We Fall: 0!!
Other notes of interest:
Vermin: Chipmunks
Wildlife: none seen, although we did hear that last year one of our team members (who shall remain anonymous) was possibly attacked by a flying bear, or a bear thrown at her by Sasquatch. Or possibly it was a grouse.
Mosquitoes: YES!!
Three quarters of team We Trip We Fall set out on the foggy morning of August 1 to kick off the Hike-a-Thon 2010. Being girls, and being a weekend, we were naturally about 1 hour late leaving civilization to head out to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. And, being girls, we also had to take an extra stop at the Skykomish Deli and Liquor shop to pick up the Green Trails maps (175 and 176) for our hike. Much to my dismay, that stop did not wind up with any procurement of alcohol, even the celebratory kind for after the hike!
Angella, Jaime and I (Jess) hit the trailhead at about 10:30. Our goal was to hike along the ridge and do the 6.5 miles round trip and not attempt to make it all the way out to Sawyer's Pass. We slowly trudged up the trail for the first mile and a half or so which seems to contail the entire elevation gain of about 400 ft. About half way up we knew we were in the right place because of this:
We also noticed that a lot of the trees on the way up looked like they had been knocked over and then bonded themselves back together and kept right on growing. We figure there must have been some event that happened at some point to cause this since it occurred at approximately the same height on all the affected trees.
After we got to the top, we caught our breath and started out on the ridge. We were really hoping that the fog would clear up so we could really get a nice view from the top. Alas, between the fires burning out there and that stubborn fog, this is pretty much all we got to see.
However, we did get a couple of glimpses of the "zombie sun" that peeked out once in a while. Again, we assume the "zombie sun" was because of the fires. All day long there was that weird orangey glow from the sun. And all week since then we've had these amazing sunsets and as the sun itself approaches the horizon it turns this fantastic shade of orange-red. But I digress.
Our resident cartographer was intent on trying to find the spur trail that would lead south down to one of the local lakes (without the map next to me I can't remember the name of it, sorry) so we could gage our place on the map. However, we ended up at a crossroad in the trail. The sign posted on the tree in the center said "<= Deception Creek". We then determined that instead of doing our 6.5 mile round trip, we had indeed hiked all the way to Sawyer's Pass! Knowing how we all drool just a little at our James Sawyer from LOST, it was fitting and approved by all.
We found a nice log to sit and have lunch. And for the mosquitoes to lunch on us. Our trusty leader dug through her first aid kit and found some fabulous bug repellant that worked like a charm! And also made us smell like Thai food. But well worth it!
We then celebrated my birthday (AUG 1!!) with some vegan vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles! (Thanks fearless team leader!)
Sorry, no photo. They were too yummy.
Our hike back down the ridge and back to the trailhead was uneventful. There were no signs of any flying bears or Sasquatch. Not even a grouse. We ended up safely back at the car at approximately 1:00 and ended up hiking 9.4 miles in total!
Tune in for more adventures in WA state and in Ireland!!
Other notes of interest:
Vermin: Chipmunks
Wildlife: none seen, although we did hear that last year one of our team members (who shall remain anonymous) was possibly attacked by a flying bear, or a bear thrown at her by Sasquatch. Or possibly it was a grouse.
Mosquitoes: YES!!
Three quarters of team We Trip We Fall set out on the foggy morning of August 1 to kick off the Hike-a-Thon 2010. Being girls, and being a weekend, we were naturally about 1 hour late leaving civilization to head out to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. And, being girls, we also had to take an extra stop at the Skykomish Deli and Liquor shop to pick up the Green Trails maps (175 and 176) for our hike. Much to my dismay, that stop did not wind up with any procurement of alcohol, even the celebratory kind for after the hike!
Angella, Jaime and I (Jess) hit the trailhead at about 10:30. Our goal was to hike along the ridge and do the 6.5 miles round trip and not attempt to make it all the way out to Sawyer's Pass. We slowly trudged up the trail for the first mile and a half or so which seems to contail the entire elevation gain of about 400 ft. About half way up we knew we were in the right place because of this:
We also noticed that a lot of the trees on the way up looked like they had been knocked over and then bonded themselves back together and kept right on growing. We figure there must have been some event that happened at some point to cause this since it occurred at approximately the same height on all the affected trees.
After we got to the top, we caught our breath and started out on the ridge. We were really hoping that the fog would clear up so we could really get a nice view from the top. Alas, between the fires burning out there and that stubborn fog, this is pretty much all we got to see.
However, we did get a couple of glimpses of the "zombie sun" that peeked out once in a while. Again, we assume the "zombie sun" was because of the fires. All day long there was that weird orangey glow from the sun. And all week since then we've had these amazing sunsets and as the sun itself approaches the horizon it turns this fantastic shade of orange-red. But I digress.
Our resident cartographer was intent on trying to find the spur trail that would lead south down to one of the local lakes (without the map next to me I can't remember the name of it, sorry) so we could gage our place on the map. However, we ended up at a crossroad in the trail. The sign posted on the tree in the center said "<= Deception Creek". We then determined that instead of doing our 6.5 mile round trip, we had indeed hiked all the way to Sawyer's Pass! Knowing how we all drool just a little at our James Sawyer from LOST, it was fitting and approved by all.
We found a nice log to sit and have lunch. And for the mosquitoes to lunch on us. Our trusty leader dug through her first aid kit and found some fabulous bug repellant that worked like a charm! And also made us smell like Thai food. But well worth it!
We then celebrated my birthday (AUG 1!!) with some vegan vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles! (Thanks fearless team leader!)Sorry, no photo. They were too yummy.
Our hike back down the ridge and back to the trailhead was uneventful. There were no signs of any flying bears or Sasquatch. Not even a grouse. We ended up safely back at the car at approximately 1:00 and ended up hiking 9.4 miles in total!
Tune in for more adventures in WA state and in Ireland!!
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