Rachel Lake, Hibox Mountain — Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

Oh sure, pick a destination that has about 3500' of elevation gain in less than 4 miles - with no lakes on the way - no creeks after you leave the Rachel Lake trail - and tell me I'm going to have fun! What - just because I'm a Golden Retriever, I'm blonde and I look a little vacant, that' no reason to take advantage of me. So, Hiker Jim was up for a little hike somewhere - not sure where. He said something about getting to the house at 7:00/7:15 a.m. Hmmm, it got to be 7:40 a.m. and no Jim. Was he a no-show this day? The driver decided to do some gardening while waiting - this is at 7:00 in the morning - on a Sunday. Is there no decency left in this world? Meanwhile, Clover (my cousin from New Hampshire) and I are cooling our heels waiting for some kind of an adventure. The last we heard, it was off to Rachel Lake (Yes!) and Alta Mountain (well, ok - I've been there before - no biggee). Finally, we see the whites(?) of Hiker J's eyes. Hmmm, maybe too much Saturday night, eh? We're loaded up and off we go. The driver is questioning the wisdom of Rachel Lake and Alta - may be too many peeps and since there has been so much persona non doga on NW Hikers, maybe not a good idea on a beautiful summer day to have TWO dogs along. Well, we head towards Rachel anyway. Get there about 9:00 ish - the upper parking area was stuffed with vehicles - the lower area was only about 1/3 full. We park. On the trail about 9:15 a.m. or so. Probably a lot of the cars were overnighters. We sign in for our adventure. Still not sure where cuz Clover and I are headed, but it's a lovely morning - the coolness of late summer envelopes us - but little did we know how warm it would get. Register at the trailhead and off we go. It's a lovely morning. There were a couple of people in the parking lot, but we really don't see anyone on the trail. The dew is light and the glint of sun is making its way over the ridge. We are in and out of forest - this trail is so deceptive with its little climb and then leveling off for a couple of miles. Clover and I are taking it all in - having a grand time with the coolness of the morning. Little did we know that the two-legged folks had other plans. Without asking, the decision was made to avoid the crowds of Rachel Lake :( and possible crowds at Alta and head up to Hibox. This is a peak that had been on Hiker Jim' list for years. Today seemed like a good day to do it. One hiker that caught up to us said he was a first-timer to Rachel and on to Alta - he was young and eager. We passed some hikers who had camped at Rachel and Rampart and said the bugs were horrible. Well, that's all the driver needed to hear - it was on to Hibox where you could be away from moisture and up high and (hopefully) away from bugs. After hiking passed the last open meadow (looks like it has been brushed fairly recently) and back into the forest (before the nasty ascent to Rachel) - we came upon the Hibox trail - it's about 50"" after you reach the forest at the end of the last meadow. Head right (somewhat east). The trail is actually a fairly decent ""boot path."" You are in trees for about a 1/2 mile or so and then you break out into some open areas. This is not a trail for the faint of heart - it starts climbing immediately and doesn't stop. Think Mt. Si in 1/2 the distance - or Mailbox on good day! We gained about 2900' in around 2 miles. Yes, it is steep and after you reach about 1000' above the Rachel Lake trail, there is a particularly nasty section of very steep, loose rock and no vegetation belay available. It wasn't so bad going up - but we knew it would be dicey coming down. This lasts for a couple hundred feet. It started getting warmer and warmer as we made our way up. Fortunately, the driver had thrown in a couple extra quarts of water - so that wouldn't be a problem. But note, there is NO water on this trail!!! We went in and out of trees, which was a nice break from the sun. Finally, at about 1800' above the Rachel Lake trail (approximately 4500') you break out into the open for some nice views. We continued on - the trail is a pretty good boot path most of the way - with several rock cairns to mark the way - however, it does become spotty now and again, so pay attention to your surroundings to find some markers of your own. We keep seeing Hibox come in and out of view. It seems to be getting closer - but there is still about 1000' or more of gain. We can see over to Rachel Lake and north to Alta Mtn. and little Lila Lake. Finally, we are at the base of Hibox - we seem to remember Ragman and Rodman saying something about taking a right traverse (south) to avoid the cliffy area of Hibox - at least one of us remembers this! But someone else decides that this little slot up between Hibox ""summits"" looks like a possibility - That didn't get him too far!!! Fortunately, the driver wouldn't let Clover and me go that way. Good thinking. Meanwhile, a solo hiker was coming down and the driver could see him off to the right (the location Ragman and Rodman had recommended!) - he said it was an easy walk-up to the ridge going that route and that the slot didn't lead anywhere - he had tried it! He seemed familiar - had a German accent. But he was on his way down. We wished him well and to be careful on his way down. Meanwhile, we headed up this traverse - and, sure enough, we got to the ridge - just over the ridge was a little patch of remaining snow - perfect for two hot, tired pups - -Soon, Hiker Jim was reaching the ridge. Lots of nice views from here (go to www.nwhikers.net for more pics - look for Sadie's Driver report on Hibox) Not satisfied with this accomplishment - HJ looked for the summit. Meanwhile, the pups and the driver had a little snack - content with being about 100' within the reach of the summit. Hiker Jim never did find the ""real"" summit after poking around. He stopped for lunch with the rest of us and then we decided it was time to head down. It wasn't too hard finding our way - we even left a hiking pole below the summit of Hibox to make sure we could find our way down. For the most part, it was just a steep descent back to the Rachel Lake trail. The one dicey area (about 1900' below the summit) is one to be very careful on - there is lots of loose rock and it is very steep with little to hold onto - but we all made it just fine. This is a steep trail and not one to be attempted casually. However, the good news is that it's a fairly good boot path and the views from above are lovely. The other good thing - there was NO ONE else up there - save one hiker. When we met back up with the Rachel Lake trail, we ran into all sorts of people - day hikers to Rachel; overnighters to Rachel, etc. We stopped long enough for the dogs to soak in the cool creek on the way back to the car. It was a great day to be out - about 3500' or so of gain in a short 8 mile roundtrip. It took us about 7.5 hours car to car. Sadie and Clover are resting comfortably!