August
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The month started with overcast skies which led to some paddle trips. Then a long magical spell of sunshine, only to finish in considerable fog and rain. Sounds like the Northwest.
Hike & Paddle Outings: A paddle trip in Howe Sound, BC let us reach Gambier Island and slip up and slide down the wet trail to the summit of Mt. Artaban. Despite the overcast skies we had a pleasant time paddling and on the summit of this open viewpoint. Further up the “Sea-to-sky” Highway brought us to Whistler. While not known for its’ paddling we enjoyed nice times on Alta and Green Lakes. Our attempt from the top of “The River of Golden Dreams” was aborted when we reached the portage with the official warnings of swift water, beaver dams, glacial temperatures, and other obstacles blocking our route. Later in the day we decided to see how far we could paddle UP RIVER! Despite having to drag and claw our way up some pretty steep beaver dams we managed to reach the portage point. The return down river (like down climbing) was fast but much more “interesting.” Another paddle took us back to the future site of the 2010 Olympic ski area. Three crews were surveying for it but the primitive road was still open to Callaghan Lake. This is one of my favorite places on the planet. The paddle in crystal clear water led me around chocolate colored bands of basalt and past thundering waterfalls. Brief stops at old growth forests added to the beauty and mystery of this location.
Mountain Hikes: Spending the sunshine weather we had pleasant hikes on both sides of the lower Coast Range of BC. Past the Coquihalla Summit we spent the night in the lookout on Mt. Thynne after a delicious dinner in the historic Copper Hotel of Merritt. The next day we hiked up Stoyoma Mt past the lovely and remote lakeside campsites. The Coquihalla Tunnels are now open and despite the lack of rain, they were thundering under the trestles quite nicely. The Hope Lookout trail was still short but seemed even steeper than we remembered but the views made up for any of the suffering we might have felt. For a change of pace we hiked up Whistler Mt via the Tram ride. Strange mixing of tourist access and barren alpine settings with spectacular views, especially of the Black Tusk. After being fascinated with hikers, walkers, horseback riders, a vehicle or two, and even a helicopter landing on the summit of Whistler; we headed east into the more remote areas of “The Musical Bumps.” It was surprising how quickly the crowd thinned. Within a ½ hour we had the trail to ourselves except for three other hikers that we saw in the distance (but didn’t even meet). The real gem of this outing was the Singing Pass and Russett Lake areas. Without doing the extra climb up to Russett Lake we would have missed the most beautiful of the wildflower displays and the most dramatic views of the rock and glacier covered mountains.
Mountain Scrambles: Luck was with us. The mixed forecast of possible rain gave way to a blue sky day (though a bit hazy from all the forest fires). A delightful trip to Monte Christo gave us a hike up the old miners trail to Gothic Basin. We tore ourselves away from the beautiful lakes and tarns and scrambled up Del Campo Peak. Despite some appropriate whining in the group about exposure and “don’t trip or fall here” we had an enjoyable day. The afternoon warmth forced me out of my dislike of cold water and sent me into a not unpleasant swim in a high tarn above the lakes. What a day.
Our luck began to change with a trip to the Duffy Lake Road area of BC (northeast of Pemberton). The forecast that promised sun and possible “mist” gave us high overcast and eventual rain thrashing. The first day’s hike and scramble up Mt. Rohr was a delight – white granite, flowered meadows, huge open flat summit with endless views – clouds continuous but much higher than the mountains. The next day we had to sleep-in waiting for the rain to stop. We chanced a climb of near 9000 ft Mt. Marriott but were so beaten by cold driving rain and slippery rock that we eventually had to make a retreat before the summit (which we never saw). A good trip to eventually repeat – in sunnier weather.
Rain Days: Closer to home we chanced a mixed forecast to go to Artist Point and Heather Meadows to enjoy some drive-up snow and see the mountain goats beginning to group up. No luck here, just cloud and mist making even the drive difficult. Dinner at Milano’s was some consolation. A forecast for cloud and afternoon sunbreaks was also unlucky for us. Great trip back to Elsay Lake and the Rescue Cabin but the clouds never broke so we had to save Elsay Peak for another day. The reward was seeing a mother bear with two cubs – napping in a meadow and completely unperturbed by our presence. We also managed to enjoy food and beverage at the Raven’s Pub in Deep Cove which improved our perception of the day’s activities.
July

