Forum Index > Trip Reports > Hike a Bike to SMC Lake 5/15/2008
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PostFri May 16, 2008 12:42 pm 
I'll save you the suspense, I didn't get close. There was a glacier covering the road at about 2,500', just before the large unnamed creek passes under the road on the southwest switchback. Hard to image this getting better quickly, even with the short burst of warm weather. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful day to be outside! I skipped the TNAB Bandera assault, partly to avoid the depression of playing in snow again on such a beautiful day, but also because avalanches scare me. I considered riding a snow recon on the John Wayne trail, but decided I didn't want to hide in any north-side shadows (bikejr kindly posted a JWT snow-line report). So I figured I'd head up the North Fork Snoqualmie County road to the Spur 10 gate, cross the very swollen river, head south and climb up to the Rachor Creek plateau to see how close I might get to SMC Lake. The road was in great shape, the weather and views beautiful, and the venue quite lonesome. With the new melt there were waterfalls galore. The upper SMC falls were pounding cold water down violently right next to and then under the road. I grabbed some shots of the falls, but they don't really do them justice. I'll post some vids when I get a chance. I had noticed that before turning up at the Black Creek gate (where the hike portion of hike-a-bike begins) the road was littered with many huge piles of bear poop. On the way back through this same area, I learned why. After the sun had set and darkness was descending, I rounded a corner before the straightaway to Hancock Creek and saw the biggest, fattest black bear I have ever seen standing in the road on all fours looking back at me as if to say, "What the heck are you?" I got stopped about 50 yards short of the bear and after quickly contemplating whether to find the camera or live, I choose life and started waving and shouting. As soon as my voice hit the bear's ears it heaved around in a terrified start, lumbered down the road a bit, then bolted off to the right into the woods. I was a little worried at first about having to pass the bear's exit point on the road, but was comforted by the thought of its very frightened reaction to my voice; there was little doubt that he was more afraid of me, though it's hard to imagine why. Anyhow, here are some pics.
Clean track (without numerous sidetracks).
Clean track (without numerous sidetracks).
Mt Si pano from my neighborhood showing destination.
Mt Si pano from my neighborhood showing destination.
Very swollen North Fork Snoqualmie river.
Very swollen North Fork Snoqualmie river.
Looking up the road to the Rachor Creek plateau.
Looking up the road to the Rachor Creek plateau.
Moon Wall, note the very tall hanging waterfall in the middle.  From Crater Lake?
Moon Wall, note the very tall hanging waterfall in the middle. From Crater Lake?
Zoom in on the Moon Wall hanging waterfall.
Zoom in on the Moon Wall hanging waterfall.
Upper SMC falls #2.
Upper SMC falls #2.
North Fork Snoqualmie valley buttes and bumps.
North Fork Snoqualmie valley buttes and bumps.
Rachor Creek plateau.
Rachor Creek plateau.
Backside of Teneriffe.
Backside of Teneriffe.
End of the road to SMC Lake.
End of the road to SMC Lake.
Sun setting near Fuller Mountain.
Sun setting near Fuller Mountain.
More Fuller Mountain sun set.
More Fuller Mountain sun set.

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bobbi
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Joined: 13 Jul 2006
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bobbi
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PostFri May 16, 2008 3:11 pm 
looks like a a fun trip! great pics! it's hard to do snow when the weather is gorgeous! like what the heck am i doing on the computer when it's sunny out. just chilling for a moment.

bobbi ૐ "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!" - Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss
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moosefish
I am the fish



Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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moosefish
I am the fish
PostFri May 16, 2008 7:08 pm 
Thanks for the status. Last year on Father's Day I took my girls and my father up to SMC. There was just a touch of snow in some of the shaded areas and up around Nadeau. Looks like it will be a lot later this year.

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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostFri May 16, 2008 11:27 pm 
Thanks for the report and including the map. I'd really like to get up there in early summer when the snow is gone.

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Scrooge
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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PostSat May 17, 2008 8:07 am 
Nice pics, ewb. I was up there Thursday afternoon, myself, trying (unsuccessfully) to take some definitive pics of Rachor Falls. I didn't succeed in that, but I did get a couple of pics of that waterfall on the NW side of Mt Si .......... from much closer up. ........ It is on the stream from Crater Lake.
Crater Creek Falls.twkd
Crater Creek Falls.twkd
CC Falls telephoto
CC Falls telephoto
The eaely evening lighting was pretty bad, so I had to tweak these fairly hard. .......... As far the falls being on Crater Creek, here's a map which should satisfy that. I could have added a nice straight line to the falls from the spot on the North Fork Road where I stopped to take the pics. wink.gif
Crater Creek falls.edtd
Crater Creek falls.edtd

Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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PostSat May 17, 2008 9:51 am 
Thanks for sharing the pics. So was that your car parked near the new clearcut a mile or two south of the spur 10 gate? I considered coming back to that spot and clamoring over the newly scalped ridge to see what views might be had of the Moon Wall and the canyon there through which the North Fork Soqualmie flows. Unfortunately, the day got late and I had to head on home. I can't begin to describe the volume of the roar emanating from the Rachor Creek valley, from the head near the upper gated road on the plateau/vista, to the power station down below. It was very loud and constant, from top to bottom. The amount of water pouring through there was just unbelievable. Yet the whole thing, from top to bottom, remains almost entirely out of sight. It's a tough nut to crack!

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