Snow Hiking Huckleberry Creek

We headed up Sunday to hike Huckleberry Creek Trail while the trailhead was still accessible. We arrived to snow at the small parking area and headed up the trail.

There was 6-12 inches of good walking snow on the trail. Our first blowdown was not far past the Patrol shelter just inside the National Park boundary. It was easy to get over and we cruised along until we hit the next blowdown at 4 miles in.

That blowdown would have been easy enough to go under, but we had elected to snack and then head back down. We decided to heat up some cocoa at the Patrol cabin before the last mile or so back to the car.

The way down had the snow turning to a cold rain and the snow in the trees creating an active rain drizzle. That made the covered area at the Patrol Cabin a welcome oasis for our cocoa making.

We finished our treat and made the last mile without incident. If you go you should know there are many log bridges that are tricky with snow and ice.

Be very well and more soon....

What's The Deal With Closed Gates? Lake Christine Trail.

Saturday we planned to hike to Gobbler's Knob fire lookout in Mt Rainier National Park because the road was to be closed as of 11/12 and this would be the last chance from the Westside Road. When we arrived the gate was closed already.

We decided to try the hike from FS 59 via Lake Christine instead. We encountered snow on the way up the FS road and we were hiking in snow virtually the whole way.

Lake Christine

Past Lake Christine there is a trail junction to Mt Beljika, but we never saw the junction. We followed the trail mostly downhill after the initial rise up from the lake and finally came to a junction for Beljika Meadows and the Puyallup Trail 248 which we followed until we could see the fire lookout a couple of miles in the distance.

We had been breaking trail in 6 - 24 inches of snow the whole way and elected to have some lunch and head back around 3 miles in since the clouds were getting lower and any potential view was going away.

We carried our camp stove and some cocoa to heat up along with some Frangelico and Garry brought some Peppermint Schnapps as well.

 

We made our way back up and then down to the trailhead and by the time we made it to Lake Christine it was actively snowing. All in all we were only on the trail for 4 hours but with breaking trail it was a great workout.

Be very well and more soon....

No Oats Healthy Trail Bars

Since Pam has been diagnosed with an oatmeal allergy I have had to find some alternatives to Clif Bars and others that are heavy on oats. I found a recipe and adapted it as I went and this is what I ended up with.

Chocolate Quinoa Bars

2 cups cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup dates, pitted
3 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 - 2 Tbsp Frangelico
1/2 cup Hazelnuts
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Unsweetened shredded coconut
 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.

Add pitted dates and honey to a food processor and process until smooth. Add everything except the raisins and process until mixed well. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the raisins. Press into baking ban and bake for 20 -24 minutes until firm. Cool and cut. Makes 10-12 bars. Freeze what you won't use in a couple of days.

 

 

 

These guys are about 7 grams of protein per bar. There is no reason you couldn't add nut butter or chopped nuts or other dried fruits as well. Have fun with this stuff.

Be very well and more soon.....

Gate Down = Another Way To The Same Point

Pam, Phyllis and I were planning a car to car hike/snowshoe through Van Trump Park to Mildred Point and then Down the other was to the Wonderland Trail and back to Longmire but the NPS had a different idea. When we arrived at Longmire just before 8AM the gate past Longmire was down and the sign said it was closed until noon so we had to adjust.

From Longmire we could go up Eagle Peak or the Rampart Ridge or take the Wonderland Trail to Carter Falls or we could take the Wonderland and the back way to Mildred Point. We opted to do the extra elevation and head to Mildred Point.

 

 

We weren't on the trail long before we were walking in the snow although it was great walking snow with no need for microspikes or snowshoes. At 1.7 miles from Longmire there is a trail junction to the right that heads to Mildred Point. This trail is pretty steady uphill. As we climbed higher we came to a ridge and the trail followed the windy side of the ridge so we were forced to get our gloves back on and layer back up.

At 2.7 miles past the junction there is another junction to Mildred Point on the right. If you continue on you head to Van Trump Park. We headed up the unmaintained Mildred Point Trail and got to a high Meadow where the snow was deeper and the trail was not apparent so we attempted to find the route for a while and then decided to turn back. It was overcast so the view from the overlook would not have been worth the risk.

The snow was great for descending and we were able to run down and made the junction of the Wonderland Trail in about an hour. We finally ran into another hiker about 3/4 of a mile later and then another couple of groups after that.

All in all we managed the 9+ miles and 3443 feet of elevation gain in just under 5 hours including stops. Now we need to hike this in the summer sometime to see the view from the overlook.

Be very well and more soon....