Forum Index > Trip Reports > PCT Red Pass > Suiattle River 7/1/16 - 7/7/16
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wolffie
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wolffie
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PostSat Jul 09, 2016 9:17 pm 
Red Pass > Suiattle River > Darrington (sic) Loop. Tried to walk the dog around Glacier Peak again. Snow level obscuring trail was maybe 5200 on the north side of each pass. PCT here is more like an ordinary kinda-neglected Cascade Trail. Somebody told me it's the roughest section of the whole PCT. It is easily passable, few of the blowdown are Right Awkward Buggers, but there are so many of them that they slow the trail noticeably. The density of needed trailwork seems rather uniform: blowdown, clogged drains, brush forcing tread creep, the occasional washout, water on trail -- a little of everything all along the way. Worse, the scenery is Stunning and you never see it 'cause it's always cloudy when you go over Fire Creek Pass. Some regulation I guess. 7/1/16 Up N. Fk. Sauk over Foam Creek Pass to White Chuck ex-glacier. After 7 days of hot sunny weather, the marine push is right on schedule; the clouds come in with me. At least it was cool. 7/2/16 Al claims the 2nd failure by a Welsh corgi on Glacier Peak without supplemental oxygen. Weather looked uninviting but surprised me by improving. We went above 8500 and got some great views (almost our only views). 7/3/16 Light rain and cold. Went down White Chuck Basin/Meadows, all under snow, near-whiteout. Snow to below 5000'. I know that place, and still had unexpected trouble finding the PCT -- went slightly too low, right to an impassable ravine. No footprints anywhere. So I had my map in my hand after the navigation stuff, and somewhere I set it aside while clearing some debris, and did not do a StupidCheck. Half a mile later, I miss my map, go way back looking for it, nothing. I LOST MY MAPS. End of trip, right there. I wish I couod say I'd been stoned; it'd be less embarrasing. Opted to amble on, hoping for clear weather, get a look at Fire Creek Pass (socked-in last time), then go home. I had the east-side maps, but no way could I find my way over Fire Creek Pass in a whiteout without a map. I felt naked already. Shuffled to Sitkum Creek, campsite hit hard by blowdown CS2509. Low on fuel already (melted snow up high), so I camped in the sandy flood wash and made a little fire. Invited some southbound PCTers to join me. Entertaining company... and Matt and Ashley GAVE ME THEIR MAPS! They were done with 'em. Major deposit in the karma bank. 7/4/16 Stopped early at mile WA2515 (the National Geographic PCT maps have these mileage boxes), hoping for clearing before the pass. Very wet and cold (2 days in wet brush), I wanted a fire and not just to save fuel (it's Fire Creek, after all). Worst wood I've ever had, wet avalanche debris. Surprised myself by actually making a fire! Shaved wood for tinder -- next time, I will have a real knife -- used my emergency firestarter: a paper egg-carton cup filled with parafin. It worked very well! I later hitched a ride with some Darrington horsepackers; he said you wrap some duck tape around your lighter, and it makes great tinder. 7/5/16, over Fire Creek Pass in whiteout with fresh tracks to follow and I STILL missed the switchback. Wasted a lot of time again, but got to practice my compass. No visibility is allowed up there. The PCTers' tenny-runner shoe prints led right across a short but very scary and dangerous snow slope, really bad runout; I'm glad I am always ready with the quick-draw leash and safety harness. Put Al on belay on the spot and climbed up instead of following the suicide traverse -- Matt and Ashley had ice axes, but I can't recall if all the other 4-6 folks did -- definitely potentially lethal exposure (much worse than where I broke my ankle), not-so-soft snow in shoes I consider completely inadequate for steep snow, and I wonder if they were aware of this. I think it was people without ice axes following footsteps of people with ice axes. It was easy to skirt the steep snow. But they were ascending slightly; for us it was scarier, a traversing descent. This trail displays impressive engineering one either side of Fire Creek Pass. On the west/south side, it works up this way-cool knife-edge ridge. One the east/north side, it switches down a very steep slope. I was removing much of the seasonal debris, and no good deed goes unpunished, so I removed the small warning sticks, mistaking them for blowdown. I rounded the sharp corner and found 15-20' of the trail just GONE with at least 20' of vertical and a lot more steep drop after that. I remember that spot from 2010, thinking, "This trail is not long for this world". I installed some hopefully unmistakable warning cairns and sticks. TAH would love this place, imainging