Tronsen Ridge — Saturday, Jun. 4, 2016

Central Cascades > Blewett Pass

Drove out to the North trailhead for Tronsen Ridge off of 5 Mile Road. As reported by others, high clearance is highly recommended. For us, this was a fun drive, the bumps, ruts and scraping branches had us laughing all the way to the trailhead. If you aren’t in a 4x4 vehicle, it probably won’t be as much fun. There are a couple of pull offs on the way up with scenic views of the Enchantments. We drove all the way in, past a small sign that indicates the trailhead. We had a late start and arrived around 1PM. There were 3 other trucks and a Subaru parked in the area. A couple of people were meandering through the wildflowers with butterfly nets. The trail actually crosses this area and you can go either North or South. As you face East, looking towards Devil’s Gulch the trail continues North to your left – it’s hard to miss. To hike South, we had to walk back down the hill to the butterfly kidnappers and catch the trailhead by the sign. The trail climbs steadily through meadows of Lupine, Balsamroot and Indian Paintbrush. Bees were steadily buzzing and birds were singing brightly on this brilliant day. The trail is a narrow boot path worn into deep grooves in places – most likely from the dirt bike riders who love this trail. For hiking, you can only hike single file. The meadow areas are a glorious riot of color, though Balsamroot is past it’s prime. At the lower elevations Lupine is still fresh, but higher up, especially on the West facing meadows, they are starting to look dry. The trail meanders through forest and the shade was a welcome relief. At an East facing viewpoint we saw what looked like the smoke plume from a wildfire, it was East/North East so maybe in the Entiat area? On the way back the plume was gone. We hiked about 2 miles to the intersection with Red Hill Trail, there is a sign, and continued about another ½ mile to a split in the trail. If you continue to the Right the trail continues South, we took the Left and went uphill to a rocky area that delivered amazing views and an abundance of blushing Tweedy’s Lewisia! We lounged in the shade of a gnarled pine tree and ate lunch, took tons of pictures and admired the view. Mount Rainier’s shiny snow covered peak could be seen in the distance. We dawdled on the way back, taking pictures and admiring the views. We came across what I think is a Racer Snake, I think he went into “I’m a Stick” mode when we came tromping by. I took a couple of pictures and then my husband gently moved him off the trail so the snake could be on his way. We saw a handful of chipmunks and were dive bombed by butterflies while taking pictures of flowers in the meadows. We only saw 3 groups on the trail today, a fast moving group of clearly seasoned hikers, a party of 3 who had been bird watching, and a couple with a sweet black lab. On our hike back, we had the place to ourselves, always a bonus! One tip - there are no water sources – no babbling creek to soothe your feet, no magnificent waterfalls to cool you with mist, so bring plenty to drink. The sun was hot today and the west side of the trail gets really warm. We made it back in time to enjoy the sunset from one of the pull offs. It was a terrific day and I am looking forward to trying this trail from the South trailhead.