The second day we did not climb Unicorn Peak
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Seriously people...We had no snow all winter long and now we’re wallowing in it. And it’s May!
No matter, it gave Peter, Susan, Bruce and me an excuse to hit an old favorite, like Granite Peak, during the day. The avy chute was in great condition, so we popped off the trail at 3300’ and headed straight up the mountain. Peter wasn’t carrying any weight in his pack, so he led the way, making the rest of us look like flat-landers with no aerobic base.
We saw three different groups ascending the mountain via three different routes. We all converged at the top for one big party, which included a corgi needing a snow bath. Don’t we usually do this with sand on the beach?
We hung out for about half an hour, basking in the sunshine under the fire lookout tower. Well, everyone basked except Bruce of course, who dubbed the sun “evil.” He stayed under the tower in the shade - probably the smarter move.
The way down involved four linked glissades that took us all the way to the bottom of the avy chute. This is the top of #3.
The red dots show our route. We would have had an unbroken run to the bottom of the avy chute if it weren’t for the grass (visible). Not bad though for mid-May.
I have a great video of the final glissade, but it needs to be rotated 90 degrees. Does anyone have the software to help me do that?
International Peace Climb
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The avalanche forecast for Saturday was unusually high at higher elevations, so I canceled the Unicorn Peak climb I was scheduled to lead for The Mountaineers. John, Maris, Adam, and I set out for a more modest summit instead - Mount Washington just off of Exit 38. (We dubbed it the International Peace Climb, because Maris hails from Estonia, and Adam calls Poland his native country.)
It’s a somewhat obscure peak. A check of Ron Judd and Dan Nelson’s Pacific Northwest Hiking
The trail started off easy enough. After a quick jaunt on the Iron Horse trail, we were headed up up up! Adam set a blazing pace and we were 1400’ above the cars at Owl Spot in no time.
The view from here was hard to capture, so you’ll just have to go see yourself
Snow greeted us around 3000’ making travel a lot more fun. We continued along the abandoned road bed until it appeared that a shortcut was in order.
Already we could tell that this was a way better hike than Mt. Si or McClellan Butte. The views of the Snoqualmie Valley were fantastic.
Up up up the snow. Adam in the lead, kicking steps. The rest of us content to follow!
It was so warm on the summit that we spent a full hour up there soaking up the rays. The view of Mount Rainier was pretty spectacular too, until clouds covered it up. Adam entertained us with a snowy version of Jenga
We also made a point of posing in our matching Mont Bell windshirts. (I think Adam was jealous.)
Finally, here’s a topo map of the route we took (yellow = up, purple = down). To get there, take Exit 38 off of I-90 and park at the Olallie State Park TH. Walk up to the Iron Horse Trail from the parking lot and continue west for about 400 yards. Look for an unmarked trail leading into the woods. There are two forks. Follow the signs and you’ll be fine.
Three Summits of Tiger
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Two very relieved hikers on top of West Tiger 3
Last weekend was the weekend I determined it was time to start getting in shape for the climbing season. (A little late, I know.) I lugged 30 pounds up Little Si on Saturday in the snow, and conned Joanne into joining me on Sunday for the “Three Summits of Tiger.” I mapped out a route that didn’t look to bad - 7 miles, 3000’ of gain. We didn’t anticipate knee deep snow for most of the trip, a washout on the TMT, and conditions on the top that warranted snowshoes. Of course, we persevered and completed the mission.
Just below West Tiger 1, we ran into Mark B. who was out with his dog, doing the same thing. He started at a different location and was moving much faster than we were. It was nice catching up with him a little, while we could.
The hike should have only taken us about 3 hours. The conditions + our long chat to talk with Mark, pushed our time to about 5 hours. What a fun variation on regular destination, though.
A mellow start on the Tiger Mountain Trail (TMT)
We were all smiles after scrambling up and around the washout
The weather stayed mostly cloudy with a few sun breaks. Lucky us!
Proof that we made it to W. Tiger 1
Proof that we made it to W. Tiger 3 (There was no sign at W. Tiger 2.)
Bikers & Hikers: it’s time to email your representatives
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Look up your state legislative representatives here and send them a letter asking to ensure funding for repairs to the tunnels along the Iron Horse is included in the 2009-2011 budget. It would be such a tragedy to lose access to these historical treasures! Here’s my letter, if you’d like to crib parts of it:
Dear Senator Tom,
In January, Washington State Parks and Recreation closed all five tunnels along the John Wayne Trail in Iron Horse State Park due to falling debris. I am writing to request that funds to repair the tunnels, estimated at $9 million, be included in the 2009-2001 budget (SB 5222).
The closures are very bad news for the many bicyclists and hikers who pass through the tunnels as they travel the 100-mile-long trail over the Cascades from Cedar Falls to the Columbia River. Shutting down the tunnels not only removes interesting historical landmarks from the Iron Horse State Park, but requires trail users to take long detours—sometimes out to Interstate 90—to get through the remote area.
I understand that budgeting will be difficult due to shortfalls in revenue and that preservation of historical sites and recreation opportunities will be easier to drop than other programs. In difficult economic times, however, people often turn to low- or no-cost recreational activities. It would be a shame to lose access to parts of this incredible treasure.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the inclusion of money for the repairs in the biennial budget.
Sincerely,
Carry Porter
Inspiration
Monday, February 2, 2009
I still have a dream to make a spoof climbing video. I’ve come to the realization that a short sketch might be a good way to start. This Monty Python video is good inspiration: