Trip Reports

Some sketchy snow awaited us about 15 minutes from Talapus Lake, but it was more fun than dangerous since it was (mostly) away from any rushing water.
Great time of year to head out: few bugs, and lots of sun without too much heat.

As described in Desert Hikes this hike is about 6 mi. RT, and gains 1500 feet in elevation. The trail is an old road that is consistently uphill at a mostly moderate grade. You are exposed to the sun the entire route, but we fortunately started out with scattered cloud cover which mitigated the heat (90 degrees). There is no water source along the way - we used just about all the water we had brought once the sun broke through. One of the highlights of this trail is the profusion of flowers. My partner was also intrigued with the pure white quartz(?) rocks - so much so that he even brought some down in his pack. The guidebook claimed the views were some of "the most stunning in the state" - I did not see anything resembling that remark.it also mentions "a faint side path out to the viewpoint". We found the "faint" to be an understatement. We watched for the side path and the "livestock watering tank" that the path passed by. We walked past both and went higher/farther than we needed to before figuring out that the side path must go down towards an interesting natural rock wall. This wall and the views nearby were the other major highlight of this trip. We did pass the watering tank, but it was not visible from the road. The views include Wenatchee and the Columbia River. Trees are few, so no shade. the book mentions wildlife, but we saw none unless you count some pesky flies.The entry road is not the "very rough" road described, but do watch for the "5215" sign. Keep eyes peeled for clearly marked "Swakane Canyon" sign off the highway.

Great waterfall/river hike. We entered on Buck Creek Camp Rd (FS 7160) and took the trail head across the road. At about 5 minutes into walking, you'll come upon a sign for either Buck Creek Camp RD or Mt Rainier Boundary. You'll want to take the Buck Creek Camp RD trail. Another fork in the trail about half way in, stay on the 1194 path, on the right.

Walked all along the river, lots of ups and downs, but not too challenging. Four miles to the Skookum Falls. The actual view point for the falls is a short scramble, but doable. Hiking partner had a 9 month old baby strapped to back and was able to go up and down, no problem.

Did not see anyone on hike, first time ever. We may have scared an animal off as we heard growling, but no other noises. Stayed vigilant.

We hiked to Talapus and Olallie lakes on Wednesday after work. We arrived at the trailhead around 7pm. The parking lot was empty and we did not see anyone during the entire time.

The first 1.5 miles are snow free. The trail is covered with snow from there until close to Talapus lake (no snow at Talapus for those who plan to camp there). It is fairly easy to find boot marks and follow the trail until Talapus.

It is a little harder to find the trail to Olallie, but it is manageable - there are some boot/snowshoe marks visible (for now). The trails goes alongside the water stream all the way to the lake. The stream actually starts at the lake and it should be on your right hand side when you are going to the lake and on the left side on the way back.

Very nice hike for after work. No need for snowshoes or microspikes, but hiking poles were very useful.

Full 360o panorama (Olallie) can be found here: http://photosynth.net/view.[…]cfd3-48e9-b115-3c53dde6de81

Absolutely stunning day with an excellent trail mostly to myself. The easy forest walk was cool on an otherwise hot day. No issues with the trail, although watch for potholes on the road to it. Otter Falls is spectacular. Not many wildflowers, but the deep green of the new growth is beautiful in its own way.

This hike takes you into the heart of the Blue Mtns. It is 34 miles to the trailhead from Dayton and took about 1.5 hrs. My husband and I saw no other cars or persons after leaving Dayton. The road in is long but was in good condition. It looked like someone had been through recently clearing debris.

This hike starts at the Teepee Trailhead and although the directions to get to the trailhead are accurate in the WTA Trail guide, there are no signs by the Godman station and the road from there was 6 miles (not 5) to the trailhead. The total mileage to Oregon Butte from the trailhead is around 3 making the hike a 6 mile roundtrip NOT 3 as is listed in the WTA hike guide. It is about 2.25 to Oregon Springs and then another .75 to the top. The climb elevation to the springs is 1237 ft and it would be 1580 to the lookout.

There are no trail markers at all.

The day was warm and sunny which made for temperatures in the 60's in the forest and 70's along the ridges. The trail had a lot of snow patches which should be gone in another few weeks. The trail was easy to follow even with the mud and snow. We saw a lot of animal prints - deer and elk and ? - we thought cougar or bear and then wondered what we would do. It did not help that there is a Grizzly Bear Ridge and Cougar Creek nearby (and did I mention no other people).

Flowers are just starting with avalanche lilies all along the way. We got good views on the West Butte especially looking SE to the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Since we had gotten a late start (arriving at TeePee trailhead at 2) and the snow was slowing us down, we decided to call it quits at Oregon Springs. I think if we had left earlier it would have been no problem to get to the top. You can see in the picture of the lookout that the ridge is clear of snow.
 
A great day.

Great quick hike. The 1.9 mile climb up was steep but definetely doable. You don't have to be super-fit to do it. My 7 year old lazy dog was able to do it :)
Once you reach the ledge, the views are breathtaking. Well maintained trail.

I got off the Lady of the Lake boat around 11am at Prince Creek with 3 others. 1 person was staying at the campground there to do some kayaking and the other 2 were going up Prince Creek to the Summit Trail. I quickly lost the trail in the rocks but soon got back on track and found the log bridge across Prince Creek.

It was a little on the warm side but the sun felt good. The elevation gains for this trail in other posts are greatly exaggerated. It is true that you are rarely right by the lake but it is almost always in view and you are never over 300 feet above the lake. The trail has no pointless ups/downs as the direction of the trail always makes sense.

Rattlers - Being my first encounter with Rattlesnakes in the wild, I, myself, was rattled after being rattled at. Twice 2 footers rattled at me in drainages as they got off the path for me. In retrospect, they were quite polite and we didn't want to bother each other. I saw another rattleless small 1 footer by Meadow creek. Seeing the snakes kept me hyper aware of my surroundings the whole time which I find exhilarating. I wished I done some research on their behavior before the trip. I warned a couple leaders of a group of middle school girls who were on their way to Prince Creek CG. (These were the only humans that I saw in ~24 hours on the trail.)

At 11 miles, I got to Moore Point CG and camped their overnight. Nice big CG that I had all to myself. Good outhouse and a bear box.

Got up shortly after 5am to see the sun shining on the Chelan Mtn Range. The temps were more comfortable in the AM and the skies were bluebird. On the trail at 7am for a nice morning 7 mile stroll to Stehekin at 11:30am (plenty of time before the 2pm boat departure).

Overall, I highly recommend this trail as ratio of effort to scenic beauty makes this one of the best overnighters that I've ever done. The trail was in good shape except -
1. Meadow Creek - detour thru the washout is not to standard
2. Brushy in spots - pretty good for most trails but when your looking out for rattlers, it would be nicer to have better visibility around the trail.

Just a quick note to let hikers know that there is a down tree about one mile before the Bare Mountain trailhead on Road 5700-1. I was scrambling in the area and had to park my car before the tree. So be prepared to add extra two miles to your trek if you're looking to head over that way in the near future.

Take note that the major creek crossing won't be a problem going up in the morning as the water level is low. But in the afternoon/evening the water will be much higher and the rocks used to cross will be submerged in the water.

It's been nearly two years since I last hiked the Bare Mountain trail. It was a pleasant surprise to see the heavy brush has since been cleared and the trail was actually visible this time! Thanks to all the volunteers!

I've uploaded a photo of the down tree to give an idea. Full Flickr photo set coming soon...

I made a stop here after the short hike to the Heybrook Lookout. The parking area was gated and closed, but there is room for a couple of cars to park near the gate, not blocking it and still well off Hwy 2.

The waterfall is in full flow, very dramatic, and well worth a 10 minute stop. A 20 foot section of the 0.5mile nature loop trail has become part of the river (presumably the reason the gate is closed?), but since it's a loop trail, you can get everywhere you want to go anyway.

The late Spring thaw is in evidence on the trail up to the lake with lots of water coming down Twenty Two Creek and water and mud on the trail. There is one tricky obstacle about three quarters of the way up where a tree or two is across the trail as well as mud and snow. If you take the high side to get around the obstruction, watch out for the Devils Club.

The last hundred yards of the trail to the lake is still covered with snow and there are several snow bridges undermined by water. At the lake, the bridge over the outflow is now snow free but the trails going to the left and right are still covered with snow.

The weather was perfect for hiking with a nice breeze through the forest and warm up at the lake.

With the weather extremely clear I headed up to the Ira Spring TH. The trail to the Bandera Mountain Mason lake split is in great shape. Once you reach the Lakes Wilderness sign and the Ira Spring Memorial you will head down to Mason lake and the snow begins. Watch out!! There are many dangerous hidden postholes that will have you sinking in to your chest so tread lightly. The trail is not marked and you will have to make your best judgement call on which boot path to follow. As you round Mason Lake, the "trail" becomes non existent. Follow what you can of a boot path around back to Mt. Defiance. You will go through an open area and then to the right of little Mason lake and then to the right up the spine. Again more hidden postholes. As you come to what would be the wildflower field (if there wasn't so much snow) I continued straight up as I couldn't see a clear route that follows the trail. Eventually this will all be real obvious but for now it is kind of a make the best trail that you can. Just head up! As for traction devices, some of you may feel better with micro spikes and some poles. I didn't use my spikes but I brought them cuz no matter how many macho posters say they aren't needed I never listen to them. I also brought my ice axe which was a lot of fun to use on the 60-70 degree slopes. Either way you are definitely rewarded at the top.

It was my first time hiking gothic basin! We only made it halfway because there was so much snow. I will definitely be back this summer.

