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ChrisSJI
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ChrisSJI
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 12:06 am 
We were planning to hike the Snowgrass-Cispus-Nannie Ridge loop this Sunday through Tuesday. BUT the forecasted heat coming our way is making me wonder if there are better alternatives to consider. Party consists of my wife, me, 11yo, 8yo & dog. Kids are strong hikers with appropriately light packs. Exploring Goat Rocks has been on my list for years. Living on San Juan Island, the closeness of the North Cascades keeps us from venturing South. We finally get our chance this coming week when we take our daughter to a 4-day leadership camp at Cispus Center outside Randle. I guess I’m just looking for a proper sounding board. How is the water availability on this route? Do you have any other favorite trips in the area that might offer a little more shade or cooling opportunities? Maybe a route that offers a shorter hike and more side trips? Thanks in advance!

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Anne Elk
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 12:21 am 
At the very least, I'd leave Fido with a sitter. Seriously. Dogs are stoic until they drop.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood

ChrisSJI, SpookyKite89, klock
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Randito
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 6:03 am 
Umbrellas are useful items when hiking in the hot sun.

ChrisSJI
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kite
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 7:30 am 
If your doing the standard Snowgrass flats loop with a side to old snowy and or Hawkeye Point you should have good water from the goat creek up to the springs at Snowgrass creek, once passed goat lake is tends to dry out a bit but is an easy walk down. If your extending out along towards Cispus pass you should find water just before the thumb and again at the sheep lake, there was a spring flowing pretty good near nannie Ridge peak a few years ago? As for the heat your in the shade most of the way up until the flats then is scattered trees, but your at 6500 feet I like to go right on the PCT connector on the way up and camp above the Snowgrass creek spring.

ChrisSJI
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treeswarper
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 7:32 am 
Call the Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station in Randle. They usually have a wilderness guard or volunteer in that area. It's a popular place to go so they'll have info on it. Driving over White Pass last week, there was still snow visible up high in the usual places. There are also day hikes all over the Cispus area. I would recommend Tongue Mtn. for one. It has one scary spot if you don't like being exposed but we have successfully hiked it with dogs and kids. It is short though. Other trails nearby are motorized, but not busy at all during the week. I found that if you don't want to meet people, hike a motorized trail on a weekday in that area. Water, of course, may be dried up along these lower trails. There is even a trail leading up to waterfalls from the Cispus Center area. I mention these trails because most go through shade with occasional views. Tongue Mtn. has an exposed top and excellent views of the Cispus Valley. Be warned in advance, the flies may be bad.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities

ChrisSJI
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 10:42 am 
ChrisSJI wrote:
Exploring Goat Rocks has been on my list for years.
It is one of the best wildflower paradises anywhere. If I was going to make a once in many years trip from the San Juan, I would go during the peak bloom. (I'm giving you permission and a good excuse in case you need to change your plans.)

ChrisSJI
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Ski
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 11:01 am 
Never actually got to the Goat Rocks area, believe it or not - just everything else around it. In order, my favorites down there: Blue Lake (via #274 Hiker Trail, NOT the #272 Bishop Ridge Trail (former is 2.5 miles straight up, latter is about 3 or 4 and ridiculously rough - 99% usage is motorized bikes ("dirt bikes".)(If you're lucky you can set up a tent for the kids at the NORTH end of the lake near the outlet. First come, first served. Only really space for maybe two or three parties up there, as I recall. Lake water is DAMN cold, but the kids won't mind because that end is in the sun.) Cispus Peak / Twin Sisters / Castle Butte (stay away from Jackpot Lake - it's a mosquito-infested slimehole.)(I alway thought going in from the west side was better - you see more flowers and avoid Jackpot and that traverse across the bug incubator under those rocks.) Hamilton Butte (you CAN do an overnight up there if you're cafeful. do NOT lay your bag down within 10 feet of the edge, though.) Little Huckleberry Mountain (bivvy spot on east side of peak big enough for one or two people who really like each other.) Pompey Peak (NO place to go at the top - straight up and down. FABULOUS view of the Cowlitz valley.) South Point (relentless straight up the whole way. NO water. nice views, but I thought Pompey was a better pay-off) Dry Creek Pass Point (same as South Point) others... can't remember 'em all farther south the Craggy Peak trail from Wright Meadow is fabulous (way way south.)(really very cool - you cruise right by Shark Rock, Kirk Rock, and a couple others.) haul LOTS of water. take LOTS of DEET. headnet or some other no-see-um screen if you're going to do any overnights and actually hope to get any sleep. bugs will be absolutely ferocious right now.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

