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kitya Fortune Cookie
Joined: 15 Mar 2010 Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics Location: Duvall, WA |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
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Mon Aug 24, 2020 12:34 pm
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Even in the morning Mountain Loop Highway already had lots of traffic and people camping everywhere along the river, even making camp fires ☹ Monte Cristo/Barlow Pass parking lot was overflowing with people parking on both sides of the highway making leaving only very narrow one way road. Hundreds of cars at one spot, previously only seen at a Costco. Lake 22 was overflowing for a couple of miles too. Lost creek ridge that only really has parking for 3 cars had 15. I couldn’t find any parking left at all at the North Fork Sauk, with hordes of backpackers, trail runners and climbing groups going to Glacier or around Glacier Peak. Argh. Not finding parking I drove all the way back to forest road 49 until I found one remaining spot at one of the pull outs.
Years before I was to this same road many times as there are many great hikes there - Round Lake, Kololo, "Disenchantment" lakes and a lot more. A few times I passed by the old sign and a faint trail that says "Red Mountain Lookout 1 mile" and I was always curious about it, but I never stopped by it before, because I didn't drive miles of bumpy forest road just to hike a mile. And I guess many people think the same. It is immediately noticeable that the thread is narrow and overgrown and not as much used as the North Fork Sauk highway.
Yet the trail is quite amazing. There are many big trees. Really big trees.
In about a mile trail comes to a rocky outcrop with a great view of the 'Pride Basin', but the trail doesn't end there and instead continues up through the forest. The forest is dark and there are no views, but trees soon get smaller and the forest is quite open. There are many blowdowns, but trail is mostly obvious, though it is equally easy to walk without trail there too. Eventually I got to the ridge and got to peak into some really insane cliffs.
Eventually trail comes to a small meadow above Ruby lake and an ugly campsite with a fire ring. From there trail disappears completly, but I just continued up through flowers and blueberries, heather and scree and a little snow. I passed some giant old growth trees and found an alpine lake of intense beaty, reminding me of the famed Monogram Lake. 360 degrees view to three major volcanoes: Tahoma, Dakobed and Kulshan. Majestic Sloan peak was right in front of me. Bedal peak and Slodal peaks that I hiked this spring right next to it, with Vesper and Sperry peaking behind. Mount Pugh and White Chuck, T-bone ridge to the north and lots of other sharp North Cascades ridges. Mote Cristo group peaks including Keys Peak I hiked a few weeks ago above Pride Basin looming above, and Kololo Peak I hiked a year ago. Flower meadows, ripe blueberries, cool cliffs, and mountain goat hair and footprints in the snow. It was a bit steep, 5700 feet gain (including going up and down to the lake) in less than 4 miles, but never above class 2. I saw a raccoon, a very shy bear, a banana slug, a chipmunk, a ground squirrel, a pika, and a marmot. And no single human. This is a rare thing this strange summer.
Marmot:
Pika:
Golden Mantled Ground squirrel:
Cookie disapproved of bity bugs biting her butt:
But enjoyed rolling in snow (sadly not much of it left):
On the way down I decided to check out Ruby Lake up close too. As I saw Ruby lake for the first time from the summit, it became immediately clear why it is called "Ruby" - iron deposits of the mountain above fill with lake with reddish water. Everything touching this water becomes red, from rocks to logs. Siting on a high perch overlooking the Pride Basin Ruby lake is almost perfect - fields of flowers and blueberries, amazing views and absolutely no people. The only non perfect parts are about a million of very hungry horse flies.
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neek Member
Joined: 12 Sep 2011 Posts: 2336 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle, WA |
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neek
Member
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Mon Aug 24, 2020 1:21 pm
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Good thing you didn't keep going, or you'd find yourself on the painted traverse. Horrible route with no views and miserable terrain. Only a crazy person would do it.
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cascadetraverser Member
Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 1407 | TRs | Pics
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I remember looking down at Ruby some years back before going on to the horrible place (DON`T GO) Neek suggests and wondering about it. Thanks for the close up views. Glad you found a place away from the hordes
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Chief Joseph Member
Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 7700 | TRs | Pics Location: Verlot-Priest Lake |
Nice! It's unreal the amount of people out there now, if I were forced to hike on weekends, I might just quit.
I went up that trail a few years back but only went as far as the old fire lookout site if I recall correctly.
I am back up at Priest Lake, not that many hikers up here, mainly lake goers.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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MangyMarmot Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 474 | TRs | Pics
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Cool trip! Love the photos. What a great area.
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