Forum Index > Trip Reports > Blewett pass, Stevens pass snowshoe trip, 11-22 to 11-23-03
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostMon Nov 24, 2003 3:41 pm 
My plan "A", to snowshoe around Blewett pass, was a disaster, but plan"B" worked out OK. I packed everything up on Friday night and took the dog to work Saturday, and left for Blewett pass right after work at 6:30 pm. We got to Blewett sno-park at 9:30, and converted the Subaru wagon to a motorhome by moving everything to the front seats and flipping down the rear seats. The cold was the crispy kind of cold, where everything feels like it's made of glass. The stars were ultra-bright. Too bad there was hardly any snow! The dog and I slept comfortably on our full-size futon with two sleeping bags, only to be awoken at 8 am by the arrival of a couple dozen diesel pickup trucks pulling about five snowmobiles each, or so it seemed. The smell and noise was incredible. I couldn't figure out which was worse, the diesel smoke from the idling pickups, or the burnt-oil smoke of the two-cylinder snowmobiles. Coupled with the three-inch snow cover, this made doing a trip here unfeasable. Never fear, plan "B" is here! Breakfast in Leavenworth, pastries at the Bavarian bakery (yum!), and on to Stevens pass, where the snow was beaucoup deep and fluffy. The Seahawks had an unassailable lead ( lol.gif ), so the dog and I headed out into the snow for some fun around noon. We eschewed the PCT for the straight woods by going above the power station to enter the woods. There were a few tracks, but we soon headed off on our own, paralleling the PCT northbound as it contours the ridge towards Nason creek. We made it as far as the turn to the west at Nason, and then impending darkness made us return. I descended to the PCT by a series of controlled falls and slips, then was unable to re-ascend to the woods above by the steep grade, despite several attempts. We headed back via the PCT, trying, but not always succeding, to stay off the x-country ski tracks. The snow was so deep and powdery as to make the going very slow and difficult. The whole area is much more beautiful in the snow than in the summer. It's funny how a place not good enough for a hike in summer is fantastic as a snowshoe area! We made it back to the car right at dusk, about 4:20. Four hours plus to go three miles, but I felt like we worked hard to do that much. The campout at Blewett in single-digit temperatures turned out to have been wasted, but it was still fun. A warm and fuzzy dog sure helps! Next time I will try harder to assertain the snow depth before driving 110 miles to go snowshoeing! doh.gif lol.gif

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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
PostTue Nov 25, 2003 3:28 pm 
Quote:
two-cylinder snowmobiles
You mean two STROKE (read two cycle) engine snow machines. Glad you had a good time. TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 16874 | TRs | Pics
Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostTue Nov 25, 2003 6:20 pm 
Correct. If they had two cylinders, it was a coincidence. The snow machines weren't really the problem. I would have gone off by myself somewhere and been fine if there had been enough snow. I also expected the machines, since it was Sunday and the first chance of the year for many people to go. I plan to return there later this winter, when snow is high and snowmobile traffic is low, like a Monday or Tuesday in February. To steal from Monty Python, "That's plannin', isn't it? Forethought". lol.gif Thanks Joe for the good wishes. headrub.gif

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Mike E.
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Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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Location: Mount Vernon
Mike E.
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PostWed Nov 26, 2003 4:20 pm 
Slugman, I snowshoe up there a lot and if I were you, I'd just plan on parking at one of the next two pullouts north, past the summit of the Blewett Pass. The logging roads there go up past Tronsen Meadow and, if you're up for a long day, could even take you up to Haney Meadow or Tronsen Ridge. The roads on the north side of the pass are closed to motorized traffic and you can hardly hear the snowmobiles. Other good spots on that pass are 5 Mile Road and King Creek road. If you get down to the bottom of the pass you could also try Hansel Creek Road which starts about a hundred yards from the Ingalls Creek Trailhead on the right. All of these spots are great snowshoeing since they get little to no snowmobile traffic and have good elevation gains with nice views.

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostWed Nov 26, 2003 8:19 pm 
Thanks, Mike. I did see a couple of cars parked at the end of a road just past the pass. I'll have to check that out. biggrin.gif

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