Olympic Coast Backpack, Aug 21st

This trip is really hard to describe as we had some good moments and some really bad. For me, it was a bit of a train wreck although I have to admit that part of it was my own fault. I think I underestimated the trip and overestimated some of the hikers. In short, we were not able to do the intended trip which was supposed to start from Hoh River and go all the way north to Third beach covering some beaches, creeks, headlands, etc. Not being able to do the trip as intended left me with a bit of a sour taste as I think it would have been fantastic. On the good side though, I think that I’m better informed now to try it again next year. This trip was a three day thing with a late start on Friday. The reason for that was that we had to time the low tide to pass a section of the beach about two miles in from the Hoh River. Since the tide was going to be at the lowest at around 8PM, we had a window of about 4 hours between 6 and 10PM to make that pass. Due to some unfortunate events that include (and this is part of the bad part) late arrivals and departures from several places, getting showered with Diesel fuel, etc we started hiking at 8 PM instead of the intended 5PM. Thanks to that, we were not able to make the pass and had to hike back and find a campsite to spend the first night which happened at around midnight. At that point I knew we were not going to be able to do the whole traverse as intended, so I told everybody to sleep as long as they wanted and that we would discuss possible plans the following day.

Morning from our first campsite


On Saturday, we woke up to a sunny clear day. Right after breakfast we discussed the viable options to finish the weekend which included going back home, staying where we were one more night or moving to Third Beach and stay the night there. The general consensus was to move to Third Beach, so we packed everything, hiked back to the trail head, went to pick up the cars, brought them back, picked up everybody and drove back to Third Beach. In the end we got to a campsite at Third Beach at around 3PM. After setting up camp and having a light lunch, we went for a hike to the end of the beach, over the headland all the way to Second Beach. This hike ended up being the highlight of the weekend. The views were magnificent and walking on the sand in the low tide was just incredible. The amount of life and little creatures you see is phenomenal. As time was moving, we hiked back right before sunset getting to camp in time for some Frisbee and more sunset pictures.

Sunset reflection


That night we had a nice fire by the beach with good food and some smores that helped release some of the built up tensions from the last couple of days.

Campfire


The last day, before packing up and heading out, I went for a walk to the north side of Third Beach. It was a very nice walk and I got to enjoy some really nice sky reflections on the sea and seagulls taking flight right in front of me (with a little running and yelling on my part). After that, we hiked out and went for lunch at a little place in the town of La Push.

Mt Hood Ice Caves, Aug 15th

This is a hike we tried last year with no success. After a very long hike, fast moving clouds and improper gear, we had to turn around without getting to the caves. David rescheduled the hike and was very specific with the gear and fit requirements so this time we had a very strong group. Although weather forecast was calling for mostly sunny, on our way to Top Spur and at the trail head, it didn’t look that way. WE started our hike hoping weather was going to clear up or that we would be above the cloud level. The first part of the hike is the exact same trail to McNeil point that I did a couple of weeks back. This time, with the cloud cover, there were no views and no wow moment so the hike up to the shelter was a lot shorter. Once there though, we started to get some sun rays passing thru the clouds and suddenly, clouds were gone.

Finally some sunshine


With blue skies ahead, we continued our hike up on the Vista Ridge up to a point where we made a quick stop to put on our Gaiters. We then headed of trail traversing a meadow towards the next ridge. I recalled this section as one of the most difficult last year due to heavy bushwhacking. This time, we took off higher so we bypassed that area. The hike continued pretty much the same, traversing a couple of meadows and climbing a couple of ridges until we got to the ridge on one side of the muddy fork. From that point on, there was no more vegetation, just loose rocks, sand and snow. The good part is that we had the cave right in front of us.

There’s the cave


After a bit of a scramble, we got to the entrance of the cave which is larger than what it appears to be. We took a small break to gear up again to go in. Although it was a bright sunny day outside, inside the cave was colder and there was water falling everywhere. Besides using rain gear, we were also wearing helmets just in case rocks or chunks of ice fell off. While gearing up, the cave proved the necessity of it. Every couple of minutes we saw a bunch of rocks sliding and falling of the sides or the top of the entrance. Watching that, we went in one by one as quickly as possible while I was in the back watching for falling rocks. Once in, it was only water falling from the ceiling. What was really incredible though, was the magnitude of the cave. When you stand outside, it doesn’t seem to be that big but once you step in, it all comes into perspective and you realize how high the ceiling is.

