Category: Climbing & Hiking

Christmas Campout

Despite serious lack of snowfall in the Cascades this winter, the annual Christmas campout went off without a hitch this weekend. Fourteen of us - Mike, Carmel, Jason, Kim, Perry, Lesley, John, Bari, John, Biscuit, Mark, Patty, Nick and me - set off from the Stevens Pass parking lot under blue skies for Skyline Lake.

After about 1,000 feet of climbing, we left the road for a short cross-country walk to the lake. I was quite surprised that the lake had frozen over with how warm it had been. We actually walked across part of it (carefully, of course).

Before long, we were digging out tent platforms and a kitchen for the tons of food we brought.

In case you’re wondering who Biscuit is, he was our camp mascot. Fresh from the pound two weeks earlier, you could tell he enjoyed his first romp in the snow.

Before long the sun was setting and we gathered around flaming Presto logs for warmth.

Mark did a phenomenal job as usual in the kitchen, grilling burgers, hotdogs, sausages, and salmon to perfection. We drank our fill of hot buttered rum and before long headed to bed.

Mark at the grill
Copyright 2004 - Mike Lawrence - All rights reserved

Sometime in the middle of the night the weather changed for the worse. We woke several times to the sound of rain on the tent and wind blowing Casa de Clawson off the ground. Everyone lived through the night, but we abandoned breakfast in the morning and high-tailed it to the cars and the Sultan Bakery.

UPDATE: 12-21-04
John published some great photos of the weekend on Flickr. There are some great pictures of us hanging out around the campfire among other things.

Happy Thanksgiving

From left to right: Doug, Bari, Nick, Lesley, Carry, Karen, Bruce, Dave, Mark, Jason, and Sam

Thanksgiving started - as it should - with a little pre-emptive calorie burning. Eleven of us met in North Bend for a quick hike up Little Si in the mist. The views weren’t great, but the company sure was! Three people are missing from the summit shot: my brother Brian and two of his friends. Apparently, they got to the trailhead after we left and went on their own off-trail adventure. They might not have made it to the summit, but it sounds like they had a good time anyway.

After the hike, the family met at the Brown household in Woodinville for some holiday cheer and delicious turkey.

Of all the things I’m thankful for today, I have to say that I’m most thankful that Nick and I live near our families and that we can enjoy a meal together. It’s the simple things that are most important. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Mt. Dickerman

Summit of Mt. Dickerman.
Cast of characters from left to right: (back row) Atsuko, me, John; (front row) Evgeny, Heather

We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for our hike up Mt. Dickerman today. It was fairly cold, but as you can see, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Snow up to our knees and thighs slowed us at times, but pushing on to the summit was definitely worth it!

English Countryside in Teanaway

My third attempt of Ingalls Peak got rained out today. Instead of leaving at 5:30 a.m. when we made the decision to go home, I went back to bed for a few more hours of shut eye. When I woke up again at 8:30 it was raining too hard to make even a hike enjoyable. So I packed up and drove home.

I was busy watching the hunters wander around in the trees, presumably looking for elk, as I drove along the Teanaway River Road. Imagine my surprise when I rounded the corner and found a herd of cows blocking the road.

I was really glad I had my camera and made a mental note that occurrences like this are the reason I need to remember to bring it with me more often.

Mt Thompson

West Ridge of Mt. Thompson
Copyright 2004 - John Bell - All rights reserved

I joined three other climbers on a climb of Mount Thompson this weekend. The first day was a fantastic hike up to Ridge Lake from Snoqualmie Pass. We lounged by the lake telling stories and laughing for hours before going to bed.

A 5 a.m. wakeup call came early and we headed out for the climb. A scramble over Bumblebee pass and six pitches of really fun rock brought us to the top.