Wow!! First time up to the fantastic view. In addition to the nice trail and a great Poo Poo Point view, we got to watch some paragliders fly-fly away. I should mention the parking issue. There is a tiny lot at the TH, and a few spaces out on the road. Other than that, you need to look for spots. We found one just North of the Element School, which is North of the High School. The trail starts out flat and then transitions into a steady climb, then gives you a little break as you pass through ‘ many creeks valley, then up you go on the switch backs, which are quite steep in places, then you drop down to the point. Well worth it on a sunny day.

This is a nice hike that follows the Lost River north into the Pasayten wilderness from high on a ridge. You do not reach the water until the end of the hike where the bridge has washed out. The trail starts out in ponderosa pine forest where it parallels the road. After the first mile, it turns and heads north along a ridge above the river. The woods begin to change, pines mixing with Doug fir. This midsection of the trail is overgrown, but you can still see the tread. At about 3 miles, a little stream is reached, the golden rocks mixed with the sparkling water is pure photographer porn! Just up the trail from this the wilderness boundary is reached. A few cedar trees are growing along this section. As you cross some scree fields the trail starts downward toward the water. There are some nice 'peak a boo' views of the surrounding mtns here. Round a corner, hike just a little ways further and you will see where the bridge is washed out. The cement support makes a nice lunch rock. One thing about finding this trail, it is called the Monument Creek trail, then at the trailhead the sign says Eureka creek, no mention of Lost River except for the road name. We were too late for the balsomroot, but lots of lupine, penstemon and other flowers. We spotted several Western tanangers, always a treat!

The trail to the bottom of the falls (Kamikaze falls trail) is in excellent condition! The rest of the trail to the summit is in snow free until you reach 4400' The trail is snow covered until right before you reach the "rock" then the rest of the scramble to the summit and the summit itself is snow free. The trail to the service road is 100% snow covered and traction devices would be extremely useful here! We were able to descend with only trail running shoes but it was not pretty! The trail is under snow at this time so familiarity with this route is highly suggested. You can follow our tracks if they are still there. The service road is snow covered (ankle deep) for the next 2 miles. No post holing but it was slow moving. After about 2 miles the services road is 100% snow free.

While this hike can be quite crowded on weekends, especially late spring/early summer when so many other trails are still under snow, getting an early start on a weekday will keep the crowds to a minimum. Even though there were at least two dozen others enjoying the trip Tuesday, I hiked and had lunch at the lake in quiet and solitude.
Keep an eye out for the first mile of roadway after Barlow Pass. The road is pitted with very deep potholes, bringing to mind the fields around Ypres after the battle of Passchendaele, only in miniature.
Also keep an eye peeled for bears...I saw a large pile of bear scat on the upper trail.
I took the lower Elliot Creek trail on the way up, climbing alongside the creek for a while, then leveling out into a park-like mostly level stroll until the upper & lower trails converge for the last, somewhat steep leg to the lake.
At the lake itself are several lakeside view/access spots to have a picnic and take in the scenery. If you push on over some blowdowns and through a long stretch of slide alder, you'll be rewarded with close up views of a waterfall cascading down to Goat Lake, but there are plenty of waterfalls at a distance, accessible with a telephoto lens.
I returned via the upper trail, longer but without all the roots & rocks of the lower trail, with numerous small waterfalls, patches of wildflowers and teaser views of surrounding peaks. Since the walking is easier, the time is about the same for either trail, so why not take both?

If you are looking for a moderate hike to enjoy some distance while gaining some elevation, or are looking for a good training hike, or you want to take an out of town guest on a local hike...this hike is perfect. The hike up to Olallie Lake via the Pratt Lake Trail is a mostly wooded hike, good for avoiding direct sun and this trail is lined with old trees and has a soft pine needles laid out like carpet most of the way. This part of the trail never gets too steep, but provides a good workout.

It is a bit over 3 miles to the cut off to Olallie Lake, with several fast running creeks to cross...this part of the trail was completely snow free...however...snow starts on the cutoff not to far after Pratt Lake Trail...you will need to cross a fast running stream (actually the stream is split in two parts where the trail intersects) take caution crossing (poles were very helpful here)...upon crossing the second side of the stream follow the stream up to the right for about 10 minutes (all on snow) and you will find Olallie Lake. If you go down the left side of the lake another 5 or so minutes you will find a few rocks and downed trees to sit on.

There was no one else up at the lake...i'm guessing that the dozen or so cars in the parking lot had hikers who were all headed up to Granite Mountain.

This is a fun, fairly easy hike, very secluded with a beautiful alpine lake to enjoy...the lake is almost all snow covered...

Great hike to enjoy some miles and mild vertical gain...about 7.6 RT to Olallie Lake, 1.75 hours to the lake and 1.5 hours down

  Nada Lake is the first lake you come to on the Snow Lake trail. The trail heads down to Icicle River and crosses it on a bridge. Then the trail switchbacks up the other side of the canyon. The green of the vegetation contrasts against the black tree trunks from the 1993 fire. There were lots of little wildflowers. The trail is in great shape up to where it levels off by a stream surrounded by old cedar trees. A good lunch spot about 2 miles in.
  The trail beyond has a few trees down, but nothing you can't go under or over, and the upper parts have just recently melted out so there is some mud and water on the trail. Interestingly, I didn't see any other people on this part of the trail. The parking lot was full. Where was everyone? It was sort of creepy being alone on such a popular trail.
  Numerous times I saw something that I thought meant I was near the lake. Water running off the top of a boulder. The lake must be just up there! Nope. An opening in the trees. The lake must be just over there! Splash. Watch out for those little knobby roots. I did a face-plant in the mud. Another reason not to wear cotton. Mud washes right off of synthetics with some clean stream water and a bandanna.
  It's only 5 and a half miles to Nada Lake, but it felt longer since there were no other people around and I kept thinking I was almost there. When I'd about given up ever seeing the lake, it showed up. A group of three people was just leaving. I relaxed for a few minutes thinking about the Enchantments that lay just around the far bend in the lake. As I got ready to leave, another person showed up! We chatted and walked down together. I only passed three other groups coming up.
  Except for the giant rip in the back of my pants from scooting over a tree, my clothes cleaned up fine for dinner and beer in Leavenworth. The town is very pleasant, there are lots of hikes in the area, and Icicle Road is lined with nice campgrounds that are first come, no reservations. It's a great place to spend a few days.
  

A warm sunny day and a shady hike with some elevation gain - what more could one want.

The West Tiger 3 trail is in excellent shape with some slightly muddy patches - more than I expected - but no sweat traveling.

Used my new Discover Pass to park at the upper lot. Lots of people and dogs on the trail and most faster than my 2 MPH pace.

Saw the Cascades on the ridge near the summit and had a view of Puget Sound from the Summit.

A great day and nice hike with a Dairy Queen Cone at the end of the hike as my reward.

I think I did about 6.4 miles in 3 hours with 2000 to 2100 feet of elevation gain.

I did a 2 night solo backpacking trip starting at Rialto Beach and heading north to Norwegian Memorial (my initial plan was to go all the way north to Wedding Rocks, but I underestimated the terrain). This hike is beautiful, but it's a slog. The tides make certain areas impassible for hours, and when you can get by, a lot of it is hopping from one kelp-covered rock to the next - not easy with a 35 lb pack on your back. I camped at Cedar Creek and Chilean Memorial, both campsites were lovely and the only trail issue I noted was that one of the sand ladders just south of Norwegian Beach has a couple of rungs out. This is a lovely trail but it takes a lot longer than you'll expect.

At less than a quarter mile in there is a very muddy mess at Deming Creek ford. Something let go upstream since there was a muddy slurry 100 feet wide. I trudged through the mess a few hundred feet upstream and found a reasonably safe crossing but decided against it as it was still early and a warm day, and things just seemed to be really unstable. It is probably best to avoid this one for a few weeks.

Hiking in the Colombia Hills State Park was a break from the ordinary. I’ve been wondering if the Eight-Miles hike would be a good early season choice when it is still raining in Vancouver and I’m anxious to start hiking. After my experience this week, I’d say “probably.”

My hiking group started at the newly-paved parking lot below Eight-Mile Creek Falls and walked up the road a mile to check out the falls and get some good views of the gorge. The views of the river were remarkable. The water was glass smooth and the sky perfectly cloudless. Contrast the blues with the tan grasses, green trees, and black lava rocks and you have post-card perfect scenery.

After our short trip up the road, our group followed the Horsethief Butte trail to get a closer view of the river, picnicked at the Columbia Hills State Park, and checked out the Temani Pesh-wa petroglyph display. All these were worthwhile activities, but together were more of an outing than a hiking adventure.

I’ve heard there is a trail that goes past Eight-Mile Creek Fall, crosses the creek, and continues up towards Dalles Mountain Ranch, making for a more respectable hike. I’ll definitely do more research and come back next spring when I’m anxious to go on an early-season hike.

Mailbox trail is in pretty good condition. Damp enough to provide traction on the ascend/descend. Only a small patch of snow to navigate right before exiting the tree line.We were able to traverse the patch of snow with trail running shoes without any issues. The trail to the summit is 100% snow free!

Beautiful day for a hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Three cars at the Eightmile Lake trailhead to begin with and four at the end, but we didn't see anyone on the trail! Left at around nine and returned at four. Eighty percent of the trail goes through parts of the 2012 burn; unfortunately, no morels were to be found, and there were many blowdowns on the trail to negotiate. The burn did dampen the wildflower display a bit, but there are still some nice displays. The last 1/4 mile of the trail to the top of the ridge was snow-covered, and Lake Caroline is still completely frozen over. Little Eightmile and Eightmile Lakes are beautiful, especially with the new and relatively treeless view! Saw nice Mountain Bluebirds up around 5,500 feet.

The trail was relatively empty at 5 p.m. on a weekday. Conditions on the trail were good the whole way up. But in the rocky area just below the haystack, tiny flying bugs were everywhere and quickly attacked anyone trying to sit down to contemplate the beautiful view of Mt. Rainier. Bring bug spray or prepare for a short stay on the summit.

