Sunrise and Jumbo Peaks, Aug 7th

There’s a section of forest between Mt Adams and Mt St Helens known as the Dark Divide. This roadless area is a bit of a strange thing. Numerous trails cross thru it but the majority have been taking by bikers and others have been left to disappear under the forest. One long trail in the area follows a ridge line north to South known as the Juniper Ridge. Along this trail, there are numerous smaller peaks and entry points offering diverse hiking opportunities. While studying the area, I found two interesting peaks, Sunrise and Jumbo. These two peaks are relatively close to each other so I decided to do a long hike and cover both in one day. The scenery in this area is magnificent and the views outstanding (or so they say). Thanks to the weather, we only enjoyed the scenery; the low clouds cover prevented us from seeing the vast forest of the Dark Divide. We started the hike from the Sunrise Peak trailhead which just goes up in a straight line until it reaches, at about a mile in, a view point. From there we turned at the first fork towards Sunrise which we reached shortly after. As you’ll see in the pictures, there used to be a lookout up there but now, the only remains are the tie points and a handrail. Despite the low clouds, we still got a pretty nice view of the forest below us. After a short break, we continued our hike down towards the Juniper Ridge Trail and then followed the side of the canyon towards Jumbo Peak. Along the way, we got impressive views of the McCoy Creek Valley and a massive rock wall on the other side. Half way to Jumbo, we got to a Saddle that opened the views to the East. On clear days, Mt Adams is in the center of that view, but we had to use our imagination that day. As we continued towards the second saddle, we were surprised to find some Mountain Goats on the trail. In that same area, we saw a foot path towards a peak right behind us. Not knowing that it was not Jumbo Peak, we decided to go up and explore just to realize we were not where we wanted to be. Still, on top of this peak with no name, we found fantastic views of the McCoy valley to one side and the Dark Meadow to the other. As you’ll see in the pictures, the cliffs from this outcrop were just incredible and certainly not for the faint of heart. We then climbed down and continue until we reached Jumbo Peak which is a massive rock formation. To the top of it, there’s no actual trail so we first walk around it to the other end where we got a good view of the Juniper Ridge trail as it goes south towards Dark Meadow. While heading back, we found a foot path and took it to the top of Jumbo. This route required a bit of scrambling but nothing major until we reached the top of the bare peak. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a lot of views as the clouds descended on us blocking pretty much everything. As we were heading down, on the North side of the peak, we found a big patch of delicious wild strawberries. Most of the time the rewards for a hike is the views, but sometimes dessert is not a bad second.