Granite Mountain- 10.16.11

Granite Mtn, Snoqualmie Pass
Hike #4, 8.6 miles, 3,600 ft Elevation gain

 
Enter trail head 11:30 am.  Exit 6:30 pm
This is a hike that should have only taken me 3-4 hours.  And most times I am blazing up or down in little regard to those around me.  But what today taught me was to look up, make eye contact with your fellow travelers and give a heartfelt greeting.
Sometimes we don't realize when things are about to change.  It just happens without warning.  Today I embarked on an amazing journey up a mtn and thought I was prepared for what was ahead of me.  I loaded my pack, made sure I had plenty of food, warm clothes and survival supplies in typical hiker fashion.  You never know what to expect out there.  But what I did not expect was to find a great friend and learn a little about my own strength.

 Daryl was perched on a boulder as I passed him about a mile and a half up the trail.  As I approached him he asks "Where is your dog".  In reply I say "I have no dog".  He tells me..."you look like someone who would have a dog".  Ummmmm.  ok.
I say thanks and keep on going.
I am in the zone...I am all alone on this mountain.
10 min later Darryl has caught up to me, treking poles in tow and looking like a true mtn man.  He asks me if I would like to hear a story?  But only if I share a story with him.
Ok...I take the bait.  Darryl seems like a gentle soul who may have some interesting insights.



He begins to tell me an amazing story about his daughter who is researching animals in Botswana.
In exchange I share with him how I have found myself on this mtn and the amazing journey/self discovery that is evolving in front of me.  We begin treking the rest of the way up the mtn sharing the stories and challenges that makes life so amazing and gloomy at times.

Daryl and I in a Hucklberry field

 Before I know it we are scrambling over boulders and taking photos of each other like long lost friends.  I found Daryl's mountaineering stories highly inspirational...and gave me a new found appreciation for what we are capable of (at any age) with a little passion.

Old Fire lookout

Summit View

Having someone to share in the experience of cresting the summit at Granite mtn was truly a gift.  I know what its like to take in the awe of these experiences by myself and being overwhlemed with a sense of self accomplishment.  But to look over and see my new friends smiling face made it even more beautiful.  We took in the view and had a bite to eat before making our way down.

Pratt Lake behind the summit

At this point its about 4:30, and we have crested at almost 6000 ft.  We made our way up 3800 ft in 4 miles and now was the sweet point of our downward return.  As we made our desent the clouds have begun to circle around us and the sun is strong in the west.
Its like a dream.
My thighs were burning from the ascent and now they have grown cold and weak from the altitude and fatigue.

Fall Foliage scattered the landscape

My stash of hucks

The huckleberries are in full bloom, ripe and sweet.  But heavy trail nibblers have made them so picked over you have to head well off the path to find the large sweet berries.  I manage to gather a handfull as a sweet trail treat.

Last fleeting moments of sunlight

About half way down I realize that our conversation has become very thoughtful and inspiring.  Touching on the things that are important all while taking in the beauty of the setting sun against the mtns.  I realized then that my legs had reached beyond fatigue and if I stopped moving they began to shake.
This is all part of the conditioning, Darryl tells me, its the threshold that a mountaineer needs to cross over to grow stronger.
As we part ways at the lower basin to the trailhead parking lot I think to myself....
Now whats next?

Maple Loop to Lake Ann- 10.1.11

Maple Pass Loop to Lake Ann, North Cascades
Hike #3, 7.2 miles, 2000 ft Elevation gain

This is not one of your easier destinations.  Meant for the more serious all day hike if you have the time to commit to it.  The drive out to Lake Ann is one of the more beautiful scenic drives Washington has to offer.  Past Darlington and heading up into the cascades you pass the three sisters, and soon after the southern tip of Ross Lake.  A steady climb on State Route 20 to Rainy Pass, Milepost 158, elevation at trailhead 4,850.  Down below the trailhead at Milepost 134 is where the road closes from Avalanches Mid November to December and typically says closed until mid April/early May.  So plan your trips wisely and highly recommend spending a few days camping and exploring in and around Ross Lake.

On this particular day the rains had not let up for the 3+ hr drive.  I guess you could say I was just crossing my fingers the whole way and not knowing what I was gonna get.  So as I pulled to a stop in the parking lot I sat and pondered this for a whole 15 min:  Do I let this pouring-down-drenching rain stop me?  I just drove for 3 hrs to sit in a parking lot?? and... Why is there no other cars here?

I now had that eerie feeling when you realize you are totally alone out in the middle of nowhere.  Not gonna admit this to all of the people who constantly question my solo nature excursions.  Always equipped with the many: "Please be safe".  But this was more like a mixture of excitement and a little fear.  With not a living soul on that trail I was wondering if I was putting my survival skills to the test?

One of the many peaks in this Alpine Basin

First 15 minutes it was pouring, and understood now why they call it Rainy Pass.  But as soon as I stepped out into the granite slide clearing the rains came to a stop.  I can only imagine on a clear day what these mtns looked like.  At this moment it just felt like a mysterious forest that coulden't wait to tell me a foreboding secret. 

Haunting and Beautiful

Lake Ann

Deep Blue Glacier Water

Breaking out of the marshy forest of fir, spruce and hemlock you encounter the lower level of lake ann (elev 5300) nearly 1.5 miles in.  A steady hike takes you up and around the towering peaks that cradle the tiny lake.  No shoreline to the waters edge, just a direct descent from the rocky cliffs.  The view becomes more and more impressive as you near the top of a saddleback ridge. 
More than a few times on the trail I would catch a wiff of a very distinct odor.  I would first smell the scent of "wet dog" and notice that there was a distinct path cut across the trail of fallen and trampled brush.  A little unsettling to realize the size this animal must be to have cleared such a path.

View of the lake from Heather Pass

As you reach the top of the saddleback clearing you can head to the left towards Lewis and Wing Lakes.  It was like I had stepped into the sound of music and you cant help but channel Julie Andrews surrounded by the remnants of the summer buds.  I thought I would see where this little trail went but the fog was so thick i could hardly see and thought it best to stay on the main trail around the lake.




Back on the main trail you rejoin the ascent around the lake.  At moments the trail is quite narrow, steep and water covered.  Its a little vertigo when you catch a glimpse of the lake 1000 feet below you.

I made my way along the maple pass (elevation 6,600) and  felt the cold chill of the temperature dropping.  It had been a long trek and was curious what was beyond the ridge, another half mile and the weather told me time to turn back.  Just before the ridge of Frisco mountain I began my descent. 

This is definitly a hike I would like to do again in early to mid summer to catch some of the wild flowers in bloom: lupine, penstimon, arnica, aster and more.  On a clear day the views must be breathtaking to behold the nearby peaks:  Corteo, Black, Tower, Frisco and Whistler.