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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:34 am
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For years Bare Mountain has beckoned from the Alpine Lakes hiking book as one of only a couple hikes in the North Fork valley. After taking a trip up the North Fork a couple of weeks ago Bare Mountain's call was difficult to deny.
We left Starbucks in North Bend at about 8:15 and headed up the North Fork county road. Others have made it to the trailhead in 40 minutes, but we chose a much safer pace so it took an hour. (And that doesn't include the 10 minutes we spent driving to the end of the wrong road. Doh!) The road was clear up to the last few miles when there was some semi-nasty snow/ice, but nothing Dan's Subaru couldn't handle.
I had prepared for bad conditions so I had crampons, rain pants, long-johns, rain jacket, fleece hats, big gortex mittens (in addition to my normal hiking gloves) all crammed into my daypack. I started in just shorts, shirt, and a fleece, but did put on gaiters. The first 100 yards of the trail/road were snowy, but after that it cleared up.
Definitely, without question, the worst part of the entire trail is the first mile or so. It's an old mining road that looks like it has some serious water running down it so it's mostly just loose, fist-sized rocks. Ick. Happily, we were soon through it and to Bear Creek. We almost crossed right where the trail first hits the creek, but since it's just a sheet of rock with fast moving water we decided to try the stairs heading upstream. They led to a very sensible double-crossing that left everyone dry.
Once we got into the flat, open area paralleling the creek it was more of a trail. It was extremely open with all the ferns crispy and brown on the ground. No snow to speak of along the creek. At the first switchback we pondered heading over to see the mines, but we were hoping to get back in the early afternoon so we passed it up. Both of us were hiking in just t-shirts at this point.
After all the talk about billions of switchbacks we were a tad hesitant, but found they really weren't that bad. The grade was even, but not terrible, and there were enough shallow traverses to make it almost nice. We kept looking up the bare (get it?) slope hoping to see the summit, but the rocks we could see looked too near. (In fact, I don't think we could see the summit from the trail.)
Where the trail dipped behind some of the few trees there was a touch of snow, but never enough to be troublesome. There were a couple of little creeks that sprang from the hillside and one that shot down on a sheet of rock with moss borders. So very cool, but so very impossible for me to capture on (digital) film. Dang.
As we got near the saddle at about 5,000 feet the snow built up. Juneau ran right up to the edge of what was a BIG drop down toward the Paradise Lakes. Freaked me out something fierce. Tokul was much more conservative, thankfully. The north side of the ridge was caked in heavy snow and the lakes below us were still frozen over. The trail ran along the spine and back along the south side of the peak into blueberry bushes, though even in a relatively snow-free year like this they didn't yet have leaves let alone berries.
We tromped through one section of deep snow where we postholed on every step. It was perhaps three feet deep, but we sank in only as deep as our knees. Finally my gaiters and poles came in handy. The final short scramble to the top (not really a scramble, more of a steep trail) gave me the willies, but ended us up with a 5,300 foot, 360 degree view that was just amazing.
In different directions we could see Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Seattle backed by the Olympics. In every direction except due west jagged peaks raked the sky and most everything was covered in snow. Dan had given me a mini bottle of the new Starbucks Liqueur as a birthday gift so we cracked that open and discovered it was really tasty. The dogs continued playing near the edge, which made me really nervous, but nobody went over so I guess it's all good.
On the trip down I had issues climbing off the peak, but then no problems after that. The snow, rotten though it was, made for a fun run down to the saddle before the switchbacks began again. We paused at the cool stream and found a little waterfall that also defied my camera. One of these days I'll develop some photography skills.
We met one other pair on their way up about 1,000 feet below the summit. We saw no one else the rest of the way down. We were raving about the great trail until we hit the nasty rocks again and remembered how much our ankles wished for the solid uphill above the creek. Ugh.
We made it back in plenty of time. I was almost an hour and a half before my expected return, though Dan was pretty close to his. We need to learn to coordinate that in the future. This was likely my last hike of any significance for a while since Amy's due in only four weeks and it wouldn't do for me to miss that. Not if I want to have the continued use my legs, that is.
threepane bottle tokul climbin
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Backpacker Joe Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics Location: Cle Elum |
Nice report. What were the conditions of the Paradise lakes down below you?
