Trevor Dickie
What better time to look back on your autumn adventures than when you're waiting for winter to arrive? Soon, snow will cover all of your favorite ski hills, the streets of the Pacific Northwest will be full of colorful down jackets and rain shells (if that hasn't already happened), and one single snowstorm will slow roads down for longer than is reasonable.
We've picked out our favorite trip reports that you, The Mountaineers community, wrote and shared throughout Fall 2019. This time around, we have five scrambles, two day hikes, and one report each from a backpacking trip, climb, and sea kayak.
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.
Climb - Observation Rock/North Face 9/21
"Once we had finally reached the base of the route, it was now evident how much conditions had changed in just fourteen short days. The lip of the route had receded, and there was now significantly more rock protruding at the 60m mark."
Jonathan's report features great photos and even better ice climbing. Read on to hear about the quality of the climb in Jonathan's words.
hike - Poo Poo Point (New Trail) 9/26
"Are there spots that could be make a newer hiker nervous? Yes, because the terrain is uneven, soft, and appears to be steep in spots. No water crossings yet. Can a newer hiker in her sixties with the mindset of an adventurous eleven-year-old make it up? Heck yeah, but just be prepared to take it slower and enjoy the journey."
If the above quote isn't a lesson in attitude adjustment, I don't know what is. Karen's trip was a good one.
scramble - Ingalls Peak/South Peak 10/5
"Once we arrived at the saddle, we could see that the north side of Ingalls was buried in snow and ice with fairly deep drifts. We traversed out across the face to get a better look and feel for the conditions but quickly backtracked. We also went down about 100 meters to look around the corner. It was obvious that the snow had covered the scramble route."
Bill's report is a great example of why you don't always have to summit to have a good time. Read more here.
scramble - Wallaby Peak 10/6
"Another beautiful day in the mountains with a very competent and fun group. Everyone in the group was really engaged in terrain selection and route finding which I thought made the scramble so much more enjoyable. "
You know what I always say? Everything is better with friends, especially decision-making. A fantastic report from Amrit, from a trip where cooperation was excellent.
Backpack - lake stuart 10/9
"We came to a ledge with a great view 30 minutes short of our agreed turn around time and stopped there. We would not have made it to Horseshoe Lake and been back to camp by 5pm as was the plan. We were glad we had tried as none of us had been there before and it was a beautiful day for exploring."
It sounded a wee bit chilly up there in the enchantments that weekend, but Barbara's group didn't mind. They found their enjoyment anyway.
kayak - tacoma narrows 10/12
"I knew we were really moving as I could see the lights of Vashon disappearing fast with every stroke behind Point Defiance. By the time we had reached the white flashing marker Brian clocked us at 8.3 knots!"
When the animal sighting part of the report features jack-o-lanterns, how could you complain? A wonderful night paddle write-up from Lisa.
scramble - serpentine hill 10/20
"We're back at our cars around 2pm and head to Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum for a late lunch. We all feel guilty for eating such a big meal after such an easy day. We'll work the calories off next time."
Bank those calories! It's practically winter, there is no shame in extra cafe stops. A fun report from Susan with a great set of photos.
scramble - harding mountain, soloman and scatter peaks 10/26
"After pitching tents in the nice meadow, we set off for Harding Mountain. There are many avalanche paths off Solomon and Harding, and we even crossed some debris from the previous week. But there was barely ankle deep snow in most places until we got up high."
Brian's report comes with helpful beta, both written and visual. Looks to have been a great October outing.
scramble - upper lena lake, mt. bretherton & mt. lena 11/2
"The original plan was to scramble Mt Lena after setting up camp and lunch, but we decide to do Mt Bretherton instead as it's the harder of the 2. Class 3 with a little longer approach. Around 2:30pm we take off, circling the lake counter-clockwise."
More great photos from Susan, along with another great report. See for yourself.
hike - packwood lake 11/5
"Once we're back at the footbridge, we follow trail #74 back to our cars, making this hike a loop. This is a multi-use trail also used by cyclists, horses and even high clearance vehicles, but on this weekday, no one else is on it while we are."
As one of Washington's classic hikes, it made for a nice fall excursion, featuring more photos from Susan.
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!