Entering the cave


On the right side of the entrance, there was a big hole up in the ceiling that was letting some light in and illuminating the side of the cave that had some very interesting shapes and holes. As we hiked in, we saw another big hole straight up to the sky and then darkness. WE did go as far as we could, always climbing up on very loose gravel, rocks and a flowing river, a very interesting experience. Once back out, we took a break to have lunch before heading back. In order to avoid some of the heavy bushwhack, we climbed higher towards a ridge thinking the trail would be there. It wasn’t, instead we ended up high above a small peak with very steep inclines on both sides. Since scrambling down on loose rocks didn’t very safe, we continued on traversing a big snow field that was pretty steep. After that, we found our trail and headed back down to McNeil for a short rest and then all the way down to the parking lot which was still under the clouds.

Mt Adams Summit, Aug 7th

At 12276 feet above sea level, Mt Adams is the second highest mountain in the state of Washington. This mountain is actually one of the many volcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc which includes Mt St Helens, Mt Hood and almost every other peak in the region. On the cool side of things, you don’t have to be a technical climber to summit Adams, just a very good hiker. This trip was actually planned for last year but do to a fire that closed the access to the Cold Springs Camp Ground; we were unable to do it. Back then, Sean and I reschedule it for the August and finally we were able to do it. Originally the trip was planned only as a meetin event but since we didn’t get a big group, I added the event to the Meetup group so we ended with a group of 11. On Friday we took off in the afternoon and drove first to get the permits and then to a nice dinner and the most delicious Huckleberry shakes you can possibly have. From there we headed to the Cold Springs campground at the base of the mountain where we would spend the first night. It was a bit strange that on the road it appeared that there wasn’t many going that way, but once we got to the campground we found it was pretty much full. Being a mountain with easy access, there’s an average of 400 climbers per weekend and all start from the same place, so you can imagine. On Saturday we woke up to a warm sunny day and after a nice breakfast and packing all our gear, we started our climb.

The climbing party


The first part of the hike was very similar to any trail in the upper section of Mt Hood, rocky and sandy with low vegetation. As you climb up, tress become scarce and you get more rocks and loose gravel which makes the hike a bit more difficult. Not only you have to climb up, but you have to avoid sliding down. This first portion was very arid and we found several campsites along the way wherever we saw trees. After a while, we finally made it to the ridge where the hike starts to get more intense. After a couple of hours of huffing and puffing we got to the top of the ridge right where the bottom of Crescent Glacier is. From that point forward, up to Lunch Counter, our destination for the day, most of the hike is on snow and ice, so it was time to try my new MicroSpikes. Walking over ice made the hike a bit more pleasant as it was a lot cooler that what it was going over the ridge. During our climb, we saw clouds moving in and out from the summit offering clear views at times and none at others.

Reaching the top of Crescent Glacier


After reaching the top of Crescent Glacier, we veered east towards Lunch Counter and started looking for some good camping spots. We spent some time setting up camp and resting while trying to acclimate to the high altitude. Although you don’t feel much, the low oxygen becomes very apparent when you kneel and then quickly stand up. It took us a while to adapt to that. Once camp was set, we went on an exploring hike around Lunch Counter. Waling all the way to the East and crossing over an ice shelve with a lot or running water, we got to the Suksdorff Ridge that overlooks the Mazama Glacier and the Ridge of Wonders in the distance. As you can see from the pictures, the views where just magnificent.

Panoramic view from the Suksdorff Ridge


Back at camp, we had a nice dinner and then got ready for a magnificent sunset. By that time, we had rested a lot and happiness was just around us and everybody else in the area. You’ll see a series of goofy pictures that prove the point. Sunset above the clouds was as expected, incredible.

