Trevor Dickie
A little more dirt and a little less snow are filling the pages of our trip reports now that we're well into spring. You all promptly stepped into your hiking boots this month too, it would seem. But regardless of the trails clearing up, I still see plenty of rain jackets! Hooray for indecisive weather and unreliable forecasts through the next month or two!
This month, we have four hikes, one backpack, three scrambles, one climb, and one sailing report to highlight from our favorite trip reports of the month.
You can find recommendations for how to write a solid report here. The following write-ups are listed in the date that the trips occurred, not ranked in any way. Click on the photos to read the full reports from the volunteers and members.
hike - mount walker 4/6
"Walker repeats are a great way to build endurance, both mentally and physically. One problem is not to be tempted by the car that is always so close when you turn to go up again."
For all you looking to get in shape for the spring/summer climbing season, look no further than Debbee Lynn's report for inspiration!
hike - Taylor river to otter & big creek falls 4/11
"After taking photos and some food, we returned to the trail and headed to Big Creek Falls, about 1/2 mile away. I think Big Creek Falls is more dramatic as there's a lot of water gushing down."
Nice photos in Susan Shih's report from what looked like a great, relaxed hike in the rain. A good way to make the best of the weather!
hike - wallace falls loop 4/13
"The route to Upper Wallace Falls included stops to both the Lower and Middle Falls. All three were experiencing a heavy flow and made for scenic stops. "
It's waterfall season! With snow melting up high, waterfall views are only going to get better. A great report from Joshua Stein.
backpack - enchanted valley 4/15
"The whole trail is magical. From moss-covered maple savannas to deep Olympic rainforest, to sweeping views of the Quinault River and mountains, and slot canyons where the river funnels through in a turquoise rush."
Meryl's report comes from a rainy trip to the rainforest. Though soggy, the group sounds to have had a wonderful time with some animal sightings to top it all off.
scramble - mac peak, spark plug, & surprise 4/15
"The snow is DEEP out there. It snowed over two feet in the week prior and this weekend's storm was to drop six more inches. Took a while to reach the basin behind Glacier Lake, sinking somewhere between ankles and knees with every step in snowshoes."
Post-hole post-hole post-hole, nothing better than early spring scrambling! Who doesn't love sinking a foot or two into the snowpack with each step? Regardless, Brian Hill's report is detailed, with great route information.
sAIL - ESTHER, PORT OF EDMONDS MARINA 4/20
"Spinnaker up! Okay, it took a little longer to get it set, we were rusty from a long winter. It wasn't up long before we hit the jibe mark and did a pole-dip jibe. Not exactly what the skipper was expecting, but the Fordeck Union had madness to their method."
Another report with great narrative and writing from Carl Harrington. These races always make for a fun read.
CLIMB - GUYE PEAK/SOUTH GULLY-SOUTH SPUR 4/21
"The final snow filled gully looked like it would be an easy climb up. Which wasn't the case. Given the snow conditions up to then we pitched this out as well."
A great trip report from Ian Lauder. It's not easy to write about the tougher slogs sometimes, but there is great detail about the route and their experience in this one.
SCRAMBLE - BOULDER PEAK 4/26
"Wednesday we headed up to Boulder Lake. Got our first glimps of a massive cornice triggered slab avalanche that had occurred earlier on Bolder peak. North facing, wind loaded slope upper slope angle estimated at 48' plus. Height of crown guestimate over 6 ft. Debris field split around North ridge, running over 1000 ft. Large portion stuck in a bottle neck above lake, the rest running to just shy of the lake. Will be interesting to see how long that debris stuck in the bottle neck will last. I estimate the size at R5, Destructive force at D4."
The attention to detail in snowpack and avalanche awareness from this group is fantastic! Dave Schultz's report depicts strong observational and decision-making skills during the trip.
SCRAMBLE - MOUNT ELLINOR 4/27
"We were climbing the chute by 9:30, and the snow was firm and quite icy in stretches. Crampons were a must. We did not glissade until less than half-way down the lowest glissade section due to firm snow in the glissade tracks."
Another trip report featuring good decision making, this time coming from Nancy Lloyd, as glissading is always a little too tempting if you ask me. The weather sounded wonderful!
HIKE - UMTANUM RIDGE 4/28
"Heard the Seattle adage, “if you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes?” We had sun, wind, clouds, snow all on the same hike. Our goal was to identify flower species and locate hedgehog cacti (see photo)."
That weather sure sounds about right for around here. But the weather wasn't stopping this group, who spotted a wide variety of different flower species.
Our last Top-10 blog post is also online for you to check out. If you have a trip report you've really enjoyed, or wrote one yourself that you are quite proud of, send them our way at info@mountaineers.org. We may be featuring the best of the best in an upcoming edition of Mountaineer magazine!