ChrisSJI
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treeswarper
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 12:55 pm 
Thought about Blue Lake but it is a trudge with switchbacks if we're talking the same way up. I have enjoyed the Kittitas trail, but the trailhead closest to Randle is difficult to drive to, may be washed out. It's through the woods with openings for views of St. Helens and the Cispus Valley. Anyway, I'd contact the ranger station for info. Or make a dentist appt. He hikes a lot. Note that trailhead roads may be choked up from the sides with alder. This was the case with the Blue Lake hiker trail several years ago. I cut it open, but that was.....several years ago. Your vehicle's paint job may not like that.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities

ChrisSJI
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Ski
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 1:28 pm 
When they constructed the #274 Blue Lake Hiker Trail, they wanted to make it "an adventure".* Ergo: FLIGHTS of stairs that are damn near vertical - all carefully laid in with STONE. The trail goes right underneath a vertical wall of columnar basalt that is just mind-blowing. Fortunately, it's only 2.5 miles. I hauled an 8 and a 10-year-old boy up there, WITH tent, sleeping bags, AND an 18-pound inflatable boat. (I used to be in better shape.) Boys had NO trouble at all with the trail. I had to drop the boat halfway up, lead them up to the top, leave the older boy at the lake to watch stuff, and then went back down with the younger boy to retrieve the boat and paddles. We caught NO fish, but the boat ride was a gas - water is crystal clear and you can see bleached-out white trees and the WHITE volcanic ash on the lake bed. If you walk back a couple hundred feet from the north shore of the lake to do your business in the morning and start digging a hole, when you get down about six inches you'll run into a layer of white ash. Go down another six inches and there's another layer of white ash. And on and on and on and on... THAT's how often St. Helens blew its top. Boys were fascinated digging holes - go figure. Again, the #272 trail is damn near straight up - but it's all hogged out from the dirt bikes - best to leave that one to them and use the hiker trail unless you want that big "panorama" view of the Yozoo drainage on the other side of the hill (which is pretty spectacular, really.) There's another one up there that runs lower, but it's mostly dirt-bikes as well and was seriously compromised about 30 years ago by a timber harvesting operation - another one to leave to the dirt-bikers. NO clue what sort of condition the road is in. I think the last time I hiked that one was December 1997... not sure. VERY interesting in dead winter with four feet of snow up at the lake - some serious post-holing involved, but I led two young men up there and we had a great lunch in the sun. Not for the faint of heart - trail is EASILY lost about halfway up if you don't KNOW the route already. (It makes a turn to the right when you think it should be going straight ahead.) (* pers. comm. B. Rose / phone / 1994) <edit> @treeswarper - and believe it or not, I never made it to Tongue Mountain!!! dizzy.gif * I didn't mention Kraus Ridge, did I? Short trail. Maybe ... 3 or 4 miles (?) climbs up along the side of a ridge that was the victim of a huge wildfire way back. Watch the trees as you pass them: charred black on the downhill side, perfectly fine on the uphill side. THAT is how fast the fire raced up the hill. REALLY striking visually. Trail doubles back, traverses the ridge pretty close to the crest, and ultimately will offer views of the Cispus Valley and the Cispus Learning Center. Only did that one once, in the snow ... I didn't go all the way to the very end of the trail because of time constraints. I would put it in the "easy" category and of all of them one of the most accessible in winter because of the low elevation. 90% of the hike is under heavy canopy. NO water.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