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Summer was finally here and our attention was
drawn to the high country of BC.
Needle Peak on the Coquihalla provided an
unexpectedly easy hike with a short scramble to
the top. This peak dominates the divide between
the old route (Kettle Valley Rail-trail) through
the mountains and the new Coquihalla Highway. A
side trip to the last remaining high trestle
including spectacular gorge and caved-in rail
tunnel rounded out our day.
Paddle: A repeat visit for some of us to Claquot
Sound on the west coast of Vancouver allowed for
more time exploring popular and little known
historic sites, natural areas, and hotsprings.
The Pemberton Area of BC.
Planned and unplanned opportunities led us to
this area that borders on the Southern Cariboo
and Chilcootin areas. Most nights we spent in a
cabin or hut (always to ourselves) and each day
we hiked a different trail, often with a high
point peak. Some of the locations included:
Place Glacier & Mt. Oleg; Phelix Creek – Mt.
Aragon; Haley Moore-Melvin Divide; Tenquile
Lake; Taylor Basin & Eldorado Peak; Seton
Portage.
Sea-to-Sky Hwy
We managed to also spend time at the Dome Mt Hut
and Brandywine Meadows. The summit views were
awesome but the valley was also beautiful with
flowers and waterfalls. A favorite view – The
Black Tusk – was framed by the valley.
Two different hikes led us into a remote area of
the Mamquam River. Known for its’ isolation and
old-growth beauty we enjoyed blue sky days,
mountain lakes, bears, and refreshing trail-side
waterfalls.
North Cascades
A couple of fun hikes up little known and
forgotten trails to Humpback Mt and Mt.
Catherine in the Snoqualmie Area provided
old-growth forest enjoyment and mountain views.
A trip up the Cle Elum river road let us explore
old mining towns, forest lakes and a chance to
climb and scramble Mt Daniel and Cathedral Rock.
June

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More than one of us had to do some recuperating
after Ski-to-Sea but we still managed to do some
fun outings.
Whidbey Island Trips: A combination campout,
hike, bike, and paddle brought a group of us
together. A little fun with the sea caves and
tidal flows through Deception Pass and hiking
visits to beautiful natural areas and historic
sites. Some of us went further south to explore
the Rhodi preserve and various beaches around
Penn Cove. The Oaks at Oak Harbor provided
dramatic photo opportunities and the more
sports-minded ended the day with a rollerblade
down by the water. Another trip to Whidbey
Island gave us a chance to bike the Kettle trail
and explore the high viewpoints and historical
military sites. We also managed to explore a
bakery and oyster bar before coming home.
Highway 2 Exploration: Visits to an old favorite
– Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls were
combined with some route finding around the rock
climbing walls of Index Townsite and a first
time visit to historic Promontory Peak – great
views.
More paddles: Good weather brought a few of us
out to paddle and visit Burrows Island to see
the opening of the “new” State Park on the East
side of the Island. The old buildings and summit
made for good hiking and wildlife viewing. Early
morning quiet paddling allowed us to see
coyotes, mink, murelets, and seals.
Highway 20 Exploration:
A chance trip gave us a chance to hunt for the
“Devils Elbow,” the remnants of the
pre-road/highway through the North Cascades.
Following yet another tip, we managed to risk
some rotten slopes and find the last suspension
bridge with the cables and rotted planks still
hanging. The famous cut-out “ high enough to
allow a packed burrow to walk through but too
low for a man to stand” was also visible.
Eastern Washington Exploration:
Various trips allowed us to squeeze a little
exploring time into the east side before the
full summer heat set in. This included visits to
Moses Coulee, Lake Chelan, Jameson Lake, and
some natural sites at Douglas Creek and Hamilton
Hill. We managed to hike much of the Douglas
Creek rail-trail and were glad that we didn’t
have bikes for this one. The wildlife viewing
was great.
Columbia Gorge Explorations:
A long way to go but well worth it. We joined a
special interpretive visit to the famous
petroglyphs of the Columbia Valley including
“She Who Watches.” Natural areas of Columbia
Hills, Catherine Gorge, and the Columbia River
Refuges & Preserves provided unusual wildlife
sightings (for us west-siders) such as white
Pelicans. A trip into the Big Lava Bed and Wind
River areas provided some mystical hiking
including hotsprings and the “lost crater.” The
historic sites along the Columbia valley were
also interesting and rounded out a couple of
fascinating trips. We got plenty of ideas for
future visits.
May

