[David & Karen]

Where to Go? – As summer kicks into high gear the choices expand making it harder to choose the best trail. Generally early summer is best for summits but we have had our fill of slogging up snowy peaks and wanted to try something a little dryer. Well Mt. Curtis Gilbert (or Gilbert Peak) 8184ft, in the Goat Rocks Wilderness fit the bill, not only did it promise great views of Rainer, Helens & Adams but judging from past reports we could climb it without getting soaked. The approach is via the South Fork Tieton River, a popular horse trail. Despite what it says in the 75 scrambles book, and in the Spring/Manning guide there is no road signed ‘South Fork’ east of the Hause Creek Campground. The sign just says ‘Tieton Road’ and is before the campground (coming from Seattle). Once on that road FS1000 is signed ‘South Fork’ and not ‘Conrad Meadows’. The road itself is paved most of the way and is in good condition however it’s only one lane and those horse trailers don’t have much giddy-up. Besides horses, you will see cows grazing in the parking lot and along the first part of the trail. The meadows in this section are vast and if you dare to look up (be wary of cow pies & road apples) there are views of Mt. Curtis Gilbert & Klickton Divide. Weeks of sunny weather however have taken their toll as evidenced by a lack of flowers and even the hellebore is burnt to a crisp. Puffs of dust follow every footstep creating a permanent cloud, (think pigpen from Peanuts) wearing a bandana is probably a good idea (wish we had one!). All the livestock traffic has created several false trails in the meadow however they all seem to converge at the four-mile junction. We took the left fork that leads to Surprise Lake. The lake was well stocked with several parties of fisherman (surprise parties?) and was much larger than we expected (a pleasant surprise!) and we went for a swim. Refreshing but a bit too chilly for an extended soak, the fish themselves were leaping right out of the lake!

From here to Warm Lake there is supposed to be a well-defined route however we were unable to find it and trudged up cross-country to the bench below the Meade Glacier. There was patchy snow here but also lots of flowers and dry places to camp. We traversed over to Warm Lake, which was 99% melted out and set up camp, we had the place to ourselves. With nary a breeze we took cover inside our tent to escape the oppressive heat. We eventually had company, which was fine except that this person was the vocal twin of Dr. Phil and talked to his companion all night (I guess she had some complex problems). After darkness fell the sounds of Dr. Phil were drowned out by gale force winds. Sudden and relentless we were knocked around all night.

We arose before dawn so that we could ascend Klickton Divide and capture Mt. Adams at sunrise. Our timing couldn’t have been better as the light was just perfect. The divide, about a half hour hike from Warm Lake had some excellent campsites with sandy pockets sheltered by trees and backed with fabulous views. However after a clear sunrise these views were being encroached by thick dark clouds. The hike along the divide was dry and the route was better defined than any trail we had seen since leaving Surprise Lake. We have never been too keen on exposure and there wasn’t much along this route. Our biggest problem was with the declining visibility, by the time we reached the final ridge it was a complete whiteout. This was a real shame since this peak is very far from our house, this climb is somewhat challenging and the chances we would have to do it again were quite slim. As we neared the summit block we could see tip of Mt. Adams briefly as it flashed between patches of clouds. Then as we sat upon the true summit (ignore the one you can see along the route and the first of the twin summit blocks) the clouds began to dissipate. Eventually we had crystal clear skies and those magnificent views of Adams, Helens & Rainier that we had come to see. All we can say is GO, IT ROCKS!

Happy Hiking

[Mike Collins]

I have fond memories of Curtis Gilbert and swimming in Warm Lake. We camped up on the ridge along the SE flank of Curtis Gilbert. The sandy soil you noticed has Mole Crickets (Family Gryllidae) living there. It was my first encounter with this most unusual insect. The Mole Cricket is noteworthy for amoung insects it is seldom seen as it is nocturnal and emerges at night to forage.

[David¹]

Just experimenting...

[David¹]

Thanks for the compliment - we really appreciate it. BTW - wait until you see where we go this weekend - I swear we are insane....