Hiking with Annie
July - September
2011
Trailhead: N47 23.864 W121 29.177 (NAD83) Elevation: 1875 ft Distance: 7.4 miles Elevation gain: 3745 ft Hike time: 10:55 am to 4:22 pm Total time: 5 hrs 27 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 02.9 W121 28 52.6 Elevation: 5620 ft Total Ascent: 3945 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 47, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north. At the stop sign turn left onto FR9035 and drive about 1/3 mile to the trailhead parking lot.
Hike description: About a mile up the trail, we turned north onto the Granite Mtn trail and proceeded up the steepest part of the trail. After about a mile, the trail turns to the east for a little over 1/2 mile before making a large sweeping turn back to the west as it makes the final ascent. With about 1/2 mile to go, we began seeing the massive snow cornices on and near the summit. These cornices often last well into the summer, depending on the amount of snowfall during the winter. They can be dangerous, so we made sure to stay well away from them. Finally, about 12:45, we reached the summit. We sat on the rocks around the fire lookout and ate lunch. After admiring the view for about 45 minutes, we headed back down the mountain. On the way I shortened the hike by glisading down several hundred feet in a matter of a couple of minutes. We eventually reached the car.
Jul 05 - Granite Mountain
Trailhead: N47 25.486 W121 35.007 (NAD83) Elevation: 2180 f t Distance: 4.5 miles Elevation gain: 2460 ft Hike time: 10:48 am to 3:43 pm Total time: 4 hrs 55 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 26 13.6 W121 35 17.3 Elevation: 4640 ft Total Ascent: 2495 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 45, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north onto FR9030. At about 3/4 mile the road splits. Veer to the left onto FR9031 and continue for 3 miles to the trailhead.
Hike description: Although the sky was mostly cloudy, as it was the last time I tried this hike, the visibility was much improved. We left the trailhead at nearly 11:00 that morning. We made the 1st (easy) mile in 30 minutes, before starting up the swithbacks of the steeper part of the trail. It took over an hour to make the 2nd mile. From here it gets harder as the faint trail heads straight up the mountain, with no switchbacks. It took us over an hour to go just over 1/4 mile. After a much needed break, while eating lunch, we turned around here and headed back to the car, reaching the trailhead around 4:00.
Jul 11 - Putrid Pete's Peak or P3 (attempt)
Trailhead: N47 25.486 W121 35.007 (NAD83) Elevation: 2180 ft Distance: 7.6 miles Elevation gain: 2090 ft Hike time: 11:03 am to 3:41 pm Total time: 4 hrs 38 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 36.1 W121 33 02.9 Elevation: 4270 ft Total Ascent: 2640 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 45, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north onto FR9030. At about 3/4 mile the road splits. Veer to the left onto FR9031 and continue for 3 miles to the trailhead.
Hike description: The Ira Spring trailhead is 3.75 miles up Forest Road 9031, at exit 45 off I-90 just east of North Bend. We started out from the trailhead at 10:50 on a pretty warm summer morning. Making good time, we reached the talus field, 2-1/2 miles, in an hour and a half. The destination was Bandera Mtn, so when we reached the trail junction we headed up toward the mountain. Before long though, the heat started getting to Annie, with no protection from the sun. So, we turned around and headed to Mason Lake thinking it would be cooler in the lake basin. Though the heat and sunlight was hard on Annie, it was perfect for the myriad of wildflowers. There was a profusion of Tiger Lillies, Paintbrush, Lupine, Bear Grass, Yarrow, Columbine and others in full bloom. As we started down into the lake basin, the temperature started to drop some, making Annie much happier. As soon as we reached the lake I took off her pack and let her go for a swim. We ate lunch on the lake shore, then decided to go to Little Mason Lake. When we finally found the trail, it was so swampy and muddy that we decided against it and instead hiked to the juction of the Mt Defiance trail. After that we headed back up to Mason Ridge and back to the trailhead, reaching the car at 3:45.
Aug 01 - Mason Lake
Trailhead: N47 24.068 W121 31.108 (NAD83 Elevation: 2645 ft Distance: 10.3 miles Elevation gain: 1590 ft Hike time: 10:22 am to 4:04 pm Total time: 5 hrs 42 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 31.3 W121 32 13.3 Elevation: 4235 ft Total Ascent: 2325 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 45, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north onto FR9030. At just over 3/4 mile the road splits. Veer to the right, staying on FR9030 and continue for about 2-1/2 miles to the trailhead.
Hike description: Once again we made our approach to Rainbow Lake from the east - this time starting from the Talapus Lake trailhead. It was about 10:25 on a nice summer morning when we started up the trail - this time with my camera. At about 11:10 we reached Talapus Lake and stopped for a short breather. Thirty minutes later we made it to the junction with the Pratt Lake trail (#1007) and, about 35 minutes after that, hit the junction with the Mt Defiance trail. Turning off here, we made our way along the flank of Pratt Mtn before dropping down into the lake basin, reaching Rainbow Lake at 1:10. Just as the last time we were here, the lake was a very pleasant place to just sit and relax. The sun was warm, the slight breeze kept the bugs away, ducks were floating along the lake surface - just a very relaxing place to be. After a short stay though, we were back on the trail heading back. Once we were out of the lake basin, the rest of the hike was pretty much downhill so it went fairly quickly.
Aug 08 - Rainbow Lake
Parking: N47 23.800 W121 22.765 (NAD83) Elevation: 2510 ft Distance: 10.1 miles Elevation gain: 525 ft Hike time: 10:27 am to 4:08 pm Total time: 5 hrs 41 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 27 00.3 W121 20 47.5 Elevation: 3035 ft Total Ascent: 1315 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 54, on Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north at the end of the exit ramp. Turn right, just past the eastbound exit ramp onto NF4832 and follow for about 1 mile. Turn left onto gravel road Huckleberry Peak Rd and follow for about 1/2 mile to the parking lot for Gold Creek Pond, just on the left.
Hike description: This is the 3rd or 4th time we had been on this hike, but the 1st time since the avalance area had been cleared. It starts out by hiking around Gold Creek Pond. At the northeast corner of the pond, a short trail takes you up to Huckleberry Peak Rd. The actual trailhead is nearly a mile down the road. Just before reaching the trailhead, Heli's Pond - on the left - makes a peaceful and picturesque stop. Once on the trail, you travel through forest alongside Gold Creek, although you don't see much of the creek for nearly a mile when you come out onto a large gravel bar next to the creek. From here the trail winds in and out of the trees, somtimes a ways away from the creek, sometimes right next to it. At about 1-3/4 miles from the trailhead is the sight of the avalanche that closed the trail for several years. Although the trail has been cleared/rerouted, there is still plenty of evidence of the avalanche. About a mile farther, the trail crosses Gold Creek so expect to get your feet wet. A short distance later and it crosses Silver Creek, then Alaska Creek - which are both much easier than Gold Creek. Just after crossing Alaska Creek we ran into a large, brushy tree down over the trail and decided to turn around, only about .1 mile from the Alaska Lake/Joe Lake trail junction.
Sep 20 - Gold Creek
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.