This trail is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, especially this time of year. The view you get of Mt. Rainier is amazing. We went up on a warm day (80s in Seattle), we checked avalanche danger before we left due to the recent dumping of snow but there was no danger. We reached the trailhead around 3:00pm, I assume most people will do this hike later in the summer when the snow is gone, we ran into only one couple on the trail.

The Reflection Lakes are still covered in snow and the trail is still buried in ~8 feet of snow. We brought snow shoes in case the snow was too soft to walk on, we ended up not using them but used gators and waterproof boots. We followed fresh foot tracks the entire trip to the saddle. Climbing up the snow fields is no easy task, we were kicking in steps up hills angled steeper than 45 degrees. An ice axe is definitely recommended for anyone looking to replicate our trip. It took us about an hour and a half to reach the saddle.

The benefit to doing this hike with snow coverage is there lots of hills to do some glissading on. It took us probably 30 mins to get back to our car.

Conditions for this snow-covered trail, above 3900', are such that this is not yet a safe hike without poles and a mountain-axe on the steeper areas near the top.
After much research we decided on this destination due to its lower elevation (5062'), road access to the trailhead, and reasonable distance with the still lingering snow down to 3800'. We departed the Jennifer Dunn trailhead about 0900. Not far in we saw the recent NTD trail work done on Saturday. We hiked the snow-free road and trail to the saddle, where the snow starts. Then headed west, following a long traversing, old trail, snow-free in many places. Reaching the east peak at noon we ate lunch and enjoyed the great views toward the heart of the Wild Sky Wilderness. We lingered for an hour on top planning a route to the west peak, but decided to wait until a summer day when the rocky route is snow-free. Following our route back down we got to the trailhead at 1500.
Some wildflowers are in bloom along the road/trail.
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There is still snow from the Paradise parking lot to Camp Muir. Going up was good as we were able to follow a well beaten compacted path through the snow. However, by the time we descended the snow was soft and mushy and we were post holing. At times we wished we had carried snowshoes to wear down. Because the snow was so soft, we were only able to glissade the steepest slopes. This was one of the first warmest days of spring which made things unusually soft. It won't take many sunny days to consolidate the snow.

Amazing how few people were here compared to what the weekend reports said. Tuesdays rock! Hike the lower trail, it is much shorter (more like 8 miles RT, not 10) and far better in every way, being in older forests closer to the creek. Trail in great shape aside from a few routine blowdowns.

For views of Cadet and Foggy Peaks, at the lake, follow the trail that goes clockwise around it. The trail starts easy but then gets brushy and rougher. But listen and you will hear a huge waterfall ahead. After battling your way up the side of the lake, soon come to a massive waterfall coming off a cliff and right into the lake, next to a nice rock to sit on for lunch. Best lunch spot ever!

 Thought I would give Huckleberry Mountain a try, since it was not to far up the Suiattle River Road from the gate where the road is closed. Started out at 10:00am. Found the trailhead, but after about a quarter mile it was too grown over. If I was by myself I would try to bushwack, but had the little dog with me. It was such a nice day I decided to keep walking up the road. Made it to milepost 17 and turned around. With the exception of the two washouts close to the gate, I thought the road was in great shape, but have not been past milepost 17. They are going to start working on this road this summer and I'm pretty excited about it. Can't wait to hike the trails here without long road walks or biking in. The Huckleberry Mountain Trail is close to the gate but needs some work.

The recently re-opened DNR park, Maple Hollow, has 1-2 miles of nice forest and beach hiking. Here are 2 minutes' worth of video clips from the hike: http://youtu.be/2ckHOXEiuP0

Driving Directions - follow Key Peninsula's main highway south until you reach Van Beek Road - turn left on Van Beek and watch for the park on the left..

Still limited to easy trails by my surgeon, this was a perfect, safe morning jaunt to get out despite the shoulder sling.

There are 3 routes (main, beach and loop) - take the main trail through cedar & alder all the way to where it hits a road. Then on the way back along that trail, take the "Beach" turnoff to head down to the shore. Upon return, watch for the next left turn, which makes a nice loop, rejoining the main trail near the parking lot.

The park is open from 8am to sunset.
Nice job, Department of Natural Resources!

Sunny and dry on the east side after escaping rain in Seattle. Easy access from the road with parking on outside and inside of the gate. It is rattlesnake season so be on guard (late May, June). Saw several large snakes sunning, but did not run into rattlers.

Wildflowers are still strong in the shadier spots of meadows under ponderosa pines - Indian paintbrush and lupines. The balsam root is fading out and the flowers in the sunnier spots withering with the advance of summer. In a week or two it will be very dry here.

Mid day about seven horse trailers appeared and there were a fair number of western saddle riders on the trails.

I found it difficult to find the Ainsley trail as there were a number of trails and roads. After crossing the creek and heading up the watershed it curves around to the left. There was a small cairn in the middle of the fork.

Camped in East Sullivan campground the evening before and started the hike around 7am. This time of year is perfect as it's cool with limited bugs, beautiful wildflowers and mushrooms. We were pleasantly surprised that around 2 miles in the area very closely resembled the Olympic Rainforest.

Beautiful views of the lake.

Lot's of wild strawberries that when ripe would be yummy. Of course the bears like them too. So be bear aware.

Beware! The Day Hiking Eastern Washington guidebook from Mountaineers Books says the hike is 4.6 miles round trip. It really seems to us that the 4.6 miles was the distance to the other trailhead at Noisy Creek Campground. The forest service sign at the beginning stated that Noisy Creek is 4.1 miles. So don't overtax yourself.

Good hike for kids and dogs.

There's a couple of decent hills but nothing bad.

Road is now snow free to within just a hundred yards or so of the Mt. Pilchuck Parking / Trailhead. Still a foot or so of snow in the parking lot, but there is room to park along the roadway and walk the short distance to the trailhead. It is still a snow hike up to the lookout and proper gear is recommended. The road is pretty pot-holed for the first 2 miles beyond the gate at Heather Lake Trailhead, and then it smooths out for the next 3.5 miles to Pilchuck. Some of the pot holes are pretty deep and hard to avoid.

Just a quick report on the Heather Lake Trail off the Mountain Loop Hwy outside of Granite Falls. Trail is completely snow free until just a very short ways before the lake. The Lake is totally thawed, with just a few pockets of slush around a few corners. The boardwalk across the outlet is also totally snow free. Around the rest of the lake is is still a few feet of snow. No bare ground around the lake, but there are some large rocks to sit on if you cross the outlet on the boardwalk and then follow a boot path around to the side of the lake.

Monday was mostly sunny and upper 60's so definitely a great day and an fairly easy 4 miles round-trip hike. Only one bad blow down near the lake and it's muddy and wet on much of the upper trail.

Great hike! The trail was in great condition. Just 2 down trees that were easily avoidable. This hike isn't easy and wouldn't recommend it for young kids, but definitely great for hikers with a little more endurance! The scenery is beautiful and I would definitely recommend this hike. Enjoy!

Trails are in good condition, nice challenge, well maintained but I feel there need to be markers on the loops and when exiting the loops have marking arrow to parking area, got a little lost in the loops and took the wrong down path that would take me back to the parking area.

I went up the standard route on the north side of Mount Washington and returned via the Great Wall route. The trail is in good condition with no blow downs. The snow started at 3300 feet and was continuous to about 3600 feet. After that it was very intermittent with less than 5% snow coverage to the summit. The descent along the Great Wall route had a bit more snow but not much. It was early in the morning and the snow was soft on top and very firm below. It was easy walking with no post holing. Gaiters or traction devices were not required. The weather and the scenery were both excellent. A very good trip.

We headed up Granite Falls way for a hike on the Lime Kiln trail. Had not been on it in seven years. Several cars in the parking lot when we arrived. The road section of the trail through the clear cut area has really grown up with Alder trees since we were last there, providing shade on a sunny day. After crossing the horse bridge at Hubbard Creek, the trail follows an old logging road for a short distance before turning left and heading down hill to the old Everett & Monte Cristo Railway railroad grade. The rails were removed in 1936 and sent to Japan for scrap. We hiked up stream along the South Fork of the Stillagualmish River where the trail is getting really over grown with brush. Watch out for the nettles. There are several blown down trees across the trail, but easy to get over or under. The log bridge over a small stream is due to be replaced this summer. The log hand rail is getting very rotten.

Further on we got to the old lime kiln built way back in 1899. There were once two lime kilns at Cutoff. The limestone was mined nearby, crushed and burned, then the lime was shipped by rail to Everett for use in the production of paper and in the smelter for the ore mined in Monte Cristo.

We met several hiking groups out on this sunny day. Saw one young couple who only brought a camera, so guess they did not get hungry or thirsty on this 7 mile hike. There is one turnpike on this trail, and it needs some work. It is filled with water, so hikers have been making trails around each side of it in order to stay out of the water. Note that the trailhead parking area does not have a rest room.

It was a beautiful hike. Very little snow on the trail up until the last half mile to the lakes. The trail restoration is coming along wonderfully. I enjoy seeing the progress of the trail restoration, from the boulders and massive stumps to the wood chips and step stones across the little waterways. I'm thankful for all the people putting in time and effort to get our trails back.

The upper lake is not frozen anymore. There is also a large flat rock on the north end of the upper lake that has snow around it, but none on it, that made for a perfect place to lunch....and tan....and nap for an hour.

This a great, close day hike for people that don't want to work too hard but get a good reward.

We set out to get to Blanca lake in hopes of making it to the lake, but and catching a good early season hike. The drive up to the trailhead was smooth enough until about 1.8 miles from the trailhead, where logging crews were working on clearing logs off the road from the winter storms. We parked 1.8 miles from the trailhead.

