[jimmymac]

Fairly late into the weekend, I decided to “opt in” to getting out. With the weather forecasted to peak on Monday, it seemed like a quick mountain top visit was in order. Previous reports by EDD and Dicey suggested that there was enough remaining snow to give the Mt Pugh scramble a little spice. WTA trip reports (specifically from fall of 2003) with photo links, already document the route exceptionally well. I would offer the following update: Contrary to some reports, the trail is not washing away at any point. While there is some benign (hemlock, huckleberry) vegetation intrusion, the trail is not “extremely brushy.” All the blowdowns have been logged out. Once you attain Stujack Pass, you switchback up to a south-trending ridge. This narrow ridge leads to the final ascent to Mt Pugh. To the west (right) of the ridge are the brushy rocks of the avalanche slope you crossed on your way up to Stujack Pass. To the east (left), is a broad gully, whose permanent snow gives a hint of the narrow glacier that once filled the space. The trail that switchbacks up from Stujack to the ridge crest has a couple of snow patches that run out to heather and small trees. Not a big deal and it’s almost gone. More significant, is the disappearance of any real snow on the ridge trail as it passes above the steep snow of the east gully. Crossing snow along this steep stretch might be more than a casual hiker would want to deal with. But as of 7/5/04 the trail is clear of snow, except for a patch or two, whose tips actually slope inward. Much of the ridge trail is actually just west of the crest where snow is long gone. But a couple trail segments on the west side deserve a little caution – particularly on the way down – because of loose soil. The slope is just at the point where loss of traction doesn’t seem like it would be an issue. At its south end, the narrow ridge hooks left and ends with a small saddle that connects the ridge to the larger block holding Pugh and a couple of false summits. This notch forms the head of the permanent snow gully. Immediately after crossing the notch the route climbs up though a little niche blasted out of the rock face. This “niche at the notch” is not a big deal, though it looks a little intimidating when viewed from the ridge top. It’s not all that steep. And since it's inserted into the rock face, the route had an almost sheltered feel to it. The niche has been covered by other hikers in previous reports; I mention it here because I have far less experience than some of the previous reporters. And I found this and the other scramble portions to be fairly tame. From the niche to the summit, there remains one, 40-foot snow patch covering the trail. A slide here would be unacceptable. An ice axe is really in order. Or, fully retracted, fully inserted poles would probably provide adequate self-belay for the crossing. In fact, self-belay is probably the best application of an ice axe here as well. IMO, a person would be into the rocks before he or she could make an arrest. A simple workaround for those wary of steep snow would be to bypass the patch altogether on the rocks above. Wildflowers were striking, but not numerous. Bugs were evident but not remarkable. Heather near the top was blooming, creating broad carpets of green with lemon yellow and white speckles. The summit has a fair amount of area and the view is 360. I could see from Baker to Stuart between scattered cumulus clouds. A broken canopy of very thin high clouds extended south to about Stevens Pass. The cloud activity was pretty dynamic. Overall visibility got slightly better by the time I was ready to shove off, but watching the constant change in cloud cover was kind of entertaining. Glacier Peak was doing the dance of the seven veils, but it never cleared off entirely. At least the “Class B” weather and visibility was visited upon a quick day trip and not an overnight stay. Like most lookout sites, the summit of Mt Pugh has adequate space for a sleeping bag or two. I have been known to enjoy the sunset/moonshine/sunrise experience. I could see where Pugh wouldn’t be a bad place to take in a meteor shower. A second, less rocky camp spot is located along the ridge trail. Since I was determined to get the most out of my gasoline investment, I hung out at the summit until my food started running low. Unless I wanted my next meal to be dependent on successful foraging in Darrington at 9 pm, I knew I had better load up and head down. I banked on the assumption that the lower trail would easily accommodate an evening descent, but I actually arrived at the car well before sunset. As a consequence of delaying my departure, I had the opportunity to walk the forest below Lake Metan with the sun at a very low angle. The large trees provided a mostly dark ceiling. Warm light spilled in as it wrapped around 36-inch trunks. The young hemlocks of the under story caught the light and bounced it upslope. It made for a post card scene. Which probably explains why my camera batteries expired at that point. If you're not a serious mountaineer, but would like to taste a little mountain goat action, Mt Pugh isn't a bad place to get a sample.

[bonobo]

Sounds like an interesting trip. Weather-watching is always interesting, at least in my book!

[Edd]

Great trip report, nice details. I also thought because of the space on top that it would be a great place to spend the evening looking at the stars and views, (other than during a thunderstorm). Sounds like the snow covering the switchbacks from the pass to the ridge were almost gone. When I went up you only got a glimpse of the end of a switchback a couple of times. I agree that, it is a good hike for someone with not alot of scrambling or climbing experinence (like myself), to get a feel what it is like without alot of risk. The amount of snow though can make all the difference in the world.

[jimmymac]

[Spotly]

Nice report. Sounds like something I'd like to try if I ever get over that way. How much time should it take up and back for the average Joe (or Jill)?

[jimmymac]

Well that all depends. The EG is 5,300' over 4.7 miles. The lower 2.8 miles involve a well engineered grade, good tread, and shade; it covers 3000 feet. The last water is at 1.5 miles and 3,200'. The upper 1.9 miles is all in the open, more direct, and more rugged; it covers the remaining 2,300 feet. Other than rapidly melting snow it's dry.

[Yana]

Great detailed TR. The early part of the day (well, after the morning clouds dissipated around 10) was actually pretty cloudless, at least from what I could see from Green Mountain, but I guess with a much longer trip like Pugh it'd be hard to get up there in the morning.

[jimmymac]

[Yana]

I did enjoy Green Mountain. We went early, and played tag with a party of two up to the summit, where we met two more people who had camped at the tarns. I thought this was very odd for a holiday Monday for supposedly such a popular trail, but on the way down (mostly through the forest and that initial meadow slope you switchback up) we met FORTY (I counted) people. I'm so glad we went early. I even made up the "gee the weather's not perfect, I'm glad I didn't end up doing Pugh" to make myself feel better, but it only partly worked. ;o)