Forum Index > Trip Reports > Got the True Summit of McDonald Mountain (10/18/09)
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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Posts: 2082 | TRs | Pics
Location: 77 miles from Seattle!
EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
PostSun Oct 18, 2009 8:23 pm 
Well I got to the true summit of McDonald Mountain. I brought along my friend Gabe from the gym who hasn't gone hiking since he did Half Dome in Yosemite three years ago. He kept telling me he could easily run up mountains like they were nothing. I knew he was strong but I wondered how fast he really was. huh.gif Well I found out in a hurry dizzy.gif how fast he really was when he took off from the trailhead in an all out run (no not a jog either). He made the communications tower (4 miles 2000 feet elevation gain) in 30 minutes which leads me to believe he could probably do Si in well under an hour. Luckily he had a good map and so did I and we agreed to reach this location. He waited there for me who preformed a mixed fast walk and run and met up with him about 15 minutes later and from there we walked and ran to the true summit. We stayed very close by for the rest of the trip after meeting at the communicates tower. We follow the ridge down that followed a number of service roads to the true summit and did about 7+ miles in 1 1/2 hours in variable run/walk fashion. I was the slow one here and he might of made it to the true summit in a little over an hour at his pace. All I heard while I was on the summit was how he felt he was out of shape because he was breathing heavy on the first bit. shakehead.gif rolleyes.gif lol.gif For him though it was a definite confidence booster about doing bigger mountains in the future. The true summit itself at first looked like it had no view at all. However if you do a little investigating you will end up with an area with views that are somewhat similar to the false summit. Unfortunately for us, all we had was fogged in views or views of some interesting cloud formations. This is the second time here and the weather, though a little less rainy, was about the same as the last time. Next time I go up here I hope to see it on a pretty day. After spending a while on the summit we decided to head down. Our trip down was the same pace as or way up, fast. Again it was about an hour and a half down. The clear-cut section of this mountain was offering some great views of downtown Seattle as well as the Issaquah Alps and Rattlesnake Ledge. The fall colors were out on the trail making this trail even more scenic. We continued down at the torrid pace and were quickly back at the car. Overall it was a great trip and I am glad to finally cement this mountain and the true summit on my track record. Gabe is great shape to do better stuff and with a little more experience he will heading for primetime very quick. It was another awesome trip to rap up the weekend.
Best views
Best views
EastKing strikes the pose
EastKing strikes the pose
The out of shape guy
The out of shape guy
More cloud views
More cloud views
More clouds view
More clouds view
Gabe practicing his spearing tactics
Gabe practicing his spearing tactics
The true summit
The true summit
More clouds view
More clouds view
More views and foilage
More views and foilage
Sugarloaf from the clearcut
Sugarloaf from the clearcut
Downtown Seattle
Downtown Seattle
Rattlesnake Ledge
Rattlesnake Ledge
Fall foliage on the route up
Fall foliage on the route up

YouTube | SummitPost Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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tigermn
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Joined: 10 Jul 2007
Posts: 9242 | TRs | Pics
Location: There...
tigermn
Member
PostSun Oct 18, 2009 9:46 pm 
Glad you finally bagged the real peak I was sitting in QWEST field watching the Seahawks get humiliated. At least the weather was pleasant. Actually we had seen enough and left at the start of the 4th quarter... lol.gif Since this one is in my back yard relatively speaking, I'm sure I'll be checking it out over the fall/winter albeit at a much slower pace. lol.gif Actually the best views (at least to the radio tower summit) I think are in that clearcut area at about 2 miles up.

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Redwic
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 3292 | TRs | Pics
Location: Going to the Prom(inence)
Redwic
Unlisted Free Agent
PostSun Oct 18, 2009 10:23 pm 
I know how much it bugged you when it was realized you did not make the true summit the last time you visited McDonald Mountain. Good job on persevering this time around! And that time is... just... WOW.

60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
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tigermn
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Joined: 10 Jul 2007
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Location: There...
tigermn
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PostMon Oct 19, 2009 2:26 pm 
So to get to the true summit did you just brush your way over to the true summit from near the radio tower summit or did you go back down to the road where a fork goes off to the left just before the 1st gate just past the clearing? I think if you are just going for the main summit it may be shorter/more direct but then again I haven't tried it/don't know the condition of overgrowth on some of those old "roads".

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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Posts: 2082 | TRs | Pics
Location: 77 miles from Seattle!
EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
PostMon Oct 19, 2009 6:21 pm 
tigermn wrote:
So to get to the true summit did you just brush your way over to the true summit from near the radio tower summit or did you go back down to the road where a fork goes off to the left just before the 1st gate just past the clearing? I think if you are just going for the main summit it may be shorter/more direct but then again I haven't tried it/don't know the condition of overgrowth on some of those old "roads".
Actually there was an overgrown road that lead most of the way to a DNR road. There was a little bushwhack but not much. It did make it a little shorter. Of course everything seems a little shorter when you are running it. lol.gif

YouTube | SummitPost Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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BearQueen
Ready to Go



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 156 | TRs | Pics
Location: Heart is on Lassen
BearQueen
Ready to Go
PostMon Oct 19, 2009 11:09 pm 
EastKing wrote:
The out of shape guy
The out of shape guy
Nice shot of you here! The weight room is paying off and the combo of the old muscle coming out plus all the hiking really shows here. Keep up the work on the "out of shape" lol.gif lol.gif frame! Reason number 4986 why I am married to you.

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." by John Lennon I hope to do some summits and waterfalls this year with my husband EastKing.
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The Angry Hiker
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Joined: 13 Jun 2008
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Location: Kentwila
The Angry Hiker
SAR Blacklistee
PostFri Oct 23, 2009 12:32 pm 
You have to be doing yourself some serious damage in those poses. The human digestive system is simply not designed to be packed into your ribcage like stuffing in a Thanksgiving turkey.

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