Sunset from Lunch Counter


On Sunday it was rise and shine early in the morning. We had talked about being ready to hike by 7:30 which meant breakfast done and all gear packed. At roughly 8 in the morning we were already on the trail on our way to the false summit first and then the real summit. To Pikers Peak (the false summit), most of the climb is on a glacier which in not as difficult provided you have some sort of traction device. My MicroSpikes came in very handy. It was just a long hike up where you just need to pace yourself so you don’t run out of air. As you go up, the views get better and better. You are constantly surrounded by glaciers, rocks steep inclines and the cloud cover. Once you get to Pikers Peak, you finally get a clear view of the actual summit. From the false summit, the trail descend a bit towards an ice shelve before starting to climb again passing on the upper side of the Mazama and Klickitat Glaciers. The Crevices on the top, up close and personal are just incredible. It’s actually hard to imagine how all that ice is holding in the mountain and not just sliding down. Roughly about an hour after reaching Pikers Peak, we made it to the summit reaching an old shelter. Obviously the first thing you do is just stand there and do a complete 360, I guess is that reassurance that you are there and there’s nothing higher. If you’ve ever been on the top of a mountain, you probably know what it feels like to get there, but if not, you can probably imagine the views you can get from there. Here are just a couple of examples







We stayed at the summit for about 45 minutes until the cold air was getting to us. The hike down follows the same path you use to go up so it’s basically the same views. There’s a highlight though. It takes a bit over two hours to hike up the 2700 feet of glacier from Lunch Counter to the false summit. To get down, you simply sit and slide all the way down… fast…very fast; in fact, it takes about 10 minutes to descent the whole glacier…. Yes, it’s a lot of fun. We did a short stop at Lunch Counter to pick up our gear, change clothes and have a bite before continuing our hike down towards the campground.

McNeil Point, Jul 18th

The hike to McNeil point is one of those that always promises great views and amazing flowers and never disappoints. I have done this same hike probably 4 or 5 times and once again, it was fantastic. On this warm and sunny day, my plan was to hike up the ridge and take the shortcut, through a short scramble up, to the shelter and then continue down on the normal trail to Cairn Basin and back. The group did very well but considering the warm weather and rather difficult hike up, we didn’t do the Cairn Basin portion of it. We started from the Top Spur Trailhead going through a dense forest that doesn’t offer many views but is a great preamble to the views you get from the ridge. Most of the group hadn’t done this hike before, so the wow factor once we got to the ridge was noticeable. Besides the great views and having Mt Hood right there in front of us, the flowers were just incredible with Bear Grass in full bloom and all sorts of lilies.

Incredible Mariposa Lilies


We took a short break at that point and then continued up doing the short rock scramble to the shelter were we stopped for lunch. On the way back, we crossed the snow fields on our way towards the Cathedral Ridge from where you can descend to Cairn Basin or head down back to Top Spur. At this point the group was a bit tired so we headed back down crossing the McGee Creek and back to the Timberline Trail on our way down. Once down in the forest, I stopped and offered the loop around Bald Mountain to get our final views of Mt Hood before heading out. Everybody agreed to that so we did the short loop. As you’ll see in the pictures, it was well worth the extra effort

Backpacking in the Enchantments, Jul 11th to Jul 16th

There’s only one way to start this story… WOW. And before I continue, let me warn you that it will be longer than usual as this was my first five day backpacking trip. As you can probably imagine, doing something like this requires some planning. Not only on routes, maps, where you’ll stay each night, distance you want to cover, etc. but also on what you’ll carry. For starters, you need food for the whole thing, and then you top that off with tent, sleeping bag, clothes, cooking gear, etc. Keeping all that under 40Lbs was no easy task, but doable. All that took Gordon, Dean, Paul and me a bit over a month of back and forth emails. Then, when the day was on top of us, we just headed to the mountains, because they were calling (thanks Gordon). Our trip started on Saturday 11th with the drive to Cle Elum, a small town about an hour East of Seattle and about an hour from Leavenworth, the town where you pick the permits before heading up. To get to Cle Elum, we took the long, scenic route over the Yakima reservation and the high desert in central Washington. Once there, we checked in at a hotel for our last night in a soft bed. In the afternoon, and just because we were already there, we did a small tour to the nearby town of Roslyn, famous for Northern Exposure TV show. On Sunday morning, after a good breakfast, we headed to Leavenworth to pick up the permits. This little town is the entrance to the Alpine Lake region and a multitude of outdoor activities. For that reason, the town is built in a very touristy way that makes it look like any Swiss town. Since our first hike to Colchuck Lake was not very long, we decided to tour around for a bit before heading to the trail head.

