Spider Meadow 9/20/2008

After series of several 4000+ ft elevation gain hikes was time for more relaxed adventure. The original plan was to go and check out fall color at Mt. Baker area but with the rain in a forecast I opted for the drier side of the mountains. My plan to escape the rain in Eastern Washington worked well. The heavy fog vanished as soon as we crossed Stevens Pass and the sky looked way less threatening there too.

After long and very slow 25 miles ride on gravel road, we finally reached the trailhead. It was busy but we were able to get the last two available spots at the actual trailhead parking lot.

It was surprisingly warm and clouds were high enough for us to be able to go uuuh aaah over the beauty of all the giants surrounding us. We walked to the forest and followed the path, very gently gaining elevation. I paused at Carne Mountain intersection for a moment, imagining the views, but as soon as I looked back at my wonderful but completely out of shape husband huffing and puffing on this nearly level grade, the thought immediately left my mind. I promised my crew an easy outing today so we continued towards Spider Meadow.



Bubbling of Phelps Creek, and fall colors starting to show made our way through the forest very enjoyable. Then we walked into the meadow, spacious, carpeted by golden grasses with hints of crimson leaves, enclosed by giant mountains. It was a beautiful place to sit down and enjoy lunch… and plan a backpacking trip for next year to explore the area further.



The wind picked up around 2:30-ish and brought this unmistakable feel of a true fall with this nipping chill annoying enough to put a layer on. Few light showers followed and finally just as we walked back to the parking lot, the rain got stronger. It was pouring pretty hard when we hit Hwy 2.

Boston Basin 9/13/2008

After several weeks of hiking in fog and rain, the weather finally decided to give us a break. Seeing the clear sky right after I left home made my way to the meeting spot filled with immeasurable excitement, especially since I knew we’re heading to one of the most picturesque area here in Pacific NW.



Boston Basin is known mostly to climbers who have several very cool
looking peaks available there. I've heard it was a wonderful place to
hike to, even if not climbing anywhere further on, so I had it on my
list for a while. With clear blue sky, plenty of sunshine, and great
visibility, the day could not be more perfect.





The trail was very easy to follow, however there were few narrow
parts where vegetation (and especially stinking nettles) got little
too close, there were few parts where we had to scramble a bit, there
were quite a few trees across the trail we had to climb over, and
last but not least there were 4 un-bridged creek crossings which at
this time of the year did not pose any problem but earlier with water
level higher might be little tricky. I bet many regular hikers would
consider the trail too treacherous and would probably turn way before
reaching the basin, but for those little more adventurous; the
approach itself brings lots of fun to what without all the obstacles
would be just a walk through a forest.



Once at the bottom of the basin, whole new world opened in front of
us, inviting us to wander further. There were many possibilities to
explore. Most of us decided that the glacier at the very far end of
the basin was way too cool to miss so we rock hopped all the way to
it and spend a long time chilling out, enjoying the awesome
breathtaking scenery. It was quite difficult to get up and head back
leaving all this beauty behind.

Mt. Pugh Scramble - 9/6/2008

Once again the weather man tricked us into thinking it'll be a gorgeous day and we'll get plenty of sunshine. With vision of all the magnificent views we'll be getting today we arrived at the trailhead and found it partially hidden in the fog.



In was early in the day though and with 5500 ft of elevation we had to gain we figured the sun will have plenty of time to burn the clouds off before we get to our destination.



So we headed up. The first part of the trail took us through the forest where the mist around us made this otherwise regular forest walk more interesting. It was a long walk but the grade was rather gentle. We made a good time to the meadow where we finally got into some steeper terrain and slowed a bit. The flowers were plentiful as
we switchbacked up the hill; however all the views remained hidden behind clouds.



We reached Stujack Pass and took a little break for lunch. With no views, some wind and very light drizzle, there was no reason to hang around there for too long and soon we were back on our feet making our way towards Mt. Pugh summit.



The route got more interesting once we left Stujack Pass and now we were scrambling our way up, getting around rocks, going over few somewhat sketchy exposed part or the trail, but for most of the ascend we had a great time and progressed slowly but surely to the summit.

