[Slugman]

Thanks, Dean Brittain! I didn't know of this hike since "100 Hikes in North Cascades" is not yet in my library. What a great early-season backpack! My favorite part is all the giant and super-giant Doug firs. They really float my boat. The creek really does thunder when you are standing on a cliff overlooking a gorge that restricts the river width at about 3 miles in. The peek-a-boo views of Colonial Peak, Neve Glacier, and other high points gave me a taste of the high country. The hike was more difficult than the impression I got from the maps. There is a lot of up and down elevation to this trail. I took Daisy the Yellow Dog along since Tanja is in LA on business. This meant taking my two-man tent since the dog can't join me in my Hennesy Hammock. I grumbled the whole way about the extra 5 pounds this made me carry, not including the dog's pad and blanket. Daisy has a pack which held her food, treats, water for me, and a tennis ball. We left the parking lot at 11 am Monday, a late start as we has to bring Tanja to Sea- Tac airport at 5:30 am to catch her flight. It took us seven hours to reach Mcallister camp at just over six miles. We were visited several times in the evening by huge deer, gray in color with large ears and no tail. One of them took an unnatural interest in Daisy, as if she had lost a fawn and she thought Daisy might be it. I didn't want any interaction between the two, so I chased off the deer by shouting, and called Daisy back when she tried to pursue. I don't think the dog knows how hard a deer could kick if it felt threatened. We were both so tired that we slept for twelve hours, from 9 pm to 9 am. I actually felt better on the return trip, at least after the stiffness wore off. It took us from 1 pm to 6:30 for the return hike. The weather was, as usual, much better than the forecast. Why are the weathermen always so pessimistic? I expected, and got, complete solitude on these two weekdays. The creek crossings were not a problem for a careful person with good boots.

[MCaver]

[Alan Bauer]

Interesting you mentioned that the weather was a nicer than the forecast. There is in fact a small pocket of a rainshadow in that vicinity of the North Cascades and while it can be pouring at Diablo, here is a small area that instead of 80"+ of precip a year only gets 40-50" of precip...Canyon Creek, East Bank Trail, and areas just east of those. I hiked Canyon Creek Trail two years ago on a day when it was pouring all the way from Marblemount to Diablo...and then 3 miles from the trailhead along Hwy 20 it stopped. It was bone dry but for a 2 minute sprinkle all day...even a few sun breaks...and the drive home it was pouring all the way again! While 40" of rainfall is still a lot more than the Teanaways or areas east of Chinook Pass, it is meager vs. the surrounding areas in the North Cascades up there. Fun!

[dean brittain]

Hi Slugman Glad you had a good trip. Wish I would've seen deer. Did you stay in the first camp to the right?

[Slugman]

Dean B.- No, I was exhausted by the time we got to the horse camp, so I decided to camp there, and it was actually pretty nice, with water nearby and some big trees. Tuesday morning, Daisy and I explored further, and then of course I wished we had continued. We did have coffee and breakfast at that camp, at least I had coffee and Daisy had her usual kibble and bark from a stick. I wonder if the mule deer were attracted to the horse camp for some reason, like salt from horse urine or something. MCaver- the Fourth of July trail is only about 1 1/2 miles from the trailhead, slightly farther right now with the campground closed. There is a cliffy section about 2 1/4 miles in, just before the crossing of the creek that comes from Panther Potholes, and the place I was thinking of can be seen on the topo map at about 3.8 miles. The river is constricted by two humps on either side, just by the indefinite boundary between Whatcom and Skagit Counties. I couldn't swear which place was the thundery one, but I think it was the further-in one. Anyone- I heard, when near-ish to the lake, on the way in and out, a sound like someone trying to start an old Harley, and it sputtered for a few seconds and then died. The same exact pattern was repeated over and over, and I became convinced that it was some kind of bird call. What kind of bird makes a thumping sound that starts slow, speeds up, and then dies out?

[Sore Feet]

Damn, I really wanna do this trail now. This thundering spot has my curiosuty piqued. Based on what I've gotten from my pillaging for waterfall stuff, Thunder Creek Falls is apparently located somewhere between the 3 1/2 mile mark and the 5 mile mark, so that's probably what you heard.

[Ice Girl]

According to my book there is three falls on the trail, one after Tricouni camp, then one right after the divide between Thunder Basin and Skagit Queen watersheds, (this being the only one mentioned in the book), and is 13.3 miles in, right before Skagit Queen camp. Then there is one right before the last set of switch backs before Park Pass. i am not sure which one you are talking about. Maybe the first one, but the second one is said to be impressive, by the book. Ice Girl

[Slugman]

Well, there weren't any actual falls that I could see, but the water was rushing and rumbling through a tight place. The whole land and air around me seemed to be vibrating, like I was at the airport and a plane was taking off. It did sound like thunder rolling and rolling. There is a rock ledge next to the trail, and further ledges down a bit towards the gorge, and maybe a view down to the river from the lowest ledge, but I didn't trek down to see because of the dog. I don't let her get too close to cliffs, and I rigidly enforce the "stay on the trail" rule with her. Before I got a dog, I saw too many other people letting their dogs trample and chew up meadows, cut switchbacks, etc. I vowed that I would not allow this with my dog. It has proven surprisingly easy, as Daisy has a natural urge to please, and all I had to do was make my desire understood by her. I hike on weekdays and avoid crowded places, so I usually let her off leash, therefore it is important that she follow the same trail ettiquette as a rule-obeying person would. She also wears a full harness, and if I hear or see someone coming, I call her to me and hold her 'till they pass, since others don't know how friendly she is. P.S.- If you try to log in to this site, and you keep being told you have an invalid password or username, check that you haven't hit the Caps Lock button by mistake.

[Tom]

[marcrew]

I have been on this trail several times but I never thought of it as a good winter hike. I now have another place to go when the mountains are covered in snow. A couple of years ago I went to Mcallister camp. This year I would like to make it farther. Maybe to the pass.

[Larry]

The Fisher Creek area, a tributary of Thunder Creek, is another beautiful valley. One of the finer traverses I've done in the Cascades (uhhh...20 years ago, at least) was the Red Mountain to Easy Pass traverse via Ragged Ridge. The areas around the Katsuk Glacier and Mesahchie Glacier are just awesome.