The trail itself was in decent shape until about 2/3 of the way up when we hit a ton of snow that hadn't melted. At this point the trail was hard to find, and there weren't footprints to follow either. We eventually gave up and went back down as we simply couldn't find the trail. I'd recommend waiting until the snow melts, as this was really disappointing.

That being said, I will definitely attempt this again in July or August, so the snow has enough time to melt.

Today, I was looking for a relatively short hike that could still offer a workout, so I opted for the Chirico Trail. We started up in the early afternoon. The trail was in great condition, and easy to follow. It forks a few times closer to the top, but all the forks join back together, so which fork you take depends on whether you're willing to trade steepness for distance. We made it up in time to watch some paragliders launching off the upper launch area. After about 30 minutes clouds rolled in and the launches tapered off, but they were flying again by the time we made it back to the bottom.

80 degrees/hot. Could not access lakes due to snow covering trails after the Ira Spring's Memorial Plaque. Hiked to the peak instead and could see all lakes frozen over. Great hike!

A sunny day was predicted but a cloud cap hung over Swauk Mountain, with some cloud blowing off toward the Tigers. I started my long hike under cloud cover at the south end of the main Tiger Mountain Trail, the TMT, at an elevation of 560 ft.

A pity DNR doesn't give us access with parking to the 15 Mile Creek Trailhead. That would have made this a much shorter day. But I didn't want to improvise on parking in Mirrormont, and I was determined to hike two trails that were new to me, the Hobart - Middle Tiger RR Grade and the lower segment of the Middle Tiger Trail, both reached from the West Side Road (Road 1000.) The TMT seemed a more appealing approach route than the Tiger Summit alternative, although with more elevation gain.

The TMT took me past Carkins Cliff (no longer signed) to Hobart Gap (signed) then on NE, crossing under the power line and continuing around the eastern flank of South Tiger with an almost constant uphill slope to reach the West Side Road, about 3.6 miles from my TMT trailhead.

This part of the road must get little traffic - there was none today - and the gravel is small-sized, not unpleasant to walk on. The road climbs about 100 ft, then drops about 400 ft on a steady, gentle grade. The clouds blown over from Swauk still provided cover, and it was cool. I knew, on my return, it would be warmer and uphill, and the slope would seem less gentle.

Here and there along the road pathways come up from the downhill side, a sign that locals have established routes of their own. I continued on the road 1.6 miles to the combined trailhead for the Hobart - Middle Tiger RR Grade and Middle Tiger trails, identified by a very weathered sign.

A few yards steeply uphill, at an equally weathered sign, the trail splits. I took the left fork for the Hobart - Middle Tiger RR Grade. Despite the weathered signs the trail itself was in reasonably good condition, and a few boot prints showed it does get some regular use. It seemed much less overgrown than the 15 Mile RR Grade across the canyon on the north side of the creek.

This RR Grade starts out fairly dry but becomes moister as it works its way up the canyon and approaches the creek. At 1.6 miles I noted a small sign, "TMT 1/4," with a small arrow pointing straight up. I passed it for now, and the RR Grade continued on another hundred yards or so, with a bit of mud, to end at the edge of Fifteen Mile Creek, a pleasant lunch stop and presumed former site of a curved wooden trestle, now long gone. (There were hints a boot path might continue across the creek, but I did not investigate it today.)

After my lunch stop, with the sky clearing, I backtracked to the TMT sign and headed up the indicated way. The vertical arrow on the sign was somewhat exaggerated. The route was steep, but not that bad, There was an occasional muddy section. Soon, I found myself on familiar ground, the TMT, about 0.7 miles south of Custer's Bridge.

I followed the TMT south 1.2 miles, climbing slightly to my high point for the day at Millan's Crossing (2180 ft) and the intersection with the Middle Tiger Trail. I headed down the Middle Tiger, sometimes quite steeply. I was glad not to be hiking this trail uphill. It was 0.9 miles back to the trailhead along the West Side Road, from which I returned to my beginning trailhead the way I had come.

Total mileage for the day was about 14 miles, with an elevation difference (highest minus lowest) of about 1,600 ft. It was an enjoyable hike, with mostly good trail conditions and, amazingly, I had the trails and road completely to myself.

I don't usually write a trip report for Mt. Si. C'mon, it's Mt. Si. This time I did. It is one of the most unusual trips I have done. In fairness to WTA I'm not going into details on their site. Not for this one report. Next week I'll be back with the full written report on WTA. If this has piqued any interest take a look on my site at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2013" on the left margin. Look for the Mt. Si report.

Confused once again by the guide book. Luckily there are maps at the top.

We parked at the Sky Country trailhead and took the Klondike Swamp Trail followed by the Lost Beagle Trail to get to the top. We took a left through the fence and cut through the park instead of continuing down the trail and back up to the parking lot near the "Million Dollar View". Because of that, we wandered around a bit before we were able to find the viewpoint.

From the viewpoint, you can take either Shangri La Trail East or Shangri La Trail West. Shangri La East will take you to the Anti-Aircraft Ridge Trail as described in the book. We decided to take the West trail and then follow the Coyote Creek Trail back to the road and a two minute walk back to the trailhead. Our trip still came in at about 6 miles.

This was a very easy hike. The only "difficulties" were the many mudholes on the trails. It can be done in sneakers, but a few of the mudholes were still pretty wet. Overall, it's not a bad hike for a late start or a lazy day. There is nothing spectacular on this hike, however.

-- More pictures on Instagram (@gratefulwanderer) and Flickr (Grateful Wanderer) --

 Seven members of the Whidbey Island Hiking Group traveled to Leavenworth to hike the Icicle Ridge Trail.
 The trail is dry and in good condition with many switchbacks to ease the grade. The views improve as you gain altitude and it isn't long before the homes and rivers are far below.
 We climbed the 2.5 miles to the obvious right turn towards the knoll which offers even better views down into the Tumwater Canyon and then the town of Leavenworth far below.
 Several snake sightings were made but determined not to be rattlers. A lone para-sailor (see pic) soared above for most of the morning.
 This is a good early season hike and combined with a visit to Leavenworth was a great day.
 Five miles round trip and about 1,800' of elevation gain were our numbers for this hike.

Beautiful day for this hike. I had hiked here before but with my wife and we turned around at Greenwater Lakes. I vowed to come back and go to Echo Lake. Today was that day!

The trail is in fairly good condition. There are some mud issues but not that bad. There is a section about 4.5 miles in for about two tenths of a mile there is a stream running through the trail. It is easy to get around the water.

At about 3800 feet there is a little snow still. No traction devises or poles are necessary. I think it will be mostly gone in a few weeks. As you head down to the Echo Lake basin the snow is gone. I had this beauty all to myself and sat out on a log to eay my lunch.

Be aware if you read the WTA description of 1600 ft elevation gain. With all of the ups and downs you actually ascend 2900 feet during your 14 mile trek. It truly does seem to blow by though. It is a beautiful hike all the way around.

On your way back as you are near a stream look to your left and you will see a small waterfall. I missed it coming in. Enjoy - you can't go wrong here. The first camping spot at the lake will have my name on it. I want to come back in the summer for an overnight and float this lake.

Trail is in good condition, although from the fork to the ridge is essentially a scramble up boulders (very steep) and there is snow all over the top of the ridge. It's easily passable with hiking boots or other traction, but watch your step and go slow on the snow! The bridge at the beginning is a non-issue although the creek is really more of a raging river right now! There are several logs offering passage so it isn't a problem. As the first "real" hike of the season, this pretty well kicked my butt. Time to get back in shape!

We hiked north from the trailhead on Grand Ridge Drive, a private road that bisects the park. We hiked to the WTA Log Bridge and back, about 5.6 miles round trip. Grand View Drive is a private road with no trespassing warnings, so you probably cannot park in a small muddy pull-out near the trail head. We parked on NE Harrison Drive near the corner of Grand Ridge Drive with no problem. Another couple we met on the trail also parked there.

The trail is in excellent condition with just a few easily avoided muddy areas. The steeper areas are somewhat rutted in the middle from frequent mountain bike use. We encountered three other hikers and a half dozen on mountain bikes. One hiker told us that this trail is not desirable for hiking on weekends due to high mountain bike use.

This is a very pleasant woodland trail, with wildflowers starting to bloom, and lots of older second-growth cedars along the way.

This trail is open to bicycles June 1 through October 31, on odd-numbered dates only.
It is not an easy bike trail for beginners like me.
Very rocky, roots and muds all over the trail, many jumps and fragile.
Hit the trail early to enjoy the Goldmyer Hot springs.
More pics w/ a map @ http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/harris/9843/

  The Icicle Gorge trail is a perfect choice. It's a 3.8 mile loop trail that is dog and kid friendly. It runs above both sides of Icicle Gorge, crossing the river at Chatter Creek campground and Rock Creek campground. The main trail head is in between the two campgrounds.
  Most of the trail is shaded in forest. It's green and pleasant walking. Good for contemplation. There are many spots where you can view the turbulent river. Going counterclockwise, after you pass the Rock Creek bridge,there is a meadow with orange Indian paintbrush, my favorite wildflower, that goes as far as my eye can see. This is a good trail to take slowly and notice what is around you. Birds singing, flowers blooming, chipmunks scurrying with large bites of food in their mouth.
  I enjoyed this trail more than I expected. It was a great ending to three days spent camping and hiking in Leavenworth.

 Read that the road was cleared to the Meadow Mountain Trailhead, so I thought I would check it out. Spoke to someone at the trailhead who tried to go over Rat Trap Pass, but it was still blocked by snow. Started out at 10:30am and planned on hiking as far as the viewpoint of Glacier Peak, as I knew the switchbacks would still have snow. It was a great day because it was not too hot and the bugs were minimal. The trail needs to be brushed and there were a few blowdowns, but nothing major. Overall the trail was in great shape and the patches of snow were easy to cross and melting fast, way ahead of last year. The dog and myself arrived at the Glacier Peak viewpoint, but weather obstructed the view and you could only see the base of the mountain. For anyone who wants an early season view of Glacier Peak, this is a good trail for that. Later after the snow melts the switchbacks to the meadows offer great views as well. The viewpoint is close to the start of the switchbacks and noticed quite a bit of bear activity, but didn't see anything. The spring green colors were intense and still had some great mountain views. Was back to the car by 2:30pm.