TB
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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Tom Admin
Joined: 15 Dec 2001 Posts: 17857 | TRs | Pics
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Tom
Admin
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:22 am
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I think he said...
Quote: | The north side of the ridge was caked in heavy snow and the lakes below us were still frozen over. |
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:24 am
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Backpacker (Chumley) Joe wrote: | What were the conditions of the Paradise lakes down below you? |
Looked to be frozen and snowy.
paradise lakes
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Slugman It’s a Slugfest!
Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 16874 | TRs | Pics
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:16 pm
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Nice dog, nice report. Too bad it's not in the "trip reports" section.
[ moved to trip reports section by admin ]
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:56 pm
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Slugman wrote: | Nice dog, nice report. Too bad it's not in the "trip reports" section. |
Hmph. I even went to specifically pick the right forum. I'm not so good with these computer things. One of these days... (Thanks for moving it.)
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Slugman It’s a Slugfest!
Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 16874 | TRs | Pics
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:52 pm
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How old is your dog? I'm guessing a male dog, from the solid-looking body type. He looks a lot my Daisy, a female, more of a slender build. She's three and a half, and a blast to bring on hikes, especially solos. The way she grabs a stick and parades around with it as if she just brought down a caribou is hilarious. But be careful: she'll turn around suddenly and "knee-cap" you with the stick, or worse. She will also retrieve wayward bags and such blown away by the wind, or even a hiking stick or pole dropped down a steep hill. Add in her ability to carry a gallon of water in her backpack, plus her warmth in the tent at night, and I really don't know how I ever got along without her.
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:03 pm
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Slugman wrote: | How old is your dog? |
Female, actually. Tokul will be five on March 26. She's great both on leash and off, though I tend to keep her on if there's any chance of running into anyone else. The second best thing about her is her inability to care about wild animals. A squirrel could run up and jump on for a ride and she'd happily continue on. Only once has she ever felt a need to protect us (me and my then-18-month old daughter) and that was when a big buck deer crossed the Sasse Ridge/Hex Mountain trail in front of us.
The best thing about her? She's great with my daughter who will turn two next weekend. Clara "rides" poor Tokul when Tokul'd rather be sleeping and Tokul has never been anything but incredibly patient with her.
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Slugman It’s a Slugfest!
Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 16874 | TRs | Pics
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:56 pm
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Sweet!
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Old Bazumpus Member
Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 44 | TRs | Pics
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I am interested in doing this hike. Got a link to a good page with directions and stats? Also (and I know this is really random)...how many miles from the trailhead would you say a Toyota Camry would be able to get?
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H. Hound Member
Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 1205 | TRs | Pics Location: Exit 32 |
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H. Hound
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 7:46 pm
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v-trail has good stats, and directions.
With the warm weather, I would assume your car will make it all the way to the trail head
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:53 pm
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Old Bazumpus wrote: | Got a link to a good page with directions and stats? Also (and I know this is really random)...how many miles from the trailhead would you say a Toyota Camry would be able to get? |
It's in the 100 Hikes in Alpine Lakes so you could check that out for decent directions. The special note is that you need to look for a bridge to the left about 21 miles or so in. If you miss it you wind up in a campground of sorts. There's a really big ditch across the road that the Subaru barely cleared and then that road ends at Lennox Creek. If you get that far turn around and find the bridge in a short distance.
The Camry should be able to get all the way there especially if you're good at dodging potholes. The trail is well marked so you can't miss it.
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-lol- Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 767 | TRs | Pics
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-lol-
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Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:29 pm
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:53 am
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2drx wrote: | [edit: You didn't happen to take a picture of Bear Basin by any chance?] |
If you mean the whole Bear Creek area, no, not really. I have a couple of lame shots looking northeast up the trail in the flats along the creek, but they don't show a ton.
We couldn't see Bear Lakes themselves from any point along the trail. I think they're too well hidden by the ridge that runs between Paradise and Bear Lakes.
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-lol- Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 767 | TRs | Pics
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-lol-
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Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:09 am
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