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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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Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:09 am
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When I was looking for a short/easy hike to go with Cookie this weekend, I was originally thinking about Mount Daniel, but trip reports were confusing about how easy (or not) it is, but most importantly it is such a long and bumpy drive, that I soon gave up on the Mount Daniel idea. Instead I remembered that I still have not been to Thunder Mountain lakes area and trailhead is only 1 hour drive from home (sweet!), so Thunder Mountain lakes it was and instead of climbing Mount Daniel I would be looking at it and it is arguably even better.
Forest road to Tunnel creek trailhead is unsigned, but easy to spot and is short and in absolutely perfect condition. Any car can make it without loosing any of the driver’s teeth on the bumps. Unsurprisingly this trailhead is popular – at 8am it was already half full with cars.
Early in the morning light we met an exceptionally beautiful coyote on this road, but she/he was too shy to stop for photos. Cold frosty mornings are great for wildlife – later on the trail we met a bunch of funny pikas and a grouse too.
A little morning fog was quickly disappearing around Hope lake. Tunnel creek trail is in perfect conditions and PCT is more of a highway, than a trail, as usual. Surprisingly for me, we found a perfect trail near Trap pass leading to Thunder Mountain lakes.
Clearly, this area is popular. Looks like everyone had the same idea as me, and while I think we arrived to the lake first in the morning, there was a constant stream of hikers coming after us. Since Thunder Mountain lakes are such a small and open area, it felt very busy and we could see lots of damage from social trails crisscrossing everywhere around the lakes.
Even at 6000+ feet there was no snow. Looking around us, we could only see a little fresh snow on Glacier Peak, while it looked like everything else is still bare – Mount Daniel, Mount Hinman, Chiwaukums, Cradle, etc. – still look very dry and summer-like. The red and yellow colors of autumn are faded into brown and dark, but white is being delayed at the border.
No blueberries anymore, but still some saskatoon berries (even tastier!), mountain ash (not tasty!) and lots of wet/rotting/frozen mushrooms (not tasty!).
There was just a little bit of white dust on the rocks and heather higher up, and lots and lots of ice. Little tarns are completely frozen making for amazing sun glares.
With not much snow, Cookie made the best of what she could find.
Many rocks are slick with ice and very slippery. Cookie was a little bit scared (tail is down) near the summit of Nimbus, so we carefully climbed to the ‘dog head’ and checked out Glacier (or Surprise?) lake on the other side.
Soon we left the busy Thunder Mountain lakes area and made a short hike towards Thor Mountain. While people were constantly coming towards Thunder Mountain lakes, looks like nobody else went anywhere else and we didn’t see any more people. I didn’t have a good plan (or a track to follow), so I scouted different possible routes. On the way to Thor we took the ridge and it was a little bit nasty with a frozen gully to go down. Our way back around the ridge was slightly longer in length, but more enjoyable and shorter in time it took.
We found a register on Thor, that is almost full and seems like was not signed after 2016. Not sure why. From Thor the views are amazing towards Chiwaukums, Mac Peak, Square and Wolverine lakes.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3120710072
17+ miles, 6000+ feet gain.
zimmertr
zimmertr
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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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Sun Oct 28, 2018 4:10 pm
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Yep, I was quite surprised to see so many people coming there. But the good news is that everybody just went to the upper Thunder Mountain lake. At the lower lake - nobody. Thor - complete solitude. People seem to just go to Upper Lake + Nimbus and camp or go back. So only a small area is very popular.
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DIYSteve seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Sun Oct 28, 2018 5:15 pm
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Yup, Upper TML will have a spider's web of trails for the rest of our lives. Overuse of Upper TML will soon squeeze people southward.
I know of a few cool spots in the general area that, so far, have escaped exposure. I hope it stays that way.
Nice pics BTW
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BarbE Member
Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 1153 | TRs | Pics
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BarbE
Member
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Sun Oct 28, 2018 6:31 pm
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I’m also guilty of posting pictures of fairyland TML with a cover page on the 2015 NWHikers calendar.
The secret has been out for years, but just like Gothic Basin, the popularity has gotten out of hand.
Best, not to ever mention it again.
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