any other hikers here?

[gu03alum]

Hey gu03 I bet that sound was a grouse. Either that or a sasquatch. I tried Shriner once, it was foggy and I bailed on it rather quickly. Was my 3rd or 4th day in a row hiking around Rainier, decided I was good for the moment and just headed home. Should try again but haven't made it back yet.

Never mind Green Lake bart, you should head for Mt. Si to really enjoy the ambiance of hiking with a couple hundred of your new best friends.

yes, I just looked it up. That was it, thanks!

In Boundary Waters I really enjoyed the Loon call in the evening. I thought it was a coyote at first.

[seacatfan]

Loons are so cool! One of the best sounds ever. I can't say I've ever heard it in person. But movies and tv shows sure love using it.

One of my favorite bird calls that I do hear regularly is the hermit thrush. The similar Swainson's thrush is really nice as well. On really good days I hear the Triple Crown of thrushes--hermit, Swainson's and varied. I don't really count robins because they are so common, but another thrush with a nice repertoire of songs.

[bartruff1]

Worth repeating....if you hear a loon call or a wolf howl you are in a wild place....if you are not thrilled, you are in the wrong place... We have loons in Washington State......I grew up with them on Twin Lakes on Colville Indian Reservation.....haunting sound....

I have always wanted to go to Boundary Waters.....but something about the motion is so painful that I cannot paddle a canoe ….. oddly enough I can paddle a kayak …..so that is so fun......

[RenoZag]

Upper Sardine Lake. This was a fun hike. Very few people out and about today.


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[gu03alum]

Upper Sardine Lake. This was a fun hike. Very few people out and about today.

Great picture! very pretty!

[bartruff1]

My Doctor(s) tell me that the best thing you can do for your body, your soul and your mind is to hike on uneven ground in a natural place ? Requires you to use all your muscles , your concentration/memory...problem solving and navigation skills.....it is all good..

They speculate that it will not only slow but even " repair" some age related memory loss in as little as a month... a Forest Bath is chicken soup for the soul.....assuming you don't fall down on your sorry ass and break something or get bitten by a snake, a tick or a animal...

[RenoZag]

Bart, I think your doctor has it right. I'm not an experienced backpacker/hiker, but I do enjoy getting out and about and the hikes do seem to help my peace of mind.

One of my "to do's" now that I'm retired is to learn more about the trails closer to my own backyard, e.g., Mount Rose, Tahoe, Donner Lake, Truckee River. All are within 45 minutes of my place.

[seacatfan]

That looks amazing Reno. The Sierras, good stuff! I haven't explored around Tahoe area much, passed thru several times heading further south. Desolation Wilderness is supposed to be nice.

[bartruff1]

Reno, I have cars built in Sparks on occasion so when I am there I hike at the ski areas in Tahoe/Reno and up at the Crest.....golf is also good for the body and the mind....not so much for the soul !

[seacatfan]

Got a late start, headed up Perry Creek to Forgotten Meadows w/ a buddy yesterday. Nice day. Surprisingly melted out, some snow around the meadows but otherwise pretty much bare. Went about 100 feet above the meadows to a bump on the ridge for a bit better view of surrounding peaks. Parking lot was completely full. We saw a fair number of people coming down the trail as we were heading up, but I'm assuming the majority of the hikers went up the adjacent trail to Mt. Dickerman. Had it entirely to ourselves once we reached the meadows and on the way down.

[gu03alum]

Got a late start, headed up Perry Creek to Forgotten Meadows w/ a buddy yesterday. Nice day. Surprisingly melted out, some snow around the meadows but otherwise pretty much bare. Went about 100 feet above the meadows to a bump on the ridge for a bit better view of surrounding peaks. Parking lot was completely full. We saw a fair number of people coming down the trail as we were heading up, but I'm assuming the majority of the hikers went up the adjacent trail to Mt. Dickerman. Had it entirely to ourselves once we reached the meadows and on the way down.

