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MountainMan Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 365 | TRs | Pics Location: San Diego |
Last Saturday we headed up to Duncan Hill which at 7819' is more of a mountain than a hill. We had seen it from our Crow Hill and Pyramid Mtn trips a few weeks ago. It's really two hills side by side making it easy to spot.
Glacier and Duncan Hill. Duncan Hill
Anyway, after noticing it on our previous trips, we really wanted to go there, so we checked the map, did a little research and learned that it has a trail all the way to the top. There are actually two routes. We chose the ridge route which is slightly shorter and has less gain. There is also the Anthem Creek route which you can see on Wildernessed's trip report.
Our Route:
Duncan Hill
~12.5miles (with shorcut)
~3000' gain
This seems to be a less popular area, possibly due to its location. You go up the Entiat River Rd about 35 miles until it becomes FR 51. Continue past North Fork CG, turn right on FR 5608 and follow that for another 6 miles to the TH. Due to the long drive and length of the hike, we left Issaquah just after 5am, super early (for us)! About 4 hrs later we reached the deserted TH and headed up. We didn't see anybody else all day!
TH sign BC at the TH.
The trail is in excellent condition and climbs gradually through a nice pine and larch forest.
BC on the trail Gentian about to bloom
Along the way, there are a few views from the trail:
Pyramid Mtn from Duncan Hill Trail. Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail. Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail.
We saw lots of chipmunks and birds including this guy:
Then we came across a Ptarmigan and its babies. She didn't seem scared of us:
Ptarmigan Ptarmigan Ptarmigan Baby Ptarmigan
We also saw some bear signs:
Bear print
Eventually we reached a meadowy area with a stream and got our first view of Duncan:
BC in a meadow Part of Duncan Creek First view of Duncan
A little further on, the trail climbs out of the forest and the views start to open up:
Looking up at Duncan Hill Zoom of Duncan Hill summit Devils Smokestack Zoom of Devils Smokestack
We continued around the base of Duncan. More views Here:
BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill Glacier Pk Gentian
The trail goes a little past the south "hill" (highest point) then cuts back up to the summit. It seems a little roundabout, but pretty soon we made it to the summit and had lunch while enjoying the awesome views! There used to be a lookout and it appears that everthing was burned when they tore it down:
BC on the summit! BC and MM on Duncan Hill Part of the foundation for the old lookout Remains of the lookout
With the Chelan Mountains to the east and the Entiat Mountains to the west, the views almost completely surround you. This is my first attempt at splicing together pics for a pano, so it's maybe a little less than perfect, but it gives you a good idea of what the views are like:
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 1
Duncan Hill Summit pano 2
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 3
Here are some zooms of nearby peaks:
Pinnacle Mtn.? (middle) Gopher Mtn, Saska Pk and Emerald Pk? Emerald Pk? Cardinal Pk.? Pyramid Mtn.
From the summit we could see that it was much more direct to go straight down the ridge and pick up the trail lower down, so we headed down that way probably cutting off at least .75 mile from our trip down. The ridge was rocky, but not too steep or sketchy, so we wondered why they never built a trail that way. On the way down we saw two more Ptarmigans and also here's a shot looking back up the ridge route:
Ptarmigan Young Ptarmigan Looking back up the ridge we came down
On the way down we saw yet more Chipmunks and a Spruce Grouse:
Chipmunk Chipmunk Male Spruce Grouse Male Spruce Grouse
Finally, we made it back down to the car, tired, but happy after such a nice trip. We made ourselves a quick dinner and headed down the road to FR 5800 to camp for the night and prepare for Carne Mtn the next day.
All my pictures here.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:40 pm
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Two points. That chipmunk is not bloated. One of your two identical packs looks kind of ghosty.
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MountainMan Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 365 | TRs | Pics Location: San Diego |
Did I say it was bloated? The double pack thing happened when I changed position slightly for the last picture which kept it from matching up with the previous one in the closeup view.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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gone Member
Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 1051 | TRs | Pics
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gone
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:53 pm
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Wow, great timing - I was just investigating this hike last night! I had seen wildernessed's report, but TOPO! showed a trail on the ridge and I was wondering how it might be accessed. It's great to learn there's a road leading to an actual trailhead there. Also interesting to learn there was a lookout there, too. Thanks!
Btw, was there water on the ridge - Duncan Creek still running?
