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skiorkayak
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skiorkayak
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PostSun Apr 21, 2019 12:43 am 
Copper ridge - Chillawack river loop. We did it with a side trip up to Chilliwack lake and a side trip up Brush creek to Whatcom pass.

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Brian R
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Brian R
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PostSun Apr 21, 2019 8:15 pm 
Quote:
There's also around Mt. Adams. Some of it crosses Yakama Nation land and requires permission from the tribe to cross. Not sure how much of this route is x-country, probably at least a little bit. Not sure of mileage either....
I did this trip back in Sept 2014 starting at Divide Camp and moving clockwise. It's actually not too difficult--but it doesn't fit your full week requirement as it took us 2 1/2 days moving at a pretty standard pace. I tracked it at 41 miles; 9001' of elevation gain. Instead of climbing from the Big Muddy to Mazama Saddle, we traversed low and climbed over the Ridge of Wonders above Little Mount Adams. This option racks up two substantial gain/loss events, but we were able to leave the crampons and axes at home. In any event, I wish we had taken an extra day in Avalanche Valley. A very enjoyable trip.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSun Apr 21, 2019 9:47 pm 
Cool Brian, looks like a beautiful trip. up.gif

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drm
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PostTue Apr 23, 2019 3:46 pm 
You can get a long loop in Hells Canyon, in northeast Oregon. So it's a longer drive, but it is very wild. For a long loop, you are likely to be on some trails that occasionally disappear, so route-finding is required. Lots of EG too. August is not prime time though as the lower trails will be very hot. So you would have to plan your water supplies carefully. The lower trails should be open now and the upper trails, like around Hat Point, usually open in early July.

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Foist
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PostFri Apr 26, 2019 3:54 pm 
This is easy. Whatcom Pass area incl Tapto and Middle Lakes. Then Copper Ridge on the way back. There's your answer. You can thank me later. *edit: I now see someone else beat me too it. Well you can thank him too I guess.

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Foist
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PostFri Apr 26, 2019 4:06 pm 
Nancyann wrote:
We did a nice loop a couple of August’s ago using the Bald Eagle Mountain Trail beginning at the Cadet Creek trailhead and exiting at the North Fork Sauk which is about three miles away. It would be easy to stash a bike to connect the two. We were out five days and didn’t have time to climb Kodak Peak, Indian Head and White Mountain, so you could do those if you had more days. The scenery between these two trailheads is wonderful if you time it during wildflower season.
With 9 days, you could extend this to include Lost Creek Ridge. This would just extend the car/bike shuttle another 3-5 miles (I forget exactly). That would be an absolutely stupendous trip connecting so many scenic ridges.

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silence
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silence
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 7:30 am 
Brian R ... our dream trip, but too old now ... great pix! Yeah!
Foist wrote:
This is easy. Whatcom Pass area incl Tapto and Middle Lakes. Then Copper Ridge on the way back. There's your answer. You can thank me later. *edit: I now see someone else beat me too it. Well you can thank him too I guess.
Sorry .. our longer trips have always been in the Olympics. Elsewhere usually just 3-5 days. Just thought of this An out and back to Napeequa Valley (with side trips to Lewis Meadows and/or Butterfly Butte) and High Pass from Boulder Pass, or a loop from Little Giant to Buck Creek Pass (or in reverse) ... there's some road walking or hitching involved w/o 2 cars

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Foist
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 7:57 am 
You could do Whatcom Pass and Tapto Lakes in 5 days. 2 days to get there, 1 day of exploration, 2 days back. You could also do it as a thru trip from Ross Lake, with transportation help. I did that in 5 days.

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silence
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 8:05 am 
We took the water taxi to Little Beaver, then hiked to Tapto and back down Big Beaver where we caught the boat back. But, you could also hike back from Big Beaver.

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Foist
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 8:08 am 
Oh I thought your "sorry" was a response to me. I get it now. Big Beaver is longer than little beaver and involves going over an extra pass, but it's more scenic.

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Brian R
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Brian R
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 9:21 am 
Quote:
Brian R ... our dream trip, but too old now ... great pix!
Silence, thank you for your kind words. Not sure how old is too old; maybe a thread already exists on the topic. I was 52 when I finally did the Adams loop--a trip I had wanted to do for the better part of my life. Coming up to 57 now--on the living side of a bout with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and feeling strong. I'll climb Rainier again this summer one last time--my twentieth--not because I can't physically continue to do it, but simply because I'm losing interest in camping above treeline. I'll continue hiking and high traverses in the years ahead. I'm at risk of hijacking this thread. Apologies. But when you say "too old," is it physical? or motivational? Should it scare me that I'm no longer excited about freezing my butt off in a flapping tent on a glacier and alpine starts at 11pm in the "morning?" I look at those Adams pictures and similar with fondness and joy. But most of my decades worth of climbing/mountaineering pictures I now look at with a bit of a yawn.

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hes
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PostSat Apr 27, 2019 11:53 am 
Forum member sir-hikes-a-lot did a 200 mile loop route in Alpine Lakes Wilderness that I think some call the Alpine Lakes Grand Tour. Not sure if trip report is still on nwhikers.net, but you can get info on the route here: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2013-09-09.4559404278 There are variations you could easily make to it. One, e.g., might be to include all of Section J of PCT as part of your loop. The Ultrapedestrian Wilderness Challenge includes a 75 mile point-to-point route in Alpine Lakes Wilderness (Middle Fork trailhead to Leavenworth?) as one if its routes. You can find directions for the route a bottom of this page: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=67316

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silence
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silence
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PostSun Apr 28, 2019 10:43 am 
Wow Brian ... you're amazing and inspiring. Thanks. We are both 70 and just don't have the stamina to do hard XC trips like the Mt Adams circumnavigation, or the Ptarmigan and Bailey traverses (both of which were also dreams never to be realized now). I think if we got into shape, we could possibly do Rainier again (we summitted at 58) but aren't really that interested. As long as we can continue getting into the sub-alpine to some of our favorite haunts that would satisfy us. Anyhow, keep on truckin!

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Brian R
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PostSun Apr 28, 2019 10:13 pm 
Thanks again, Silence. I'm guessing if you can prep for another Rainier climb, you could even more easily manage the Mount Adams RTM. The "off-trail" section is shorter than many believe--basically, the point between Avalanche Valley and Bird Creek Meadows (or Mazama Saddle). The section between Avalanche Valley and Foggy Bottom is an easy to follow way trail in good weather. If you're ever so-inclined, feel free to contact me for additional details or help. I've done the Ptarmigan Traverse--the Adams trip is far easier. In any event, thanks for your help with my nonsense apprehensions.

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kvpair
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PostMon Apr 29, 2019 7:12 am 
Question about the Whatcom Pass, Tapto Lakes: Is this part of the NC National Park and so are permits required to camp here?

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Forum Index > Trail Talk > Week+ long backpacking suggestions in Washington State (besides Wonderland Trail and ONP)?
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