Lake 22 11-25-2018

I needed to get up into the mountains a bit to try to work off all the turkey and pie I ate over the Thanksgiving holiday, so we headed up to Lake 22.  I got there around 8:30 expecting to be lucky to get a parking spot and was pleasantly surprised that the parking lot was not even half full. 

The trail is wet, but if you wear your hiking boots and some warm hiking socks you'll be fine.  I thought my boots were just water resistant, but between those and some extra thick synthetic wool my feet stayed warm and dry.  It wasn't super cold, so Cedar and Luna enjoyed wading through the various stream crossings.

The sky was clear and sunny for most of our hike, and seeing the huge ent-like trees in the morning light made me happy.  I see most hikers smiling as they hike and think about the natural high we share when on the trail. 

The views once you get out onto the switchbacks/slide area were stunning with frosty peaks rising into blue skies.

There were a couple places where trees had come down that looked fairly new - a hemlock and a cedar.  Both were easy to get by.  There were a couple logs crossing the trail also, which were tougher to get by.  The first we all went under, where my pack full of essentials was a bit bulky, and then my adventure crew wanted to burrow under the second one too with maybe 1 foot of clearance, so I had to convince them we'd all be happier going around. 

About a half mile from the lake we started seeing more significant patches of snow, and then eventually the trail became packed icy snow.  It was really slick, so I put on my yaktrax.  What a difference!  I don't use poles since my hands have leashes in them.  : ) 

The lake was so beautiful in its snowy winter basin.  Most of it is now covered with a slushy looking layer of ice.  The trail around it was easily passable and packed down as well, so easy to find.  With the snow load being pretty light I didn't think the danger of avalanche was too high so I went ahead and continued the hike around the lake.  About 3/4 of the way around I discovered one of my yaktrax was missing!  I back tracked a bit but didn't see it anywhere.

I didn't build this whimsical snowman, but it was too cute not to photograph

We had a snack (almost broke a tooth because my "chewy" granola bar had frozen) and then wound our way back down to the car.  I was super stoked that someone had found my yaktrax and brought it down!!  Now I have one for each foot again.  : ) 

Have fun out there!

Monte Cristo Ghost Town 11-17-2018

It had been almost a month before I was able to get out on the trail... I have been in the midst of a move and my exercise has been wrestling with furniture and carrying boxes.

Today was a beautiful clear sunny day, although pretty chilly.  Fog was laying in the valleys in big eerie patches and swirling up through the forested hillsides.  When we reached the lot, there was plenty of parking, which is nice.  There were about a dozen cars there, so I expected a moderately busy trail.  I think most of them must have been doing Gothic Basin because on the way out I was passed by a group of 3 people and that is it!  I never saw them when I was up there either so the pups and I had Monte Cristo to ourselves.  Amazing!

The first water crossing is on a log and it was wet and slick for the first have and covered with ice for the 2nd channel.  It was too sketchy for me, so I rock-hopped the 2nd channel.

One of the cool things I saw was damp branches had hairs of ice sprawling out of them.  It looked like white muppet fluff, and if you touched it it just instantly melted away.  I have seen ice do a lot of things, but this may be a new one for me.

The cold made everything glittery and beautiful in a new way.  There was a little area of grasses that were completely covered with frozen dew drops.

We saw a cute little squirrel eating a pine cone.  He looked shocked that we'd be so rude as to stop and watch him munch.  I also spotted a mountain goat browsing up a draw right before Monte Cristo, but all my photos were blurry butt photos of it.

Monte Cristo itself was freezing cold and the old iron artifacts were rimed with frost.

The views up to the town and back were stunning, with the icy white peaks gleaming against the blue blue sky.

What a wonderful day out!

Maple Pass Loop 10-21-2018

I met up with a colleague I had not met before in person for this hike and was glad I did!  Despite my usual preference for solitude on the trail she was a joy and had done a lot of cool hikes and gone interesting places. 
We got there around 930am and all the parking spots in the lot were taken.  There was still room on the turn in road though, so we snagged one of those (on the way back I could see people parked up and down the highway!).  We hiked this counter clockwise, as I didn't want to hit those steep switchbacks right off the bat.  Last time I tried to do this one it was a hot day and I hadn't known that I was anemic and I just couldn't catch my breath.  Dave was with me for that round and I didn't make it more than a couple miles in.  This time, success!
We did the side trail to Lake Ann and there was a lot of ice on the little outlet stream and pools.  It was lovely though.  It was nice to look down on it as we hiked above it and see where we had been and how much elevation we had gained after we left its shore.

I saw a few pikas scurrying about squeaking, but didn't get any shots of them.  We enjoyed the beautiful scarlet blueberry leaves and even though the larches were past their prime there were still plenty of golden ones. 

The views from the pass are beautiful and I love how rugged the peaks are up here in the north. 

We were joined by a little chipmunk who was intent on grooming.  I thought he'd come up to see if we had any lunch to share, but the hikers here must be pretty good and the wildlife mostly kept its distance. 

On the way down we enjoyed views of Lake Ann to our left and wayyy, down below, Rainy Lake to our right. 

Then we switchbacked down through the meadows and the woods and over a stream to finish out our hike. 

My Apple Watch got us at 8 miles even, although I forgot to hit "resume" after a break, so probably lost a tenth of a mile or so there.  The elevation gain it had was about 2200 ft. 
What a very gorgeous day for a hike!  Blue skies and sunshine the whole time.  Everyone was out enjoying it though, which made for a very crowded trail.  Friendly happy people though!

On the way out toward Rockport we pulled over in the wildlife viewing area and got to see some bald eagles to top the day off.  Great day out!

Mt Dickerman 10-14-2018

The day was supposed to be clear, so I took advantage and hiked Mt Dickerman. I had never hiked it before, and knew it was going to be pushing it for me with the distance plus elevation gain.  It was SO WORTH IT!  The views were absolutely stunning and all the hikers at the top were just blown away with the awe of it all.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

The hike starts out switchbacking through the forest.

This time of year it was pretty nice to see a lot of different fungi springing up from the forest floor, and dead wood.

Mmmm, corals

After seemingly forever the trees thinned and opened up to more alpine trees, brilliant fall foliage and amazing views of the nearer peaks and ridges.

I was super happy to spot a couple mountain goats!

There was some ice on the way up - sprawling up through the trail and coating the tops of slow-moving pools.

Once at the top, after pushing my aching legs all the way, I was almost brought to tears by the stunning views in every direction.  I could see Baker, Glacier, Shuksan, even Rainier, along with all the less white crags rising around me.  I could even see some part of the Puget Sound, although I couldn't tell what part of the water I was looking at.

I really took my time up there and soaked in that beauty as I ate my lunch before heading down.
On the way down I saw this strange gray creature heading into the trees ; )

Also a Clark's Nutcracker I think...

Boy I thought those switchbacks were challenging on the way up?  The way down felt like it was never-ending! Haha.  I did spot this cute little garter snake though, with his orange and yellow like he was dressed for autumn.

Happy hiking!