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After record sun in April it was decidedly hard
to get motivated in the nearly continuous
mountain rain and cloud of May.
May 1st found us exploring the Washington Pass
area (North Cascades Hwy was open despite the
potential for rockslide). We hiked and tried to
ski to Cutthroat Pass but the snow was pretty
much gone from the slopes. Across the way at
Rainy Pass it was a delightful XC ski and
snowshoe to Rainy Lake. The view was tremendous
and the ski tracks going up the back of the
cirque were equally impressive. Another time we
played on the beautiful snow from the couloir on
the backside of Liberty Bell down to the
vehicles parked at the Hairpin. Some of us skied
to the plane site on the way to Kangaroo Pass.
May was also a good time to practice ice axe
use, snow travel, and even a little snow
climbing in the Heather Meadows area. Despite
sullen grey mornings, each afternoon we were
there turned into dazzling sun.
Finally, a few days of forecasted sun encouraged
us to explore the Hood Canal side of the
Olympics. The sunny warm days along the Canal
tempted us to wander beaches and shorelines
longer than we had planned. Each day though, we
pulled ourselves away and wandered up a
different river drainage. Gushing waterfalls,
trails to mountain summits overlooking the
sound, historic cabins, nature trails, and
beautiful Rhodi blooms just beginning their
season delighted us on each trip. We ended the
trip at Lake Cushman with an overcast morning.
On the way home, the drizzle was an easy burden
to bear as we used the last day to tour Whidbey
Islands parks, trails, and beaches.
April

April was a
remarkably warm and sunny month this year. Record
sunshine in the mountains produced an
exceptionally beautiful Spring for skiing. Road
trips provided glorious views.
Olympic
Peninsula Outings (sunshine made the drive and
ferry ride worth it): lots of short hikes
including Dungeness Spit, Neah Bay, Shi Shi, Lake
Ozette petroglyphs, ocean beaches; Hurricane
Ridge ski touring and camping; Lake Quinalt lodge
and trails, old growth forests.
Southwest WA
Coast: more sunshine days, abundant wildlife,
interpretive centers, historical sites, planning
for Fall paddle trip to Willapa and Fort Canby.
Tetrahedron ski
tour, Sunshine Coast, BC: lovely ski touring,
short steep climb on Panther Peak, “private”
cabin.
Goat Ridge,
Howe Sound, BC: via Petgill Lake trail, great
views of Howe Sound, and dramatic cloud breaks
around Habric and Sky Pilot.
Mt. Saint
Helens Trip: Hiked Ape Cave, Tale of two
forests; ski off summit of St. Helens, gentle
“classic” ski tour up Marble Mt. with finest
volcano views in WA; various wetlands and parks
along Lewis River.
Snow Travel &
Ice Axe practice at Heather Meadows (warm up for
the Spring season).
March

This was a glorious transition month as
snowshoeing and skiing mixed with more hiking
opportunities and even a paddle or two. The
spring snow outings promise to be excellent and
long range weather forecasts promise extended
periods of sunny weather for next month.
Ski & Snowshoe Trips
British Columbia: Brandywine Falls, Cal
Cheak Valley, Whistler, Soo Valley, Pemberton,
Cheakamus, Whistler Interpretive Forest & Crater
Lake, Zoa Peak & Coquihalla, 3 trips to Hemlock
Valley, Jones Lake/Conway Peak.
Mt. Rainier: Crystal Mt, Paradise, White
Pass, Snoqualmie Pass.
Highway 2: Scottish Lakes/High Camp,
Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, Smith
Brooks.
Stehekin Valley: 3 days of hiking, snowshoeing,
and even a canoe paddle to see the pictographs.
Hikes
High Falls in Squamish Valley. Sauk River Valley,
Mt. Loop Trails: Beaver Lake, Old Sauk,
Whitechuck Trail. Yakima Canyon.
February

