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D. Inscho Not bored yet...
Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellingham,WA |
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:08 pm
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“Beautifully lost” I thought to myself, hiking through trackless old growth in a drizzling murk, as Swainsen’s & Varied thrushes called out in the wild cathedral. But not lost in a specific sense; somewhere beneath my boots, under several feet of snow was the trail, as long as I minded the map and that mystical needle pointing red toward the north.
Bodhran sniffs out the inbound route
Despite the spanking 4400’ of gain this trail dishes out, I love its narrow, intimate, and soft mossy margins. And of course the forest…! Snow began in earnest at about 4200’. The avy slope is partly clear having released to bare ground. The upper slopes are steep and deep with snow; passage without an ice axe is insanity. I ascended my preferred timbered ridgeline route which sticks close to the north cliff face. Snow consolidation was variable; glide cracks and spruce traps presented some difficulty. Climbing was a full-body effort. Bodhran, my faithful companion, was a good sport and hauled his load valiantly.
Off-duty lookout Bedroom in the sky Chores Lookout interior
After 4 hours of toil there was no more up, save for the stairway to our warm & dry bedroom-in-the-sky. We planned to stay 3 nights, Friday through Monday. I was particularly excited about catching the new moon, which means good stars! Meanwhile, it drizzled merrily the rest of the day so I went to bed early for much needed sleep.
I awoke at 1:30 to a magical transformation; the stratus deck hovered about 500’ below the summit and a galactic glow above. It motivated me to dress and descend to the snow for some star shots. The result was worth it; the only thing better than planetary beauty itself is capturing a bit of it in an image and taking it home (otherwise stars and mountains make lousy houseguests). I think this poem fits nicely with the star image:
Coot and the Quiet- William Pitt Root
Most of my adventures
was of the quiet sort
Like noticing one night
how my old cedar dipper
was as full of stars
as water. Then I drank.
A man inside four walls
all his natural life
cannot drink stars.
Even the full moon
can’t touch his sleep
with the dream the likes
of which only a creature
knows, a creature touched
with what is
that lights up a man’s skull
like a fire lights up a cave
Fire Lookout and Galactic Blaze-1
I worked on the structure to earn my keep. If puttying windows is a lost art; I think I can safely say that I found some of it! Otherwise it was siesta, solitude, birdsong, and distant water sounds, all in the Bright Hush of the N. Cascades. Saturday & Sunday were sunny, but the NWS withdrew some of its optimism for Monday, so I packed up to descend as clouds rolled in about mid-afternoon. I’ll not grumble though; it was a fat banquet of stars, snow, silence, & sunshine. The hike out was harder on the legs than the climb; the pounding descent has me walking around like the Tin Man today.
Kulshan Upper Cascade River valley Whitehorse and Three Fingers Eldorado Peak Glacier Peak peek-a-boo Kulshan sunset The Pickets Hidden Lake LO visible on peak to the right.
Plenty of time to ponder the circularity of “mountains make the drainages make the mountains make the…” And so it is, like a serpent swallowing its tail. Beautifully lost I say…
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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NickJ Member
Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 13 | TRs | Pics
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NickJ
Member
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:35 pm
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Awesome trip...I know this mountain is in the National Park - but are dogs allowed to go?
I'd love to do this trip with my pup.
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D. Inscho Not bored yet...
Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellingham,WA |
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:43 pm
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Monogram is in the park, Lookout mountain is not.
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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NickJ Member
Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 13 | TRs | Pics
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NickJ
Member
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 pm
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Awesome. Goin on the list
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13117 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:46 pm
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Backpacker Joe Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics Location: Cle Elum |
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M
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Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:31 pm
Re: Lookout Mountain Lookout
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D. Inscho wrote: | Fire lookout and Galactic blaze |
Beautiful words and beautiful imagery. This night photo of yours is most impressive. Mind if I use it on the Lookout Mountain page I made for summit post? I'll give you credit in the description.
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D. Inscho Not bored yet...
Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellingham,WA |
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
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Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:58 am
LO image
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Sure Gimpilator, flattered!
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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D. Inscho Not bored yet...
Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellingham,WA |
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
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Tue Jun 15, 2010 7:01 am
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Thanks for the welcome Magellan. I've been following your contributions for awhile; time to dive in. I formerly posted at WTA for years; this site seems to offer a more dynamic forum for wider sharing.
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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the Zachster Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 4776 | TRs | Pics Location: dog training |
Very nice! How did your dog do going down those steps? They're kind of steep! Zach made it down but I thought for sure he was going to end up flying down face first!
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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D. Inscho Not bored yet...
Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics Location: Bellingham,WA |
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
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Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:40 pm
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Zachster,
You're certainly right about the steps, steep! It took Bodhran a couple days to be proficient on them; but he was only about a year old then.
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/
The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir
“My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13117 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Sat Jun 19, 2010 8:53 am
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We have a calendar contest every year. I hope you will enter some of your images.
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seattlehikertoo Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 582 | TRs | Pics Location: Finding an alternative to Mailbox Pk |
That picture is just fcking amazing. I went there 3 times last summer only to have to turn back twice because of lightening, hail, steep, dangerous snow, etc, until I finally got to the lookout. My pics don't even compare to that one of the night sky.
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Gwizzzard Member
Joined: 15 Nov 2009 Posts: 40 | TRs | Pics
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The star shot is absolutely fantastic! May I ask what camera, lens, and settings you used for that shot?
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Layback Cascades Expatriate
Joined: 16 Mar 2007 Posts: 5712 | TRs | Pics Location: Back East |
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Layback
Cascades Expatriate
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Sat Jun 19, 2010 10:36 pm
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I can only say what everyone else has said. The night image is spectacular.
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