[Elvis]

Sunday morning I departed amidst mostly meaningless and useless weather forecasts with the intention of doing a bit of hiking.

I had numerous destination possibilities:

Group A: Trails I've started but not completed (way too many of these lately)
or
Group B:  Something completely new to me.

As it turns out, my choice was a hybrid of the two.

After some deep pondering, and singing along with a few INXS favorites driving along a cloudy and damp highway, my vehicle ended up at the Perry Creek Trailhead.

The above link is my trip report from early last winter, just prior to the seasonal MLH gate closure, in the snow.

Today I had visions of visiting the meadows on Mt. Forgotten.  However, with the low lingering clouds all around, I was already realizing my time might be better spent on a different trail today.  I've already seen this territory in the fog... a number of times.

Regardless, I proceeded past the two cars at the TH and began my journey in the quiet forest.

Noted that someone found a pair of wire-rimmed, clear-glass glasses and hung them on the TH sign.

Followed the rocky/rooty trail for a while and encountered a couple returning from an overnight somewhere along the trail.  I'm not sure if they had a good time or not - they weren't talkative and the girl had one heck of a bruise under her eye.      Otherwise, there didn't seem to be anything unusual about the situation so we went our separate ways.

It then dawned on me that my watch was left at home.  It turns out none of my other gadgets knew what time it was either (no cell service, phone off to save batteries, no GPS coverage and camera almost always says the wrong date/time).  What the heck... decided that if I program my 'estimated' time into the camera I can at least keep tabs on the approximate time of day... just in case there's trouble.

FWIW... my guess on the time was only off by 1 minute. 

Proceeded up the trail to the falls where I kicked back, taking lots of photos, wasting time to see what the weather would do.  No sense in climbing to the Meadows if all I'm going to see is fog.

Finally decided that I may as well check out the trail beyond the falls for a ways since I'm not doing anything else.

Really enjoyed the large log crossing over the creek and into the woods.  Nice touch!

Also I really enjoyed viewing the mine up high.  Really cool hole.

Passed by a couple tent sites (unoccupied) and continued through the open forest... up up and up.

After about 20 minutes two people came down the trail after spending a night somewhere up above.  They reported that the only wildlife they encountered was a few gray jays.  No goats... no bears... and no meteors - too cloudy all night to view the night sky activities.

Ultimately, a short ways after crossing a notched log on the trail, decided the clouds just weren't going to cooperate and opted to cut my losses in search of a trail with something more reliable than views in clouds.

Trip out was uneventful, met two couples hiking out with hopes of reaching the Meadows.  They might have been in luck, just as I was about 500 yards from the parking lot, the sun broke through the clouds to illuminate the forest.  The clearing was brief... but it was a start.

Back in Granite Falls... weather isn't too bad! 

Decided it was time to give a visit to the Iron Goat Trail.

~E

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Sedro-Woolley:  Where butter is a spice and gravy is a beverage.
"Ill habits gather unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas."  ~John Dryden
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