Marmot Pass

Pam and I had a rare weekday to play so we headed to the Peninsula and hiked Marmot Pass on the Big Quilcene Trail. We hit the trail at 7:22 because it was to be a hot day.

The trail starts out rolling and doesn't do much for the first mile and a half. After that it has small steep sections that level out for built it breaks. After about 3.5 miles there is a section that has a steeper grade that lasts for about .75 miles and then the rest is gentle to the pass.

We kept waiting for it to get hard and it really never did.

We hung around at the pass for 20 minutes or so to take some pictures and as we were packing up to head back down we saw a good sized goat on the trail just down from the pass. We headed down and he stayed put so we ventured off trail enough to cut him a wide berth and walked past him. He watched us but made no aggressive moves. I had bear spray ready and was glad not to use it.

We quickly descended and arrived back at the car at 11:52. We barely met Pam's rule of spending as much time on the trail as in the car to and from since it was a 2 hour drive each way.

There was plenty of signs of marmots, but no sightings.

Be very well and more soon....

Grand Park Backdoor

Sunday Pam, Phyllis, Rhonda, Sue, Lance and I hit the trail to hike to Grand Park via the "Backdoor" route which uses the Lake Eleanor Trail. The trail to the lake was lined with ripe huckleberries - a couple of different varieties - that were ripe and tasty. We made the short trip from the car to the lake in good time and headed up the trail towards Grand Park.

First, you descend a couple hundred feet to a meadow. As we were walking through the meadow we spotted some brand new tree frogs no more than 1/2 inch long. The trail goes back in the woods and you climb 7 or 800 feet in total on your way the Grand Park.

Once you are done climbing you get huge views. I carried my wide angle lens for that very purpose and was treated to great views to shoot. We like to hike to the junction of the Northern Loop Trail and take it for about 1/4 mile to a fantastic viewpoint.

We had lunch there and took a bunch of pictures before heading back down. All in all we were on the trail for about 4 1/2 hours. You just can't hike fast in Grand Park. It's too pretty! All in all we managed 10.33 miles and 1642 feet of elevation gain.

Be very well and more soon....

Gobbler's Knob Via the Westside Road

Pam and I headed up the Westside Road just inside the Nisqually entrance to Mt Rainier National Park to hike up to Gobbler's Knob - an old fire lookout. Since the road washed out almost 10 years ago and then a recent rock slide that killed a car that was parked by the old gate the hike is longer than before.

It begins with a walk up the old road. There are two water crossings - one on a log bridge and the other a walk over rocks. The road from that point climbs evenly up to the trailhead which my GPS had at 3.75 miles. In that distance you gain 1200 feet of elevation. You can mountain bike to the trailhead, but the road is pretty and you get to see the power of nature when she wants to take some turf back.

Here you head up the actual trail which passes Lake George on the way to the lookout. Past the lake the trail steepens and you come to a junction with a right hand turn up 4/10s of a mile to the lookout. We managed the trip from car to the Knob in 2:15.

Every new angle of Mt Rainier seem like I'm hiking in a different park altogether. The views were outstanding on a mostly clear day.

After a snack and pictures we headed back down and quickly made our way to the trailhead for the knob and Lake George. We made the rest of the trip down to the car without incident and were driving away 4 1/2 hours after we parked for 12.8 miles and 2927 feet of elevation gain.

Lunch at Whittakers' Basecamp Grill made the perfect end to a great hike that will stay on the list for the future.

Be very well and more soon...