~First Hike of the Year~

I had to go up North for an errand and thought I could squeeze in my first hike of the year. The weather said it would be a beautiful day so I went with it!

The first mile of the hike is up. You gain 1000 feet in one mile. There's no reprieve. There are no real views or scenery, it's just a trudge up a hill. Once you conquer that and your calves speak to you again, the rest is a breeze! It was a very peaceful day with few other hikers. This trail system lets you "choose your own adventure". I took several small random trails in addition to the main ones listed. It was beautiful.

Several spots had enough snow that I would suggest microspikes. There are some places where polls would actually get in the way. This is quite true of the 2x6 planks you have to walk across when you get to the lakes. Overall, lovely hike. Quiet, beautiful, delightful!

Stats:

Total Mileage: About 8.5

Total Time: 3 hours

Dogs: 5 dogs for 28 people (good ratio! I prefer at least 1 dog per 10 people!)

Snacks: Sadly, none.

Sometimes you feel like a nut.  Sometimes you don't.  Today I felt like one, so I went hiking in the Chuckanut Mtns.  I made a lollypop loop starting at the Pine & Cedar Lakes Trailhead.  The road is paved to the trailhead, but the parking lot has some deep potholes to roll through.  Remove any and all valuables from your cars as thieves routinely prowl here.  The P&C Lakes Trail is wide and in excellent shape.  There are a few down trees to step over and some slippery muddy spots but that's it.  The trail heads steeply uphill for 1.6 miles to the Hemlock Trail junction.  Once there, I turned right and hiked over Raptor Ridge to the North Lost Lake Trail.  Raptor Ridge has a great viewpoint at the top, but no velociraptors.  The trail is more technical than Pine & Cedar with lots of rocks, roots, mud and narrower tread to negotiate.  In other words, it's an actual trail and not an old road.  The Raptor switchbacks for a mile down to the North Lost Lake Trail which I took north one mile to the Chuckanut Ridge Trail.  The Ridge Trail travels southeast along a spine of Chuckanut sandstone with views of Mt. Baker, Bellingham and Puget Sound.  After three miles of ridge rambling, I reached the Cyrus Gates Viewpoint and start of the Rock Trail.  A WTA work party was out there today cutting up blowdowns and clearing the trail.  Thanks, volunteers!!!  The Rock Trail heads steeply downhill to connect with the S. Lost Lake Trail (turns back into the N. Lost Lake Trail), where I turned north again and hiked a little over two miles back to the Raptor Ridge Trail.  Lots of mud on this section of trail.  From there I retraced my steps to the Pine and Cedar Trail.  Since it was still early enough, I stopped by Pine Lake and busted out the fishing pole for a couple hours before heading back to the car.  Lots of folks were coming up to the lakes in the evening.  I saw hardly anyone all day but passed a couple dozen people on the way out after dark.

Summary: approx 14 miles RT/2500-3000ft elevation gain

RAPTOR RIDGE AND CEDAR LAKE OVERLOOK VIA PINE & CEDAR LAKES TRAIL

This makes a satisfying half-day hike that includes some strenuous uphill for a cardiac work-out, some mellow ups and downs through lovely, mature second-growth forests, two good viewpoints, and a short lakeside stroll. Approaching Raptor Ridge from the Pine & Cedar Lakes trailhead is a steeper but shorter alternative to the north route described in the hiking guide.

From the Pine & Cedar Lakes trailhead, we followed the main trail up to its junction with the Cedar Lake Overlook trail.  Turning left, we climbed up to the overlook, which gives a lovely view east across Lookout Mountain’s twin summits to Mount Baker and the Sisters (see photo).  We then continued around the loop and down to Cedar Lake.  Note: our Square One map of the Chuckanut Recreation Area indicates four viewpoints along this loop, but we have never found more than one. 

Once at the lake, we turned right and hiked back to the main Pine & Cedar Lakes trail, and then back to the junction with the Hemlock Trail.  Going left here, we followed the Hemlock Trail to the Raptor Ridge Trail, and then turned left to head up to the ridge. This short section is the most beautiful of the hike.  It winds upward through moss-draped, mature forest and below a series of fern-decked sandstone bluffs (see photo). 

The view from Raptor Ridge mainly encompasses the nearby, densely forested hills, but looking southeast we could see Mount Rainier in the distance (see photo).  The trail description does not mention this, so I suspect that Rainier is not often discernable. 

After a snack break sitting on the sandstone bluff, we retraced our steps to the Pine & Cedar Lakes trail, and down to the trailhead.  According to our GPS, we had hiked 7.7 miles. 

The trails were in surprisingly good condition, given the winter weather.  Most of the track was dry and smooth.  There were only a few wet spots, but nothing extremely muddy, and no running water on the trail.  However, the high winds, heavy snow and heavy rains we have had over the last month did bring down many trees in this area, and large trees are lying across the trail in several places (see photo).  Fortunately, none of these proved to be a serious impediment.  We could easily climb over or duck under them.  However, they would present problems for mountain bikers, which may account for the absence of bikers on the trails.

Overall, this is a great choice for a local hike that gives a good workout (the hike up from the trailhead is long and steep) and rewards with pleasant walking through our signature forests and a couple of pretty good viewpoints. 

This was one of the hardest hikes I have done in a while, not because the trail is particularly difficult, but because hiking 11.3 miles in the snow (much of which is uphill) is hard. 

It was beautiful, though. Spots of dappled sunshine, snow on the trees, and the mountain was out. I saw a few people, mostly closer to the trailheads, and no one at the lakes. There were some downed trees, a few posed some difficulty, but not too bad. 

The snow is supposed to melt soon, so get out there and enjoy it, because it is great. Bring some GPS, though. I have hiked these trails numerous times, and still got turned around in a couple spots, because the snow makes changes your usual landmarks. 

Enjoy and be safe. 

From the North Chuckanut Mountain trailhead I took a right on the Interurban Trail wondering what the reported washout would be like just a few minutes into the trail. I found that the culprit was the Arroyo Creek Falls. The trail is washed out for about twenty yards and full of downed trees, mud, rocks and flowing water. There is even a new little falls formed about twenty feet beyond the original one. It is navigable right now but very slippery, and this was a rare dry day.

From the Interurban I got on the Hemlock Trail and took that up to the Raptor Ridge Trail. You can also take the Huckleberry Trail but it isn't as interesting because you miss all the cool moss covered erratics on the ridge. I had my lunch at Raptor Ridge sitting in partial shade but with my legs in the sun. I did this because I was afraid that if I was where my feet were I might slide off the rock since it was just wet enough to be dangerous today.

After lunch I got back on the Raptor Ridge Trail and dropped down to the North Lost Lake Trail and followed it to the end at the Hemlock Trail once again. This completed a loop up to that point and then I retraced my initial route on the Interurban Trail crossing the washout again and back to the trailhead.

Most of the downed trees across the trail were on the upper section of the Hemlock after the junction with the Huckleberry Trail. Some of the trees were passed under and a few climbed over. Lots of muddy areas, but that is the usual for this time of year.