Main street in Leavenworth


Day one, The approach to Colchuck Lake

We got to the trailhead at around mid day, packed up and headed out. The first portion of this day hike was like any other in the Northwest. Lot’s of green and beautiful scenery and a nice creek. What made it interesting was the almost gigantic granite boulders which, as I learned later, where small in comparison to the ones we were going to see the following day. During most of the hike up to Colchuck Lake, our first destination, we had some limited views of the Dragons Tail Peak, a granite formation that borders the upper Enchantments. The lake itself is almost invisible until you are right on it, but once you get there, you get the first surprise of the trip. This lake is filled only by glacier runoff so it’s a mostly dead lake. That makes it extremely clear with an amazing turquoise color. The other impressive surprise is that the lake is at the base of some huge granite formations with Dragon Tail being the tallest one.

Colchuck Lake


We found a nice campsite on the west side of the lake with a clear view of the mountain and the route we would tackle the following day. In the early evening, while we waited for Paul and Dean to reach the campsite we saw how fast the weather was changing. In the pictures you’ll see images with clear blue skies and others completely covered in clouds, just a couple of minutes apart.

Looking across the lake towards Assgard Pass, our route for day two


Day two, the big climbing day

After a nice breakfast and breaking up camp, Paul told us he wasn’t feeling very good and doing a five day backpack didn’t sound like a very good idea. He had permits for a second trip so he was not going to miss it altogether, so Dean, Gordon and I packed and headed towards Assgard. In paper this pass doesn’t look that bad, is just a mile (the pass section) with an elevation gain of over 2500’. Looking at it from the bottom is a bit different. You look up and the first thing that comes to mind is how are you going to get there? But first, we needed to go around the lake to get there. After a short hike, we got to the South West side of the lake where you have to descend a bit and cross a boulder field. These are the big boulders with some of them as big as a school bus. To cross that, there’s no trail, just cairns marking the route that most people do. It was a very interesting balancing act considering the big pack on our shoulders. Once on the other side, we found ourselves in a slope with granite rocks and some running water from melting snow. Looking up towards Assgard, we noticed that it was completely covered in clouds which were ideal for climbing that section.

Assgard pass


After a short break, we started our climb towards the top at a slow but steady pace. It was incredible to see the granite peaks up close and personal as we were climbing through the pass and see the lake behind us as we were quickly gaining altitude. About half way up we met with the welcoming party, a small herd of mountain goats coming down looking for food. We thought they would be a bit scared and actually keep their distance but on the contrary, they couldn’t care less that we were there. As we would learn later, there was a reason for that. Continuing up, the wind started to blow quite hard making it a bit cold which forced us to bundle up a bit. That also started to clear the clouds so we had some amazing moments when the sun was peeking through the clouds illuminating the granite peaks. Soon after, we reached the summit which felt like passing a threshold to another world. We left trees and some vegetation behind with a beautiful valley and a lake and entered into a desolated granite valley with frozen lakes, glaciers and different tones of blue.

View of the upper Enchantments after passing Assgard


We continued our hike thru the valley passing Tranquil and Isolation Lakes and all the little water runoffs from one lake to the next. From here it became apparent that each lake fed from the one above it. I guess this is nature’s way of explaining fluid dynamics. For a couple of hours we were just slowly descending admiring the different colors, ice formations, boulders, rocks, peaks and everything around us. In the distance we could see a line of trees which seemed to be the edge to a steeper incline. As we hiked to it we started passing some vegetation and some wetter ground. After exploring for a while, we decided on a small flat area behind some trees and a bit protected from the wind to set our camp. Later that evening, after we had a nice dinner, we went a bit further to take some pictures before calling the day.

