The Jolly Mountain Trail starting from Cayuse Horse Camp provides a good workout--12 miles rt and 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Unfortunately for about the first two miles one has to walk through an old clearcut but once the intact forest is reached at 4,000 feet it becomes a very pleasant hike. There are several blowdowns that are easy to get under, but they are probably impassable for a horse. Based on the tracks the motorbikes are obviously able to get under or around them. The motorbikes are creating deep canyons in the last half mile of the trail as it gains the final 500 feet to the summit. There were minimal flowers and almost no bugs. The summit was in full glorious sunshine but was rather cool in the breeze. The air quality to the east looked rather poor due to the fires. It is beginning to get frightening to see all the dying trees where ever one goes this summer. Total catastrophe probably lies ahead when dry lightening strikes dead trees. Apparently the winters have been too mild to kill off the bark beatles which are killing the trees. Global warming appears to be occuring everywhere except at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It should be noted that the Salmon La Sac and the Cayuse Horse Campgrounds are both closed for rebuilding. There is a temporary trailhead for the Jolly Mtn Trail. Just follow the temporary signs.

We started our trip from the parking lot at the Cayuse Horse Camp near the Salmon La Sac Campground. The trail starts off with a moderate incline and we quickly arrived at the edge of what is presumably a seasonal creek flowing over part of the route. In order to keep our feet dry we were forced to bushwhack around this coursing waterway before continuing on the trail. The route continues through lovely woods where fairy slipper orchids, trillium and several other diminutive flowers are making their appearance. It didn’t take long before we entered a massive clear cut. While the views from the clearing were beautiful, the route was dusty, uneven, and hot. Fortunately for our canine companion, there were a substantial number of snow melt creeks running through the area. If you do this route in summer – especially with a pet – bring lots of water. At the conclusion of the clear cut we entered snow country. The trail was mostly hidden under a blanket of crusty crud which slowed our progress considerably as we worked to determine our route through the forest. A convenient snow bridge allowed us to cross the Salmon La Sac creek with ease – something that hikers in June or July will not find to be the case. We continued to travel up a ridge following yellow boundary tabs mounted on the trees. The climb was steep (in part because we were not following a formal hiking trail with its more reasonable grade) and at times a bit arduous. Thanks to the firmness of the snow, we didn’t do a great deal of post holing in the wooded areas. Though hidden tree wells did cause some challenges. After a long grind up the length of the wooded ridge, we came out of the forest and onto the top of Sassy Ridge where we enjoyed stunning views to the south toward Mt. Rainier. Turning left we followed the ridge a short distance to a point where views of Mt. Stuart and the enchantments dominated the skyline. The humans in our party were essentially reduced to a three word vocabulary – “Wow,” “Stunning,” “Beautiful.” We continued to follow the ridge being careful to stay back from the corniced edge. It was hard to watch where you were stepping because the views were so tremendous. Periodically the trail peeked out from under the snow letting us know that we were on the right track. Eventually we came to a large snowfield that had the right aspect for a potential avalanche. The surface had essentially turned to corn snow and seemed pretty firm, but since we had heard an avalanche fall not terribly far away, we opted to cross the field one at a time. The crossing went without incident and lunch soon followed. It had taken us a lot longer to get to this point than we had expected. With approximately another mile to go and 800 feet of vertical we were starting to question our ability to summit. Each of us agreed that we would continue on but if any one of us decided it was time to opt out the day would be finished – after all, we had a 6 mile return trip to make! The last mile went by surprisingly quickly. Since there was no trail to follow, we basically went straight up the side of the mountain eventually landing on a beautiful ridge that lead straight to the summit. On the way, I discovered a hollow a few feet away from some rocks and ended up sinking in all the way to my hip with my face firmly planted in the snow. Luckily it was only cold and mildly embarrassing. I escaped un-injured. With that bit of excitement out of the way, we finished climbing to the summit. We sat on the top of a stone wall which was covered with ladybugs. There were literally thousands of the tiny red winged critters warming themselves amongst the carefully stacked stones. The views from the summit defy description. With 360 degrees of unimpeded views you can see into Eastern Washington, marvel at the mass of Mt. Rainier, look toward Chair and Kaleetnan peaks, ponder climb s of Mt. Daniel, Glacier Peak, and Mt. Stuart. After resting, snacking, and enjoying the good company of friends, we were finally forced to face the reality of leaving this magnificent place and return home. The trip back was considerably faster than our trip in. What had taken 6 hours to climb took only three hours to descend. At this time of year, route finding skills, map, compass, ice axe, and lots of water will be essential to a safe journey. Each of us consumed approximately three quarts of water on the trip. In summer the need for extra water will be even more important since the creek is the last water for many miles. The total trip to the summit of Jolly Mountain is 12 miles with just over 4000’ of vertical gain. Go prepared and have a wonderful journey!