trail-running douchebags scampering over the edge like lemmings. It wins the Ugly Washout Contest. They had to go way down to 3400' to find a durable bridge site across Milk Creek (this detour is not shown on Gurgle Maps, but you can spot the bridge in satellite view). You lose 2100-2200' each way. 44 extremely brushy switchbacks on the east side (herbaceaous, mostly Goatsbeard and bracken fern, not slide alder), in the rain, late in the day. CS2526 was extremely welcome when we topped out -- but this is dry in later summer, and the nearest water is in the north-facing basin at WA2528, about 1.5 miles on -- so then, you have to carry some water up those 44 switchbacks. Lingered as long as possible, hoping Dome, Plummer, Cloudy, and especially Fortress would lift their skirts, but only high enough to tease, and we never saw the summits. But at least I got a good look at the overall geography this time.
if I've got this right, this is the Dolly-Dusty High Route; dragged my unsuspecting nephews up there perhaps 2003; climbed 7717 & Gamma, and out Gamma Ridge (some blowdown but easy going).  Never found Gamma Hot Springs.
if I've got this right, this is the Dolly-Dusty High Route; dragged my unsuspecting nephews up there perhaps 2003; climbed 7717 & Gamma, and out Gamma Ridge (some blowdown but easy going). Never found Gamma Hot Springs.
There's a nice 5-6-footer across the trail below Vista Ridge. One look at lovely CS2533 on Vista Creek (recommended) stopped us instantly. I'd long ago abandonned any fantasies of the whole loop -- we've forded the Napeequa in early September, but this is early July, and the escape route is Little Giant Pass over to the washed-out Chiwawa River Rd., else all the way back to the Suiattle. The dog had a sore pad, I had a sore knee, hip, and toe, the stove failed... the place just chewed us up and spit us out. 7/6/16 Easy stroll to the new Suiattle R. PCT bridge, which adds...4? 5? miles. The old one was prettier:
A beautiful bridge, but isn't it a little close to the, uh, flood plain?  It lasted about another 3 months.
A beautiful bridge, but isn't it a little close to the, uh, flood plain? It lasted about another 3 months.
I watched helicopters lifting new stringers in there about...1995?
GlacierPeak0743
GlacierPeak0743
GlacierPeak0738
GlacierPeak0738
The 5-footer.  Somewhere near 2531 in the switchbacks of Vista Ridge.
The 5-footer. Somewhere near 2531 in the switchbacks of Vista Ridge.
The 5-footer.  I rolled under it.
The 5-footer. I rolled under it.
GlacierPeak0735
GlacierPeak0735
GlacierPeak0734
GlacierPeak0734
GlacierPeak0732
GlacierPeak0732
GlacierPeak0733
GlacierPeak0733
GlacierPeak0731
GlacierPeak0731
GlacierPeak0719
GlacierPeak0719
Trail rut at top of Vista ridge probly about WA2528.6.  There's a lot of these.
Trail rut at top of Vista ridge probly about WA2528.6. There's a lot of these.
GlacierPeak0677
GlacierPeak0677
GlacierPeak0764
GlacierPeak0764
GlacierPeak0774N
GlacierPeak0774N
GlacierPeak0778N
GlacierPeak0778N
GlacierPeak0809N
GlacierPeak0809N
You get the idea... but:
John Henry was here.
John Henry was here.
Just in time for me.
Just in time for me.
More of these, please.
More of these, please.
GlacierPeak0871 major treadwork
GlacierPeak0871 major treadwork
GlacierPeak0870 rock work
GlacierPeak0870 rock work
GlacierPeak0866 new structure - Copy
GlacierPeak0866 new structure - Copy
I did this all by myself.
I did this all by myself.
Al worships spirits of past trail crews.
Al worships spirits of past trail crews.
Hitchhiked back in 2 rides (what a cute dog is good for), the first with the Darrington horse packers who'd just resupplyied a NOLS group out for 2 months. That could be an interestingly useful service. WA Horse Trips .com, or whtrips @gmail [moderator: I hope this is OK; nice guys, and they did me a huge favor]. BTW that's an extremely good reason to be very alert with a dog, because those horses can appear suddenly on really steep slopes (leash, step off on downhill side, maybe talk; make sure the horses see you). 2nd ride all the way to the N Fork TH! Before leaving, I saddled-up my pack and strolled back on up the trail to the old-growth grove for lunch. "C'mon, Al." The only time I've seen a corgi look truly evil. Looked at the North Fork Sauk Falls, too. Worth seeing.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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Nancyann
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Nancyann
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PostSun Jul 10, 2016 12:15 am 
You made it! Kelly will be quite impressed that you were able to get that fire going. We were thinking about you and Al when we were up on Green Mountain Wednesday. We watched a helicopter flying down the Suiattle towards Darrington... Thanks for ending your trip early so we can start having decent weather again. lol.gif

