Forum Index > Trip Reports > Whipped by Wind and Rain on Web Mountain
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Schmidt Altitude
Whippet Entourage



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Posts: 803 | TRs | Pics
Location: The Quah
Schmidt Altitude
Whippet Entourage
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 12:45 pm 
Dates: Saturday, November 1st Crew: Yana, dicey, yukon222, Schmidt Altitude (Babe, Row, Kief, Dude) Summit: Web Mountain (a.k.a. Middle Defiance), 5335’ Hiking Stats: ~4150' feet gained, ~8 miles round trip, 6 hours 22 minutes References: dicey’s 2007 trip report, gabrielx's trip report at yellowleaf.org Note: Some trip reports on this and other sites have incorrectly referred to Web Mountain as West Defiance Peak. West Defiance is actually Point 4926, located .42 miles SE of Mailbox Peak, also known as Dirtybox since it lies between Mailbox and Dirty Harry's Peaks.
Paved roads are extreme!
Paved roads are extreme!
The hair is still curly from last night's costume
The hair is still curly from last night's costume
Dude savors the I-90 views
Dude savors the I-90 views
The weather forecast was all doom and gloom last weekend so we opted for a shorter hike along the I-90 corridor. After partying it up on Halloween we slept in on Saturday and then met up at the parking area just outside the gate to the Fire Training Academy off I-90 exit 38 at 10:00AM. Although none of us has ever seen the gate locked we just couldn’t bring ourselves to risk driving all the way to the “trailhead”. We walked the paved road less than a mile before starting up the Dirty Harry’s trail/old logging road. A couple of hundred feet before Museum Creek we left the main trail and took a faint climbers path on the right side of the trail. We’re glad dicey and Yana had been here before because we’d probably missed it even if we were looking for it.
Climbing by the interesting rock formations
Climbing by the interesting rock formations
Carefull, the wet rocks are slick!
Carefull, the wet rocks are slick!
View south from the windy, rainy ridge
4 labels
View south from the windy, rainy ridge
A wind whipped Babe and McClellan Butte
A wind whipped Babe and McClellan Butte
The climber path climbs steeply up (isn’t that the definition of a climbers path) until it gains the west ridge leading to the summit. The route then follows the crest of the ridge through, over, and around a jumble of rocks. At about 5000’ feet we broke free of the trees and could see the summit plus Putrid Pete’s Peak and Defiance off to the east. South of us was Kent, McClellan Butte, & Mount Washington and Dirty Harry’s Peak was immediately to the west. Breaking free of the trees also meant that we experienced the full force of the 30-40 m.p.h. winds and the occasional wind driven rain.
We could do without this wind, though
We could do without this wind, though
Yana with the summit in the distance (Putrid Pete's Peak off to right)
Yana with the summit in the distance (Putrid Pete's Peak off to right)
Dicey and McClellan Butte
Dicey and McClellan Butte
Just as we made it to the summit a bald eagle flew by just north of us above Spider Lake which is always a cool sight to see. You don't get to look down on an eagle very often. We huddled in the rocks trying to hide from the wind as we shared our leftover Halloween candy and other snacks. We didn’t find a register but then again, we weren’t looking too hard in those conditions.
Getting around/over these rocks was the hardest part of the climb
Getting around/over these rocks was the hardest part of the climb
Yana and Kiefer are almost there
Yana and Kiefer are almost there
Babe touches the top
Babe touches the top
Instead of the ridge route we took the tarn route back down. At about 5200’ we dropped off the ridge into the basin just north of the ridge and made our way to the tarn on the map. The path is quite well trod and it was nice to be out of the wind. The path connects with the Dirty Harry’s road at the big switchback at the base of the boulder field. From there it was pounding trail as fast as we could to get back to the car since Yana and dicey had a dinner engagement at 6 in Seattle.
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
In the forest and out of the wind
In the forest and out of the wind
Dirty-Web Tarn
Dirty-Web Tarn

"Forest 101: These big wood stick things are called trees. The big rocks are called mountains, and the little rocks are their babies." Elliott from Open Season
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yukon222
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Joined: 12 Mar 2007
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yukon222
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 12:46 pm 
It is official. Hiking in November now so all thoughts of warm dry hikes have vanished from my head. Expected plenty of wind on the high 5000'+ ridgeline. Fortunately, most of the rain waited to pelt us until after we arrived at the small summit area. Very nice bonus to see a bald eagle soar by 75yds away, working the wind currents effortlessly. The rocks on the ridgeline are mostly Class 2, perhaps a few brief spots of low Class 3. The rock is slick though, even when mostly dry. And with the slabs tilting out/down, had to be cautious in a few spots. Even with the rain and high winds, a fun way to explore more of the high ridges outside of North Bend.

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GeoTom
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 12:48 pm 
Schmidt Altitude wrote:
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
I hope Old Blue* is under that yellow jacket. *Not sure if you have given that shirt a name yet, so I gave it one.

