Lake Christine, Mount Beljica — Friday, Aug. 9, 2024

22 miles and over 5,000' of elevation gain in less than two days. WOW! So sore, but totally worth it.

I've had my eye on the Glacier View Wilderness for a few months now, and convinced a friend to come with me this weekend for a hiking/fishing one-night adventure. All of FR 59 is closed off, so we added that as a road hike. FR 59 is not getting fixed anytime soon. Those washouts from 2020 must have been POWERFUL. 

We camped out at Lake Christine on Friday night. Saw a massive bull elk as soon as we got to the lake. I'm no elk hunter, but those antlers had a lot of points! Someone left an illegal cache at Lake Christine. We did not have the extra room to pack it out unfortunately. Please don't leave caches!

On Saturday, we summited Mt. Beljica which gave us killer views of Rainier. Went all the way down to Goat Lake (down being the key word - the Goat Lake in the Glacier View wilderness is actually at a lower elevation than Lake Christine). Saw five forest grouse. Unsure what species, but I'm guessing sooty grouse or spruce grouse.

Weather was perfect the whole time. Insects were annoying, but having 100% DEET was a lifesaver. Watch your step for ground bees!

We did run into three bear hunters, all of whom were very nice. Please wear hunter orange or hunter pink if you are visiting this area as a safety precaution and as a courtesy to hunters. Currently it is modern firearm season for black bear across most of the state, and the Glacier View wilderness is a semi-popular bear hunting area. Unlike during modern firearm season for deer and elk, bear hunters do not have to wear hunter orange, so it keeps things extra safe and respectful if YOU wear hunter orange. The legal standard for hunters is 400 visible square inches of hunter orange or hunter pink; i.e. a vest and a hat.