that sounds awesome

I did quite the opposite this weekend going to some of the most popular locations. I woke up early on Saturday and got to Mt Si trailhead around 7 and headed up. 3 rows of parking were already full. I chose Si because it is close and I wanted to be home before noon. I also wanted a hike with more than 3,000 feet elevation gain so I could get one last training hike in before Shasta. I had a good pace was able to get to the valley overlook in 1 hour 40 minutes. It was still foggy so there wasn't much to see, but I enjoyed the fog anyway. I ate a cliff bar and headed back down. I ran when the trail was good and when there weren't hikers in the way. I have noticed that trail runners do not follow trail etiquette. It's a little irritating to me when they basically shove me off the trail when I've got a good pace going uphill. Oh well. I got home by 11 which pleased my wife. On Sunday, my wife had picked out a hike we could do as a family in Rainier for Father's Day. I sadly told her that there would be lots of snow still on the trail she picked. We tried to find another trail that would satisfy her conditions (short and flat) when I made an executive decision. I said lets head up Snoqualmie pass and hike if we can find parking at some of the popular trailheads. I was hoping to hike a little ways up denny creek, but parking was all gone there. I went a little further up the road and found a parking spot near Franklin Falls trail. Oh joy, that is probably the most crowded hike in the universe. We did it and had fun. It is a short relatively flat hike with nice scenery. The falls are very nice too. We were able to find a log to sit on and enjoy our lunch. It was only a little over a mile round trip so I suggested we head west and see if we can get a parking spot at Snoqualmie Falls. I hadn't been there in a while. It was packed, but we had a good time hiking down to the bottom of the falls. I don't think my wife liked the hike back up, but she was a good sport. In spite of all the people, I had a pretty good time this weekend.

[bartruff1]

O3 you may find it interesting that back in the 70s I was the Transportation Systems Planner on the team writing the Management Plan for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Management Area....

And the Team and the local Forest Service Managers were of the opinion that Snoqualmie Pass was a industrial corridor....characterized by freeways, trains , ski areas. homes, service stations, restaurants , rest areas, power lines, clear cuts ….what Backcountry Planers think of as a sacrifice area.....nothing to see or do here....keep moving....

Well the Washington Office (Chief of Forest Service) got on our butts and " suggested " that maybe we should think again..... they said we could not see the forest for the trees or lack there of......they said that people traveling I-90 from the East and the Midwest would see Snoqualmie Pass as the climax of their trip to the Mountain West....that they were finally in the Cascade Mountains and they were beautiful....

So anyway.... the decision was to designate it as a Scenic Area...… and that resulted in the acquisition of the private timber lands and the elevation of the Highway to the west that would reduce the visual and physical impact on the land and allow the avalanches to pass under the highway , the relocation the Pacific Crest Trail and a bunch of other stuff...

There was also a decision to not try to reduce the trail use (with permitted use or other access and travel management methods)…. the assumption being that the people who recreated in the area were from urban areas to the west and didn't mind the crowds....they were not looking for solitude.....

I went over the Pass a couple weeks ago and it was kind of cool…… not Chinook Pass or The North Cascades Pass or even Stevens Pass... but nice....if I was from Boston I would probably think it was spectacular ….

[gu03alum]

O3 you may find it interesting that back in the 70s I was the Transportation Systems Planner on the team writing the Management Plan for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Management Area....

And the Team and the local Forest Service Managers were of the opinion that Snoqualmie Pass was a industrial corridor....characterized by freeways, trains , ski areas. homes, service stations, restaurants , rest areas, power lines, clear cuts ….what Backcountry Planers think of as a sacrifice area.....nothing to see or do here....keep moving....

Well the Washington Office (Chief of Forest Service) got on our butts and " suggested " that maybe we should think again..... they said we could not see the forest for the trees or lack there of......they said that people traveling I-90 from the East and the Midwest would see Snoqualmie Pass as the climax of their trip to the Mountain West....that they were finally in the Cascade Mountains and they were beautiful....

So anyway.... the decision was to designate it as a Scenic Area...… and that resulted in the acquisition of the private timber lands and the elevation of the Highway to the west that would reduce the visual and physical impact on the land and allow the avalanches to pass under the highway , the relocation the Pacific Crest Trail and a bunch of other stuff...

There was also a decision to not try to reduce the trail use (with permitted use or other access and travel management methods)…. the assumption being that the people who recreated in the area were from urban areas to the west and didn't mind the crowds....they were not looking for solitude.....

I went over the Pass a couple weeks ago and it was kind of cool…… not Chinook Pass or The North Cascades Pass or even Stevens Pass... but nice....if I was from Boston I would probably think it was spectacular ….

I'm glad they didn't get to fulfill the plan. I really do love that area. It is so accessible to the masses and I hope that it is bringing more people to the side of conservation. I can still find hikes up there that aren't very crowded also. The farther you hike the less people you see.

[bartruff1]

The final plan was implemented.....The Mountaineers have a lodge at Snoqualmie and pretty much all the user groups (ALPS, Mazamas....) were for benign neglect....leave it be...

There was a discussion about signing and temporary closures of the avalanche areas.....but the lawyers are concerned that if you start signing " dangerous " areas in the National Forests you will be opening a real can of worms and a reasonable expectation.....so we didn't really do anything but promote the Pacific Northwest Avalanche Center..... it is what it is...
.....

[RenoZag]

Sawmill Creek, Grover Hot Springs SP


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