Chief Joseph, ChrisSJI
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kiliki
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 1:50 pm 
I've done that route in September and had no trouble finding water. I would, however, look at the many many PCT reports and make sure no one is having issues with this along that stretch, anyway. I looked at the forecast for Packwood and yikes, it's going to be considerably hotter down south than here in Seattle. Here's one idea: The not-too-long hike to Lily Basin, which is so beautiful, has plenty of shade and water and affords short day hike opportunities from there. You can hike up to Goat Lake, north along the PCT to the Knife's Edge, and over to Cispus Basin. You could head there (to Lily Basin) and if after one night it just sucks, it's too hot, you'll still have visited a gorgeous part of the Goat Rocks and you retreat to one of the lake campgrounds in the area (like Walupt Lake, a very pretty lake though the campground itself isn't that special), or, to someplace with A/C. In case you don't know the area I mean, you'd start at the Snowgrass hikers th, take trail #96 north, then take a left on Lily Basin trail #86. There are many campsites clustered in trees along the first, maybe, third of a mile after you turn onto trail #86? Then more at intervals in the beautiful basin. So you'd be looking for a camp between miles 4 and 5, and that could be your base camp for the not-too-long explorations I mentioned.

ChrisSJI
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treeswarper
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PostSat Aug 12, 2023 7:18 pm 
I have had word from a friend that many of the campgrounds are now reservable and sites are hard to come by. Walupt Lake is one of those. rant.gif I will not start my rant about the decline of spontaneity. Nope. Not gonna go there.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities

SpookyKite89
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ChrisSJI
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PostThu Aug 17, 2023 10:14 am 
Thanks to all of you who replied. We ended up putting the canoe on the van and grabbed our car camping tote as a contengency plan. We headed for Walupt Lake Campground after dropping our 13yo and friend off at Cispus Center for their leadership camp. We lucked out finding a great camp site and had one of our best camping experiences ever. There may have been minimal hiking but it warrants a proper trip report. Just a couple of quick thoughts and specific thank yous: @Treeswarper, your localized knowledge was helpful. The good news is that 14 of the 42 sites at Walupt remain first come, first served (not reservable). There were unused FF sites every night. Of course, there were some no-shows. shakehead.gif I get that "life" happens outside of circumstances, but it would be nice to figure out a better system to disincentivize no-shows. @Ski, Blue Lake is now on high my list. Sounds like the kind of 2 of my kids and their friends would love. Sr Mgmt and the middle kid, not-so-much, but they'll be happy to stay at Walupt Lake again! hockeygrin.gif Cispus Center is special. The middle schoolers had an incredible experience there. They rehashed the week and sang camp songs at least half of the 6 hour trip home. Little sleep was had in the van dispite the late nights and early mornings. I poo-pooed student gov as a kid but that would have been different if we had this and other programs Washington state offers these kids. It's nice to see we're still getting some things right with our youth. That whole area is a very special place that we will be visiting more.

Aussie, uww, Randito, kiliki, RichP
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treeswarper
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PostFri Aug 18, 2023 7:17 am 
You are welcome. I grew up in E. Washington and had a chance to go to a two week music camp at Cispus back in the medieval days. I loved it. I didn't want to go home. I got blisters all over my feet from a hike to Blue Lake. I had to borrow a day pack (never had heard of those) and wore my blue suede waffle stompers. I had bloody feet after that but had a blast. We also were treated to a trip up to Burley Mtn? I think, to watch the sunset behind the still intact Mt. St. Helens. I was covered in mosquito bites, but it was worth it. Even finding out that I was there on a dish washing scholarship was worth it. At that time, it was the Cispus Environmental Learning Center and so we had to have ONE class where environmental science was taught. We all felt sorry for the guy who had to teach it as we were there for the music. I still kind of pity him. Oh well. I hope that the Cispus Center can keep on having kids for various camps. It's a great place. A friend worked there for 30 some years and told of a trick they would play on the kids. One of the counselors would go out into the field and pretend to be talking on a cell phone. Then they would watch frustrated kids go out trying to get their phones to work. Which didn't happen.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities

Aussie
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