It's great to pick a great hike on a great day! The trail to Perry Creek Falls is good. There are three blowdowns on the new section of trail: one large, but passable, and two small and easy to clear. There are patches of snow starting at 3,000' and several sloping snow fields to cross (poles and spikes recommended).

When you reach the middle section of the old trail on the way to the falls, look to your left and be amazed by dozens of waterfalls on the opposite cliffs. Also look down along the trail for blooming flowers: Glacier Lilies, Trillium, Yellow Violets, Bleeding Hearts, etc.

When you reach the top of the falls, keep going upstream across a snowfield to the creek crossing. The flow is full, but the crossing isn't bad if you have waterproof boots, use a pole for balance, and are good at rock hopping.

To see the falls as depicted in the photo, you need to cross the creek and scramble downhill through the forest to view the falls from below.

The only redeeming feature of the new section of trail is a great view of Mt. Dickerman, which was out in all its glory late morning.

The entire trip is 7.0 miles with nearly 1.5K of elevation gain. My hike was three hours total: 2.5 hours for hiking and 30 minutes for photography.
This is one fine hike for this time of year. But I did not encounter anyone during the entire adventure. I love Monday hikes...

The ridge is beautiful with wildflowers blooming and great views. Even though the trail doesn't open to motorized vehicles until June 15, we did see two motorcyclists/dirt bike riders, but fortunately, they passed quickly and otherwise, it was a peaceful hike.

I was surprised by the number of hikers on the trail what with the condition of 5 mile road getting up to the trail head - AWFUL! Do not attempt this road unless you have a vehicle with high clearance, and you have serious grit. Even with that, be very careful; another member of my hiking party got a flat tire on one of the sharp rocks on the road on the way up.

  The yellow of the balsamroot is gone now, but it's been replaced by the white of mariposa lilies. The trail switchbacks for about two and a half miles up to a ridge with nice views of the Leavenworth area, Icicle Creek and Highway 2. There are fresh wildflowers including a nice stand of red Indian paintbrush. The trail meanders for many more miles beyond the ridge. This part of the trail, at least the small part I did, is less used and getting overgrown.

There were two different spots on this trail where you can go right OR left and there is nothing that indicates which way you should go. The trail is unmarked and very unclear. We made it to Teneriffe Falls and had to backtrack to find the actual way up Teneriffe. The hike after the falls is pretty much straight UP. Pretty difficult and seems like the trail has been washed out maybe? Once we got to the top of that straight away there seemed to be nothing marking where to go after that. Expecting a 13 mile hike roundtrip it seemed so unmarked that we ended up hiking 5.5 roundtrip. Pretty bummed out about this one, but the falls were beautiful but not amazing and definitely want to figure out the right way to go and try again since the views/pictures i've seen are GORGEOUS. will try again, but pretty bummed about how bad the trail was.

The trail up to Little Bandera is easy to follow ... there is a couple of spots near the top where the snow still melting out.

To get to Bandera Mountain... basically just keep going to the east from the top of Little Bandera. The elevation drops down about 100 feet to a saddle and then climbs the ridge again to about 5,200 feet. The trail stays mostly near the top or just on the south side of the ridge. It can be a bit tough to find at first (esp down to the saddle). It took me about a half hour to get from Little Bandera to Bandera. There is an American flag in some rocks... which marks the top of Bandera Mountain.

WTA volunteers from all over the state converged on trails near you on National Trails Day, and many of us made a weekend of it! I worked with a large crew on the beautiful Lower South Fork Skok Trail and had an amazing time. Pics are at: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/.

Road to the trail is clear, but you’ll want to go slowly through the gravel section as there are some pretty good potholes. The trail is in good condition for hikers to about 4 miles in from any of the 4 approaches around LeBar (Brown’s Creek, 120 access). There is lots more work to do (really muddy in one spot, one log down on the switchbacks, them more after 4 miles, and a short washout on the hillside just before the 120 trail comes in that has tread adequate for hikers roughed in but will likely need a re-route). WTA crews this weekend took out several blowdowns, root balls in the trail, repaired tread (including a hole 21’ x 6’!), brushed overhead and side plants, improved creek fords and approaches, ate a lot of candy, worked and laughed like maniacs. Flowers blooming include lily, thimbleberry, false lily of the valley, miners’ lettuce, fairy bells, twisted stalk, bunchberry, and more.

Stock riders: check with the USFS – the trail from LeBar may not be stock ready yet. We got it mostly there if you go in from the 120 access – prior to that there is a washout, and after that there is a log across the trail on the switchbacks that is easily negotiable by hikers, but not for a horse.

WTA volunteers from all over the state converged on trails near you on National Trails Day, and many of us made a weekend of it! I worked with a large crew on the beautiful Lower South Fork Skok Trail and had an amazing time. Pics are at: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/.

Road to the trail is clear, but you’ll want to go slowly through the gravel section as there are some pretty good potholes. The trail is in good condition for hikers to about 4 miles in from any of the 4 approaches around LeBar (Brown’s Creek, 120 access). There is lots more work to do (really muddy in one spot, one log down on the switchbacks, them more after 4 miles, and a short washout on the hillside just before the 120 trail comes in that has tread adequate for hikers roughed in but will likely need a re-route). WTA crews this weekend took out several blowdowns, root balls in the trail, repaired tread (including a hole 21’ x 6’!), brushed overhead and side plants, improved creek fords and approaches, ate a lot of candy, worked and laughed like maniacs. Flowers blooming include lily, thimbleberry, false lily of the valley, miners’ lettuce, fairy bells, twisted stalk, bunchberry, and more.

Stock riders: check with the USFS – the trail from LeBar may not be stock ready yet. We got it mostly there if you go in from the 120 access – prior to that there is a washout, and after that there is a log across the trail on the switchbacks that is easily negotiable by hikers, but not for a horse.

The trail up to the wilderness sign (about 2 miles, 3600') has recently been maintained with a couple cut logs and tread improvement, but some brush remains. Above that, the trail steepens, and there is one big log to deal with, but the forest opens up for some occasional views. At 4800', cross a large stream, which, based on our party, you have a 50% percent chance of getting across with dry boots, then traverse east, hitting solid snow, where your boots will definitely get wet.
A half mile past the creek and just before the next creek (5300'), there is a bare patch with a cairn, which is the unsigned junction for the trail to Crater Lake. We headed that way, sort of following the ski tracks of the fellows we saw in the parking lot who were headed to Jack Mountain. I think we were in the vicinity of the lake, but at the base of some cliffs, it started pouring for about the sixth time during the hike, so we called it a day.

We hit snow ~1.5 miles in, and the trail became harder and harder to find under the snowpack. The rivers were running high, and the snow is melting enough now to where you punch through frequently. Assuming the warm weather continues, the trail should be navigable in 3-4 weeks.

We got a later start than we had wanted. We stopped at the Carbon River Ranger Station before heading up the road. We talked with the Rangers for a few minutes and it was great. Definately enjoyed being able to talk to them without the huge crowds like there usually is at Paradise, Longmire or Sunrise. The Ranger had mentioned that there had been reports of a Black Bear in the area so to just keep our eyes out.

We arrived at the parking area just outside the Park boundary. Then we biked the 5 miles to the Ipsut Creek Campground to the Trailhead for the Carbon River Glacier trail. First, let me say not a good time to reintroduce yourself to riding a bike. I hadn't ridden a bike since Junior High and I'm now 41. I can only say it was a misserable ride to the trailhead. I had to get off and walk the mountain bike over the areas of large river rock on the trail. I'm in decent shape and never thought it would be so difficult. But I was not going to give up.....LOL I finally made it to the trailhead where my boyfriend was waiting. We took a few minutes to get drinks and have a quick snack before starting our hike.

The hike was just beautiful. The coolness of the forest was refreshing. It was so green and new growth sprouting up everwhere. We stopped to view Ipsut Falls. It was beautiful. We proceeded on. We began to hear what sounded like chain saws in the near distance, which had us perplexed for a moment. Then we noticed there was members of the WTA working on the trail. Men were cutting away at a fallen tree, and another group was working the trail. They were doing an amazing job and it didn't look like an easy mission. We had to hike over the rocks and debris as they worked. They were all happy they had to halt for a minute to let us pass. They said, it gives em a chance to take a break :) Glad we could help in that regard.

About 1/2 mile past where the workers were we crossed 3-4 log bridges kind of connected. We met two hikers that warned us of a bear just off the trail up ahead and said just look for the fresh scat and described the area. We kept an eye out. The we approached an area with alot of vegitation on each side of the trail with lots of new growth. we noticed the first pile of bear scat (very fresh). Then we proceeded cautiousely. Then we happened to look to the left down in this little valley area close to the river and there it was a big beautiful cinnimon colored black bear. It was laying in some downed trees napping. We took a couple pictures and then it appeared to be looking at something (not us as it knew we were there and wasn't bothered with our presence). It kept looking down stream past us when all of a sudden it got up and started running. All fine and dandy except it was running in our direction. That was a bit scary trying to determine it's route and trying to make sure we were out of it's way. It ended up running past us and climbed a tree. That was pretty neat to watch.

