[Beave]

Funny how a bit of stormy weather can provide some extra adventure to even the tamest of trips. I had been saving Haystack Mtn for a day just like today. Being such a short trip and so close to the greater Seattle area, you can bang this one out quick in the worst of weather and still get home and get other things accomplished. Driving US-2 could have been mistaken for river-rafting this Saturday. After hydro-planing down the highway I turned off on FSR 62 and began the gradual climb into the upper reaches of the Proctor Creek drainage. After several miles of decent road, I crossed the raging Proctor Creek on a sturdy concrete bridge and parked at the gated spur road immediately afterwards. Knowing what I was in for, I sucked it up and opened my door, only to be partly drenched before I could even complete the donning of rain gear. This trip brought back memories from a trip to Frozen Mtn with Mike C. about 4 years ago. Same road, same rainy conditions. The road starts out on a gradual descent before it begins to climb. The usual hodge-podge of old and new, on-the-map and not-on-the-map roads were encountered but the way always seemed obvious to me. All the roadside drainages were surging with the moderate-to-heavy rainfall and I was soaked from head to toe in minutes. I reached a small pass around 2100’ and took the right fork which climbed through a clear-cut. Soon after this turn, my objective was visible through the haze. I was happy to see that the summit was an actual rock formation of sorts and not just some Hancocks Comb look-alike. Unfortunately, my camera had already decided that the rain and wind were too much and thus, no picture of the summit on the approach. The road progressively deteriorates as one ascends, but the worst it becomes is grassy and strewn with downed branches. I followed it CCW until on the W side of the mountain. Here the road ends and one must enter a jungle of salal bushes. The W ridge is pretty subtle with only a couple mossy rock steps. After about 200’ of gain you’re on top. I imagine views to local peaks and towns would actually be pretty good on a nicer day. All I could see was sideways rain and the road leading up from the 2100’ pass. After discovering a new combination of settings and key-strokes, I made my camera limp-out a couple pics and was on my way back down. The rain and wind stepped up a notch on the return trip, and upon returning to my truck, the trees were swaying and creaking pretty fiercely while I rushed to get changed into dry clothes and get the heck outta dodge!! Driving down the road, I watched as the roadside giants leaned heavily from side-to-side. “Hey, maybe the first real storm of the season ISN’T such a good day to get out? I could easily become trapped on this road if trees start falling”. Of course, after I realized this I rounded a corner to find a tree that had fallen over the road. Fortunately, it broke into just the right length/ heighth pieces and I had just enough ground clearance to drive right over it. A couple corners later, “uh-oh”. This tree was a different story. It fell, spanning the entire road and then some. It did not break, and I wasn’t going to be able to drive over it. I backed up into a clearer area and parked. Out from the backseat came the handsaw and gloves. I entered the area, still leery of the gusting winds, and analyzed the situation. The tree itself could be driven over in a high-clearance vehicle, thought it would be a show-stopper for anything less. The main problem for my rig was the abundance of 2-4” thick branches, sticking upright 2-4’ from the tree. After finding the easiest line thought the tree, I began aggressively sawing a path perpendicular to the angle of the fallen tree, which itself was angled over the road. 10 minutes of that had carved me a meager path to freedom. I got back in the truck and dropped to 4L. I had to drive in the soggy shoulder to get the right approach angle. Once the front tires met the log, things felt a bit mushy so I kicked the locker on and with a jolt of authority and snapping wood, I was free. Whew. All hail the mighty hand-saw. 8 miles RT, 1700’ gain, 2 hrs car-to-car (I rode my mtn bike 90% of the way)

[GeoHiker]

Great job with the report and pics. Even an easy simple hike can turn into a fun day to remember when the weather goes south. Some of my fav hikes were in storms. Tomorrow should be a good day....

[Stefan]

That's your saw? Dude! You need a bigger saw. Or bring an axe. Hell, I have seen your car. Next time, get some chains, rap the chains around the tree, tie the chains to your car, and pull the tree outta the way!

[Beave]

That little saw saved my bacon, Stefan!! I used to carry an arsenal of tools in my old truck, but ever since it was broken into and all my trailhead tools were stolen, I've never really restocked. And yeah, pulling the tree would have been ideal, but the way it fell wedged it in between other trees on both sides of the road. If I would have had my old rig I probably would have driven right through!!! That was a true peak-baggin' truck =(

[derekwayne]

NICE truck DUDE

[wildernessed]

[sarbar]

Nice ARB