Author: DJHikers

My plan this morning, after reading the forecast for ‘clouds in the morning, sun in the afternoon’, and checking the radar, was to do my basic conditioning hike on Tiger Mountain. I didn’t bring my rain pants because it wasn’t supposed to rain.

But when I got near the Section Line Trail the sky opened up. Drat! I detoured to the Wetlands Trail and then back down. My pants were soaked. But as I got to the viewpoint along the Puget Power Trail, the rain stopped. I could see a rainbow off to the west: (look closely)

so I could see where the rain had gone.

Only about 3 miles, not very much elevation gain, not a total bust but not what I needed. I’ll be back on Friday for a better one.

Another great day here in the Pacific Northwest. Leg is fine.

I parked at the Middle Fork Trailhead and took the connector trail over to Garfield Ledges. On the way back I detoured through the Middle Fork Campground and, just for a little fun, I explored a short way on the Middle Fork Trail. I wanted to see what it is like, and it is nice.

For example, you go right by the confluence of the Taylor and Middle Fork Rivers:

Just outside the campground the trail changed directions and I found myself in a sunny patch of the forest:

No matter what direction you look from the Ledges the view is great:

Only about 4.6 miles, here is the track:

A fun Sunday morning to be sure.

Shortly after my last blog entry I was going down a steep, slippery hill on the Tolt Pipeline Trail when I slipped and did something to my right calf muscle. I have been semi-resting it (walks but no hikes) and icing it and I figured today I would put it to the test.

Calf is feeling fine after the hike so I figure to make up for lost time and go out again tomorrow.

I parked on the little pullout off SE Homestead Valley Road (the road that you hit when you exit I-90 at Exit 38) and went up NF9020 to the PTC, east on PTC to McClellan Butte Trail, up that trail to NF9021, and then down and back via 9020 (intersection is just past Garcia).

6.7 miles, about 2 miles of hill on the route, very nice and peaceful (good views at times to the north):

except for the annoying and potentially dangerous appearance of two guys with guns, illegally shooting targets. The shooters should not be there and, in addition to the noise and the danger, they leave a terrible mess. The ‘shooting gallery’ up there is like a junkyard of gun detritus. Ugh.

But a nice day. Days are getting longer, bit by bit, warmer, and summer is looming. I definitely need to make up for a forced 2 week layoff from the mountains.

The track:

I am trying to figure out how I can get more time in the forest by economizing somewhere else (trying to save money on gas). The problem is that in my day-to-day life, I hardly ever spend money on anything but gas and groceries.

I guess what I will have to do is minimize the number of hikes beyond Exit 34 (I have to do the Middle Fork). Not sure what else to do.

Today I went to Exit 32, near Rattlesnake Lake and did my usual Olallie Trail, via the Cedar Butte Trail and the Southside Trail. I just turned left onto Olallie and went down. Next time I will shoot for one of the viewpoints up the side of the mountain.

I took the Christmas Lake Trail on the way back, as you can see on the track. I had to break down and get a new Garmin (which goes against my native frugality). The Garmin showed 5.65 miles, but it is a mile short, as, being new, it was doing a software update when I turned it on. I reset it when I hit the Cedar Butte Trail, one mile from the car.

I love the Olallie Trail, which was constructed by and for the mountain bikers. Hikers are officially allowed to share the trail. I have one word for the bikers I have encountered: Bravo!

My personal rules for this trail are:

1. Bikers always have the right of way.
2. I always stay alert for bikes. A solo biker coming down might be quiet, sneaking up on you, so you have to be on your toes.
3. As I hike I scan ahead of me for places to pull off the trail to let a bike pass, and in both directions for bikes.
4. When a bike is nigh I pull off the trail as far as I safely can, and biker and I make eye contact and usually say ‘hi’ or whatever. If the closest biker has friends coming up behind, they will warn you, but if they are not with anyone they will tell you that as well.

So we get along just fine.

The trail is in great shape. I hiked it partway during the dead of winter and there were so many blowdowns even I, on foot, gave up and turned around. The bikers have come up and cleaned up the trail, which is in great shape:

I saw a curious deer on the way back:

And I got this shot of the Rattlesnake Ledges, from the same spot where I snapped a picture on December 31 when I did a little snowshoe outing with Jan:

A good workout and a very fun time. Here is the track:

I did my typical Tiger Mountain conditioning hike today, up the Section Line, down the Nook Trail, and so on. I saw a quite a few people on the trails today, including a few who were more or less puzzled as to where they were and they stopped me for directions. There are many trails on Tiger Mountain so I am not surprised that a few people get confused about routing.

Anyway, a good workout and a fun morning.

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.