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Schmidt Alti-Dude 4th class poster
Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 1361 | TRs | Pics Location: Looking for Adventure 201! |
Mark has been a little busy since the hike so I volunteered to write the trip report.
TNAB tackled Mount Si via the "old trail" this Thursday. Twelve hikers; Mesachie Mark, Peggy, Steve the phantom hiker, ewb, Magnum, Wes, weekendbiped, yukon222, mountainsun, twodogdad, Schmidt Alti-Babe, and I along with five canines; Cubby, Boone, Dox, Rowena, and Kiefer, left the parking lot about 6PM. We attacked the 3600' elevation gain aggressively and it was bare for about two thirds of the way up. Snow was never deep enough to need snowshoes but some yaktrax or other traction device would of come in handy (I know I'm not the only one who slipped at least once). The lead pack (Peggy, yukon, 'Babe, Row, Kief, and Cub) made to the base of the Haystack in 93 minutes. The rest of us were not far behind. Awaiting us was Larry and his canine companion, Digger. Views of the sun setting behind Seattle were spectacular and many of us commented that this was the best weather we'd ever experienced on Si even if the wind was bone chilling. The wind made sure we didn't linger too long so after a bit of shutter delay we headed back needing the headlamps for about half the trail. We arrived at the parking lot at 9:30 and headed our separate ways towards warm food and hot showers.
Here is my usual panoramania for you to enjoy:
Looking south toward I-90 Looking towards Seattle Looking towards Seatte #2 (sorry for the photoshop seams) Snoqualmie River and North Bend below
Anything stated by me in no way reflects the attitudes or opinions of my wife
Anything stated by me in no way reflects the attitudes or opinions of my wife
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EastKing Surfing and Hiking
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 2082 | TRs | Pics Location: 77 miles from Seattle! |
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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
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Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:06 pm
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93 minutes in snow. WOW!! Good going. Hopefully soon I can join you on the climbs soon, though I might arrive 30 minutes to an hour early.
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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Schmidt Alti-Babe The Ice Queen
Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 606 | TRs | Pics Location: Buried by backlogged pictures |
A fun and memorable TNAB. It was also a little nostalgic; this was the first TNAB Team Schmidt Altitude ever did when we went last year. After the wet slog up Dirty Harry's last week, it was nice to have partially clear conditions. We started out at a brisk pace, so I focused on keeping up, but soon, my lungs were burning and protesting. This sounds perfectly normal, right? Well, while I expect a little burn in the lungs due to exertion, I usually don't find it to be pounding and constricting. I pushed on, thinking, didn't we cover this being out of hiking shape thing a couple of months back? Well, when the same thing happened this weekend, only worse, add coughing and a sore throat, it hit me that I've probably been battling some sort of bronchial/chest cold. I'm hoping to be ready to hike again - and that better be soon, body. Got that?
Extreme snow Whippets! This Year TNAB Mt. Si Last Year TNAB Mt. Si (Photo Adrewzki) By the Haystack Sunset start Sunset over Seattle Seattle's rosy glow Icy fingers It must be warmer in here, if only I could fit! Awash in color Who me? I wouldn't cause trouble!
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
Member
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Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:29 pm
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twodogdad Member
Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 846 | TRs | Pics Location: seattle |
Memorable, yes: no dogs lost, this year. Speaking of burning lungs: I want to pay tribute to Cubby. I could hear him rasping behind me two-thirds of the way up but down the stretch he put me (and others) to shame. Good luck this week, Nabbers. I'll rejoin you in May. 2dd
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GeoTom Member
Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 3215 | TRs | Pics Location: Earth |
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GeoTom
Member
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:14 am
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Schmidt Alti-Babe wrote: | Who me? I wouldn't cause trouble! |
I have seen this look from my troublemaker, er, dog before.
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Mtn Dog Technohiker
Joined: 01 Aug 2004 Posts: 3336 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellevue, WA |
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Mtn Dog
Technohiker
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:38 am
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Nice zoom on Seattle - Wow!
Footprints on the sands of time will never be made sitting down.
Footprints on the sands of time will never be made sitting down.
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wamtngal Member
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 2382 | TRs | Pics Location: somewhere |
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wamtngal
Member
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:41 am
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Schmidt Alti-Babe wrote: | This Year TNAB Mt. Si Last Year TNAB Mt. Si (Photo Adrewzki) |
The comparison makes me very sad....c'mon sun, c'mon!
Hope you feel better, Tisha!
Opinions expressed here are my own.
Opinions expressed here are my own.
