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Stefan
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Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Stefan
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PostMon Sep 23, 2002 12:10 pm 
So Mtngoat? How did the driving go?

Art is an adventure.
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MtnGoat
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Location: Lyle, WA
MtnGoat
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PostTue Sep 24, 2002 2:16 am 
Sat we headed up to Darland via Ahtanum road as planned, taking the N fk Ahtanum road and turning W on the N fork at the N and Middle Fk confluence at Ahtanum meadows. it is a right just before the bridge, it's marked. I suspect the straight ahead choice (Mid Fk) also leads to the top of Darland. it's 8 miles to "Snow creek camp", then about another 6 to the summit. The first 8 are well graded, then it becomes rocky, dusty and steep, but passenger cars did make it to the summit. There is some kind of trailhead there, don't know where it goes. The hill has a great view of Adams and Rainier, being halfway between both, and a partial view of St Helens. The top has an unusual primitive sandy high altitude coarse grained soil and numerous bent trees covering the plateau. Views are only obtainable by going to the actual edge of the summit plateau in any direction but east. The trees grow right to the edge and are still 20 feet tall at that altitude and block most views from the middle or from the road. The S side and the road presumed to go down to the Mid Fk looked more open than the N side approach was, but I did not head down for a look. For my purposes this trip was a great excuse for camping but made for poor flying, only the east face is flyable due to it being the only open slope and even with a light east wind just wasn't steep enough. I probably will not be back unless I get really bored, and I can get bored enough as it is without driving 3 hours to do so. The Divide ridge area showed some promise for another exploration however. From what I could see it looked workable in a couple places and the jeep road along the entire ridgeline is still open apparently. I got a good look from the road as we dropped back down to the darland/blue lake/ green lake junction to head for camp. The green lake road is bermed big time, permanently closed. The 1 mile to blue lake gets fairly steep in the last half, with rocky ascents on steep slopes, some leaning outwards, and inches of flour consistency dust. In several places you dodge trees with your rear view mirrors as you do nearly a lock to lock change in steering wheel direction to miss the trees *and* miss some big holes. Lots of big boulders. Blue lake is a pit, as expected, so that's why we camped below it. We went and camped just below blue lake, along the access to the Divide ridge road. After seeing what it took to get to blue lake, I did not want to tackle divide ridge with just one vehicle. These are true jeep roads, requiring low range and high clearance combined with a willingness to really beat a vehicle. No low clearance vehicle with any amount of gearing would make it, a real truck or jeep is about it. I would probably make divide ridge just fine, but it's pretty lonely and nasty up there and I'd rather have two rigs and a tow rope. In fact, in the middle of the night three trucks went down past us on the jeep road. One in the front, tow chained to a dead one in the middle, chained to a following vehicle from it's front bumper. That they used *two* rigs, with the disabled in the middle ,tells you just how bad it is up there, and didn't improve my mood about trying divide all on our own in the morning. Still, the way to blue lake was fun, there's a lot more beyond it, and the ridgeline is really pretty, so I'll probably be back in that direction one more time, skipping darland in favor of divide ridge. Was burned on the dryness and dust of the Ahtanum, so I headed back at 10 AM Sun, and spent the rest of the day waiting for wind up on the Rampart launch site a bit closer to home. It never got windy enough for me, but with the great view, the incredible day, it wasn't so bad either. up.gif

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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