We proceeded onto the Carbon River Glacier Trail. It was a nice easy hike for the most part. We passed some beautiful waterfalls and crossed some log bridges over the river. Then we made our way up through some switchbacks and up to the Carbon River Glacier. We stopped at the Suspension Bridge for drinks and fruit. Walked accross and got some nice pictures and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (I'm afraid of heights and bridges that bounce). After a few minutes we hiked up to the viewpoint. We had to cross a couple of small snow patches. We made it to the glacier and sat in awe. What a magnificant site. We sat and listened as rocks tumbled down the glaciers face into the rocks below. As we sat there taking it all in, we noticed three mountain goats on the rocks on the other side of the river. It was kind of over cast, so we didn't get to see much of the mountain today.

On the return, we had a nice stroll back as we approached the area we had seen the bear earlier, we began to make some noise calling out "Hey bear" and clapping loudly, as we didn't want to suprise it. Unfortunately, we did just that. We came around a corner and my boyfriend who was in front of me put his arms out to stop me and said "Stop and slowly back up NOW" right in front of us maybe five feet from us was the same bear we had seen earlier. This time much closer a not so good feeling. The bear was up on a log hair standing straight up on his back looking at us. I carry bear spray and let me tell you it was out and safety was off and it was ready as we were way to close. We continued to back up and give it some space. After what seemed like forever (maybe 3 minutes), it came down off the log and onto the trail in front of us. It was walking the trail in the direction we needed to go. We gave it a few minutes and proceeded cautiously. It eventually moved off trail to the right and went back to foraging. It was quite the experience. Not one I care to repeat (at least not so closely).

On a bright side, the bike ride back was smooth sailing for me. It was all down hill. We made it back to the car in about 20-30 minutes from Ipsut Creek Campground. We passed a deer as we rode by.

On our way through Wilkeson, we saw a large heard of elk in a big field. It was a great day for seeing wildlife.

The Ranger station was closed when we returned, but I called them this morning to inform them of the two very close encounters with this bear. I recommended that they place a sign at Ipsut Creek Campground warning other hikers that there was a bear frequenting the area. I said, as hikers we all need to be vigilant, but not everone stops at a Ranger Station to check on conditions and due to this bear foraging right there on/next to the trail it would be good to let hikers know to keep an eye out and be more alert.

This was a short but pleasant loop in Squak Mt. State Park.

I began at the Mt. Side Road trail head and walked up to Central Peak. No problems on the trail other than a large 'blowdown' about 0.2 miles from the transmission towers. Not much of a problem other than you had to duck under the tree. It looks like a fairly recent event.

There were some muddy sections on the Chybinski trail and some of the other trails but no boot sucking sections.

Trails have been well marked but distances still vary a bit so you are never quite sure how far you have gone. My estimate is that the loop is between 5 and 5.5 miles.

Some lowland flowers were out and the trees are in full leaf so views are minimal. Did see Downtown Seattle from Central Peak.

The weather was mild and ideal for hiking. Saw the most people on Chybinski which surprised me.

Having never been here before, we had a little trouble finding it. The trailhead is unmarked. Next time, we will be hiking our canoe down. :]

Road was clear to just below the upper trail head. Plenty of places to park on side of road and (to my knowledge) still no NWFS pass required. We hiked through the snow (maybe 100 yards) to the trail head where it was snow free through most of the forest. A couple small trees down over the trail but they are easy to pass over.
Good boot track most of the way up the chute. Snow was in good shape. Soft but still had good footing. Bring your ice axe; we were able to glissade all the way down. Saw one rock and one hole so make sure the first person goes slow to point out hazards to other. There is a deeper chute to the east that has lots of rock in it, use the one to the west (left as you are climbing up).
Fog all day; no clear views. We did get small views to the valleys below here and there. Mountain goat hanging out on the summit. Maybe 40 people on the mountain that day.

First trip up Teneriffe for the Cap'n and I, via the Kamikaze trail route, then back down on the logging road. Falls are going gangbusters right now. Yes, the are a few slick/slightly muddy spots on the Kamikaze, and I slipped on the way up one time and went down on my side, giving my arm a good twist. But no real mud to speak of, and the snow patches are currently very small, crunchy and easily manageable with just poles and boots. Beautiful weather, overcast for the steeper-than-steep hike up to keep us cool, then amazing views in every direction as the clouds drifted in and out and whipped past as we ate our summit sammich. Cold at top, I put on my down layer and gloves.

The Kamikaze received some extra switchbacks in a few places a few years back, so the length to the top is a bit longer than before as you may have read on various sites, maybe 4+ miles now, FYI. Still a tough push, especially the last part, gaining something like 2400 feet in 2 miles.

Wanting to save the limited supply of knee cartilage still in our possession, we spied the other boot path leading down into the snow V'ing off to the right (NW) from the summit and decided to return via the 7+ mile logging road route. We made the mistake of assuming that we would be running into about the same amount of snow and that the snow would be in a similar condition as we found it on the Kamikaze. Unfortunately, the route leads into a forested ridge/side hill traverse and the snow there is continuous and somewhat more slippery. We followed the boot track and ribbons further down and along the side of the hill. Without traction devices my boots could not get a good bite. I found I had to constantly kick steps, multiple kicks required for each, in order not to slip on the very steep slope and go for a bad slide into a tree, tree well or on down the mountain, making for very slow going. The Cap'n seemed to fare better, maybe his boots are more bite-y. His GPS map shows the trail dipping down far under the west side of the ridge and under the west side of a knoll, but my map showed it going along the ridge until JUST before the knoll, then passing under it to the west before joining up with the road, which I think is actually the correct way. We had collectively decided that the ribbons, boot path and his track combined trumped my map, unfortunately. The boot path petered out on us, and the ribbons disappeared as well.

Already somewhat pooped from the 4150 feet or so elevation gain, I quickly became exhausted from kicking steps. I hung out in a comfortable tree moat by the last ribbon, donning extra layers while the Cap'n marked where I was on his GPS and scouted ahead. He found that if you stick to the ridge, it's much easier than side hilling on slick snow and while much of the ridge is bare, the snow up there is patchy and more biteable without postholing (much). He returned and after coaxing me back to the top, we easily made our way to where the ridge intersects the logging road and there were boot tracks again.

The logging road has miles of snow in stretches. It was a bit sludgy by the time we hit it, so poles helped with the slipping, but otherwise is fine. We took one very wet mini-glissade on a steep bit at the beginning. Eventually it turns downhill and there are fewer and fewer snow stretches until it's just gravel. The views from the road were quite impressive in many directions, especially since virtually all the clouds had disappeared by that point. As we returned, the road drew close to the backside of Si and we could see and hear people woo-hooing on the Haystack. It's a mellow walk down after all the snow, very peaceful. But as late as it was getting, the skeeters started swarming, though were only a problem if we stopped for long. We encountered very little of that on the Kamikaze side. There was some water running across the road in one place, shallow enough that waterproof boots made it a non-issue. Beautiful lush forest, only saw a few blooming flowers today, including the little yellow violets.

The GPS said the loop was 12 miles, all told, but seemed to screw up our total elevation gain statistics (way too much to believe). The logging road goes up and down quite a bit at first, gonna guess it's somewhere in the neighborhood of at least 100+ more feet to that 4150 number, maybe more, for a total of somewhere between 4250 and 4400 feet if you do the loop, not counting our side hilling shenanigans. For now, strongly advise traction of some kind of you think you're going to return down (or go up) the logging road route, at least for the first steep bit down the snow from the summit, and stick to the ridge instead of dropping down like the trail map suggests.

A lovely little nature hike, with old railroad artifacts and historic lime kiln as a bonus, and if you hike the entire trail, you can have a snack on the shore of the beautiful Stillaguamish River. Went on a Sunday morning into early afternoon and there were only a handful of other hikers out. It was a pretty easy hike with only mild elevation changes. It was very well maintained, just a little muddy in parts and a bit overgrown on the edge of the trail in other small stretches--watch out for stinging nettle and devil's club! Salmon berry plants were abundant and starting to grow--they should be ripe within the month and there were also many blackberry bushes, fyi to later summer hikers. Saw quite a few slugs on the trail... didn't see any Sasquatch though. :)

Beautiful day for a hike. Thanks to previous trip reports, the trail head was fairly easy to find. The trail itself, was a bit longer than what is reported, but we welcomed the extra mileage.

Trail seems to summit and then starts winding back down - stay on track. It eventually opens up to the point, a great spot for people watching. Be sure to bring a picnic. We sat there for lunch and lots of watching the para gliders. As long as older kids are up for the hike, this is a great spot for them with the end reward being grand.

We started our hike at the Owyhigh Lakes trailhead on Hwy. 123 at Deer Creek. There was patchy snow for about 1/2 mile, then as we went north on the Eastside trail, the snow went away. At about 1 mile up the trail from the division with the Owyhigh Lakes trail, we ran into 100% snow cover and gave up as the trail was hard to find. The waterfalls are huge right now and very spectacular. We passed 2 before we turned around. This is definitely waterfall season at Mt. Rainier, go find them!

This hike is pretty easy, but the snow near the top is pretty thick. The only way we found Talapus was by following the boot tracks. Some of the snow is covering bridges/waterways and we definitely saw a few areas where people had post-holed into the water. I would recommend taking trekking poles and something warm to wear near the lake. The lake is still partially frozen but gorgeous.

We couldn't find the trail to Olallie as it was completely covered in snow so we only made it to Talapus. Overall, worth the hike but would recommend trying this one later in the season.

Beautiful weather and awesome view, but VERY crowded. I would recommend going on a weekday or early in the morning.

This was a great hike on a day where there was a lot of clouds, mist and minimal rain for most of the trip. Clouds broke up when we stopped at Grand Prospect for lunch and a small break.

Met a few runners and a few hikers. Good training hike for doing the full Tiger Mountain Trail later this month. Very small amount of snow still on the trail around East Peak.