Panoramic vie of our campsite on day two


Day three, exploring Little Annapurna

On Tuesday we woke up to a bright sunny day which was perfect for our climb to little Annapurna. This granite peak is in the southern section of the Enchantments and offers incredible views to both sides. The hike didn’t and wasn’t as bad as the hike to Assgard pass but still required some scrambling and walking on packed snow. One really incredible thing about this hike is that, as you get close to the top, you also get close to a vertical drop a couple hundred feet deep and some columnar peaks known as the Flagpole Needles right in front on the other side of the valley.

The vertical cliff from little Annapurna


Soon after and just bordering the cliffs, we got to a plateau with several rock formations that looked like lines and roads. One of them was clearly higher than the rest which was the actual summit of little Annapurna at 8440ft. Once there, the view down and ahead was outstanding. We could see the valley bellow, the Stuart range in front of us with McClellan Peak and further away the whole valley all the way to Mt St Helens. Looking back from that same place, we got a clear view of the whole upper Enchantments and the mountain range towards the east and north including what we think was Mt Baker. These two views are cut in the middle by the immense granite formation of Dragon Tail.



It took us a while to finally close our mouths and start hiking down back to camp. Once there we were greeted by our friends the mountain goats that by then were starting to get a bit annoying and weird. WE had been told that goats crave salt and the only way to get it is from urine. For that reason, it is recommended to pee on the rocks so goats will not destroy plants and soil scrapping for the salt. What stories fail to say though is that goats are so used to hikers that, as soon as you start wondering around to pee, they come after you and will not leave until you pee. I was even charged by one goat as it was trying to get ahead of another one.

Gordon trying to pee while a goat patiently waits


Later that day, after a nice lunch, we packed and started our hike towards our next campsite. This time we descended from the basin to Inspiration and Perfection lakes. These two lakes are separated by an ism and a small creek that passes water from one lake to the next. Our plan was to find a nice campsite up in the ism between the lakes, something with a view. AS we hiked down, it became clear why those lakes were given those names. Not only the clear blue color of the water is just inspiring but the reflections of the surrounding mountain and trees are just incredible. In fact, most of the pictures from the Enchantments that you can find on the web are from these two lakes. Once down, we crossed the creek and hiked up the ism until we found a couple of very nice spots to set our tents.

Room with a view!


That evening and night we were accompanied by numerous passing goats as either they wanted our spots or we were camping on theirs. We also had an incredible display of colors at sunset that seemed almost unnatural followed by a clear starry night and a bright moon.

McClellan Peak illuminated at sunset


Day four, the big loop

Wednesday was as beautiful as the previous day and even warmer. For this fourth day we had planned an exploration hike towards Prusik Pass and then the Druid Plateau. We started by hiking down to Perfection Lake and then heading off towards Prusik Pass. The most prominent thing on this hike up is not the pass itself but the Prusik Peak right next to it. Looking at it and not knowing anything about climbing we had no doubt any climber would call this paradise.



Once we got to the top of the pass, we had a clear view of Shield Lake and the Druid Plateau further to the West. Unfortunately there was still a big snow bank and no clear passage to get there so we had to discard that part of the plan. Upon hiking up on a small ridge we saw the valley towards the lower section of the Enchantments Including Lake Viviane and Leprechaun and a couple of smaller lakes and pond. From there we were able to roughly trace the route we would take on our exploration hike. We started descending on huge granite slabs that at some time in history where probably part of Prusik Peak toward a small meadow with a small lakelet with no name. From there we got a glimpse at another lake at the base of the Temple, another huge granite formation to the East of Prusik. Since that looked to be on the way towards Viviane, we headed towards Temple Lake making our way as we went. A couple of times we had to back track as we didn’t find a way to continue. On one of those, we found a small terrace with a little stream and a clear view of Lake Viviane. This terrace was big enough for two, maybe three tents and it was absolutely paradisiacal. Gordon commented that on an older map, there was a mark for something called “The Guest Room”. We thing that’s were we were.

