[daffish]

Skyhomelyish Mountain 4494’ What a homely name for a homely so called mountain. And a road goes almost to the top so I figured that it would make a good ski tour while the snow still was around. I had to hike a bit before I could put those skinny sticks on my feet but then I made it all the way to the summit on skis. This trip I had more normal Cascade weather; i.e. clouds, fog, mist. As I climbed higher on the road, my visibility became shorter and shorter.

turn left to get into the clouds

brief clearing

Soon, I got up where I would have had a clear view to the north; but what I got was gray nothing. Then higher, I would have had a clear view to the east; but I donno. And south; nothing. Then I would have had some grand views to the west; but I donno there either. I must have had my head in the clouds. Well, I did; and my arms, my torso and even my feet. I could only see a few hundred feet ahead of me most of the way.

upper road somewhere

near the top

Snowmobile tracks went all the way up the road and it was only the last tiny bit to the summit that I set virgin tracks.

peak bagger with skis

It had only taken me a little over two and a half hours to ski up and while snacking on the top, the clouds had the audacity to actually start spritzing on me. That prompted me to quit my leisure lounging among the trees and start down. I flew down the road and the clouds looked like they were attempting to break up but I didn’t hang around.

upper portion of road

is it clearing?

so thats what the area looks like

Gravity pulled me downward, skis hissing over the snow, around the corners, over the avi debris in the gullies, and through the watermelon snow. The final half mile hike back to car completed the tour.

road segment

beneath the clouds and a long ski down

Skyhomelyish Mtn map

Stats: 9 miles 2200’ elevation gain 4 ½ hrs

[iron]

hooray clouds! is that the official name for the summit?

[Redwic]

"Tree with root wad"? (Shown on map) So you were not able to drive any further than you had at the beginning of the month? No more snowmelt on the road, or was it just blocked by debris?

[daffish]

[Redwic]

[ale_capone]

heh,, I was looking up at skyhomelyish on my way homelyish, thinking,, hey, there is a road going ot the top! Clouds didn't clear til around 4 or so. Guess the sunny part of partly sunny was the afternoon. the couldy part of the forecast must have been down low, cuz rainier looked awfully clear in the web cam. regarding the unofficial names on google maps. Noticed about a month or two ago that alot of the names where no longer on there? Am I veiwing it wrong?

[Redwic]

You are correct. A lot of odd names recently disappeared from Google Earth. That is not by accident. And, from what I have heard, a lot more odd names might be disappearing in the future... ... but that is a story for another time/forum.

[rossb]

Thanks for the report. I love to hear about places like this to explore. Looks like a fun ski trip. Since the road is mostly on the north side, I would imagine most of the snow will stick around a while.

[GeoHiker]

That's a nice area to hike/explore with some excellent views. I was camping near the 4,000 ft. level last year the first week of June and there were only patches of snow left. I have a feeling this year might be a bit different...... Here's what it looks like when you can see.

Camping near Eagle Creek, 4,000 ft.

[Fred Beavon]

Yes, thanks for the report. Your ski tracks were still visible today, Sunday, June 5. It took me 2 and 1/2 hours up also. 1 and 1/2 hours down, taking a big shortcut in that clearcut area near the top that's starting to grow back now. You got a good picture of it. Not having skis, I just booted it up. The only thing that would've made my trip better was if I'd left my ice axe, snowshoes, jeans, flannel shirt and jacket in the car. None of that extra weight was needed. It was t-shirt and shorts weather right from the car. Gaitors were helpful, though. That root wad can now be driven around, but there is one medium sized boulder that soon blocks all passage, along with many smaller rocks, too, as you mentioned. But snow soon begins in earnest after that. I've decided hiking on a logging road can be quite pleasant as long as it is covered with snow. I don't carry a camera, but there were great views of Eagle Rock and the SE Ridge of Townsend Mountain. The Hinman/Daniel area could be seen in the distance. This was a delightful quick snow slog.

[Sky Hiker]

This is what is called by the locals as lower end Klinger Ridge.