Mount Si

So I can't call myself a true Seattlite until I've done a trip to Mt. Si--perhaps the most popular hike in Pugetropolis. So with the sunny weather this weekend, Sarah and I decided to make the hike. We were far from alone, but it was a nice hike none-the-less. Eight miles round trip and 3100 ft in elevation gain, it's a good get back into shape for summer kind of hike. We passed on reaching the true summit on top of the haystack. The lingering snow had made the rock slippery and it isn't a place you'd want to misstep on. However, we were intrigued by the couple and their dog who made the climb. All in all a great day.

The view to the east

The shoot we climbed up

The final haystack

Sarah near the summit

Greider Lake

After too many rainy winter days spent inside we needed a trip to the mountains. After some research we found a hike that supposedly would be snow free long before many other destinations in the Cascades. So we decided to give it a try.

Greider Lake is a 7.1 mile roundtrip hike that ends at two lakes and passes a small pond at the start. It climbs 1370 ft and is a fairly easy hike. The lake is part of Sultan Basin which is Everett's public water supply so you will need to sign in and acknowledge the rules and regulations for recreation use.

Sure enough, the trail was snow free and relatively dry. The climb up is a little monotonous with lots of switch backs, but once you reach the high point it opens up a little and offers a nice change of scenery. When we got to the lake the temperature dropped significantly so we didn't spend too much time hanging out. The trail was a little overgrown and we got pretty wet trudging through the overhanging vegetation. We passed one group headed down after what they said was a cold and wet backpacking trip. Other than that the trail was pretty quiet. We did see a sign at the trail head warning of recent bear activity, but we saw no signs.

Big Greider Lake

To reach the trail head take Highway 2 East toward Sultan. At the light east of town (past mile marker 23) turn left (north) onto Sultan Basin Road. Follow it for 13.25 miles (the pavement ends at 10.25) to the information kiosk where you sign in. Then continue 500 feet farther to a Y intersection, bearing right onto Forest Road 61. From there the trailhead is another 7.1 miles. We had a little difficulty finding it at first because there are numerous junctions during the last 7 miles. A forest service map is helpful to make sure you're remaining on the correct road.

Pyramid Lake

This winter, my graduate school did an exchange with the North Cascades Institute. We were treated with the pleasure of staying on Diablo lake for the weekend and doing a little exploring of the area. A group of us decided to make the short (4.5 mile) hike to Pyramid Lake. It was a nice leg stretcher following up a babbling creek through some nice sections of forest. The lake itself was rather small and totally frozen, but offered some nice views of pyramid mountain in the background. This is not a hike I would drive out of my way for, but it was a nice walk, especially for the winter.

Pyramid Mountain

The frozen lake

Looking down on the lake

Some of the group

Royal Lake

The sun was still shinning so we decided to make a weekend trip to the Olympics. Destination Royal Lake. Royal lake is a 14 mile round trip hike gaining 2650 ft in elevation. The lake itself sits in the Olympic National Park, but the trail head is outside the park boundaries so a permit from the park and a northwest forest service pass are required. We headed out early in the morning, stopped to borrowed a bear canister from Wild Birds Unlimited near Discovery Bay, and hit the trail.

Our campsite above the lake

The hike in was nice and we arrived at our camp site with several hours of daylight left. We had planned on exploring the upper basin beyond Royal Lake, but ended up abandoning the idea. We did explore around the lake a bit and discover a nice waterfall west of the lake. Now this was our first fall backpacking trip in Washington and we greatly underestimated how cold it would get. As dusk approached the temperatures plummeted below what we were prepared for, forcing us into our tents for an early nights sleep.


Royal Lake (I didn't realize my clothes were in the picture until I put these on my computer)
In the morning, we awoke to frost and ice on everything and decided to make an early departure back to the car and warmth. It was a really beautiful area and I would have loved to explore it more. I hope to one day make it back, but this time with a few more layers!



Map of the hike

A close up of the Royal Basin

To get to this hike head west on 101 from Discover Bay. Turn left onto Louella Road (just before reaching the Sequim Bay State Park entrance). In 0.8 mile turn left on Palo Alto Road, continuing for 5.7 miles. Bear right at a junction onto Forest Road 2880. At a fork in the road, continue straight (not left). In another 0.2 mile, turn right on the dirt and gravel road. The road descends and crosses the Dungeness River, passing Dungeness Forks Campground in 0.9 mile. In another 0.8 mile is a junction, where you continue straight (left) on FR 2870. In 2.6 miles bear right at a junction to continue on FR 2870 (formerly called FR 2860). Travel another 4.8 miles, then go straight (not right) at another junction to stay on 2870. In 1.7 miles drive across the bridge to the Upper Dungeness trailhead parking lot on the right.

Fairy Lake - summer 2009

This is really more of a drive than a hike, but an exciting drive none-the-less. I headed up here to explore a part of the mountains, I'd really never seen before. The lake sits at the base of Sacajawea in the Bridgers. There's a campground near by and a short loop trail along the lake. It's a peaceful area with nice views all around. The road is quite bumpy but my civic was still able to handle it. No fairies were found.

Sacajawea

Fairy Lake

Mount Blackmore - Summer 2009

Mount Blackmore is probably my favorite hike I've done yet in the Bozeman area. With it's high elevation, it definitely wasn't an easy one for me. I headed out on this adventure with Nate and Gina. You can reach this peak a couple of different ways. We chose to start at the Hyalite Reservoir and head up the Blackmore trail. It's a beautiful route, starting first in the trees passing the slightly swampy Blackmore Lake and then begins to climb, gaining 3,400ft in 5 miles. With a summit of 10,154ft, I was starting to feel the affects of thinner air. Once on top the views of the surrounding peaks and valleys are stunning.

Great views to be had

Views from the pass just below the summit

Summit cairne

Me at the pass

Nate up on some lingering snow

Two ways down

One last view

Lava Lake - Summer 2009

A group of us headed out for a relatively short but beautiful summer hike, destination Lava Lake. The trail is 6 miles round trip and gains about 1,600 ft. It's pretty popular on a summer day so you definitely won't have it to yourself, but there's plenty of room to spread out and explore.

Lava Lake