Getting There

From Portland: Take I-5 N for 28 miles to Woodland. Take Exit 21 for WA-503 E to Cougar. Follow Lewis River Road (WA-503) for 30 miles. Continue east for another 3.4 miles past Cougar on Road 90 and take NF-83 for Ape Cave/Climber's Bivouac. Take this road for 3 mile then turn left on FS-81 for 0.4 miles. Turn right onto Road 830 (dirt/gravel) and take that to Climber's Bivouac (2.2 miles).

I realized about half way between Woodland and Cougar that I'd left my hiking poles in my garage in Portland. It's weird how the mind works: I was listening to music and enjoying a leisure drive and it hit me. Fuck! I pulled over and did a search for the nearest store that would have some. I didn't want to drive all the way back to Portland. I thought it'd either be Woodland or Battle Ground.

I found a Walmart in Woodland and double-backed. I wandered the section of the store where they were sure to be but I didn't see any trekking poles. I approached a store employee and asked. Yes. Aisle whatever. I panicked for a second, thinking they were out of stock but hooray!, a pair of aluminum poles. I grabbed 'em and a small cooler. (I'd also left my cooler at home and had guacamole and hummus from my stop at the Woodland Safeway a hour earlier). At this point I wanted to top up the gas tank and stopped at a AM/PM near the Walmart. I grabbed a small bag of ice and headed back out Lewis River Road. Whew!

When I got to Climber's Bivouac, I spent an hour or so organizing my stuff and putting snacks in plastic bags for the hike. There were people on the other side of the parking lot but I had my side to myself. It was pretty quiet since I didn't have my little Bluetooth speaker. Eventually, it got a bit cool and dark and I got in my cocoon in the back of my Jeep. Even with the yoga mat and blanket, I didn't have enough padding. Argh! Lying on top my sleeping bag helped.

I was awake every few hours as cars pulled into camp, their headlights illuminating the place briefly. Once I was in the sleeping bag, I really felt the lack of padding. 🤣. Luckily, there was just enough cell phone signal to stream some tunes from Spotify.

Around 4am I saw a few hikers with their headlamps walk by. I wasn't ready. Around 5:30a I put on my hiking clothes to warm them up in the sleeping bag. I waited until about 6am to get out of truck and take a wazz. I ate a banana and drank 1/2 can of maté: breakfast. I got on my boots and pack and walked to the sign-in board. There was just enough morning light to see my permit to enter the number into the register. I realized I might not have locked the car. I tried to see the taillights flash but couldn't. When I got back to the car, a big group was getting a pep talk. They were recruits or army reserves, about 10 guys. I pretended to get something out of the truck and consciously locked the car. Here we go!

The Hike

Distance: 8.18 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,570 ft
Highest Elevation: 8,258 ft
Total Time: 8h7m
Ascent: 6:15a - 10:45a (4h30m)
Time at Top: 10:45a - 11:35a (50m)
Descent: 11:35a - 2:22p (2h47m)

I started the hike through the forest. No other climbers were around. It was nice and quiet and I got adjusted to my pack.

At 6:56am, I was close to the Loowit Trail and sun was coming up.

At 7:09, I reached the treeline at about 4,800 ft. This is the end of the Ptarmigan Trail. I remember reaching this point back in 2020 when the idea of doing this climb was planted. I was just out exploring the lakes/reservoirs and drove up to Climber's Bivouac on a whim and did the hike. I had no idea what was involved.

I made my way up the Monitor trail and stopped to enjoy the views to the south and above me. A couple of pair of climbers past me and I passed a father and daughter that were doing this hike for the first time. I talked about my volunteer role on the trails below.

I didn't take any photos between 9:13a and 10:53a, after I'd reached the top. About 1/2 way up in the boulders, I synchronized with that group of military guys and chatted with a few of them. It felt good to have them as motivation and trail companionship, at least in my mind. I wondered how my fitness and age stacked up with the older guys and younger ones. The leader was a SAR guy and I overheard him talking about the gear he'd bring on these rescues.

There was one kid in the group that was struggling. Per the trailhead pep talk, the group took breaks every so often and wait for everyone to catch up. He was getting advice from the older guys. While I didn't revel in his discomfort, it reassured me that I was doing pretty damn good. All the worry about my recent arthritis symptoms and general anxiety about not reaching the top, thinking about my 2022 attempt was in my head.

I kept striving to reach the next lodge pole or rock or whatever: the counting method from Bear Grylls, thinking about Joe Simpson in Touching The Void. Breaking the big "thing" into smaller bits, like I have with Hamilton Mountain.

At the GPS station, I could see little dots of the people on the rim. The goal was within sight but it was still a 0.5 mile away. I was a bit nervous here. This is where I'd turned around last year. I continued hiking with the military guys and passed a couple of hikers. I just kept aiming for my next goal/milestone.

Eventually, the people at the rim looked a lot bigger. I was really going to make it! Fuck yea! I did my best to find other hikers' footprints and used them as steps.

When the rim was close, I estimated I had 30 steps to go! I counted each one and it was actually just 32 steps. I made it!

I walked up to the high spot to the right of the end of the trail and took this photo! I turned and snapped the photo of that group of 10. They were hanging out on the other side. A pair of hikers I'd seen way below were sitting near them, eating sandwiches.

I walked towards the "true summit" but opted not to go. I was glad to be up there and regret not going a little but decided I'd head over there next year. I just enjoyed the views and the silence from up there. I'd purchased safety goggles because I'd anticipated wind and dust but it was perfect up there. It was so quiet you could here little rock falls in the crater but they were so small, I wasn't able to place them as there wasn't any dust.