Week 109 Sept. 30 - Crystal Peak

Total Distance: Approximately 7.6 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3400 ft
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Weather: Amazingly awesome!

So I had a weird intestinal bug the Friday before this hike.  I was so sick I barely made through work Friday.  I checked myself into the hospital Saturday.  I was so dehydrated.  The doctor specifically told me not to hike on Sunday.  I did.  I made it to the top of a 6500 ft. peak.  The 2.5 mile stretch from a junction took me two and a half hours.  I napped 3 times on that stretch.  When I hit the summit, I almost threw up.  I then slept for an hour.  The hike down was almost enjoyable.

I will choose how the streak ends.  And I did not choose an intestinal bug.  

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Week 108 Sept. 18-22 - Sophomore Outdoor Ed.

Total Distance: Approximately 30 miles
Elevation Gain: A good amount
Time: Tues. 9/18 - Sat. 9/22
Weather: Perfect!!!

I need to copy my journal down, eventually.  Here is my facebook status after I returned from this trip:

[My School's] Outdoor Education Program is absolutely incredible. I just spent the last 5 days walking in Mount Rainier National Park, from Mowich Lake to Sunrise. The 10 students and 1 co-leader with whom I was assigned were amazing. Each one of these 11 people touched my heart and nourished my soul. My life is better because they were with me, and because they shared themselves so freely. I will never be able to express in words how deeply I love each of them.

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Week 107 Sept. 16 - Big Heart Lake

Total Distance: Approximately 15 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3600 ft
Time: 9:30 am - 6:30 pm
Weather: Foggy morning turning to a hazy, sunny day. Warm, almost hot.

The loop Creighton and I attempted last Sunday was going to bring me down from Iron Cap Mountain into the West Fork of the Foss River drainage, but we did not make it.  One of the reasons I wanted to do the loop was to return to Big Heart Lake for the first time in 105 weeks.  It was the destination of my second weekend hiking back in September of 2010.  I remember only a little about the hike.  It was cloudy, overcast, and cold.  The hike was a bit of climb, and I got my butt kicked on it.  In a way, it was really great to hike to the lake the same way I did over 2 years ago, out and back.  Creighton and I went together, but we also brought 5 students in the Outdoor Club from our school with us.

The hike is a really beautiful way to spent the day.  You hike for about an hour, climbing a little, but nothing to steep when you come to Trout Lake.  From here the thighs and calves get a real workout as you climb up to Copper Lake.  The climb is constant, but you are rewarded with a beautiful lake.  The color is a dark green, resembling the patina that forms on bronze.  I guess that is where it gets its name.  We took about an hour to rest, snack, and a few even jumped in.

From here we climbed a little to Little Heart Lake, then it starts quickly climbing again up to 4900 ft.  Another good steep section, with a few switchbacks, but the trail gains a nice little ridge with amazing views, even on a hazy day.  The trail begins dropping into the lake basin, and within minutes you are seeing one of the most spectacular lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  Big Heart Lake is large, cold, beautiful, and with a deep blue color unmatched by any lake I have seen in 2 years.

We found a great rock that gave us plenty of room to jump in and bask in the sun.  We hung out for about an hour and a half.  The hike down was quick and uneventful.  it hurt the knees a bit, but the day was so incredible it was hard to be upset by this.

Orchid: Jumping in Big Heart Lake 3 times.

Onion: I couldn't find one.

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Week 106 Sept. 9 - Necklace Valley

Total Distance: Approximately 20 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 4000 ft
Time: 7:40 am - 7:30 pm
Weather: Mostly cloudy and chilly, a few sun breaks, but it was like fall.

Tried to do a 26 mile loop, but Creighton and I were not ready for all the off trail hiking.  We were walking too slow to finish in a decent time, but I did finally make it into the Necklace Valley after two failed attempts in June of 2012 and June of 2011.  The central Cascades are insanely awesome.  The off trail hiking above the La Bohn lakes up to the Tank Lakes was amazing.  Reminded me of the Wind Rivers, big rock boulders, the shriek of the pika, the whistles of the marmot, and the views of peaks above the tree line.  The loop will be incredible once we scout it and get that earlier start that will be important.

Orchid: Jade, Emerald, Opal, and Locket Lakes were real gems.

Onion: The last hour and a half from 5-mile camp to the trailhead.

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Week 106 Sept. 8 - Blanca Lake

Total Distance: Approximately 7 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3300 ft
Time: 3:40 pm - 7:45 pm
Weather: Partly cloudy and hot, really hot for the PNW.