Knows literally nothing
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Go Jo
of the lykkens



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
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Location: Around The Bend
Go Jo
of the lykkens
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 1:36 pm 
Schmidt Altitude wrote:
The climber path climbs steeply up (isn’t that the definition of a climbers path) until it gains the west ridge leading to the summit.
The climber path climbs steeply up (isn’t that the definition of a climbers path) until it gains the west ridge leading to the summit.
I assume the words "gradual elevation gain" do not appear in the Schmidt & Co dictionary embarassedlaugh.gif Glad to hear that the rain held off until you had gained the summit ~Jo

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meandmyaussies
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meandmyaussies
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 4:01 pm 
Looks like a fun trip - glad you got out on a more or less crappy day. Been there via PPP but it's on my list to get there from the west more or less in the way you guys did it. I was up on Squak Mtn Saturday also trying to squeek one in before the weather hit. On the way back I had just been thinking to myself that the winds felt strong enough to bring down a tree when one fell right across the trail about 50 feet or so in front of me and the pups. Good job with the pics - it's hard to get good shots when the wind is blowing so hard.
yukon222 wrote:
p.s. I don't think there is a summit register up there but there is a geocache in the east crease of the summit block. The register for Web seems to be on PPP but that's another story entirely... smile.gif

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E's Mom
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E's Mom
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 8:32 pm 
I am continuously impressed with those Whippets! I don't know much about the breed, but are they unusually agile dogs? Personally, I would be scared to take our dog (an English Setter) on some of those rocks I see your Whippets scrambling up. Maybe I just worry excessively and dogs are actually better suited for climbing than their adult companions?

"I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1
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wamtngal
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wamtngal
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 8:43 pm 
GeoTom wrote:
Schmidt Altitude wrote:
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
This weather finally had Dude wearing some clothes
I hope Old Blue* is under that yellow jacket. *Not sure if you have given that shirt a name yet, so I gave it one.
lol.gif If that shirt ever disappears from Dude's wardrobe, I'm not sure what people would do. Chaos would ensue, I'd bet. Old Blue, I like it.

Opinions expressed here are my own.
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Schmidt Alti-Dude
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Schmidt Alti-Dude
4th class poster
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 9:21 pm 
E's Mom wrote:
I am continuously impressed with those Whippets! I don't know much about the breed, but are they unusually agile dogs? Personally, I would be scared to take our dog (an English Setter) on some of those rocks I see your Whippets scrambling up. Maybe I just worry excessively and dogs are actually better suited for climbing than their adult companions?
Whippets are certainly one of the best "athletes" of the dog world. Fast and agile plus their smaller size (30lbs) give them an advantage over heavier dogs. Babe worries about them too but as I always say, they have 4WD and we don't. They do have to be encouraged on exposed sections of the route and they don't do well in cold weather, though.

Anything stated by me in no way reflects the attitudes or opinions of my wife
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Jasper
Cascade Snow Pig



Joined: 13 Apr 2008
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Jasper
Cascade Snow Pig
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 9:37 pm 
Hey! I'm pretty agile too. Border collies consistently win the agility competitions. agree.gif Of course, I am a bit heftier than the whippets (I'm not fat, I'm stout) and my dad isn't strong enough to lift me up like Alti-Dude can to Row and Kief. Maybe he needs to work out more. My extra bulk also helps me in cold weather. embarassedlaugh.gif

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gone
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PostTue Nov 04, 2008 10:49 pm 
Welcome back to the neighborhood! So that's how you get up Web Mountain! up.gif Too many rocks (and wind, apparently), so thanks for sharing the pics and saving me the trip! embarassedlaugh.gif

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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 10:58 pm 
Awesome trip and photos!

YouTube | SummitPost Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostTue Nov 04, 2008 11:12 pm 
Last summer my daughter and I climbed up via the tarn route and tried to come down the ridge. We diverted back to the tarn route on the way down when it started getting hard to get around the rocks (my daughter is not as excited about off-trail scrambling as I am). I think your direction is better and this winter I'll give the ridge another try, but on the way up.
Summit shot looking E toward Snoqualmie Pass
Summit shot looking E toward Snoqualmie Pass
Full pics: http://flickr.com/photos/mvanderbilt/sets/72157606233533972/

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Middle E
no more moustache



Joined: 10 Feb 2008
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Location: Seattle, WA
Middle E
no more moustache
PostWed Nov 05, 2008 10:27 am 
Schmidt Altitude wrote:
We didn’t find a register but then again, we weren’t looking too hard in those conditions.
There was a register there last summer - inside an ammo can tucked down in the big rocks. Far fewer names than the one at Putrid Pete's! I came over from Pete's (having come up via DH Balcony and Connector trails) and then went down the ridge you came up. That was a fun descent... wink.gif

pithy yet insightful signature
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