The weather was dry so I thought I would hike the Sulphur Creek trail.  Oops, I didn't check road conditions first.  The Suiattle Road is closed before Milepost 18 due to a 3 foot diameter tree that has fallen across the road.  I walked about three miles on the road, and then returned.  A nice road walk, but not the trail I was hoping for.  I do carry a 40-volt 12-inch chain saw with me, but that 3 foot diameter tree is to big for my chain saw.  Send in a volunteer with a 36 inch blade chain saw.

As I walked along the road I picked up litter and threw small branches off the road.  I guess I'll have to wait a few more months before returning to this area.

On the Trail Conditions required input, I am just guessing because I never reached the trail, but based on the down trees on the road, I assume all the trails in this drainage have lots of down timber across them.  Maybe the windstorm a week or two ago really battered this valley.

Siauttle River Road is as always a pot-holed, wash-boarded treat.  Given that it was the first day of a holiday weekend, we encountered fewer insane drivers than feared, but enough to make the drive...exciting.  We wanted to do something that was slightly under-reported, but not a total mystery - I mean, we wanted to be able to actually hike for the last day of the Hikeathon after all.  Trail head parking was ample and the toilet was relatively clean.  We were, surprisingly, car number six in the lot, although only the third party to sign in on the register - one party of four was apparently headed in on a deep multiday trip.

The first two miles of trail is in good shape.  A little slumping here and there, some minor creek crossings, a blowdown or two, but nothing that couldn't be easily navigated.  Mostly, those first two miles were lovely tread through nice open forest and lots of moss.  Beautiful.  The next two miles became pretty badly overgrown, although there was evidence that it had been brushed out at some point over the summer.  There was a lot more mud, water on the trail, slumping tread, minor creeks, and downed trees in this section.  But still so many big trees.  The final two miles out that we did were in better condition, although still exhibiting stretches of the previous section's bad habits.  A few rocky and/or rooty bits throughout, but that's not unexpected.  We stopped for lunch at the six mile mark, at a very pleasant campsite on a small tributary stream.

This trail.  Huh.  It's not spectacular.  But it is very pleasant.  So many big trees, so much moss.  And so much solitude - we encountered only one other soul, on a holiday weekend.  It was bliss.  The trail is in surprisingly good condition for as under-reported and underused as it seems to be.  The quantity and quality of the puncheons, boardwalks, and bridges would appear to indicate this as once-upon-a-time a major access point to the back country.  But the overgrown sections and the badly slumping tread seems to indicate a trail in danger of becoming "lost."  Early season creek levels likely would be problematic, but they are all possible with dry feet right now.  Good campsites at 3, 4, and 6 miles, and passable sites at 2 and 5 miles.  In 12 miles in-and-out, we clocked 1800 feet of gain on gently undulating tread.  We whacked a few bushes here and there, tried to get the nettles and the devil's club off the trail whenever we encountered them, cleared a few clogged drainages, and cleared the smaller blowdowns.  I might have to go back with tools and spend a weekend giving this trail some love - it feels worthy.

Blog version (disclaimers)

Quick-and-dirty version

Access: Downey Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 28 miles
Elevation Range: 1440′-8264′
Gear: helmet, crampons, rope

Approach

1. Hike the Downey Creek Trail to Sixmile Camp.
2. From camp, hike the Bachelor Creek Trail southeast up to the log crossing.
3. Cross Bachelor Creek to the south side and hike to Bachelor Meadows.
4. Follow the path through the avalanche debris onto the upper bench.
5. Continue to hike through to the 5900' pass and descend to Cub Lake.
6. Hike up to Itswoot Ridge and follow the trail until it dwindles by the snow line. Then traverse through to Spire Col.
7. From the col, travel a quarter of a mile along southeast ridge to the base of Spire Point.
8. Climb the east face on class 4/5 terrain to reach the summit.

Highlights

• Views for days
• Magnificent views of Dome Peak to the east and Glacier Peak to the south
• View to the rest of the Ptarmigan Traverse in the north

Lowlights

• Dense brush
• Trail sometimes hard to follow
• Avalanche debris
• Afternoon downpour on day 2

So many mushrooms! I wish I had counted the varieties, there had to be 30 or more different types! Nice trail, trees crossing in places but easy to get around or over. Most stream crossings were easy to walk across on rocks and most of the boardwalks were in good shape. Boardwalks were very slippery with the heavy frost we had for most of the day but everything was passable. We went 7 miles in but not sure we got to the Bacholer Creek crossing so not sure if the mileage is exact. With the short days we had to do the last 2 miles out with headlamps but besides that day was uneventful. Arrived at trailhead at 10:30 and didn't see anyone the whole 20 miles on FS26, at the trailhead or on the trail; perfect for us with 2 dogs!

A WTA BCRT logged out the Downey Creek trail to the Bachelor Creek camp site at 6 miles on June 6th thru 10th.  They are 4 remaining deadfalls across the trail all of which can easily be walked around.  The crew also brushed parts of the trail and cleaned off several of the puncheons.  One puncheon remains broken and plans are being discussed to repair it.  The puncheons are very slippery when wet.  Some tread work was completed improving the approaches to the early stream crossings.  The footlogs at the Bachelor Creek and Bachelorette Creek crossing are in good shape.  All other creeks should be forded including the one with a sketchy footlog across it.  Some before and after pictures are attached.