View from the Guest Room


We continued our hike down towards the Eastern border of Lake Viviane where we had to cross to go up on the other side. This crossing was a bit treacherous as we had to go over rocks and fallen trees. Although that is not entirely rare and unexpected, what makes this particular pass different is that you have a huge lake on one side and a cliff with waterfalls on the other. As we would see later this was the beginning of what I ended calling endless waterfalls. Right after crossing we found one of the tricky parts of the area, a slick granite rock with some rebar attached to it that you have to climb. After that, we continued going up passing Leprechaun Lake which has a lot of places where you have to cross making it look more like a little group of lakes than a single one. On some of these, an specially going up, you find yourself walking on a trail, looking at the surface of the water right ahead of you, at eye level; So you are actually hiking under the lake. Shortly after we finally made it to camp on what had become already a very hot and long day. Considering that the following day was the last day of the trip and that we were still more than 8 miles away from the trailhead, we decided to pack everything and head down to a lower lake so our last hike wouldn’t be that bad. The original plan was to make it all the way to Nada Lake but we knew that was going to be almost impossible unless we did some hiking in the dark which wouldn’t have been a problem. The problem would have been finding a good campsite. So we set up our goal to get to the upper Snow Lake and find a place to spend the night. The hike down was basically re-doing what we did coming up from Lake Viviane including the pass over the slick rock with the rebar.

Climbing down the slick rock


Right after passing the treacherous creek of Lake Viviane, we started descending quite abruptly alongside the Snow Creek which, I think, should be renamed “Endless Waterfalls”. Just imagine a creek with rushing water that has to get down more than 2300ft in about a mile. Unfortunately most of the waterfalls you can hear can’t be seen unless you venture yourself off trail and do a heavy bushwhack (which might be in the agenda for a future trip). Still I was able to squeeze thru some of them and take advantage of the evening light to take some pictures. As we were going down and the day was fading to black, we started to worry thinking if we would be able to find a good campsite. After a couple of hours of grueling downhill, we finally made it to the lake but found most spots already taken. About half an hour later we finally found a small spot but large enough for the three tents so we quickly set up camp, had dinner and went to bed not without enjoying the sunset reflections right in front of us

Sunset at upper Snow Lake


Day five, the hike out

On Thursday we woke up really early in the morning as the sun started shining directly into our tents. We didn’t notice the night before, but our campsite was facing straight East. That wasn’t bad at all as we new we had a long day ahead of us. It was nice though to make and have breakfast sitting on a little rock estuary on a green lake while hearing the birds.

View from the little rock estuary


At around 9 in the morning, we were already packed and ready to leave. The first part of the hike was an easy stroll around the southern shore of the upper Snow Lake towards a dam that crosses to the other side. Although the dam is just a man made rock wall that separates the upper and lower Snow Lakes, enough water goes over it that crossing is a bit tricky. For starters you need to take your shoes off and then, you need to cross, walking on somewhat cold rushing water, maintaining your balance to the other side. Once on the northern shore of the lower Snow Lake, we continued our hike down through a dense forest doing numerous switchbacks. It was a completely different feeling and scenery compared to the region we had passed in the last couple of days. At some point the trail made turn and we were back in the open, hiking down a canyon surrounded by big peaks on both sides. Although We couldn’t see much, there was clearly a creek down below with water from Snow Lake feeding the Nada Lake down bellow. At some point Gordon joked that the name of the lake was actually appropriate. Nada meaning nothing in Spanish seemed to indicate that Nada Lake was just that, an uneventful lake. We noticed also that most of the shore of Nada was just big granite boulders, so there was not much access to it. I found it to be nice, especially because we had good morning light and the lake had a nice blue/green reflection.

Nada Lake


From Nada we continued on a trail that at moments was going through dense forests and at some others under the hot sun. Most of the sunny parts where paths on granite rocks and dirt, making it feel even hotter. That was accompanied by the constant buzzing of flies and bees all around us. We did a couple more switchbacks and got close to a handful of little waterfalls on the way down until we got to the open canyon. Here the views changed completely again to something we had already seen on the first day, a drier, open canyon with the remnants of an old fire. By then it was already near noon and the sun was hot, really hot, so we just hiked down all the way to the exit point to end our incredible adventure.

Looking back at the Snow Creek Canyon from the exit point


Some of the pictures in this report (most of the pictures where I’m in) were taken by Gordon with my or his camera.

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