It’s time for another travel tangent! Good to research and write any time during a pandemic when I’m not travelling, but particularly good during a long Nova Scotia winter. We’ve had three significant snow storms this month.
I already wrote about my visits to Washington State’s three national parks, so this tangent is about other outdoor adventures I enjoyed while living in WA from 2006-2017. I gave myself the challenge to come up with a Top 5 list that stand out (for whatever reason) in my memories, but first a little background info.
After returning from my first hiking vacation to the Grand Canyon in 2008, I joined the long-established Seattle-based Mountaineers organization to participate in group hikes. I took classes from The Mountaineers too including introductory snowshoe, introductory cross-country ski, and the navigation course. And despite the navigation field trip involving a long day in heavy rain, I volunteered for it as an assistant instructor a couple years later (I caught a break with a dry field trip that year). Although I thoroughly enjoyed using paper maps and compass, I admit I am not just rusty but have completely lost the skill and would have to start all over! The most advanced and intensive course I took was scrambling in 2011 which involved fulfilling both rock and snow scramble requirements and field trips that included summitting a scramble destination determined by navigation. The following year I volunteered at some of the scrambling course events and fieldtrips.
But the biggest advantage for me with The Mountaineers was as a way to meet friends. Making new friends outside work after moving to a new area in my forties (and single and childfree) would have been difficult for me without joining The Mountaineers. The non-profit, founded in 1906, currently has 14k members. For the hiking trips, leaders (all volunteers) post hikes detailing the distance, difficulty, elevation gain, and expectations—then participants sign up online to a maximum of 12 people total. Of course, after meeting other hikers, we would also do adventures on our own. The majority of the friends I’m still in touch with out west I originally met through a Mountaineers hike!
#1: Little Giant Pass Hike, Distance: 10 miles (~16 km) roundtrip, Elevation gain: 4000 ft
Even though I saw lots of magnificent views from scrambling up mountain peaks, there has never been any contest when asked what my favoUrite hike in WA was: Little Giant Pass. Why? Just look at that view from the pass gazing down on the Napeequa River Valley! I hiked the trail with two friends in early October 2010 and it was my most ambitious hike in WA up to that point with a 4000-foot elevation gain to the pass over 5 miles.
The hike is in the Central Cascade Mountains and getting to the trailhead involves a 19-mile drive on a dirt road. But that is not the main reason for the low annual number of people who hike this trail—immediately from the TH you have to ford the Chiwawa river that makes the trail inaccessible for nine months of the year. That’s right, doing the hike depends on how low the snow-melt fed river is. When I did the hike, the water was up to my knees. We wore water sandals to cross and carried our hiking boots. I was bragging to my friends that as a Canadian I wouldn’t find the water that cold and started crossing first, only to quickly turn around with the shock. After the laughter, I steadied myself and got the crossing over with.
Early October was the optimal time to do the hike—the river water was at its lowest, air temps still warm, autumn coloUrs (blueberry bushes and larches) brilliant, and no bugs! I remember getting to the top of the pass and thinking it was nice … then I walked a few feet further and was blown away by the view of the valley. And with few other people on the trail that day, we had that incredible view all to ourselves.
#2: Lake Ingalls Hike, Distance: 9 miles (~14.5 km) roundtrip, Elevation gain: 2500 ft
The trail to Lake Ingalls is another hike to do in October. It’s an area with a lot of larch trees that, in the fall, turn bright yellow and are stand outs against the cold blue of Lake Ingalls and the surrounding large gray rock slabs. In October, you have to be prepared to share the trail with a lot of photographers!
I did the hike multiple times but the best was on my birthday in 2011. I had done the organizing for a large group of hiking friends to join me but they surprised me with the bounty of gifts that they brought including a tiara for me to wear over my toque. Once we reached the lake, they spread out a tablecloth on a flat rock and they all unloaded food to share—crackers, cheese, brownies, chocolate, and wine. Somehow, a friend had carried in an entire carrot cake! The perfect birthday in the mountains ended with dinner in one of the small towns on the drive home.
#3: Kendall Peak Lakes Snowshoe, Distance: 9 miles (~14.5 km) roundtrip, Elevation gain: 1700 ft
A large group of friends and I did a wonderful snowshoe in the Kendall Peak Lakes area multiple years on New Year’s Day. What a way to start the year off right! Mind you, it was a slightly later start in the morning than usual to allow those of us who’d stayed up until midnight a little extra sleep. The first year we organized it, I surprised people by taking in two bottles of sparkling wine (I carried one in my knapsack and shared the load by getting a friend who was in on the secret to schlep up the other bottle). It was a delight to surprise friends during our lunch break by pulling out the bottles, popping the corks, and pouring glasses. The following year, MAC was staying with me. She had done cross-country skiing before and was game to try snowshoeing—we got her suited up by borrowing equipment from friends, clothes from me, and she fit right in. The trail starts from a popular Sno-Park and it was great to see families sledding and having fun at the beginning of the trail on our return.