Beautiful Sunday drive up the Cascade Highway. Our first stop was at the North Cascades Visitor's Center for a picnic and so the kids could have some fun exploring the interpretive center.
The Thunder Knob parking area is just outside the Colonial Creek Campground on Diablo Lake. We made our way through the empty campground, across the bridges of Colonial Creek and began the gradual climb up Thunder Knob. The snow capped peaks were breathtaking and the pockets of bear grass and other wildflowers were lovely surprises. The top is where you will want spend a fair amount of time gazing at the turquoise waters of Diablo Lake or the snowy peaks of the North Cascades.
Perfect hike for any age, shape or fitness level :-)

We were camping near Cle Elum lake and had just enough time for a short hike on Sunday before heading home. We opted for Red Top lookout since it's short and has great views on a clear day (which we were lucky enough to get). FR9738 and 9702 were rough going due to large potholes and small rockslides that were not yet cleared. We arrived at the parking lot at 3pm to find only 1 other car (only 2 more came while we hiked).

We quickly scrambled up to the first vista, just before the alpine outhouse. My kids (12 and 10) went no farther since it gets pretty dicey after that and the wind had picked up. Despite this trail being included in the "good for kids" category, I feel obligated to provide a warning: although it's short and has amazing views, it's very exposed toward the top and risky in windy conditions. Personally, I would not feel comfortable bringing younger kids or inexperienced hikers to the top. No snow anywhere on trail. Lots of butterflies!

Note: sign at trailhead states 0.5 miles to the lookout so round trip is closer to 1 mile (not 2). For those who do make it to the top - you will be rewarded with bang for the buck - 360 views for not much effort. Enjoy!

We started out from Paradise at 10:00am for the long day hike to Camp Muir. The sky was overcast in the Paradise parking lot but we were treated to every variety of weather during our journey. We went from clouds, to sun, to snow, to wind, and back to sunshine. Keep those layers and sunscreen handy.

The trail to Muir was still completely snow covered from the parking lot but well wanded and marked on the way to Muir. We were able to follow established boot paths, and steps through the steeper sections, all the way up. The path was still following the winter route and the glissades were well established.

We underestimated the power of the sun on the snowfield and are still recovering from the some epic sunburns. That said, the hike was amazing, the views are incredible, and it was a great day. We made it to Muir and back in approximately nine hours roundtrip. Bring your trekking poles with good baskets - you'll need 'em.

Some pictures from this hike: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

This is a beautiful yet easy hike along the lake. It's in very good condition and with very little elevation, we only encountered two blowdowns or so and some mud on the trail. There seemed to be a quite a few groups of kids who had comped overnight, I guess this is an ideal trail for hiking with kids. We saw a little bear from the car close to the trailhead, made it to Maple Grove in 1.5 hours or so and then hung out at the shore and had our lunch there and were back to the trailhead at around 3.30, much earlier than expected. Would be nice to come back here and hike the entire trail from the North to South trailhead.

 About 0.5 miles into the trail, after the first turn right, you will notice a small mountain bike path to your right, up a small hill. Bearing left, it dead ends at a steep ridge. Before that it passes by a 200+ ft slope of granite chips. DO NOT SCRAMBLE UP THIS. It does NOT lead to a trail, even though the granite appears like a man-made embankment. It is the result of hundreds of feet of sheer rock above, falling down the 30 degree slope. Unless you enjoy clinging to trees, slipping off moss covered rock, and believing in the power of salal to support your bodyweight, just turn back. (Not that I would know).

Lovely "stroll" up to the fall. A little chilly with the cloud cover and water spray, the logs were pretty slippery. No bugs yet.

Attempted to head out to Jade Lake on Sunday and the first 5 miles was nice and easy up until you cross the river and head up to the valley. I went by myself for this one and I felt very comfortable until the snow patches started and I had to follow boot prints in the snow at times to find the trail. I think I almost made it into the valley (1-2 more miles) but I turned around because it was getting late and I didn't feel comfortable to continue. The hike along the river was pretty albeit easy, I personally wouldn't go back out to the valley for another month or so until more snow melts but if you are looking for just a longer flat hike go up to the river crossing and then turn around. Saw some pretty flowers, no idea what kind, and heard plenty of birds. All in all it was good time out there.

There is a lot of litter on the trail. I picked up several candy wrappers and plastic bags. Left behind the numerous pieces of used toilet paper behind rocks on the paths down to the falls, the half sandwich left on the riverbank (didn't have an extra plastic bag to carry it in), and the soda can on a rock in front of the falls that was just too far out of reach to grab without risking a slip and fall.

Otherwise enjoyed exploring the riverside in front of the two sets of falls, which are roaring with meltoff. Overcast morning turned to sunny afternoon.

More photos at http://www.flickr.com/[…]/.

Looking for a little Sunday solitude I decided to hike the Polallie Ridge - Waptus River Loop, clockwise.

On the Polallie Ridge trail, the solid snow started at ~ 4600', or ~ 3.5 miles up the trail. There is some patchy snow before this point, but it's a non-issue. From the TH to the snow line there are ~ 20 easily stepped over blow-downs.

From the 3.5 mile point all the way to Waptus Pass and down the first part of the Quick Creek trail, it is solid snow. The depth is anywhere from 2-5 feet. There are steep snow traverses and route finding skills will be needed.

Heading down Quick Creek, the trail reveals itself at ~ 4200'. From this point down to within ~ .25 miles before Waptus Lake, the trail is mostly snow free. As you approach Waptus there is a fair amount of snow but the trail reveals itself often enough, making route finding fairly straight forward.

Quick Creek has logs to cross on or you can ford.

I'm going to write the Waptus River trail report opposite of how I hiked it, so it makes more sense to anyone reading this.

From the TH to the Waptus River ford there are 6-8 downed trees, of which 2 will have to be climbed or skirted. There is the potential for 3 fords along the way if one is not comfortable crossing on rocks and logs. There is currently lots of water on the trail.

The trail is snow free to ~ 6.5 miles in. At this point patchy snow begins but it's minimal, very straight forward and the terrain is flat. The patchy snow subsides after a bit and then it's snow free for ~ .5 miles. The next ~ 1.25 miles to the Waptus River ford has more significant patchy snow, but there is enough melt out for the route to be seen. Post-holing might be an issue.

The Quick Creek Camps are snow free (at least 2), as are the camps along the river ~ 7 miles in. I did not ford the Waptus River on this trip, so I can't offer any information on the camps on Waptus Lake after the ford.

Cheers!

Trail Work! Lots of great people out today at the Middle Fork working to get this trail in tip top shape! Lots of progress was made today, walls built and buttressed, encroaching vegetation kept at bay and lots more! As always it was a great time working in the wonderful outdoors with friends, old and new. I encourage you, the hiking public, to come on out sometime and join a trail crew and help our trails! I think it might just surprise you to see first hand just how much people power it takes to keep our trails hikable! Thanks to everyone out there today, hope to see you again!

This was a nice spring leg-stretcher just under two hours' drive from Seattle. The road to the trailhead is in decent shape. There is a downed tree just a few hundred feet before the official start of the trail, but plenty of space to park in that area - there were about 4 other cars when we got there at 10:30.

The wildflowers started even before the official trailhead sign - I spotted a couple of small stands of orange paintbrush the moment we stepped over the downed log. As we continued further, we spotted many others all along the way - lupine, balsamroot, arnica, purple trillium and others I don't know :) Don't expect carpets of flowers a la Dog Mountain, but it was quite pretty.

The trail is melted out all the way, and gets more open and exposed as you make your way up to the summit. When the sun was out it got quite warm. (On a related note: there isn't anywhere to refill water after the first couple of streams at the very start of the hike, so bring as much as you need.) We overtook about 4 or 5 other parties on the way up, and saw quite a few more coming up on our way back, but it didn't feel too crowded. The only buzz kill was two loud motorbikes coming around the corner on a fairly narrow stretch of the trial, but that was the only motorised traffic we saw.

It wasn't clear enough to see Rainier when we got to the summit, but there were still nice views of some snow-capped peaks in the distance. The summit area is full of delicate little yellow glacier lilies, which are so pretty. We sat for a little while munching on some snacks and listening to some very interesting birdsongs. Very peaceful.

On our way back to the car, we noticed that a couple of bitterroots by the side of the trail that had been closed when we started the hike had fully opened by the time we got back to them. That was pretty cool.

All in all an enjoyable day on the trail :)

Bridge out and the tree lying across the river is no alternative, not with young kids and late spring river water.

Thousand Trails manages now, so forest service pass won't do. must pay $7 fee. bring a pen if going to enjoy the lake.


Certainly no access to this tall right now, in any case.

We started in the cloudy morning weather and it stayed cloudy the whole day but it was still a beautiful hike. We did the fast trail on the way in and tool the Upper Trail on the way back. We past a tree where the bark was scraped off and a few minutes up the trail another hiker pointed out a Momma bear and her 2 cubs. She didn't move from the tree where they were, we took a few pics and moved along down the trail. The upper trail has several quite steep switchbacks but is totally do-able. We will be back and hike this again later in the season.

Attempted to hike this trail last year but messed up on the directions and headed up on Kachess Beacon. After completing that hike we found the unmarked trail just to the right of the Kachess Beacon sign and vowed to return. We did so today.
We found the correct trail (at the sign indicating the Kachess Beacon Trail there is an unmarked trail to the right down to the river. Take this and at the river turn left along the trail and you will come across a bridge that crosses and take the trail up and up and up. It is fairly steep and a good workout but a beautiful trail never the less.
I had not seen any trip reports for this trail yet this year so I was a little concerned about the condition of the trail and the presence of snow. There was no snow present and the trail is in pretty good condition. There are some blowdowns that are easy to bend underneath or climb over.
There are views all along the way and the wild flowers are starting to bloom. There were calypso orchids ( I saw my first one last year) and chocolate lilies (The first I have seen) as well as Indian Paintbrush, Lupine and trillium. As well, there are various ground cover, and rock flowers growing along the trail as well.
The trail started to deteriorate so we found an open area with views to eat lunch and as we were eating we saw the only other hikers on the trail that day, descending. We never continued further but headed back down ( we had probably gone 2.5 to 3 miles anyways. Good distance and elevation for an early season hike.

