clouds also provided respite from the sun (this would be a HOT hike on a completely sunny day, and dry - there is no water on this trail) and kept the breezes blowing which provided respite from the bugs. Skeeters atop Scorpion (and a lack of place to sit that wasn't ice cold) meant a trip back along the ridge to find a lunch spot (chicken, avocado, cream cheese and ginger-peach chutney on a sandwich roll - yum!).
I peered down to Lake Joan which is beginning to melt out, but still too much snow there to comfortably travel the steep trail.
The climb up Sunrise on the return was nearly relentless and had to be taken in spurts.
STATS
Miles: 9.0 RT
Elev Gain: 2,650' (up and down and up and down and up and down again)
Hiking Time: 5.5 hours (inc. a snack break, a lunch break, a pee break, and 146 photos)
Encounters: 3 parties (7 two-leggeds & 2 four leggeds)
Bug Bites: 0 (yay Jungle Juice!)
"Peaks" Bagged: 2 (Sunrise @ 5,033 & Scorpion @ 5,535)
If you found this trip report helpful or entertaining, please consider sponsoring my Hike-A-Thon campaign here... http://www.gifttool.com/ath[…]amp;AID=1655&PID=223038
Rule #1 - Always drive to the trailhead.
8AM in Woodinville dawned overcast and misty. 10AM In Monroe was no different. Noon @ the trailhead was full of sunshine and only partly cloudy skies. The weather broke right about Skykomish, just before the turnoff for the Beckler River Road.
Relatively short drive from Monroe, less than an hour out to Skykomish, about 10-15 minutes up the Beckler River Road and about 20-25 minutes up FS 6520 which is in great condition since they filled in the few potholes while I was hiking! Only two other cars at the trailhead (one with California plates - odd).
Craig Romano's description of this hike is accurate. The way starts off on an old logging road, currently lined with lupine and desert parsley and new forest. It's a little bit dusty but it's relatively short lived. Once real trail is reached (in about 3/4 miles), the dust subsides. The climbing, however, does not; you're either climbing up or down most of the way, sometimes quite steeply.
There are a few blowdowns over the trail, all easy to navigate over or around.
Snow was first encountered about a mile in (around 4,650') and was intermittent most of the way, still topping both Sunrise and Scorpion Mountains, but was soft and easy to walk on. Navigation could pose a small problem for one not familiar with the route since a couple of the snowfields are quite long. I just followed the boot tracks of the two parties before me. I expect it should be mostly gone in a week or two as the snow was never more than 2' deep.
The meadows were full of wildflowers galore (although the pitch of the slope that the trail traverses made me a little edgy, probably because I was hiking solo). The two smells I love the most are pine forests in the heat (which brings out the smell of the resins in the trees) and high meadows filled with wildflowers (intoxicatingly sweet). There will be plenty of huckleberries in the fall.
The views were grand although the clouds obscured some of the larger (Glacier, where are you?) peaks. But the clouds also provided respite from the sun (this would be a HOT hike on a completely sunny day, and dry - there is no water on this trail) and kept the breezes blowing which provided respite from the bugs. Skeeters atop Scorpion (and a lack of place to sit that wasn't ice cold) meant a trip back along the ridge to find a lunch spot (chicken, avocado, cream cheese and ginger-peach chutney on a sandwich roll - yum!).
I peered down to Lake Joan which is beginning to melt out, but still too much snow there to comfortably travel the steep trail.
The climb up Sunrise on the return was nearly relentless and had to be taken in spurts.
STATS
Miles: 9.0 RT
Elev Gain: 2,650' (up and down and up and down and up and down again)
Hiking Time: 5.5 hours (inc. a snack break, a lunch break, a pee break, and 146 photos)
Encounters: 3 parties (7 two-leggeds & 2 four leggeds)
Bug Bites: 0 (yay Jungle Juice!)
"Peaks" Bagged: 2 (Sunrise @ 5,033 & Scorpion @ 5,535)
If you found this trip report helpful or entertaining, please consider sponsoring my Hike-A-Thon campaign here... http://www.gifttool.com/ath[…]amp;AID=1655&PID=223038
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Glacier lily on Johnson Ridge = inadvertent boot shot.
Photo by Hike-A-Thoner Gwen Tollefson.
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Frozen Lake Joan.
Photo by Hike-A-Thoner Gwen Tollefson.
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Marker of Authenticity framed by views atop Scorpion Mountain.
Photo by Hike-A-Thoner Gwen Tollefson.
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