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mbravenboer Member
Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 1422 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
With the nice clear weather and good avalanche conditions, I wanted to do something a little bit higher, and preferably a trail that immediately goes up to avoid snowshoeing in heavy wet snow all the time. Hatchery Creek Trail matches those requirements very well (too well, some might argue), and although it is not frequently reported on in winter, I thought I'll give it a try.
The good part: Big Jim was too far and technical for me, so I didn't want to do that. I decided to target Point 7053. I expected nice views, but the scenery way exceeded my expectations. This place is amazing! The views of the Enchantment Peak, Stuart, Icicle Ridge, East WA are very, very nice.
The bad part: despite the stunning views, I cannot really recommend in for a winter hike. The steep section with switchbacks is a mess. I do winter hikes with the Green Trails Map on my iPhone, which usually has reasonable accuracy in finding the trail if I'm lost. On the hike up I could not find the trail anywhere at some point, and eventually decided to just hike straight up, assuming that I would hit the trail. Well, I ended up hiking straight up all the way . On the way back I did see a trail, and followed it for a while. It is probably a reroute of the original trail, because it is nowhere close the the old (?) trail. Unfortunately, this new (?) trail leads you straight to a snowfield with pretty severe exposure that I did not consider passable. So, on the road back I also went straight down, which was not pleasant.
Some notes that might help if you're foolish enough to try it anyway:
- The road is obviously covered in snow, so you need to walk from the parking area at US-2. This was a fairly pleasant walk though, probably nicer than Smithbrook.
- Today, conditions were icy in the morning and wet in the afternoon until the ridge towards Point 5300. After that, there was quite a bit of fresh snow, and trailbreaking became a bit hard with the sun on the snow.
- I took a route that I did not see in guide books, simply following the ridge line of Point 6296 towards Point 7053. I went down a little bit to avoid steep sections towards Point 7053. This worked out really well: nice views all the time, and no nasty snowfields to cross.
- The area has quite a lot of trees and is not very steep. Seems that avalanche conditions should be favorable here with moderate risk.
- It looks like nobody goes here, so if you want to be alone, this is for you. There was a track of a snowshoeing person and a couple of cross-country skiers on the road, but all of the tracks stopped at the tricky sections of the climb. The ridge has recently not been visited, if at all.
- I took me about 12.5 hours, but I took it pretty easy and the steep section of the trail referred earlier was major time sink. In summer, you should be able to do this much quicker.
It's a pity (or not?) that this area is not easier accessible in winter. It would be one of the nicest trips in the area.
Hatchery Creek Trail Summer Trailhead First view of Stuart Range on Hatchery Creek Trail (between Point 6296 and Point 6041) Stuart Range Icicle Ridge Point 7053: Looking Towards East Washington
There are a few more photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bravenboer/sets/72157642830427155/
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
Nice. We were to the NE between Entiat and Chelan I got some nice pics of the Chiwaukum uplift pretty buried along Big Lou - Big Jim ridges.
Living in the Anthropocene
Living in the Anthropocene
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mbravenboer Member
Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 1422 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
Thanks wildernessed, I saw your pictures on your trip report. Great to see the same peaks from there!
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Roly Poly Member
Joined: 02 Jan 2013 Posts: 711 | TRs | Pics
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You are doing some awesome trips. Congratulations and thanks for the beautiful photography:-)
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kitya Fortune Cookie
Joined: 15 Mar 2010 Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics Location: Duvall, WA |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
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Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:15 am
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Oh, this makes me missing winter again! So pretty. Looks like you went there before the massive burn in the summer.
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