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MountainMan Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 365 | TRs | Pics Location: San Diego |
You're welcome. There is water on the ridge at Duncan Creek. We filtered there on the way back. One of my pictures shows part of Duncan Creek. I just relabeled it to be more clear.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Tazz Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7902 | TRs | Pics
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Tazz
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:14 pm
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the ptarmagan you saw are.
white tailed ptarmagan the first shots you got are of a male. the bottom ones are a female. they live above tree line in the rocks just like you found them.
the black chicken...mmmm chicken...
oh wait, i was saying... that is a male spruce grouse
they inhabit the forest. They are the ones you hear whumping in the hills all spring. they puff up really cool to impress the gals. they can also be aggressive during the whumping time...
now they are both in the same family but different species.
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
There are a a lot of good trips back in there and your off the beaten path. Very nice views .
Living in the Anthropocene
Living in the Anthropocene
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Kim Brown Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 6900 | TRs | Pics
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MountainMan - the blue flower is a gentian - it's among the latest to bloom. When you see a gentian, summer blooms are at an end. They're such a pretty flower - when in a bud, sometimes they're so dark that they're black!
Rather than dismantle lookout buildings, the FS burned them - that why you see blobs of melted glass, or burnt nails, etc. laying around.
Looks like a nice trip.
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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MountainMan Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 365 | TRs | Pics Location: San Diego |
Tazz - Thanks for the info. I was thinking the bottom one was the male Ptarmigan; I'll update the labels. He was definitely puffing up and trying to show off as you can see in the picture.
Kim - Thanks, I was wondering what kind of flower that was. Yeah, it makes sense that they would burn the lookouts, but this one seemed especially messy. There was also a lot of old trash, rusted cans and such, laying around. I guess no one has ever tried to clean it up.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Bloated Chipmunk Cock Rock Searcher
Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 2993 | TRs | Pics Location: Margaritaville |
Big thanks to MM for doing the TR this time. Sometimes it's nice to have a break!!
Here are my pics from the hike:
Falling down TH sign Funny drawing Another drawing MM on the trail Funky tree Nice trail Pyramid Mtn. More peaks... Tree bulge Ptarmigan Ptarmigan MM in a meadowy area Duncan Hill is in sight Devil's Smokestack Views west Cliffs Looking back down the valley Lonely snag The summit Trail Views west Latter part of trail is a little eroded Almost there... Views from on top Summit views Summit views Summit views Summit views Summit views Glacier Pk. Lotsa pks. Looking west Pyramid to the east MM on top Sunning herself Heading back down Chipmunk Filtering water Another cutie in the woods Face
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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Kim Brown Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 6900 | TRs | Pics
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MountainMan - The peak time the lookouts were destroyed was the late 1960s and early 1970s. But I find old garbage as well - cans and bottles - but it might be only one can, or one bottle, half-buried, or under brush, not big piles of it all over the summit like what you saw. I like to see if I can find outbuilding remains. I guess those weren't always destroyed, but fall apart on their own. What hikers didn't burn for firewood can still be laying around.
bozo once found a newspaper from the 1950s stuffed under some rocks on a lookout site.
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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bgs8379 Member
Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 49 | TRs | Pics
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bgs8379
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:04 pm
duncan hill
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Can you get a dirtbike up there? did see any up there?
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MountainMan Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 365 | TRs | Pics Location: San Diego |
We saw some faint signs of dirtbikes. Thankfully, whoever it was always stayed on the uphill side of the trail and avoided making any ruts in the middle of the trail, which was much appreciated.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Mike E. Member
Joined: 13 Sep 2002 Posts: 687 | TRs | Pics Location: Mount Vernon |
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Mike E.
Member
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:43 pm
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Kim Brown wrote: | I like to see if I can find outbuilding remains. I guess those weren't always destroyed, but fall apart on their own. What hikers didn't burn for firewood can still be laying around. |
Duncan Hill used to have an outhouse hidden in the small pines below the summit. The roof had blown off years ago, but the rest was intact and in O.K. shape. These were taken 5 years ago...not sure if that little building still remains.
Facilities_DH1 Facilities_DH2
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Bloated Chipmunk Cock Rock Searcher
Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 2993 | TRs | Pics Location: Margaritaville |
I looked for a pisser while we were there but found none, so maybe the whole thing blew away @ some point.
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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