[Slide Alder Slayer]

Looking for good weather and great views, Pack Pup and I returned to the Teanaway and day hiked to Koppen Mountain. Despite the Memorial Day weekend, the De Roux Campground was fairly clear and there was only one car parked at the trailhead entrance. Soon after crossing the new bridge over the North Fork of the Teanaway (now a couple of years old) we encountered one to two feet of snow covering approximately fifty percent of the trail until the bridge crossing at De Roux Creek. From there to the ridge at 5,100 feet, expect increasing snow depths up to three feet with most of that packed over the trail. Navigation was easy to the ridge, and from there it’s pretty much a straight shot to the summit. Expect increasing snow depths of up to four feet plus from 5,400 feet upwards, the exception being several hundred yards of trail on the West side of the ridge below the summit that is snow free. We arrived at the top just after 2:30 PM and were rewarded with partly cloudy skies and fantastic views. The weather was quite warm and the winds very minimal, which made for an extended stay. Unlike a previous trip, we saw no register at the top. We encountered one other couple accompanied by their trusty trail dog coming down from the summit as we were approaching, and took the obligatory couple pictures with each other’s cameras with a stunning view of Mount Stuart in the background. No snowshoes or ice axes were needed, hiking poles strongly recommended. I would expect considerable snowmelt opening up lower portions of the trail in the very near future.

[JimK]

Thanks for the report. It's always nice to here from another Spring Teanaway scrambler. We were on the other end of the ridge on Sunday, down at Johnson Mountain. The side of the ridge opposite the one you came up looked to be melting out rapidly.