Chewuch River Trail, Coleman Ridge — Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012

North Cascades > Pasayten

Remmel Mtn - Hiked up Remmel Mtn on Saturday,June 30, via the Chewuch and Coleman Ridge Trails (aka the Four Point Creek Trail). Came down and part way out to a camp at Saddle Creek, then the rest of the way out on Sunday morning. The first 6 miles of the Chewuch Trail has a dozen or more recent blowdowns. Some would block stock but are only annoying to backpackers. Otherwise the trail is in good shape. Plenty of flowers along the sunny hillsides. There are a few mosquitoes out, but not swarms - yet. There is an excellent "improved log bridge" over Tungsten Creek next to the ford - multiple foot logs and a hand rail, all lashed together with cord. About a mile further on, a similar bridge crosses Saddle Creek, but it's about 50 yards upstream from the ford, and difficult to see until you're pretty close to it. Sections of the Chewuch Trail west of the Saddle Creek crossing are messy, with lots of drainage problems and brush. Lots of water everywhere, and mud, and swamps, and water over mud, and wet brush - fun, but again nothing to block hikers. The Four Point Creek side of the Coleman Ridge trail is in excellent shape, once you ford the Chewuch. No bridge here, and the water was inches above the knees late morning, and mid thigh early evening - on a 6'2" big guy! Refreshing ! The trail up Remmel is bare and mostly dry until almost to the Four Point Lake spur trail, where there are spotty snow drifts and lots of melt water running all over. Still no navigation problems, and the trail is dry again past the Lake, until about 7100'. The climbers path to Remmel summit starts at the top of the switchbacks at 7100', and is immediately under thinning but solid snow cover. Bare rock shows up again at about 8000', with the path clear of all but a few snow patches near the summit. The summit is bare and dry and glorious ! Incredible views, including various thunder clouds blowing past me, but never over me. I descended Remmel, re-forded the Chewuch, and hiked a few miles back out, to a very nice camp along side Saddle Creek. A pleasant, cool morning stroll back to the car Sunday morning was a perfect "recovery hike".