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Conrad
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Conrad
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PostSun Jul 10, 2016 7:29 am 
Looks like Al runs into the shot whenever he sees you aim the camera. smile.gif

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Bugs
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PostSun Jul 10, 2016 8:25 am 
Great TR! I will be following in your footsteps in a couple weeks sans corgie. Thanks for the lighter tip. My daughter threw one in a fire once. Took a long time to finally pop and when it did there wasn't much to see. Nice little fireball about three feet in diameter. No collateral damage.

Always out there.
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Distel32
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Distel32
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PostSun Jul 10, 2016 6:36 pm 
up.gif

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wolffie
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wolffie
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PostMon Jul 11, 2016 12:27 pm 
Bugs, I think the idea is to light the duck tape with the lighter. Haven't tried it yet. Here's another great way to start a fire: A friend, recently graduated from college, returned home and was emptying her drawerful of old high school & college papers etc., screening and consigning them one-by-one to the fireplace flames. Tiring of this, she threw in the whole drawer, and sat there watching her past peacefully go up in flames... until they reached the aerosol can of hair spray. BOOM. She was looking (unharmed) at an entirely empty, spotlessly clean fireplace... and a living room wall-to-wall carpet covered wall-to-wall with smoking embers. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the upright vacuum and managed to suck up most of the embers until the bagful of embers did what a bagful of embers does when a compressor blows a blast of air through it, and there she was holding an upright vacuum with a long jet of flame squirting from the burning bag. Thinking quickly, she took careful aim at the fortunately wide-open front door, a good swing, and lobbed the whole burning vacuum, cord and all, through the plate glass window beside the door. Her parents were mentally tallying, once again, how much they'd spent to send this kid to college... Don't try this at home, kids. At least, wear eye pro please.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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Bugs
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Bugs
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PostMon Jul 11, 2016 1:07 pm 
Tragic and too close to home. Otherwise hilarious!

Always out there.
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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostMon Jul 11, 2016 1:48 pm 
wolffie wrote:
I watched helicopters lifting new stringers in there about...1995?
Perhaps, but I know they extended the bridge several times over the years. As you pointed out, it is kinda close to a flood plain. But I'm pretty sure you could say that about all bridges. It certainly may have been extended in the mid-1990's as a result of the big floods of 1990 which closed the Suiattle Road a couple of years. I know it was extended in the late 1990's (very likely 1999 - could be 2000 but I don't think so); the material for the bridge extension was staged at the Green Mtn Pasture. I recall a USFS staff drawing a type of a blue-print of the extension in the dirt and grime of a pickup truck as he discussed it with several curious hikers. Looks like a great adventure, and the downer of losing your maps juxtaposed against the thrill of someone giving you theirs is quite the roller coaster of a story!

"..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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KarlK
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PostMon Jul 11, 2016 3:43 pm 
Glad things worked out for you and the dog. The cold and wet part doesn't sound so great, and the deadfall doesn't either, but other than that...

Karl J Kaiyala
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braincloud
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braincloud
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PostMon Jul 11, 2016 5:45 pm 
We chatted with you and your corgi on our way up to summit on 2 July! You caught up with us as we were talking with a skier and snowboarder. I remarked on the sweet doggles your pup was sportin'. Then you proceeded to blast up the mountain at a pace most impressive! biggrin.gif

MyCrookedPath.com The light at the end of my tunnel is a police car.
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wolffie
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PostWed Jul 13, 2016 3:46 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
I know it was extended in the late 1990's (very likely 1999 - could be 2000 but I don't think so)
I think it was 1995. From Plummer Mt., I watched 2 flights with a long stringer. I thought it was you who who told me they weren't building the bridge, just replacing the stringers. Tricky flying: in Chickenhawk, Robert Mason recounts a horrible crash in Vietnam while carrying a similar load. That was the day I carefully practiced triangulation at the summit, but was always 4° off. I gave up, discouraged. Only later did I realize my maps were so old that the declination had shifted more than 4°-- I read the fine print on the compass rose of a USGS map and did the math.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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