[fourteen410]

Gee Point has been on my list for years, but I've always overlooked it for longer hikes that justify a long drive. But with the lingering heat, I couldn't resist the appeal of a short evening hike in a cooler place. I was questioning my choices when the thermometer hit 100F at 3pm in Darrington. That meant it would be 85-90F at the trailhead. Nevertheless, we forged on, following the Finney Creek Road through shady forest. A few miles from the TH, there was a boulder in the road that required some manuevering. No problem for me, but it could get a little close for a larger vehicle/truck. There were also a few ruts that could be interesting without high clearance. About a mile from the TH, a large tree fell down but someone cut a standard car-sized passage through it. Despite encountering a few cars headed the opposite direction on the way up, the TH was empty. Upon arrival, the welcoming committee quickly descended upon me and Pebbles. Fortunately, a little bit of DEET sent them on their way. I had heard that the first quarter mile had turned into a jungle, so I brought my loppers. Someone had already started clipping, so I picked up where they left off. After a sweat-drenched hour, it was time to head upward.

I must have liberated at least 20 spider webs on the way up. This is not the trail for arachnaphobiacs right now. I had heard that there was a sketchy exposed spot on the trail, but when I got there, I was surprised by how easy it was. Here's looking at it both directions. It looks worse in pictures than it really is.

Beyond this spot, the trail got quite narrow and off camber. As it approached the top, it got quite steep as well. Before long, we were basking in the three volcano view evening. Distant haze made for tricky photography.

We lingered for an hour before heading back down. Pebbles enjoyed one of the two remaining snow patches.

The golden hour stroll back through the forest was wonderful.

Back at the car at 8:15pm. We stopped by Little Gee Lake on the way out.

On our drive down, we got to enjoy the prescence of a curious owl.

As we headed back home, the temps finally dropped down to the mid 70s. After guzzling 2L of water on a 2.5 mile hike, I'll take it