CCC Road: Blowout Creek Trailhead — Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2002

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Having already had the days planned excursion to the Saddle Mountain area SE of Vantage thwarted even before the day began, I picked up Karen Sykes at Preston for a day to create something of an adventure anyhow. With the pass closed down due to the heavy snows for a second straight day we needed to stay on this side of the hill and headed up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie valley to do just that. We stopped first by the trestle area in the bend in the road and hiked back on the old Oxbow Loop road down to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. It was lovely down there and the snow started falling again while we were wandering around and doing much photography. The snow patterns on the boulders were fascinating! We then took off to head to the Middle Fork trailhead. However enroute to the MidFork trailhead we were stopped at the FS boundary by the start of dozens of trees across the road (smartly stopped...sure, I could have driven over the first couple of trees in sight...but what was ahead of us who knew). The snow was 8"" on the road by here anyhow so we parked, hiked the Middle Fork Road in pure silence of rigs. It was a spectacular way to experience this otherwise busy road area by actually hiking it through a winter wonderland and in total silence. In about 1.5 miles we reached the eastern end of the CCC Road and then chose to head back on the CCC Road to Bessemer Road, down the mile on the Bessemer Road to the Middle Fork Road, and back to complete a big 6-7 mile loop. We should have taken the massive tangle of snow-laden leaning trees on the path as a warning for what was to come. Once the CCC road hit >1300' there was 20-24"" of snow to plow through while all the trees in the world were leaning on the pathway to bash through and get totally as soaked as if I had swam the river. These three miles of normally easy hiking were the hardest three miles I've hiked in a long time. By the time we finally started the final 1/2 mile to reach the Bessemer Road Karen and I were very ready to reach it and at least be out of the soaking game of leaning snow laden tree bashing. At last we reached the Bessemer, and the legs somehow got us down to the main road and eventually back to the waiting rig. I felt so sorry for the lone salmonberry flower I saw trying to keep it's hopes up in 24"" of fresh snowfall! The drive out comprised of seeing how hot the heater in the buggy would get us before we started feeling it. It was a great day!! Alas, unless you want to stumble out of the woods as soaked as we were you had better wait until at least the snow melts off of the trees to clear up the path a bit!