Ski and Snowshoe Trips
Manning Park: Fat Dog alpine ski tour
Heather Meadows: Various day and moonlight
snowshoe trips
Miller River (Hwy 2) ski tour
Stevens Pass: backcountry ski tours
Laidlaw/Jones Lake/Four Brothers Mt: ski lake and
snowshoe to summit
Coquihalla: Falls Lake, Yak Basin, Needle Peak ski
tours
Drive/Hike/Snowshoe Exploration Trips
Highway 2: Index Townsite & Townwall hikes, Water
Fall Hikes: Eagle, Sunset, & Alpine Falls, Forked
Sky State Park, Old Cascade Highway, Sultan River
Parks, Heybrook Lookout, Bridal Veil Falls, East
Baring & Skykomish parks & hikes, Coquihalla
Highway & Summit Rec Area: Various trailheads,
historic railroad stations, avalanche assessment,
Falls Lake, Coquihalla-Merrit-Logan Lake-Kane
Valley: Lookouts, railtrails, natural areas,
ice-fishing, track skiing.
December

December
Short Notice Outings reported by Bud Hardwick
Mt Loop Highway Deer Creek Road/Kelcema Lake: ski
& snowshoe to beautiful snow covered lake Monte
Christo Townsite: ski & snowshoe tour, snowcovered
cabins, dramatic Mt views
Rockport-Mountain Loop driving tour: great Mt
views, salmon spawning, new trails
Darrington: Siegelson Ridge snowshoe & ski tour,
alpine views, new snow
Stevens Pass: back country ski and snowshoe
touring, alpine ridges, rail trails
Diamond Head: Elfin Lakes, Squamish: ski and
snowshoe tour to huts, spectacular views
Mt Baker Highway Heather Meadows: pleasant
snowshoe outing, social pace Salmon Ridge &
Anderson Creek Roads: easy skiing over freshly
fallen snow
North Cascade Hwy
Driving tour & hikes: newly formed mountain lake,
salmon habitat Forest Divide, Mt Baker/Baker Lake:
snowshoe & ski in softly falling snow
November

Gambier I., Howe Sound Easy Hike via two ferry
boats to summit & views
Eastern Washington Old Growth forest, Elk &
Big Horn Sheep, Waterfalls, rail –trails,
pictographs & petroglyphs, Snake River Canyon,
Devils Canyon.
Mountain Loop Highway Ashland Lakes, Twin Falls
(ancient waterfall of glacial lake).
Burlington Wild Washington Slide Show featuring
local wilderness
Wallace Falls Moderately easy hike along
Wallace River and views of dramatic waterfalls
Squamish, BC Mamquam River Rd, easy Snowshoe to
Pinecone Provincial Wilderness.
October

Mountain Loop Highway Monte Christo easy gravel
road bike to old mine and town sites.
Stevens Pass Hike to Nason Ridge, divide between
Hwy 2 and Lake Wenatchee
Howe Sound Crest, BC Hike between the Lions and
over The Saints (Mts) Thomas, James, David
Capilano Mt., BC Beautiful mountain lake and
brilliant alpine views
Canyon Lake Hike Visit to the unusually old -
Old Growth Forest
Okanogan, BC Easy hike to Crater Mt, 8000
ft, views of Cathedral Lakes
Chilliwack Valley, BC Difficult Hike Loop:
Lindeman to Flora Lake, Mt. Wittenberg, wet snow.
Manning Park, BC Trail hike to summit of Frosty
Mt. ~8000 ft, High point of Manning Park, Largest
Larch trees in Canada.
Stein Valley, BC Internationally famous
Biological Preserve, ancient Native Pictographs
Twin Sisters Range Attempted visit to
botanically interesting sites blocked by flooding.
September

North Cascades Hwy Washington Pass Peak, Blue
Lake, New Ross Lake Tr. (under construction)
Hannegan Trail Traverse: Hannegan
Peak-Granite Peak-Skagit Range-Mamie Pass
Sea-Ski – Whistler - Lilloeet Lake, BC
Various hiking, biking, and (in winter) ski
outings explored. Four hotsprings in five days
visited.
Lynn Valley, N. Van. Mt. Burwell & Mt. Coliseum
high traverse. Views into Capilano Valley
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