Jolly Mountain is a gem! Hard to get to, and hard to get back. But the trail passes mostly through cool forest -- a relief on this hot day -- until it breaks out on a high ridge with views in all directions. And then at the 6,400-foot summit it gets even better with the breathtaking Mt. Stuart range, Daniel, Hinman and south to Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. The trail is open to horses and motorcycles but we saw neither on this steep, rugged trail. The lower portion appears to utilize rocky old streambeds that were tough on the feet coming down. The trail starts at the Cayuse horse camp on Salmon La Sac road. Park near the horse corrals to the left; the trail begins just past the camp host's trailer. There are several well-marked intersections with other trails that lead down to Salmon La Sac and over to the Teanaway to the east. Last good water was at 4,200 feet but there was a little stream on a meadow below the summit ridge. Bugs were plentiful so bring the repellent of your choice.

Flickr: http://bit.ly/salmon-la-sac-creek A lazy Sunday afternoon snowshoeing fun with the boys along Salmon La Sac Creek. We bypassed the creek viewing session by making a loop back to the trailhead, and that added a bit more excitement to the trip. The occasional sounds of snowmobiles could be heard coming from across the valley, better hearing the noises than inhaling the fumes. It appeared that the trail hasn't been stepped on since the last big snow dump. Other than the new ski tracks down by the campground, we never encountered a single soul.

This week we headed over Snoqualmie Pass to continue exploring the Teanaway area. After flipping through some guidebooks and doing a little research online, we set our sights on Jolly Mountain. With clear skies overhead we geared up and headed up the trail toward great views and the remains of a fire lookout. There are a number of approaches to Jolly Mountain. The more traditional approach is via the Jolly Mountain Trail #1307, a 12 mile route through pine forest climbing over 4000ft along the way. We decided to take a shortcut to shave off some of that distance and elevation by following logging roads halfway up the mountainside. While shorter, the shortcut is somewhat less scenic, as it involves hiking along forest roads and traversing a few clearcuts. Still, the views from the summit are the real price of this hike, and the shortcut delivers you to those views quickly. Check out the full report at: http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/2011/09/jolly-mountain-trail-1307-shortcut.html Jer

Flickr: http://bit.ly/jolly-mountain After resting the entire weekend I was getting a little antsy. Jolly Mountain came to mind because I have taken numerous pictures of it from other Teanaway peaks. It was time to pay the mountain a visit. Got to the trailhead relatively late and started hiking around 12:30. There wasn't anyone else around so I figured I'd be the only person on the trail and/or the mountain. Bugs on trail albeit not unbearable, insect repellent was still needed. No sign of snow until just below the ridge. The trail went in and out of the snow but was still easy to follow. Clear of snow once on the ridge until just before base of the peak. I didn't bring my spikes, the snow was packed enough not to have used them. Used Trekking poles to keep my balance. The summit was very windy, glad I brought my fleece along. Most of the Teanaway peaks I've been on were in plain view. Lots of dead ladybugs by the lookout pit, poor bugs. Took all the pictures I needed and then headed back down.

We did a fun 10 mile loop hike using the Paris Creek and Jolly Mountain trails. Despite the nice weather on Sunday, we only saw one party of horse riders on the entire loop. To get back to the Paris Creek trailhead, we left the Jolly Mountain trail at 3600' and followed logging roads. This quiet gated road network is much better for walking than the main Cle Elum river road from Salmon La Sac. The little used Paris Creek trail was in o.k. condition, with areas of narrow and slumped tread. Evidence of fairly recent drainage work and cut logs indicate that this trail is getting some tender loving care. After a mile, the trail levels out for a spell, and approaches the creek near a shady campsite. This is a good place to cool off your dog and yourself, for the trail climbs somewhat aggressively for the next half mile. Soon the path enters a section of logged land which is a bit hot and shadeless. For a ways, the trail follows a logging road. At an unsigned split, take the right-branching (dowhill) road. The uphill road branch climbs high up the ridge and makes for an interesting hike in its own right. Once out of the clearcut, the road reverts to single track, and the hiking once again becomes shady and pleasant. There are several nice and little-used campsites in the upper valley of Paris Creek. The best is near the point where the trail crosses the creek--a tricky ford right now with the high water. The trail's grade steepens beyond the ford. The junction with trail #1393.1 is signed and easy to spot. Snow patches appear and become heavy as the trail reaches the charming headwater basin of Paris Creek at 4800'. The meadowy basin itself is free on snow, and should put on a nice flower show in a few weeks. A lovely seasonal waterfall adorns the cliffs above. The trail is almost invisible in the meadow. Above it, the path has become a creek for about 100 feet. Intermittent snow buries the trail on its steep climb to the mile high pass. We lost the trail entirely for a quarter mile. The pass offers a nice alpine view, most notably toward Esmerelda and Ingalls Peak. Across Paris Creek, there is a craggy ridge of colorful rock that suggests some interesting geology. The trail descends toward Salmon La Sac creek in a gulley filled with nuisance snowbanks. Below the gulley, the trail plunges down the slope at an amazingly steep grade--what were the trail builders thinking? The trail levels out at the bottom of the Salmon La Sac creek valley, but there still is a lot of snow here, and a tricky ford of the creek. A brief climb brings the trail to a junction with the Jolly Mountain Trail. This trail is more heavily used and easier to follow than the Paris Creek trail, though intermittent snow remains a problem down to about 4600'. Hit hard with horse traffic and some motorbikes, the trail is badly eroded in spots. The trail crosses a raging Salmon La Sac Creek at 4300', a slightly tricky crossing right now. The trail eventually enters a clearcut area with good views--although this section might be really hot for hiking up later in summer. The trail crosses a logging road at 3900' and another at 3600. This is the road we followed back toward Paris Creek. The road offers good views and is quite a nice walking route. It joins the dusty, heavily travelled road #4430 just a few hundred yards south of the Paris Creek trailhead.