Once atop of the mountain we took a deep breath and enjoyed the never ending thick layer of clouds everywhere around us. It was pleasurably warm and windless up there. We sat down to make our entries into the summit register and then a little while later we noticed a patch of clear sky revealing little bit of our surrounding. Curiously we watched as it made its way across the sky. The sunshine that came shortly afterwards, making the sky above us bluer and bluer, and it felt unspeakably good too.



It never completely clear but despite the fact we only got tiny glimpse of all the mountains around us, the summit itself held its own beauty making the trip very worthwhile. We stayed up for about an hour before the sun, traveling slowly down towards horizon, reminded us it was a good time to start heading back.

Fall weather preview on Yellow Aster Butte 8/30/2008

Not everyday is perfect. There are many days when sky is grey and clouds roll across the sky obstructing any possible views. I noticed quite a few of such days occurred on the weekends lately so when I first saw forecast for Labor day weekend promising reasonable weather
I was excited.

Saturday started nicely. We met at designated location and headed north to Hwy 542 with blue sky above us and sun shining brightly. Soon after we left Bellingham, the sun started to disappear. The trailhead welcomed us clouded in familiar overcast.

Fortunately we were on just the perfect type of trail. Yellow Aster Butte offer spectacular views when clear but with so much to see within a close proximity of the trail itself it also makes for
wonderful outing when the clouds are low. With that though we headed up and we were not disappointed.

The trail led us through a variety of terrain – first we started through a forest, then crossed meadows and somewhat rocky parts where several snow patches still could be found. The flowers were out, the berries were sweet, and once we got under the false summit we spotted
a bear roaming on the hillside above us. He wasn't close enough for a good photo but still it was very exciting experience. We watched him for a while before proceeding further.

Once atop of the false summit, the sky partially cleared for a bit making it possible to continue safely to the true summit and back. With nice sense of accomplishement we headed back. The sleet that accompanied us for most of our descend did not bother us too much - that's what rain gear is for, righ?



The weather changed completely on our way back and with clear blue sky all the way from Hwy 542 to Everett I was hopeful that Mt. Pilchuck hike scheduled for Sunday will provide all the cool views that we missed today. That hope disappeared right when I got up in the morning and saw that all the clouds had returned.

Despite the weather the trailhead was busy. Once again we ventured into the fog and once again we enjoyed the mystery feel it gave to the trail as we followed it all the way to the lookout. Few times the sky got brighter but the sun was not strong enough to penetrate the thick clouds today and we got a view of never-ending white mass atop the mountain. Not a single thing to see from the lookout but still very pleasurable outing and it was very nice to see that so many others did not let the weather stop them and made it to the summit like us.

Mt. St. Helens Climb - 8/24/2008

For some Mt. St. Helens is a cool mountain to look at from a safe distance of the Johnston Ridge Observatory. For those who experienced it’s eruption on May 18, 1980 thismountain represents a cascade of memories. And then there are those who see more than the beauty and uniqueness of this magnificent and powerful mountain - those who look at the treeless steep slopes and see a great challenge, those who look at the talus and scree covered route up and see an adventure….

I decided I wanted to climb Mt. St. Helens during my first visit in the area in 2003; however it wasn’t until August 2007 when I organized the climb. We succeeded but the weather was progressively getting worse with elevation we gained and blasting freezing wind combined with zero visibility made us abandon the summit after few short minutes. I knew I had to return.

Permits for the climb has to be purchased several month in advance (especially if you want to climb during a weekend) so you never know what the weather will be like. As we were approaching our 2008 climbing date I was getting worried we have a same fate ahead of us as last year when we got a great workout but saw nothing… but the morning or August 24 arrived with clear sky assuring us that at least the first half of the day will be nice.

We left the campground in good spirit and started the climb at 8:00 a.m. After 2 miles of pleasant and very easy forest walk we reached the start of the scrambling route at 4800 ft. With blue sky above our heads we started to make our way up, boulder at a time. First views opened shortly after we got above the tree line and as great as they were, we knew it will only get better.

For most of the way up the route consisted of relatively even mix of boulder hopping and scree fighting. Challenging but fun. Then we got to the last part – where we saw people on the summit, so close, yet separated by about 1200 vertical feet of soft sand. One feet up and two feet down. Who doesn’t like sand!

The clouds started to cumulate at that point but fortunately for us they were high not obscuring any of our great views. We also faced strong winds here that had nothing better to do than pick up the sand and blast it right into our faces and eyes.

