Hiking with Annie
Parking: N47 41 20.1 W120 44 24.6 (NAD83) Elevation: 1820 ft Distance: 14 miles Elevation gain: 1500 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 42 34.7 W120 49 52.2 Elevation: 3320 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From Highway 2, turn south onto Chiwaukum Creek Rd, about 9-1/2 miles west of Leavenworth. The parking area is on the right where the road is gated off.
Hike description: This was my first real backpacking trip by myself and was a few months before I got Annie. The trailhead is actually about 1-1/4 miles from the parking area, down the road past the gate. Once on the trail it follows pretty closely to the creek for 5-1/2 miles where both the creek and the trail splits. This was where I set up camp. The next morning as I was fixing breakfast, a deer came around checking out my camp. I think she was looking for a handout as she got pretty close before skirting around the camp and down the hillside. Later, I decided to try to get to Timothy Meadows down the south fork of the creek. However, the trail got extremely brushy and I turned around before reaching the meadow. After spending another night in the same campsite I packed up the next morning and hiked out. On the way I came upon a couple gals on horseback and after talking with them found out I had been very close to the meadow the previous day. Oh well, maybe another time.
Aug 10-12 - Chiwaukum Creek
2008
Trailhead: N48 05 08.7 W120 49 55.9 (NAD83) Elevation: 3535 ft Distance: 13 miles Elevation gain: 1660 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N48 09 36.3 W120 52 09.8 Elevation: 5195 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From Highway 2, turn north on Highway 207 at Cole's Corner. At about 4-1/2 miles, just after crossing the Wenatchee River, bear right at a fork in the road and after about 1-1/4 miles turn left onto Chiwawa River Rd (FR62). Drive 22 miles (road turns to gravel at about 10-1/2) and take a right onto Phelps Creek Trailhead Rd. The trailhead is at the end of this road, about 2-1/2 miles.
Hike description: I had hoped this hike would be several days long but I fell violently ill the first night and hiked back out the next day. I had planned on hiking up Spider Glacier the following day to Spider Gap and possibly even down to Lyman Lake, but that wasn't in the cards. This is one I will have to try another time. The trail winds through forest for about 4 miles, along Phelps Creek, before breaking out into Spider Meadow. The meadow is a large bowl shaped valley surrounded by rock walls on 3 sides. The trail cuts through the middle of the meadow and at the far end begins climbing into the trees again. There are several camp sites at the far headwall and supposedly a few more on a ledge partway up the headwall. I camped at the lower sites and never made it any farther than that. According to the guide books, the trail continues up the headwall to Spider Glacier. From here there are 2 ways to get up to Spider Gap, climb up the glacier, which probably takes crampons and an ice axe or the trail heads up around the glacier to the right and follows the ridge back to the Gap.
Sep 04-05 - Spider Meadow
A note about the Google maps: Because of the way the Google maps work, the marker for the parking lot or trailhead is not always in the right position on the map. However, there is a way to find the exact position. First copy the GPS coordinates from the description below the map. Then click on the word Google in the lower left corner of the map. This opens another window with a full sized map of the area. Paste the coordinates into the search box and hit enter. A red marker appears at the exact coordinates of the parking lot or trailhead. You can also get directions to it by clicking the word "Directions" - just under the box you pasted the coordinates into - and then entering a starting location.