Nice loop today going up to Putrid Pete’s Peak, traversing over to Web Mtn, going down to Dirty Harry’s Bathtub, and then hiking back to exit 42 via Dirty Harry’s Peak, Balcony, and Ira Spring Connector trails.
First time for me starting from exit 42. There is a nice spot to park at the end of the road, just off the on/off ramp to I-90. It was nice to not drive the long pot holed road to Ira Spring trailhead.. Trail starts at the end of the road. Right away, after the bend, there is a trail that heads to the right. Don't take this one, as it ends up at a fire pit and some old used shotgun shells. Just after a creek crossing(there is two logs lashed together with a handrail) there is a fork in the trail. Take the right fork if you want to head up to the Ira Spring trailhead. Take the left fork if you want to connect with the Ira Spring Connector trail just short of the Putrid Pete's Peak(PP3) trail. I took the right fork and headed up. Trail follows the creek( Mason Creek maybe) up to the road and then you walk about a tenth of a mile to the trailhead. Starting down on exit 42 adds about 3/4 mile and 550 ft of elevation gain to the hike
At the first switchback I took the faint trail(Ira Spring Connector trail) and after about a mile from the trailhead I took the PP3 trail up to the summit of PP3. The first part has a few switchbacks and is not that steep. There is one section that had about 4 large trees that have fell across the trail, which involves climbing over them. Once out in the open around 3800 ft the trail just goes straight up 1400 ft up to the summit. There are some loose rocks that can easily be kicked down on other hikers, so beware of this heading up on a crowded day. Once near the summit it is a easy scramble up to the top. The summit register is missing a cap, so the paper is wet, even though it is double bagged.
Was only at PP3 summit for a short time before heading over to Web Mountain. The traverse is pretty easy with minor scrambling and some side hilling. It is best to stay below the ridge, as the north side of the ridge is pretty much straight down. Once at the summit block, head around to the left and come up from the west. It is easier as coming from the SE will involve a lot more scrambling with some possible exposure,
After Web summit visit, I headed down the spine of the ridge until I hit a rock outcrop. I descended down into the bowl to my right staying in the trees as much as possible to avoid all the talus. I did have to go down some talus to get to more trees, and then once in the trees, I found a faint trail. I lost it a few times, but for the most part it closely followed a drainage down to Dirty Harry's Bathtub. The Bathtub are was cool. There was still water and the area was a bog, even late in the season in this very dry year.
After this I followed some cairns that led to the trail down to DIrty Harry's Peak(DHP) trail. Also my GPS (ONYX software) showed the trail. This made it easier to navigate. Trail was in great shape until getting down close to the DHP trail, where it became pretty overgrown for the last 0.25 mile.
Once back to the DHP trail it was smooth sailing back to the Ira Spring connector trail. This trail has LOTS of ups and downs. Not too fun at the end of a long hike!!. Just past the PP3 trail, I took the trail to the left that took me back to the car. Not sure if it was any quicker, but it was a nice trail, and I had never been on it before.
Fun adventure. Started at 8:16 am and finished at 1:51 pm
10 miles with 4400 ft elevation gain
Comments
You finally pulled them all together :).. well done!
Posted by:
ngie on Sep 12, 2021 04:23 PM
Thank you!! It was fun and I didn’t get lost 😀
Posted by:
kidz won't hike on Sep 14, 2021 01:05 AM