Boulder River

We decided to try out this 8.6 mile trail despite the ominous weather forecast. It is a relatively flat trail that meanders along the Boulder River often 50-100 feet above the river. The first mile is through logged forest but after that you enter the 48,674-acre Boulder River Wilderness and hike through a nice area of old growth. There were many impressive cedar trees and the trilliums and huckleberries were blooming. We passed three nice waterfalls rushing down the canyon wall, all in the first hour of the hike. After the falls the trail became quite muddy and the light rain turned into a more constant downpour. We had misread the trail guide and thought we were headed to a final water fall at 4.3 miles so we were a little disappointed to find out that the trail just ends in a flat camping area near the river. On a sunny day it would be a beautiful place to relax for a while, but in the cold rain we only stopped for a few minutes. There was another nice camping area right before you reach the wilderness boundary. The hike out was cold and wet and the trail had turned into a series of giant puddles and mud pits. All in all, it was nice to get out and we mostly enjoyed the hike.

Tiger Mountain

It was a glorious Seattle spring day so Sarah and I decided to take advantage of it and hit the trail. Unfortunately, our cold spring meant most of the mountains were covered in slushy snow. So we opted for a slightly less wilderness hike and headed to Tiger Mountain about 30 minutes outside of Seattle. Tiger Mountain is part of the Issaquah Alps, an area in the foothills of the Cascades that is managed by Washington DNR. There are lots of trails that traverse Tiger ending a several different summits. We headed up West Tiger #3. It's a 5 mile out and back trail with about 2,000 ft of steady elevation gain. We were definitely not alone with the trailhead parking lot over flowing and about 20 people at the summit. At the top we sat in the sun and looked down upon King county. Poo poo point just a little south of the summit is a popular paragliding spot and on a day like this there were about 10 people gliding through the sky. It was really nice to get out in the sun. This is a good hike for training and getting in shape for summer, but not a place for solitude.

Here's a link to a map of the entire Tiger Mountain trail network.

Heybrook Lookout

Today was a rare sunny January weekend day that was just begging for a hike. After some misadventures driving in the snow earlier this weekend we decided to play it safe and headed to Heybrook Lookout. It's a good hike for winter because the trailhead is right on Highway 2 so no snow tires/chains/4wd required. Although, there was snow on the trail it was totally do-able in regular hiking boots.



It was a short hike only 2.6 miles round trip to the 76' lookout. We had lunch and enjoyed the scenery then headed up the road to the opening by the power lines for another nice vantage point. Only downside of the hike is you can hear highway 2 the whole time. It took us just about an hour to get there from Seattle. The trailhead is located on the north side of Highway 2 east of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest sign near Index, WA. This hike could be turned into a longer hike by following forest road 210 from the Index-Galena road or by hiking forest road 6022 from Highway 2.


Looking south toward Mount Index and Lake Serene


A panorama to the east with Baring Mountain on the left

Happy to be in the mountains

Vantage point near the power lines

Paradise Snow Shoe Mount Rainier Take 2

With a clear day in the forecast four of us decided to set out for Mount Rainier for a day of snowshoeing. We drove up to Paradise with plans of exploring Manzama Ridge. We checked in with the ranger who was less helpful than most rangers I've encountered. We did learn that the trail had not yet been poled but should be navigable. It was a clear morning, but some ominous clouds sat in the distance. Now this was the second time I've attempted to snowshoe Manzama Ridge. I had planned to go last January, but low visibility sent us to Reflection Lake instead.

We started out our adventure heading north from the parking area. It was beautiful as we headed toward the mountain, but after about 15 minutes the clouds started to roll in. The wind picked up blasting us with icy snow in the open areas. We stopped for a quick lunch in a clump of trees and forded onward. When we made it to a clearing we started to become a little unsure where we should go. The clouds had rolled in a bit more and it was snowing lightly on us. We saw a few people heading northeast up what seamed way to steep to be our route and decided to head in a more easterly direction. Looking back at the map we should have continued upward if we wanted to get on skyline ridge and head over to Manzama. We decided to abandon our hopes of the ridge since we had lost our chance at getting a view and head back down an adventurous route down to the road. It's amazing how the openness of the Paradise area combined with snow can really skew your judgement on distance. It felt like we had hiked quite a ways, but had we been there in the summer it would have seemed like nothing. All in all it was still a beautiful day in the mountains.

Rainbow Ridge Backpacking

McAlestar Lake


McAlestar Pass
On Rainbow Ridge off the trail
Unnamed lake where we camped

The view south from the lake


Bear print!

Ruckle Creek - Benson Plateau - Eagle Creek Loop

For the first ever SSDL group backpacking trip we decided to head south to Oregon in search of less snow and hikes that would still be fun despite the rainy forecast. We decided upon the popular Eagle Creek hike, but decided to make it a loop by adding on Ruckle Creek, the Benson Plateau, and about 4,000 ft in elevation. Our journey started at the Cascade Salmon Hatchery along the Columbia River. From there we began our ascent up the Ruckle Creek Trail. Being Memorial Day this was our first backpacking trip of the season and we were all a little sluggish, but managed to make the approximately 6 mile hike in without too much trouble. We were surprised to find quite a bit of snow in the area, but luckily the Benson campsite was mostly melted out.

Looking down at the Columbia

Shooting Stars along the trail

Our slightly snowy camp

The next day it was time for a little more climbing to the top end of the Plateau and then the steep drop down to Eagle Creek. So far we had the trail to ourselves, but that soon ended once we reached the falls.

One more view of the Columbia

About to begin the descent down

Steep descent to the falls

A grove of oaks along the trail

Once down at Eagle Creek we headed toward the trailhead a bit and set up camp at Wy'East camp site. After that we decided to go explore the falls furthest from the trailhead and headed toward Tunnel Falls. We went to the falls just past Tunnel before we decided to head back and call it a night. This is definitely not terrain for those with a fear of heights.

Tunnel Falls

Day 3 we awoke to drizzly rain which really just added to the lushness of the area. We packed up camp and headed back the last 5 miles to the car enjoying the many falls along the way.

The steep trail

Twister Falls

The narrow canyons

Loowit Falls

Punch Bowl Falls

Standing down in the bowl

Our Route

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