Hike: Hamilton Mountain + Hardy Creek, N Bonneville, WA

Getting There

Just after Doetsch Ranch you'll see the Ranger Station on the north side of the road just before the Beacon Rock parking lot, then another road across from the bathrooms. The road winds up the hill for a bit.

It was early afternoon and the weather was slightly overcast but I expected some nice views from up above. By the time, I got to the Saddle, it was really sunny. Forunately, there were cooler temps in the trees and a nice breeze.

The Hike

Length: 9.56 mi
Elev. gain: 2,736 ft
Moving time: 3:52:49
Avg pace: 24:21
Calories: 2,051
Total time: 4:57:56 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was just reflecting on the fact that I haven't really been doing much hiking this year. I'm almost at the half-way point of the year and just have reached 25% of my hiking goals. I've been doing so many trail work parties with WTA, TKO, MSHI and attended the training in North Bend. It's also the beginning of the MSHI volunteer season so we had some training.

Well, I took the opportunity with the nice weather to try out my new boots and backpack.

Hamilton was my trail of choice.

The heat was getting to me a little, feeling slightly lethargic. It took me nearly 2.5 hrs to reach the top. I took a lot breaks for electrolytes and water. Along the way, I also took photos and GPS coordinates for all the downed trees I found over the trail.

I stopped at The Saddle to eat my sandwich and rehydrate. I also used my empty bottle to mix up a batch of electrolytes with the powder I got at Next Adventure.

I had originally thought about hiking up to the Bridge Trail but realized it was getting later in the day, though it was still a few hours before sundown. I did take Don's Cutoff to Upper Hardy Creek.

There was a hiker at the creek crossing where the Lower Hardy Creek Trail starts. I waved hello but zoomed by.

After brief stop at the Rodney Falls, I found the bottom section of the trail a bit warmer. The sun was shining and still quite high in the sky. I didn't think I wanted to wait until sundown but figured I'd do my obligatory side quest to Little Beacon.

I saw a pair of turkey vultures perched on a branch about eye level. They knew I was there, turning to look when I made noises. I hiked up to the lookout. While sitting there, I noticed the turkey vultures gliding in the wind between me and Beacon Rock. One of them came really close (~10 yards/meters). So cool.

Great day!

 

 

 

 

Hike: Toutle Trail, Mount St Helens, Cougar, WA

Getting There

From I-5/Woodland, take Hwy 503 (Lewis River Road) to Cougar. When you get to Yale Park (and boat launch), go another 1.2 miles to NF-81. Drive north by Merrill Lake and continue past Kalama Horse Camp. Be on the lookout for a 90-deg right turn to stay on NF-81, otherwise you'll be on NF-8123 to Goat Marsh/Blue Lake Trailheads. The Red Rock Pass/Butte Camp Trailhead parking lot is on the left.

The Hike

Distance: 4.98 miles
Elevation Gain: 740 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3,601 feet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a trail work party with MSHI, Conservation Corps. The previous week we worked on the other side of NF-81 on the Upper Cinnamon Trail. We were supposed to work on the Lower section but the Backcountry Horsemen were up here for a week working on the burn area.

I expected to do tread and drain work but when I got there, Tom enlisted me to run the chainsaw to clear several trees from the the trail. He had chaps for me and Gail had earplugs and safety glasses. We had a loaner chainsaw from the USFS. 

Alice helped carry it for a ways then we traded off. I think the official number was 7 trees but I think we only did 6. Whatever! It was great to get some trigger time, and I didn't get the bar pinched. 

The first log was a small, brittle one on the ground. Each subsequent log was more complicated (lay, binds, diameter). The last one was only partially on the trail. Another person was hacking away at the end with an axe but still had some tree to remove for it was be off the trail.

We double-backed to help with the chainsaw. This log was bigger than the bar. We cut a billet off the downside end while the whole crew watched. Unfortunately, the larger section of the log rolled down onto the trail. Crap! It was towards the end of the work day but now we had an even larger obstructions to deal with.

Instead of choosing to saw this log in half, we opted to use muscle (boots & butts) to maneuver off the trail. We rocked and pivoted the log until we could finally roll it off the tread.

The hiked ended up being about 5 miles. I was glad to reach the cars and put the chainsaw down.