Stride by stride we slowly advanced to the summit…. and then there was the one final step that brought our sight over the rim where the lava dome was displayed in its full beauty making us pause for a moment and forget the misery of the final part of our journey.

We braved the summit winds for about 30 minutes, exploring views from different parts of the rim, watching Mt. Rainier disappear in clouds as the weather worsened, then retreated to the more pleasant 90% wind-free zone some 1500 ft below.

The rest of our descent was rather uneventful. First rain drops hit us at the lower part of the mountain but fortunately for us the showers never got too strong while we were up there causing only slight inconvenience.

Goats of Mt. Ellinor

The weather forecast did not look greatest for the weekend. We had Mt. Ellinor planned with a back up of staying along I-90 if we determine the visibility is bad enough and the long drive would not be rewarded with the gorgeous views this area has to offer. As the week progressed the forecast slowly changed to our advantage and we were excited to stick with our original plan and headed to Ellinor.

Even though it never completely clear, the clouds were high letting us enjoy variety of views from different points along the trail. It was my first time up there and despite the fact I’ve seen many pictures, being surrounded by this amazing scenery in person was truly breathtaking.

We decided to take a little break after we conquered the first part of the chute and while scanning the area I noticed this white spot on the rock wall behind us. Mountain Goat! And it had a baby… our short break suddenly turned into about 15 minute photo shoot of those two goats. It was so cool, we thought, and continued our way towards the summit. As soon as we reached the second false summit, there were another two goats (again it was mommy goat and her baby) walking down the trail in our directions. They were way closer that the goats we saw earlier and were not bothered by our presence at all. It was very obvious they will walk just past us… so we got our cameras ready, and snapped tons more pictures. At one point the goats were as close as about 5 feet from us, and even posed for us on rocks close by.

So cool, we though again and now with the true summit in our sight we braved the last part of the trail… just to notice more goats peeking at us from the top. There was a nice family of about 4 of them there, running around, kind of checking us up together with several chipmunks that entertained us by crawling up people’s legs and jumping on people’s shoulders in their attempts to steal our food.

The views were wonderful. We did not see Rainier or the other major peaks very clearly as they were hiding in a mist but there was so much more to look at and with all the wildlife around, we spend good 2 hours up there before we decided it was time to have some fun glissading down the chute.

My Favorite Spring Hike

Spring has this amazing way how to spread energy around. It’s not only the more sunshine and warmer days; it’s also all the other sign of life… the grass gets fresher, the ground brightens with first blooms of Crocuses, Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths and Irises.

The mountains start showing off after the winter when they peacefully rested under the white blanket of snow. The birds chirp happily in the tree branches, squirrels and chipmunks enjoy tree climbing in their beautiful outdoor gym, and many other animals start building their homes and preparing for babies.

I love being outdoors during springtime. I love wondering through the forest where the trees turn greener, where the pine needles smell stronger, where the rivers roar downhill fed by the melting snow in higher elevations, making for some incredible waterfall seeing. My favorite spring hike leads to Lake Serene. To get to this glorious lake resting underneath a face of majestic Mt. Index is not a piece of cake though. The trail starts off on relatively easy note, following old railroad grade for first half mile or so but those who expect an easy ascent soon find themselves on a steep rugged slope and if you go early in the spring, you will usually have to also overcome several obstacles in a form of fallen trees. Just when you think the worst is over, you get to a long never ending staircase made of what seems like hundreds of steps to get even more grueling workout.

What makes this trail special is the fact that it never gets boring. You don’t just climb the hill in a hope to see yet another pretty alpine lake. You don’t ascent through a uniform forest where after few minutes each tree looks like any other. There is so much to see along the way. Soon after you start you find yourself walking along stunning Bridal Weil Falls. The water splashes against a smooth dark wall of granite and the look up takes you breathe away. You also have a choice to take a side trail to the upper falls which means climbing more steps but is so totally worth the effort. Some people make this their final destination for the day but if you have some energy left, don’t give up and continue further for spectacular views of the valley, several more smaller waterfalls, and finally the stunning Lake Serene that will likely still be at least partially frozen with snow patches on its banks. It is breathtaking peacefulness will make you forgot the sweat you broke on your way up in a heartbeat.