Nice hike on a cool, damp Sunday morning. Stepped out of the car just before 7am on Tiger Mtn Dr SE and got hit with the last raindrop of the day. Arriving under sun at 11am return.

Walked in shorts..... BEWARE: The nettles are out in-force. This slowed me down and left a few interesting welts. Wear long pants!

Walked the TMT until it linked up with the Iverson RR up near Otter Lake (a major clearcut). We then ate lunch and proceeded to try and find the S. Tiger Traverse trail. But, unfortunately, the sign was down at the fork in the road (post sticking up out of rock pile). (UTM coordinates--with NAD27 datum--of 10T 0578146E 5257141N) We needed to go right but went left on an uncharted road (at least uncharted on Green Trails 204S). We walked almost to the top of South Tiger Mountain before retracing our steps, going right at the rock pile and picking up the trail to our left about 50-70 yards on an access road. (The trail is just to the left of a sign pointing to a picnic area on your right.)

The Traverse trail was our favorite part of the trip, as it winds through gorgeous old growth. We finally linked up again with the TMT at Hobart Gap then saw our first new hikers of the day--almost 4 hours since leaving our car.

Salmonberries are starting to appear.

Nice stroll up to the top. Lots of fog at the summit obscured the view. Started getting crowded in the late morning, and parking was totally full when we got back to the trailhead. Definitely get an early start if you're heading here on the weekend and don't want to fight for parking.

Lovely hike, even tho we didnt make it very far in. There were a handful of people there, a group of serious hikers, some elderly folk and my husband and I fit somewhere in the middle there. The little trails down to the waters edge were really enjoyable, and the dense woods totally serene.

It’s my second time at the top. The mailbox is full of foods this time!
The road is in perfect condition. Due to the diamond, I don’t think you will get lost unless you come down after sunset. The trail is steep, but not dangerous comparing with our mountains at 4500ft around I90. If you plan a plenty of time, you definitely can get to the peak.

Go soon and go early. This was my second time up Dog Mountain in two weeks, and the balsamroot is past its prime. The hillsides were still vibrant yellow, but on closer inspection the balsamroot blossoms are starting to dry up. However there was the typical assortment of wildflowers adding color variety, and these are still in full blossom.

My hiking buddy and I went on a sunny weekend day, and there was a carnival in the parking lot and a party at the top. The parking lot was pretty much full by 9:30 am, and cars were parked quite a distance up and down SR14 by the time we left. A swarm of people greeted us at the top, all buzzing with excitement after having made the rigorous climb. Go early to get a parking spot, and be prepared for a joyous experience shared with lots of people. This is no place for quiet reflection.

At the first junction on the way up, be sure to go to the right and up the scenic trail. We went to the left up the old trail, a mistake because the arduous climb was entirely in the woods with nothing much to see other than trees. The newer scenic trail offers views of the gorge and two weeks ago had an amazing assortment of forest wild flowers.

Our return trip was on the more knee-friendly Augspurger Mountain trail which offers photo-worthy views of the gorge before dropping into the forest. There was slippery, gooey mud in the heavily forested areas and a profusion of poison oak in the more open areas. The poison oak crowded the trail in places, so be sure you know what it looks like and be prepared to dodge it.

WHEW that was a steep one. just when i thought the trail couldn't be more challenging, it was! we went on a mostly sunny day and the trail was pretty crowded. HEADS UP - most people do not follow leash laws on this trail, so be prepared to be approached by friendly but out-of-control mutts. (This can be pretty dangerous as there are many steep slopes off the trail!)

That last push to the summit was a bit of a slippery scramble, and I was a little unprepared for several feet of snow, so I ended up a little cold in my cut-offs. The trail's pretty well-maintained, and there were no wash-outs or tricky water-crossings. Too bad there were not any huckleberries yet!

I decided to see if the snow was melted back enough to make it up to Saddle Lake.

The road is closed 11 miles from the trail head for repair of a washed out section. My GPS indicates it is only 10 miles to the trailhead from the closure. I opted to cover as much of the road as possible on a mountain bike.

There are three or four minor new blowdowns that can be ducked under or carried over. The major obstacle is where the road workers have stripped the road off the culvert, you have to hop across a small stream in the ditch.

About 8 miles in I came over a rise in the road. On the left 30 yards ahead was another road; on the shoulder there was an animal grazing, thin legs, shaggy black coat. I thought "What's a Llama doing up here". Then he raised his head; black bear! Reached for my gun, but it was home after reading stats on bear/firearm incidents. Reached for bear spray, realized I was too cheap to pay air shipping, and it was arriving tomorrow. Stood my ground, then reached for the camera and he/she took off. I continued, glancing behind regularly now.

http://www.arcticwild.com/b[…]ar-deterrence-in-Alaska.pdf

Steady snowpack about 10 miles in, 2,500 ft elevation. Stowed the bike and switched to hiking boots. There was fresh bear tracks/scat up here.

There is a nice new sign for the Boulder River Wilderness (photo). This must have been installed in the fall of 2012, after I'd been through here to stay at the lookout.

Almost immediately lost the trail in the snow.From time to time, re-acquired the trail. Went in about 1.5 miles, ended up nearly lost in the snow-pack. Backtracked out to the trail head, rode back down to the truck. It was a pleasant trip, but excellent navigation skills are needed to make it up to saddle lake, as most of the trail is still under snow.

Love, love, love this hike! A beautiful trail, not very difficult, and a great lake at the end. We arrived around 11:30am an there were many cars at the trail head. The trail is not hard and isn't steep until the last mile and even then, nothing too difficult. Lots of people up at the lake but, we found a nice secluded place to enjoy our lunch and the view. It took us about 4 hours and 30 minutes round trip and that was with our lunch included hanging out at the lake for around 25 minutes. We took the upper trail (which I might add, is longer than the lower trail as, I used my pedometer) and we took the lower trail back. I would suggest both as they are both beautiful. The upper trail has some beautiful waterfalls you run into along the way and the lower trail is along the river. Some parts of the trail are very wet so make sure you have good shoes on. Lots of trees down throughout the trail that we had to climb over or duck under but, wasn't a big deal.
Hike was great! I would absolutely recommend this hike!

I led a Cascadian hike to the Robinson Canyon area today. This was one in a series of "Pass-the-Torch" hikes where experienced members teach a skill &/or pass on knowledge to less knowledgeable members. This outing was on photography. I was going to go up the Manastash Observatory Road, but with winds predicted to gust to 30 mph I decided that a canyon might be more protected and chose Robinson Canyon because there were recent reports of good flowers. After crossing the creek we took the first road/trail to the left and climbed above the canyon to a meadow and a 4 way junction. After consulting a party member's GPS, we continued straight ahead, climbing to a low divide, where we had lunch. After lunch we continued west a short ways and then took the first road/trail to the right. This went down through beautiful aspen groves, then climbed a little to a wet meadow. We turned a corner and what to our wondering eyes should appear but the stone building reported a month or so ago, but unfound by numerous reporters since. One of our members whipped out his smart phone & found out that the building had been used by the homesteaders to keep their milk cool. We picked up the road on the far side of the meadow and began dropping down into Ainsley Canyon. Near the bottom I took a trail to the right that went straight down to the bottom of the canyon and we turned downcanyon at the bottom. When the trail started to climb again, thinking we were in Ainsley Canyon (I should have checked the GPS more closely), we dropped down onto the old roadbed. It turns out we were actually in Robinson Canyon and we shortly came upon the washout. Once into it, we were pretty much committed (I still thought we were in Ainsley Canyon). As Jean K reported from her trip the day before, this was a nightmare and much more difficult than a few of my party members had signed up for. We made it through OK, but I couldn't recommend it. It was a short walk from the end of the washout back to the cars. The wildflowers were very nice, especially the lupine, paintbrush, & blue flax, but the balsamroot was a little past. The day was sunny and warm and, believe it or now, we were mostly out of the wind. As reported before, this area is a maze of unsigned trails that don't show on any maps, so a GPS is quiet helpful (as long as you consult it). Despite the adventure at the end, everyone had a good time.

On the drive to the trailhead we went through some really dense clouds and when we got there we couldn't even see the other side of the parking lot. The trailhead looked new and we had the place all to ourselves.

The hike through the old forest service road had a nice steady climb to it. We eventually came to a clearing with a pile of old logs. The clouds were rapidly moving up the mountain so in seconds the trees on the other side of the hill would disappear and then show again.

We continued into the forest, but the trail quickly disappeared under the hard packed snow. The snow was easy enough to walk on top of, but since we didn't have a map and GPS we decided to turn around and head back.

We never saw anyone else on the entire hike. We were still the only ones at the parking lot when we got back.

We definitely want to try this hike again in another month or two when the trail is visible. If we go again I'll have to bring some clippers along as there were quite a few branches across the trail.

We headed up at 7:30 Sunday with a plan to reach the saddle and then bag both Eagle and Chutla Peaks. The trail was easy to follow and in good shape and snow free until 4200 ft or so. It was mostly gone soon after the second bridge. We made the base of the last face to the saddle in about 2 hours 5500 ft but the snow on the steep section was 6-8 inches of heavy snow on very hard ice so we elected to bag the peaks another day. We had a couple of friends who were behind us on the trail. They were hoping that the visibility would improve before they got to where we turned around and when they arrived they were greeted by an agitated bear so they also turned around. Some days you get the mountains and sometimes the mountain gets you.

The few pictures I took and the whole story are here. http://dog-walks-man.blogsp[…]d-snow-and-fussy-bears.html