[beaudaddy]

I went down to visit my parents on the Washington coast for the 3 day weekend. I planned to hike up Saddle Mountain, just outside of Seaside on Sunday morning. Its a cool looking coastal mountain with 2,323 feet of clean Prominence. On Friday the forecast for Sunday looked decent. I think we ended up getting Sunday’s decent weather on Saturday. That is usually how it goes on the coast, storms always blow in early. I got on the road fairly early (7ish) Sunday morning. Grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and I was off to Oregon. Crossed the Astoria bridge and at that time I could actually see the summit of Saddle. I was pretty stoked that maybe the weather was going to be in my favor. I could also see some real nasty clouds off the coastline, which however didn't look too great. I jetted through the sleepy, foggy town of Seaside and on toward Saddle on Highway 26. I turned left on a well marked sign and then followed a tight, curvy, paved road to the trailhead. I pulled into the trailhead around 8:30am. There were 4 rigs in the parking lot and a couple tents scattered amongst the area. I threw on my gear and headed up.

Start Of Main Trail

Paintbrush

Oregon Iris

Wormseed Mustard

I wanted to get up to the summit quick and possibly beat the weather for views. The trail was wide, muddy and very evident. The flowers were everywhere. The views from the trail were well fogged in. It was pretty much a white out, but you could tell that on a clear day it would hold great views. You could also tell where certain areas had cliffy viewpoints.

The Trail Below

Rock Wolf Howling At The Moon

Wormseed Mustard

Larkspur

Pinks N Whites

Paintbrush

Yellow

Purples N Yellows

Once I broke out of the woods onto the first hump the wind started to pick up. It started to rain and it was coming down sideways. The temperature was in the lower 40's. I started to discover really sweet rock outcropping that almost had an eerie feeling to them because of the fog.

Cool Rocks In The Fog

Rocks And Flowers In The Fog

Rock Outcroppings In The Fog

Rock Outcroppings In The Fog

I then dropped down into the saddle. The wind funneled through this area, so I switched into full sinch down hood scenario. From here on out or I guess up, the weather didn't get any better. I continued to traverse the saddle and eventually started the ascent to the summit. At this point the rain and wind became epic. I was fully exposed to the coastal storm and it reminded me of all my years’ clam digging on the stormy beaches. Felt great, but so much for my views. I reached the summit area and stepped out on the highpoint. On the summit, the winds were sustained at about 25-30mph with a couple gust around 40mph. I made sure not to set my gloves down, well because I really like my gloves.

Fog, Rocks And Cliffs

Good Views From The Summit?!?!

Subalpine Daisy

I then took a moment of silence for the young man that lost his life the Sunday before (5/17) in this same spot. He fell over 100 ft off one of the cliffs around the summit. I pray that his family finds peace and comfort through the loss. I then headed back down to two large boulders and snuck behind them.

Boulders And Buttercups In The Fog

Rough Looking Shooting Stars

Pink Fawn Lily

I sheltered myself from the driving winds coming out of the west in hopes of some views. The rains, winds and dense fog were just too stubborn and after 25 minutes I headed down. Visibility was about 40 feet at that time. When I reached the saddle, I came across a lady coming up. She looked like she had all the right gear on and she said that her two friends turned back because of the weather. I continued down until I got back into the timber. Once I was back in the woods I passed at least 50 people from that point until I reached my truck. I counted the rigs back at the trailhead and there were 32. It is for sure a very popular spot and I'm glad I hit it early. Its a pretty easy hike also. It took me about 75 minutes to reach the summit and that was with taking pictures, and about 45 minutes to get back down with no pictures. 5 miles Round trip and 1,650' of elevation gain. I will probably be back on a clear day for the views… Early of course….

[Hiker Diva]

This will be going on my places to go see... beautiful pictures

[Bryan K]

Your photos are great! Thanks for sharing them

[evergreenhiker]

Nice report and photos! I've never gone up there, despite having lived in Jewel for several months back in 95/96 while I was an Oregon Fish and wildlife technician doing Coho surveys. My old buddy hiked up there one time when it was raining down low, but the summit was above the clouds. Very cool!! I definitely need to get that one next time I'm in the area.

[beaudaddy]

Thanks for the comments everyone. It's a great mountain rain or shine, just lots, LOTS of boots and paws on the trail. Evergreenhiker- Wow!!! Jewel!!! Lots of Elk out in that area.