This report is really for xc skiing on Jolly Road under Sasse Ridge. Head towards Salmon la Sac. Find the trailhead about 13.5 miles out 903 from Cle Elum Town Hall. First Ski trail at Lake Cle Elum Look for the stop sign on Jolly Rd. Pass Jolly Rd 100 yards, make a U turn and park on the south bound shoulder, note the parking signs. Jolly Road has nice scenery with pines and open scenery quite different from typical western trails. We enjoyed the open skies and sunny day (with cloud breaks, heh, heh) Explore the grading landing about half way up for views of Polallie Ridge and the top of Mt. Daniels. The best view point is 2/3 of the way up. Good view of the Lake and river valley. Places to lunch if you bring sit pad. Signs of elk and coyote. Hawks and ravens soar the ridges. Trail continues but gets steeper and more narrow. Sapling crowd the road and block views. Very quiet despite proximity of snowmobiles. This is a nice trail for skiers between beginning and intermediate levels. The hill is steady and steepens toward the top. Us couch potatoes can do it with breaks. Descending requires some snowplow ability. The hills last for a while. May test your quads. Trail is non motorized. Starts at 2,000 feet. Viewpoint of Cle Elum Lake is at 3,000. 2.8 miles to viewpoint. Gentle round trip took about 3.5 hours. COuld go quicker. No avalanche chutes. Today the snow was 4 feet deep at 3,000 feet. Very slushy with signs of heavy melting. SKiers and snowshoers both were postholing. Whump, whump settling noises and cracks propagating from skis and snowshoes. Since the terrain is mild we were in no danger of starting an avalanche.

I had some grand plans for some multiple summitting, but when I awoke at 6am to some drizzle I knew my day would be pared down. I wasn't opposed to hiking in the rain but I first had to make sure all the tarps that are serving as my roof while we remodel were not leaking. I was very happy to find our intricate tarp system was keeping the inside of the house dry. I got a much later start than what I was hoping for, but at least the weather was improving. I used road 4315 which takes you to near 5000ft before it is gated. I parked and headed up the road until I met with the Sasse Mt Trail. I followed this to the junction of the Jolly Mt trail and followed it to the summit. Jolly Mt's summit is adorned with a beautiful windbreak which I very thankfully used. I returned to the trail and continued on the Jolly Creek trail towards The Lourvre (Pt. 6394). I decided on not going any further and retreated to the truck. approx 6 miles 1900ft of climb and 3 hours car to car.

As is usual, we looked to the east side of the Pass for a rainy Sunday adventure, and decided on the climb of Jolly and Skookum as described in the 75 scrambles book. While generally everything goes as described, we found that the forest road 4315 is now gated at the 4800' mark, basically the last switchback in the road before getting to the pass. The first bit is an easy road walk, maybe 1/2 mile. From there, the old trail is unmarked and hard to follow, then runs into the road, which from the pass is being ""put to bed"", been chewed up with a dozer of some kind, and is very hard to walk!! We met some folks not having much fun pushing their mountain bikes up it. Anyways, we got to the next saddle at around 5400', and met the ""real"" trail, that is a motorcycle trail. I have hiked on some of these before, but this one is one of the worst in terms of erosion. All the steep areas and switchbacks are deep gullies, channels for snow run-off. I contacted the USFS to find out what plans they have for this former road and for managing the trails better. Anyways, apart from all that, great views despite a lowering cloud level, an old lookout site, fabulous flower displays, rare bugs!!!, and a great scramble to Skookum, with fun rocks at the top. A good day...