Rock Mountain via Snowy Creek — Thursday, Jun. 11, 2015

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

The Wonder Pup and I headed to Rock Mountain (via Snowy Creek), for a beautiful day full of howling wind. We almost had the place to ourselves; just one other party was on the trail. A few notes: Road: 4WD is *highly* recommended. 6700 is being graded, so you may have brief delays. Yesterday they were working roughly between 0.5 miles and 2.5 miles in. There are steep, rough sections where I dropped it into low gear to be on the safe side. 6705 is in much better shape, but it's very overgrown; I'm sure my trusty 4Runner got a few new scratches. Critters: A shedding goat had been on the trail recently; I also saw one goat on the talus on the far side of the meadow. If you're dog free, and there in the morning, you may have better luck than I did. Water: The trail before the meadow has several small and seasonal streams. The meadow has the last available water. If you choose to filter in the meadow, the first crossing is the best, and has some shade. Bugs: I got a half dozen mosquito bites, without DEET. The meadow will be full of mosquitoes very soon. Trail: Easy, soft tread up to the Nason Ridge Trail intersection. There is a larger section of overgrown trail, where it is sometimes hard to see where you're walking. Gets a little steeper after crossing Snowy Creek, up to the meadow. Once in the meadow, stay to the left. The trail is on the left side, and you should see it after a couple of creek crossings/marshy areas. You will be climbing the ridge directly in front of you. Mosquitoes are coming out; I got a half dozen bites without any DEET. The ridge climb begins in the woods, and gradually breaks out into full blown meadows. The flowers are starting, and should be in fine fettle in a couple of weeks. While the trail is exposed, it's stable, and wide enough to be comfortable for all but the most vertigo-challenged of hikers. As I said, the wind was howling; it was gusting to about 40 knots as I crested the saddle. The knob to the right is snow free, but with the wind increasing, it wasn't worth climbing. The side trail to the Rock Mountain Summit has large patches of snow, some of which have large cornices. Given the cornices, and the wind, I decided to save that trail for another day.