[Elvis]

Somehow, despite the never ending TV News reminding us that it's going to rain all Labor Day weekend, I managed to recruit two hiking buddies for the day.

Our destination today was to visit the Park Butte Lookout... and conduct some additional aimless wandering as energy, weather, enthusiasm and blueberries allowed.

This would be 8Buck's first time in the Schriebers Meadow area and it would be GoogleIt's first time here without a snowmobile.

The weather started off as promised.  Cloudy and wet.  But not too wet.  Then it did get too wet.  Then it got windy.  Then we reached the Lookout where we hung out for about an hour, watching the view change from zero visibility to infinite visibility... over and over again, within minutes of each other.

Visited 3-tree-tarn, peeked over the Railroad grade edge and ate blueberries on the trip back out.

Total distance was about 9.3 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain.

There were very few people on the trail - especially for Labor Day Weekend.

Blueberries are everywhere.  The berries in the upper meadows are much more sweet than the ones found in the lower meadow, FYI.

Easy creek crossing both coming and going.

Here are the pics:

Next hike:  Mount Saint Helen's scheduled for October.

Thanks for reading.

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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
My Trip List

[Slugman]

Nice pictures. I love that hike, including the RR Grade detour. I went up on a nice day, spent the night in the lookout, then came out the next day, really crappy weather. It was all good.

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You must have really hated that moose - Dudley Moore, Arthur

Where's the rest of that moose? More "Arthur"

[tazz]

love the mud shots!!!

[Magellan]

I'm sorry to see they have not thrown down a log with a flat side to help people across the creek.  I am all in favor of underbuilding trails, but a semi safe crossing sure would benefit families trying to get to the LO or the Railroad Grade.

[Elvis]

Here is a short video taken at the Lookout.  (Less than 1 minute long)



Slugman:  We crossed paths last October as you ventured in to the area (at the bottom of the switch backs).  Daisy the Wonder Dog performed some tricks for our entertainment. 

Tazz - thanks. 

Magellen -  On an almost related note, there was a WTA work Party in the area this weekend (as per the sign at the trail head) but we didn't cross paths with them.  They could have been on the Scott Paul trail or elsewhere.

The problem with a bridge here is that almost every year the creek changes its course.  It used to be that the FS would helicopter in a suspension bridge each spring and remove it in the fall, but the bridge footings would either be removed by the creek or the creek would no longer be passing under the bridge location.

Once in a while someone (WTA I presume) does get a log bridge set up, but I haven't seen one there for probably 3 years, at least.

This late in the year it's an easy rock hop.  There was one June when I removed boots & socks and made a safe knee high wade-crossing.  BRRRR!

~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
My Trip List

[Highwalker's Daughter]

That creek crossing is so variable.  The day we went up in August it was absolutely nothing - not fast, not high and just about 5 easy steps across rocks, but I've been there when it's raging.  This past time was the easiest I've ever seen it.  The place where it's bad keeps changing also so even if they put in logs or replace the bridge (no money probably anyway), the next year the creek might not even be running in that spot.

[MysteryMachine]

Nice TR.. those mud shots are fun.

Hard to believe it was the same day as my Heliotrope Ridge TR (which I think is pretty much west side of Baker) where the weather was great except for Baker visibility.