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mntsun Wunderer
Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 206 | TRs | Pics Location: Squaresville |
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mntsun
Wunderer
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:27 am
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Last spring my dream was to run up Si by the old trail with TNAB in around 90 minutes (minus snow) in April. Thank you TNAB for turning my Thursday hiking dreams and painful Friday mornings into reality .
The sunset pictures are really good, thanks for sharing.
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yukon222 Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
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yukon222
Member
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:07 am
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Fun, fun trip blasting up the Old Trail. A pano from the summit
tnab mt si pano
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weekendbiped Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 9 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
As mentioned by others, probably the best weather I've seen on Si. I can see I'm going to have to shape up a bit in order to keep up with the practically-a-jog TNAB pace (all while holding a conversation, to add to it).
I'm unfortunately out for the next few weeks, but I'm looking forward to joining you guys again late next month!
Justin
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meandmyaussies Member
Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 182 | TRs | Pics Location: The Quah |
Great pics everyone - sounds like a good time was had by all once again. Anyone know what's on tap for this week?
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
Member
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:39 pm
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Lake Annette!
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meandmyaussies Member
Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 182 | TRs | Pics Location: The Quah |
Yet wrote: | Lake Annette! |
Mum's the word then...
I like Harvey Manning's comment on that route: "A super-popular subalpine lakelet below cliffs and talus of Albiel Peak, ringed by open forest and masses of humanity, much of it very young. For quiet walking, try early summer or late fall in the middle of the week in a storm."
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gone Member
Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 1051 | TRs | Pics
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gone
Member
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Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:07 pm
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What a great hike! You guys are so fast! I actually kept up with Mark and Wes a bit, even conversed a little before the panting took over, but eventually stepped aside. Then Phantom (who I mistakenly referred to as John more than once because I'm an idiot - sorry Steve!) caught me at a blistering pace just after the Boulder Garden Loop trail, and that was it for TNAB interactions until seeing Troy again in the parking lot. I love the pictures from up top, particularly the sunset panos - just beautiful!
I knew I wouldn't make the summit, but looked forward to seeing the old trail for the first time, and I wasn't disappointed. This is my new preferred Mt Si route. It's beautiful, rough, and amazingly varied; like the older, more interesting, trouble-making sibling. And, I'm guessing, probably a lot less crowded than the new trail in the summer.
After losing Mark and Wes I pulled the camera and took some shots. Here's a pano of the trail just after it enters the older, denser woods (note the trail coming up just right of center, and continuing up on the right).
Into the woods on the old trail.
Here's a shot of the cool boulder valley split through which the trail passes.
Into the boulder valley gap.
It's a moss and fern covered canyon with 30-40' rock walls on both sides. Unfortunately, the waning sunlight prevented my point-and-shoot from getting a better pic (that's my excuse anyway). The Boulder Garden Loop trail intersection comes right after this, so I'm guessing there's more of this type of interesting geology to see there. I'll have to come back and check that out sometime.
Rather than worry about the summit, I decided I was going to use the hike to check out the "Northwest Passage" described by Robert DeGraw in his Secrets of Si guidebook from 1995. This is a traverse from the old trail at about 2,200' to snag flats on the new trail. This little used, very subtle trail leaves the old trail below a good sized snag just before the 5th left-hand (west) switchback after leaving North's road (the nearly flat road grade at about 1,970'). There's an old cairn marking the trail's beginning and some flags in the branches near the end, but everything in between is hints and wishes.
Where's the trail?
Along the way there are many interesting sights, including lots of giant burned out cedar stumps, snags galore, and numerous blowdowns and other messes to be crossed. The latter are a little tricky to navigate, but by carefully looking around, the trail can always be spotted exiting somewhere. Eventually, after more down than up, you emerge on the west side of snag flats along what Mr. DeGraw described as "about the longest downed tree we have found on Mt. Si." And he's not kidding, this thing is huge (btw, as Mr. DeGraw suggests, stick to the north side of it if possible, as it's easier to exit from there - I got confused in the snag maze and wound up on the south side, which is a little harder than it has to be).
Unfortunately, after making it to snag flats and the new trail, I realized it was too dark to try a return along the same route, even with my tracking GPS. The trail was just too subtle and I'd have lost it for sure in the light of my headlamp. So, I was left with a descent of the new trail and the remote possibility of a ride from the Mt Si parking lot back to the Little Si parking lot. No joy. Threw my thumb out a few times but didn't get any bites, so wound up walking the road the entire 2 miles.
Old trail to snag flats loop, now with extra road!
When I arrived at the Little Si parking lot I found Mountainsun, who must have made incredible time coming down, and soon after Magnum, then eventually the entire crew. Great hike! I'm still grinning ear-to-ear thinking about that wonderful traverse. Can't wait until Thursday! Thanks for having me along!
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