[Bright River]

I drove 10 miles up the Upper Finney Road ( about 9 miles east on the Concrete Sauk Valley road along the South side of the Skagit) . at that point there were signs saying there was tree felling on the road. Then 4 piles of stacked logs on both side of the road, and machinery for log hauling. As I turned onto FS rd 1720 ( Rd. number on iron post at Right), it became obvious that the logging was on this road. The loggers are "daylighting" the road and cutting trees all along the road. At 2.1 miles I turned off onto Rd 7022, and at 3.4 miles there was equipment and a logging spur to the left, afterwards the road was logging free and somewhat brushy and there are occaisional eroded areas requiring reduced speed and being mindful of clearance, at 4.7 there is a gravel pit at a switchback to the left (west), then at 5.4 ther is a brushy road on the North side of the road which I would use to climb Geegaw later, Trailhead at 7.0 miles. I would not use the road during the week when they are actively logging. Gee point was straight forward for about a mile and the first 400 feet elevation gain, after a small bench at Right ( glass and pottery shards, remains of storage cabin); there is a strong left turn and steep climb, the trail gains the ridge and then there is a second left turn just before a rock wall and the trail traverses steep rocky terrain ( exposure here) and climbs across the west side of the peak around to the north and up to the top - clockwise half circle. On the way back , I encountered 2 couples who thought the trail went to a lake ( no map), they had a 5 month half grown puppy, and one fellow was clothed only in shorts, no shoes. I warned them about the last steep and exposed bit and that maybe the puppy might be a problem. I drove 1.6 mile back down the road with the intent of climbing the "last" peak on Gee Ridge. According to Peak Bagger the peak has not been climbed and had a 500 foot clear prominence. I used maps on Willhites Lookout site:http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/gee_point/lookout_site_225.htm There was a old logging road with aan elevation of 3958 at the base; the peak top w given as 4508 feet. I started up the road ( very brushy), gaining about 200 feet going north , then the road turn east and then north again, I tie my one flagging on the top of a tall willow and stepped off into brush and onto a large pile of logs, and then into old growth silver fir and hemlock. I was concerned about finding the road again ; almost immediately I spied a large clump of Polyporus sulphureus, often called "chicken of the woods", It has a distinctive flavor and is one of the most distinctive edible "mushrooms" ( It is a shelving fungus growing laterally from the tree and with a poroid layer on the underside): IT IS HARD TO MISS BEING A BRIGHT ORANGE ON THE TOP AND BRIGHT YELLOW ON THE UNDERSIDE. I took a large swath of the fungus and climbed steeply through the old growth, leaving 20 pieces of P. sulphureus to mark my route. The slope was steep enough in places that the needle covered duff was slick and I was step kicking. I got to a shallow ridge , the NW side falling away steeply, and climbed until every other point was below and there was a large hemlock and piled a few broken sticks on the north side of this tree and checked my altimeter: and I had come up 500' and it register over 4,500". I proposed that this peak be called GEEGAW. I retreated wondering if I could find my orange, yellow markers and found 19 of them, and then harvested about 3 lbs. more to enjoy at home . ( don't eat this fungus raw, but enjoy it; I think it is overrated but it is very distinctive and even the most mycologically challenged individuals can learn to identify this fungus and it is available during the summer).

[Kim Brown]

There is a tarn below the cabin site, but it's at the bottom of a big boulder field. I have eyeballed it a time or two, but so far, haven't been willing to negotiate the boulders to get down there. There's also the lake 30 feet from the road before the trailhead; I wonder if that's what they were looking for, and missed. I would love to have seen all those fungii! Lucky you!

[aywolfpac]