For the third September in a row, I returned to Blanca Lake.  This is a wonderful, short, and steep hike.  I think of this place so fondly.  It was the first real blog entry, back in week 4, and was the first real intentional hike of the streak.  Creighton and another friend from work came along.  About a year later, week 54, I returned with some students and Creighton.  It was a tough hike, and I was a little discouraged after a solid year of hiking to have my butt kicked so thoroughly.  Fitting with the last week's theme of repeating hikes and doubling down on Saturday and Sunday, returning to Blanca was natural.  I was also planning on hiking into the Necklace Valley on Sunday, just on the other side of Highway 2 from Blanca.  Given some school commitments on Saturday morning, I couldn't get to the trailhead until late afternoon, and I was going to just stay the night in Skykomish.  I mentioned my plans to Creighton, and he wanted to come along.

We were geared up and walking by 3:40 pm.  The first 3 miles gains 2700 ft.  And as I have wrote up above, two Septembers in a row this stretch has kicked my butt.  This year was different.  I hiked consistently, and while it was steep and challenging, my body felt good.  Creighton and I cranked it up to the small meadow above the Virgin Lake.  We then kept moving and were down at Blanca Lake by 5:20 pm, a 2.1 mile per hour pace.

The lake was busy with people overnighting and a few packing up to leave.  The great pace had us nice and warm and the only option was to swim.  I go in a good dip and cooled down pretty fast.  We dried off, ate a few snacks, and geared back up for the walk out.  We met a nice guy and chatted for a while.  We took off at 6:15 pm.  The hike back up to the meadow took about 30 minutes, 600 ft in a half mile.  On the way back down, I kind of jogged a bit, but also stopped to take lots of photos.  It was great.  We were back at the car by 7:45 pm.  I love this hike, and I think next September will be a perfect time to return again.

Orchid: My pace and, of course, the dip in Blanca Lake.

Onion: No blue huckleberries in the meadow.

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Week 105.1 Sept. 3 - Sol Duc/7 Lakes Basin Loop

Total Distance: Approximately 19 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3500 ft
Time: 8:30 am - 5:15 pm
Weather: Sunny and warm, perfect weather in the PNW!

Not going to really write a blog about this, except to say Gil and I had amazing weather, conversation, views, and everything else.  I am on a kick of re-walking trails that I have walked before and around the same time of year.  It is an amazing way to hike in the PNW during the greatest summer month up here, September.

Orchid: Full submersion in Heart Lake and a bear.

Onion: Getting in a little trouble with the ranger :)

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Week 105 Sept. 1 - Snowgrass Flats & Old Snowy

Total Distance: Approximately 17 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 3100 ft.
Time: 10:00 am - 6:15 pm
Weather: Warm, breezy, mostly sunny, a few clouds but not many.

About a year ago, a good friend handed me a copy of a trail book entry for one of his favorite hikes.  It took me until this weekend to finally get out there, and I wish I had come sooner.  I wanted to get up to this meadow on Monday or Tuesday of last week, but I had too much work to get ready for the first day of school on Wednesday.  I decided it would be a good hike to take on this weekend.  I sent the obligatory email to all my hiking friends, and one friend from work came along.  She has been the other adult with Creighton and I in Dark Canyon each time I have been there three of the last four Februarys.  She is an incredible woman, a strong hiker, and fierce friend.  We met Elbe, WA at 7:30, and after a wrong turn and detour, we were at the trailhead by 10 am.  The trailhead was packed.  More cars than I have seen at a trailhead in a while.  The trail book descriptions says to not let the crowds to deter you, and we charged ahead (we would have with or without the trail book's advice :).

For 2 hours, we hiked in the forest.  In the second hour, we gained some good elevation, but we maintained a consistent pace.  We came to a trail junction in a more open area, and I needed a snack.  A few mosquitoes cut the break short, and we were moving back up the trail.  Within 10 minutes and a few switchbacks we hit the real meadow.  Lupine, indian paintbrush, mountain asters, and countless other flowers I cannot name covered a meadow that stretched for what felt like miles.  The lupine smelled so heavenly.  To the south Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens were pronounced in the sky.  It was insanely beautiful, such beauty that it could pull tears from the eyes.  We kept a steady pace up through the meadow.  As we climbed, we came around a bit of a ridge, and Mt. Rainier was shining to the north west.  It was dazzling as always.  We kept moving, giddy from the mountain views and drunk on the essence of the wilderness.  Soon enough, I hear a familiar voice say, "it's about time you made it up here."  Sitting and taking a break was another friend from work, whom I forgot was going to be camping the entire weekend up in the meadow.  We enjoyed some good conversation, then continued on up the trail.  We got up were the trail starts to head over to Elk Pass, but Old Snowy was there to our right.  It was about 2:30 pm and we said we would turn around at 3.  We climbed and hit the summit by 2:40 pm.  We sat and enjoyed snacks and incredible views.  We began heading down after a good break.  The hike down was a consistent, non-stop walk.  We were at the car by 6:15pm.

Orchid: Hiking with my good friend.

Onion: Hard to find one on a day like this one.

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