#4: Kendall Katwalk Hike, Distance: 12 miles roundtrip (~19 km), Elevation gain: 2600 ft
The first time I did the Kendall Katwalk hike with The Mountaineers left a fun memory. It was a hot day in July 2009 and the leader backpacked in ice cream treats for everyone packed in dry ice! Imagine getting to the destination after working hard on a hot day and being delighted with chocolate ice cream yumminess. I think my tongue stuck to the ice cream cone it was so cold. BTW that is the katwalk over my left shoulder in the photo—a trail carved into a steep rock face. I also did a Mountaineers hike there in November a few years later when the trail was covered in snow. When I started out hiking in winter with The Mountaineers, I met people who were intimidated by the snow and I realized that if you hadn’t grown up playing in snow as a child, you could have a very different experience with it as an adult.
#5: McLellan Butte Scramble, Distance: 9 miles (~14.5 km) roundtrip, Elevation gain: 3700 ft
Ah. McLellan Butte. So this destination is memorable for me because it took me three attempts to summit. My first trip there was foolish. It was in Spring 2007 and I truly knew little about hiking in the mountains but thought I was prepared. I went with a (non-Mountaineers) group that had advertised the outing as a hike for anyone but it was really a training hike for a bunch gearing up to climb Mount Rainier. I was ill-equipped with low hiking boots, non-breathable rain jacket (it rained), no poles, and no grippers. After reaching a deep snow-covered avalanche chute, I admitted defeat.
My second attempt was when I was training for Mount Rainier myself and I went with two experienced scrambling friends in the summer. The butte won that time simply because we had started late and ran out of time. Butte: 2, Me: 0. So a couple months later I was back there on a Mountaineers Scramble. I had been holding a grudge against the butte for over four years at that point. The final scramble up the rock was not easy for me—I think the grudge had created a mental challenge equal to the physical one. As you can see in the photo, it was a satisfying summit!
For most of 2011 and 2012, I was out in the mountains both Saturday and Sunday. I also took a hard-core class at the gym called Mountain Conditioning that met twice a week from 5:30AM-7AM (yes, you read that correctly) and was a boot-camp mix of running outside, gym class, cardio equipment, and weights.
There were two areas close to Seattle (under an hour’s drive) that I went to many times over my years hiking there—Tiger Mountain, Little Si, and Mount Si. Little Si, although an easy hike, is simply beautiful with that lush fern and moss-covered forest I associate with the PNW. Mount Si was the first tough hike I did out there at a 3150ft elevation gain over 4 miles up the mountain. The word on the trail was if you could get to the top in under 2 hours, you had a chance at Rainier.
The short Chirico Trail to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain is where I would go if training on my own. One Saturday morning to get some miles in while training for Rainier, I went up and back twice with a weighted pack. This is a trail where I would often see Paragliders carrying their big parachute backpacks up the trail—there is a launch pad at the top and it was always fun to stop and watch them.
Besides Mount Si, there was another slog that was a given when training for Rainier: Mailbox Peak (9.4 miles roundtrip with 4000ft elevation gain) is a steep, muddy, hated trail and, yes, there is actually a beloved mailbox at the top which must now be selfie destination central.
Eastern Washington on the other side of the Cascade Mountains was a very different hiking destination and I did make the long drive many times to hike the trails in desert surroundings. But my fondest memories of outdoors WA will be hiking the lush thick PNW forests, views of snow-capped mountains, navigating through snow to get to a rock-covered peak, and the delight of alpine lakes in summer, all shared with like-minded outdoorsy types who provided knowledge, encouragement, fun, and, occasionally, treats.
References and related links:
- alpine scrambling: typically off-trail and un-roped (non-technical climbing) adventure to a summit.
- MAC: mon amie Caroline.
- PNW: Pacific Northwest.
- Little Giant Pass Hike (SOURCE: Washington Trails Association site)
- Lake Ingalls Hike (SOURCE: Washington Trails Association site)
- Kendall Peak Lakes Snowshoe (SOURCE: Washington Trails Association site)
- Kendall Katwalk Hike (SOURCE: Washington Trails Association site)
- McLellan Butte Scramble (SOURCE: Washington Trails Association site)
- The Mountaineers Organization
- travel tangent: wa’s national parks (post #165)