Month: March 2022

I abandoned the Pipeline Trail for a day and got into the forest again. It felt good.

I was the first car in the lot at 7:10 this morning and I did not see anyone until I was almost back at the lot. This is a fun hike. It is only four miles round trip, from lot to PTC intersection and back and it is not a huge amount of elevation gain.

However, this trail is a good workout because it has so many ups and downs. The first .35 miles or so are flat, then there is a nice hill, then you go downhill, then back uphill, then there is a steady gain up to the PTC. And on the way back, the downhill section becomes another uphill workout.

The falls are running high and the river (South Fork of the Snoqualmie) is nice and loud. It is great. Here is a view from the viewpoint at .7 mile:

A fun morning, great to get out.

A nice hike this morning on Rattlesnake Mountain. I have been doing the Tolt Pipeline workouts but I just have to have the forest and the mountains.

I saw exactly one person on the trail today but when I got back to my car the lot was filling up, including a group that appeared to number at least a dozen people. To each their own. I have no desire to hike with a group that large.

Anyway, I might get out tomorrow. I am thinking of doing Dirty Harry’s Balcony, and if I am feeling frisky (and the trail that high is navigable) the Museum as well. It’s a bit of driving but I just gotta be me.

I stopped recording the Tolt Pipeline Hikes (really not very photogenic and much of it is jammed with other pedestrians and oodles of fast-moving bikers) and I also stopped resisting the urge to get back into the mountains. So this afternoon I headed out to the Middle Fork, having heard they repaired the road.

I wound up parking at the Middle Fork parking lot and going up to the upper Garfield Ledge via the Middle Fork Connector Trail. I wanted to see what shape it is in, since the entire area has been rocked with numerous blow downs. The Connector had a few but it wasn’t bad.

The Garfield Ledges trail also had a few but they were easily navigable.

As always the view from the upper ledge is beautiful. That’s Rooster Mountain, above, and here is Quartz Mountain:

One of the features of this trail is the section with 77 steps. This picture is from right in the middle:

On the way back I took a snap of the Taylor River with Preacher Mountain in the background:

All in all a wonderful break from being upset about the horrendous state of the world.

I am addicted to the mountains and I just had to have a fix. Forecast for today was for a downpour but it held off until 2pm so I snuck out and went up NF9021 to Garcia, turned right and went to the Mine Creek Trestle:

Along the way I noticed Change Peak looking a bit snowy:

Maybe 4.5 miles, not a huge amount of elevation gain but the trek from where I parked on Homestead Valley Road up to the PTC is a nice workout.

On the way home I drove the “back” way through North Bend, Snoqualmie, Carnation and Duvall and I can report that the combination of Covid restriction loosening (not a good idea, IMO) and nice weather turned Snoqualmie and Duvall back into over-crowded weekend tourist destinations. It was a bit slow getting through downtown Snoqualmie (which consists of one street and about three blocks). I guess that is good news for the local businesses.

No big deal. I hiked Tolt Pipeline Trail yesterday, parked by Bothell Landing, went through Blyth Park and up Norway Hill. Typical but today I encountered construction near Willow’s Lodge (an ultra-pricey place to stay and to eat – they have a fancy restaurant that serves a nine-course meal). So I back-tracked and took the route that winds through the resort, with its intimidating ‘No Trespassing – Guests Only’ signs.

Fortunately I made it through alive.

That made it more like 10 miles than 9 but that’s OK.

Lately I have been doing hikes closer to home because gas prices are going through the roof.

I hiked to Central Peak from the May Valley lot today. I went up the trail and down the access road. During the summer this is a very quiet hike but this time of the year there is plenty of noise; the little streams streaming down the mountain are a friendly companion.

I might go out tomorrow as well. I want to take advantage of these few days without rain or snow.

I was back on the trail today. As much as I like to avoid long drives and high gas prices I just have to get out on a real trail in a real forest. So I did the Tiger Mountain Section Line Trail loop, my standard conditioning hike.

I saw about 6 people all day. This is a nice break from the huge number of people and dogs and bikers I see on my local hikes or walks.

One feature on the Nook Trail, which I use to go down from the intersection with the Section Line Trail is a new bench and, next to the bench, a sign telling you that you are looking at ‘Pipsee’s View’. Here is the view:

We have had a lot of rain recently, and there was snow not long ago that has melted out so even the little dribbly creeks are running high:

All in all a nice workout.