Forum Index > Trip Reports > Duncan Hill 7819' 08-08-09
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MountainMan
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 5:16 pm 
Last Saturday we headed up to Duncan Hill which at 7819' is more of a mountain than a hill. We had seen it from our Crow Hill and Pyramid Mtn trips a few weeks ago. It's really two hills side by side making it easy to spot.
Glacier and Duncan Hill.
Glacier and Duncan Hill.
Duncan Hill
Duncan Hill
Anyway, after noticing it on our previous trips, we really wanted to go there, so we checked the map, did a little research and learned that it has a trail all the way to the top. There are actually two routes. We chose the ridge route which is slightly shorter and has less gain. There is also the Anthem Creek route which you can see on Wildernessed's trip report. Our Route:
Duncan Hill
Duncan Hill
~12.5miles (with shorcut) ~3000' gain This seems to be a less popular area, possibly due to its location. You go up the Entiat River Rd about 35 miles until it becomes FR 51. Continue past North Fork CG, turn right on FR 5608 and follow that for another 6 miles to the TH. Due to the long drive and length of the hike, we left Issaquah just after 5am, super early (for us)! eek.gif About 4 hrs later we reached the deserted TH and headed up. We didn't see anybody else all day! up.gif
TH sign
TH sign
BC at the TH.
BC at the TH.
The trail is in excellent condition and climbs gradually through a nice pine and larch forest.
BC on the trail
BC on the trail
Gentian about to bloom
Gentian about to bloom
Along the way, there are a few views from the trail:
Pyramid Mtn from Duncan Hill Trail.
Pyramid Mtn from Duncan Hill Trail.
Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail.
Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail.
Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail.
Peaks to the NE from Duncan Hill Trail.
We saw lots of chipmunks and birds including this guy:
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Then we came across a Ptarmigan and its babies. She didn't seem scared of us:
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Baby Ptarmigan
Baby Ptarmigan
We also saw some bear signs:
Bear print
Bear print
Eventually we reached a meadowy area with a stream and got our first view of Duncan:
BC in a meadow
BC in a meadow
Part of Duncan Creek
Part of Duncan Creek
First view of Duncan
First view of Duncan
A little further on, the trail climbs out of the forest and the views start to open up:
Looking up at Duncan Hill
Looking up at Duncan Hill
Zoom of Duncan Hill summit
Zoom of Duncan Hill summit
Devils Smokestack
Devils Smokestack
Zoom of Devils Smokestack
Zoom of Devils Smokestack
We continued around the base of Duncan. More views Here:
BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill
BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill
BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill
BC and views from the trail below Duncan Hill
Glacier Pk
Glacier Pk
Gentian
Gentian
The trail goes a little past the south "hill" (highest point) then cuts back up to the summit. It seems a little roundabout, but pretty soon we made it to the summit and had lunch while enjoying the awesome views! up.gif There used to be a lookout and it appears that everthing was burned when they tore it down:
BC on the summit!
BC on the summit!
BC and MM on Duncan Hill
BC and MM on Duncan Hill
Part of the foundation for the old lookout
Part of the foundation for the old lookout
Remains of the lookout
Remains of the lookout
With the Chelan Mountains to the east and the Entiat Mountains to the west, the views almost completely surround you. This is my first attempt at splicing together pics for a pano, so it's maybe a little less than perfect, but it gives you a good idea of what the views are like:
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 1
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 1
Duncan Hill Summit pano 2
Duncan Hill Summit pano 2
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 3
Duncan Hill Summit Pano 3
Here are some zooms of nearby peaks:
Pinnacle Mtn.? (middle)
Pinnacle Mtn.? (middle)
Gopher Mtn, Saska Pk and Emerald Pk?
Gopher Mtn, Saska Pk and Emerald Pk?
Emerald Pk?
Emerald Pk?
Cardinal Pk.?
Cardinal Pk.?
Pyramid Mtn.
Pyramid Mtn.
From the summit we could see that it was much more direct to go straight down the ridge and pick up the trail lower down, so we headed down that way probably cutting off at least .75 mile from our trip down. The ridge was rocky, but not too steep or sketchy, so we wondered why they never built a trail that way. confused.gif On the way down we saw two more Ptarmigans and also here's a shot looking back up the ridge route:
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Young Ptarmigan
Young Ptarmigan
Looking back up the ridge we came down
Looking back up the ridge we came down
On the way down we saw yet more Chipmunks and a Spruce Grouse:
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Male Spruce Grouse
Male Spruce Grouse
Male Spruce Grouse
Male Spruce Grouse
Finally, we made it back down to the car, tired, but happy after such a nice trip. up.gif agree.gif We made ourselves a quick dinner and headed down the road to FR 5800 to camp for the night and prepare for Carne Mtn the next day. wink.gif All my pictures here.

Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Magellan
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Magellan
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 5:40 pm 
Two points. That chipmunk is not bloated. One of your two identical packs looks kind of ghosty. hockeygrin.gif

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MountainMan
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 5:50 pm 
Did I say it was bloated? confused.gif The double pack thing happened when I changed position slightly for the last picture which kept it from matching up with the previous one in the closeup view.

Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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gone
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 5:53 pm 
Wow, great timing - I was just investigating this hike last night! I had seen wildernessed's report, but TOPO! showed a trail on the ridge and I was wondering how it might be accessed. It's great to learn there's a road leading to an actual trailhead there. Also interesting to learn there was a lookout there, too. Thanks! up.gif Btw, was there water on the ridge - Duncan Creek still running?

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MountainMan
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:06 pm 
You're welcome. There is water on the ridge at Duncan Creek. We filtered there on the way back. One of my pictures shows part of Duncan Creek. I just relabeled it to be more clear.

Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Tazz
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:14 pm 
the ptarmagan you saw are. white tailed ptarmagan the first shots you got are of a male. the bottom ones are a female. they live above tree line in the rocks just like you found them. the black chicken...mmmm chicken... oh wait, i was saying... that is a male spruce grouse they inhabit the forest. They are the ones you hear whumping in the hills all spring. they puff up really cool to impress the gals. they can also be aggressive during the whumping time... embarassedlaugh.gif now they are both in the same family but different species.

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wildernessed
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:21 pm 
There are a a lot of good trips back in there and your off the beaten path. Very nice views . up.gif

Living in the Anthropocene
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:24 pm 
MountainMan - the blue flower is a gentian - it's among the latest to bloom. When you see a gentian, summer blooms are at an end. They're such a pretty flower - when in a bud, sometimes they're so dark that they're black! Rather than dismantle lookout buildings, the FS burned them - that why you see blobs of melted glass, or burnt nails, etc. laying around. Looks like a nice trip. up.gif

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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MountainMan
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:43 pm 
Tazz - Thanks for the info. I was thinking the bottom one was the male Ptarmigan; I'll update the labels. He was definitely puffing up and trying to show off as you can see in the picture. wink.gif Kim - Thanks, I was wondering what kind of flower that was. Yeah, it makes sense that they would burn the lookouts, but this one seemed especially messy. There was also a lot of old trash, rusted cans and such, laying around. I guess no one has ever tried to clean it up.

Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Bloated Chipmunk
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Bloated Chipmunk
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 6:46 pm 
Big thanks to MM for doing the TR this time. Sometimes it's nice to have a break!! smile.gif up.gif Here are my pics from the hike:
Falling down TH sign
Falling down TH sign
Funny drawing
Funny drawing
Another drawing
Another drawing
MM on the trail
MM on the trail
Funky tree
Funky tree
Nice trail
Nice trail
Pyramid Mtn.
Pyramid Mtn.
More peaks...
More peaks...
Tree bulge
Tree bulge
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan
MM in a meadowy area
MM in a meadowy area
Duncan Hill is in sight
Duncan Hill is in sight
Devil's Smokestack
Devil's Smokestack
Views west
Views west
Cliffs
Cliffs
Looking back down the valley
Looking back down the valley
Lonely snag
Lonely snag
The summit
The summit
Trail
Trail
Views west
Views west
Latter part of trail is a little eroded
Latter part of trail is a little eroded
Almost there...
Almost there...
Views from on top
Views from on top
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Summit views
Glacier Pk.
Glacier Pk.
Lotsa pks.
Lotsa pks.
Looking west
Looking west
Pyramid to the east
Pyramid to the east
MM on top
MM on top
Sunning herself
Sunning herself
Heading back down
Heading back down
Chipmunk
Chipmunk
Filtering water
Filtering water
Another cutie in the woods
Another cutie in the woods
Face
Face

Home is where the hiking is. "Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Aug 11, 2009 7:25 pm 
MountainMan - The peak time the lookouts were destroyed was the late 1960s and early 1970s. But I find old garbage as well - cans and bottles - but it might be only one can, or one bottle, half-buried, or under brush, not big piles of it all over the summit like what you saw. I like to see if I can find outbuilding remains. I guess those weren't always destroyed, but fall apart on their own. What hikers didn't burn for firewood can still be laying around. bozo once found a newspaper from the 1950s stuffed under some rocks on a lookout site. up.gif

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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bgs8379
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PostWed Aug 12, 2009 2:04 pm 
duncan hill
Can you get a dirtbike up there? did see any up there?

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MountainMan
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PostWed Aug 12, 2009 3:13 pm 
We saw some faint signs of dirtbikes. Thankfully, whoever it was always stayed on the uphill side of the trail and avoided making any ruts in the middle of the trail, which was much appreciated. up.gif

Slow down, take notice, savor the moment, appreciate the world around you and everything that you have.
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Mike E.
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PostWed Aug 12, 2009 3:43 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
I like to see if I can find outbuilding remains. I guess those weren't always destroyed, but fall apart on their own. What hikers didn't burn for firewood can still be laying around.
Duncan Hill used to have an outhouse hidden in the small pines below the summit. The roof had blown off years ago, but the rest was intact and in O.K. shape. These were taken 5 years ago...not sure if that little building still remains.
Facilities_DH1
Facilities_DH1
Facilities_DH2
Facilities_DH2

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Bloated Chipmunk
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Bloated Chipmunk
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PostWed Aug 12, 2009 6:22 pm 
I looked for a pisser while we were there but found none, so maybe the whole thing blew away @ some point. frown.gif

Home is where the hiking is. "Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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