[susan]

I'm going to hike to the old lookout site and beyond on Saturday and both of my part-time hiking buddies can't go or don't like long drives. I'm older and slower and most of you are younger and faster so I may not get any takers but thought I'd give it a try anyway. I've done Crystal Mt., Shriner Peak and Bearhead Mt. among other hikes this season, so I do make it up there. I average a 40 minute mile.

[Erik the Nav]

Just speaking up as a non-speed demon. Your pace sounds fine to me. Sadly, I'll be in my cubicle this weekend.

[guesttoday]

bring your bug spray AND a hand towel (or similar) for swiping the flies off your legs etc... i've never experienced horse flies like i did on that trail, but that was in june and hopefully you'll have better luck

[susan]

Hey, thanks for the replies. The last two or three hikes I've done, I have used both DEET and Avon Skin-So-Soft. It's worked pretty good. I only hope that the flies that were there in June are dead and gone and any off- spring they may have had. I guess I'll find out tomorrow! Erik, what a bummer to have to work tomorrow! The weather is supposed to be gorgeous! I've wanted to do this hike for several years now and I'm really excited that I'm finally doing it. While the daylight hours are still pretty long, I'm also going to do Yellow Aster Butte in the next few weeks. Both of these hikes are a long way from Tacoma but worth it.

[Roxann]

Just did several hikes in that area 8-11 to the 15th. (Church Mt., Hannegan Pass, Skyline Divide, Excelsior, and Heliotrope.) Flies were bad on all and biting. My partner got ate bad. Her legs are just red blotches.

[susan]

Isn't it a beautiful area! I can't wait to go back! I will wait until the bugs are gone, though. They were awfull. I used deet and Avon Bug Gaurd and it didn't keep them away although I only got bitten four times. They hitched rides on my clothes (which I had sprayed really good with deet) and they swarmed around my face which just about drives me crazy. I made a switch of ferns and kept waving it around my upper body. But they must have been thinking there was a meal in there somewhere. The only thing that saved the day was that they weren't in the meadows. The wind kept them in the woods and the high-brushy area, so I spent two hours sitting in the meadows enjoying the views which were stunning and made the whole thing worth it.

[Roxann]

I usually carry a small hand towel to swat at the flies on top of the bug spray. On Hannegan I saw a guy with a net thing a ma jig over his head. It looked crazy but it sure kept the flies out. How far up Goat did you get? Roxy

[ajgoodkids]

The net thingamajiggy is an OR headnet. It's annoying for general use, but at 2 ounces and no volume, it's nice to have along as a sure-bet option in the bug wars. If the bugs are unbearable, wear a headnet and have consomme or chicken broth for dinner.

[susan]

I got as far as the last rock outcropping where the switchbacks start up the side of the lookout hill. Since I made it a dayhike and spent so much time in the meadow area, I was running out of time. That's why I'm going back within the next three weeks. I think I was about 1/2 or 3/4 of a mile from the lookout site. I can't wait to see what's on the other side of the hill. Four other hikers went all the way to the site and they said they could see "millions" of peaks, including the Canadian peaks and a lot of the North Cascade peaks. From where I was, I think I could make out the Pickett Range. It's going to be hard to wait these few weeks until the bugs die out.

[susan]

For clarification, when I say dayhike, I made it a dayhike from Tacoma. That's too far for me to drive anymore and expect to have a lot of energy left for hiking and it makes for a very long day. Next time I'm going to stay somewhere close overnight. That's what one hiker I met did and he had more time to stay on the mountain since he didn't have a long drive ahead of him.

[Roxann]

Silver Fir Campground is really nice and quiet. Resevations can be made via the internet. I stayed there last week and used it as my base camp. Was able to do 5 different hikes in the area. Another campground is Douglas Fir. It is more central to the hikes. I drove thru looks nice. But I do not have information on it.

[susan]

I noticed those campgrounds as I went by. I'll have to check them out. The other hiker who stayed overnight had stayed at the Snowline Inn. I don't know yet whether I will rough it or go for comfy.