Forum Index > Trip Reports > High Pass - 8/7/04
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
peppersteak'n'ale
Member
Member


Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 1996 | TRs | Pics
peppersteak'n'ale
Member
PostMon Aug 09, 2004 1:26 am 
On Saturday I decided to go up to High Pass, which is near Mt. Baker and not too far from Yellow Aster Butte. I reached the trailhead by going up Twin Lakes Road to the end. The road is only accessible by high clearance vehicles beyond the Tomyhoi Lake TH, so if you want to become a roadblock, split open your oil pan and p*ss off a bunch of local fisherman, take your car up this road, otherwise, park at the TL trailhead and hoof the 2.5 miles to the lakes. After about a mile of driving the bouldery streambed, .....er... I mean road, I decided to ditch the rig myself and walk the rest of the way. I figured, at the rate I was driving, walking would be faster. Not five minutes into my walk, a young family in a circa 1978 open-backed Chevy Blazer pulled up and asked me if I wanted a lift. I almost declined, but given that it was almost 11:00 AM and I wanted to be started on my hike already, I hopped in back along with their fishing gear and off we went. The road switchbacked steeply to the lakes and all the while I was taking in the views, having my face licked by a puppy dog and being told by two children how much easier it was to drive to the lakes than to walk..........ah, the wisdom. We reached the lakes shortly after 11:00 AM and I hopped out of the truck, forgetting my trekking poles in the interim. Just as I started my hike, someone called out asking if I wanted my hiking poles. Sure, I said, I guess they might be useful.............. The trail begins behind the second lake and immediately starts climbing through wildflowers until it crests a ridge, where more wildflowers and stunning views of local 7,000-foot and higher peaks are visible. The first mile or so of trail is very moderate, almost level, going through relentless wildflowers and more great views of local peaks cloaked in places by patches of low clouds and fog. At about 1 mile, a series of steep switchbacks begins, climbing up a gully through more wildflowers and gaining a few hundred vertical feet before leveling off. I noticed some strange tracks in the trail, but couldn't determine if they were bootprints or if they were made by some kind of animal hmmm.gif Above the switchbacks, the trail turned into heathery meadows at which point the slopes of Mt. Larrabee came into view. Looking downslope and several hundred feet away, I noticed a large brown animal wandering through the meadows. A few seconds later I determined it was a light-colored black bear with a cinnamon stripe along it's back and watched it for a little while. Shortly after, the bear turned it's head and looked right at me. Dang, I've been found! paranoid.gif I pretended not to see the bear and continued up the trail until I ducked behind some trees and could watch the bear again. The bear returned to it's browsing and I watched for a few minutes more until it detected me again. I moved a little ways down the trail, ignoring the bear as I went and it soon returned to it's business of meadow-browsing, eventually ducking behind some trees for cover. We played hide and seek for another 10 minutes until the bear finally made it's way down a lush, green gully and I went up and over a ridge, never to see it again. At 6,000 feet I reached the base of Mt. Larrabee where it started raining and the views disappeared, so I decided to turn around here and make my way back to the trailhead, spotting a couple of marmots before I got there. Back at the trailhead I continued to walk the 1.5 miles back to my truck, passing through more wildflower meadows and views of a scenic waterfall across the valley. Overall, this was not a bad hike with the worst part being getting to the trailhead itself. I'll definitely be back again, only next time during better weather where I can go a little further up the slopes of Mt. Larrabee, hopefully catching some better views and maybe even summitting the mountain.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Bushwacker
Comfortable



Joined: 28 Jun 2002
Posts: 834 | TRs | Pics
Location: Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand
Bushwacker
Comfortable
PostTue Aug 10, 2004 12:11 am 
Sounds like a good trip, even considering the weather. And you had a friendly bear encounter. up.gif up.gif That all by itself makes it worthwhile. agree.gif BW

"Wait by the river long enough and the bodies of your enemies will float by"...Sun Tsu
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trip Reports > High Pass - 8/7/04
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum