With the craziness of Covid all around us, it is refreshing and rejuvenating to be in the woods. If we are lucky we might even be in wilderness. The Puget Sound, where most WTA hikers live, can make it difficult to be alone, to distance, while being outside. From what I’ve read about the transmission of the Covid virus (and I am not an expert so do your own research), transmission takes several minutes of exposure, meaning; it is not readily transmitted while passing someone on a path. Rather it may be transmitted by spending time with someone that you do not live with (perhaps while hiking). Please, for the sake of the health of our community, be smart about wearing face masks, limiting visits to stores while traveling, and limiting those with whom you travel or hike.
Why do I mention all of this? My wife and I were scheduled to go to Alaska this month and the trip was canceled. We also scheduled work to be done on or home so we were essentially forced out. Pressed to stay away from others we loaded the camper van with two weeks of food and booze and we aimed for northeast Washington. We’ve managed 11 hikes without seeing one other hiker!
And yes, if you are still reading, Snow Mountain was one of them. SM is the second highest peak in the Kettle Crest Range. There is a Forest Service cabin available (most years) for rent for hikers and skiers. The setting is sublime.
Our hike was full of wildflowers. It traversed open slopes and lodgepole pine forest. The enormous White Mountain fire in 1988 devastated this area but it is now recovering well. First and second succession plants are dominating the landscape along with the ghostly images of old growth skeletons.
The trail is all in great shape. The cabin is closed due to C-19. Cross country travel to the summit isn’t difficult but be sure to familiarize yourself with the slope before heading up to avoid huge swaths of windfall.
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