Hike: Woods Creek Watchable Wildlife, Randle, WA

Getting There

From Randle, WA, head south on WA-131 towards Lewis Road for 2.7 miles. Continue on NFD-25 for 3 miles. The turn into the trailhead parking lot is on the left. The actual trail is called the Oldgrowth Loop Trail.

In the morning of the 2nd day, James, our crew leader, made bagel breakfast sandwiches. It was rainy June weekend.

Breakfast time

My car "tent" and actual tent

The Hike

Distance: 1.76 miles
Elevation Gain: 237 feet
Maximum Elevation: 1,268 feet

From my IG entry for this weekend: 

"On Sunday, after breakfast and packing up camp, we caravanned over to the Woods Creek Watchable Wildlife/Oldgrowth Loop Trail. I was on a 3-person crosscut team, and got some time using the saw.

I learned a ton about sawyering and using the OHLEC process for sizing up a cutting task. I think I would like to go for "A" level sawyer certification."

As you can see, I didn't really take any of my own photos. I was focused on learning some new skills and I didn't want to possibly damage my phone (or even be worried about it) while out there.

Dawn (ACL) and Jane were visiting from the Seattle/Olympia area for the weekend. They are both skilled sawyers and generous with their knowledge. 

On Saturday, we were on chainsaw teams but on Sunday, Dax, Jane, and I were a 3-person crosscut team. We were not in a rush so had ample opportunity to talk about the process and make sure were all had a chance to take the lead.

Using a crosscut saw with another person takes some skill. It's as much pulling as keeping the blade from binding in the cut while the other person is pulling and to be in-sync. It also takes a lot longer than a chainsaw so there are rest breaks and chances to change position, footing, and stance.

These blades are like antiques as are the cast-iron handles. There are cutting surfaces and notches to scrape the shaving from the cut to keep things moving smoothly.

I appreciate the James intentionally builds time into our project days for learning and transfer of skills to the n00bs.

In fact, I'm signed up for TKO's 3-day chainsaw certification course in October 2024. I'm glad to go in with some prior experience and safety awareness.

Dax and I cutting a log with a crosscut saw

Cropped group photo of the weekend crew

After leaving the work site, we all reconvened at Huff n Puff just west of Randle for a milkshake and snack.

Hike: North Fork Loop, Randle, WA

Getting There

From I-5, take US-12 east toward Yakima. At Randle, go south on WA-131. About one mile down the road, take the left onto Cispus Road and follow southeast for about 8 miles. Continue on NF-23 for another 2.8 miles. The North Fork Campground is on the left.

The trailhead is adjacent to the bridge over Tyler Creek between the main campground and the group camp.

The Hike

Distance: 1.44 miles
Elevation Gain: 547 feet
Maximum Elevation: 1,797 feet

This was mostly a logout trail work party. As with Cispus, I was the swamper on the small chainsaw crew. My main tool of choice is the McLeod. I was also part of the decision making, following the OHLEC process.

O = Observations (when approaching the cut site, objective)
H = Hazards
L = Leans (and Binds)
E = Escape Plan
C = Cut Plan

As a swamper, my job is to make sure the cut area is prepared properly. This includes clearing the cut site of debris that might damaging the saw, tripping hazards, digging under log so blade never touch dirt. I'm also paying attention to any snags, being on the ready to help the cutter, keeping an eye on the trail for any hikers and preventing them coming through the cut site until it's safe.

We stopped for lunch a spot with this amazing view.

I don't recall exactly what we were discussing but it kind of looks like we're evaluating the hazards and deciding the angle to make the cut so it's far enough off the trail.

 

 

As a member of a chainsaw, sometimes you help carry the heavy equipment to give others a break.

Hikes: Covel Creek Falls & Burley Mountain, Randle, WA

The "Mayor" of Cispus Learning Center

Getting There

From Randle, WA, take WA-131 south toward Lewis Street. At about 1 mile, take the left onto Cispus Road and continue for about 8 miles. Continue NF-23 until the fork and turn right to stay on Cispus Road. There's a sign that says the road to Trout Lake is closed for snow. After crossing over the bridge for Yellowjacket Creek turn right to stay on Cispus Road (and Tower Rock Campgrounds). Don't continue onto NF-28. Follow the signs for Cispus Learning Center.

I'd stopped at Fischer's Market to get some groceries but in true fashion, I didn't get everything I needed. I forgot to get sandwich fixings. It was late in the day and I was hungry, so I popped into the Blue Stone Cafe for a burger and skimpy side of coleslaw. I knew the plan for dinner was to come back to Randle, so I figured I'd stock up then.

Since my last visit to Cispus, I'd wanted to check out Layser Cave so I took the opportunity for a detour. It was further up than I'd expected but I was on a mission. There's a short trail to a viewpoint and then to the cave entrance. Most of the cave was filled in to prevent vandals and ne'er-do-wells.

View of Mt Adams and Dark Divide peaks

"Layser Cave is one of the most significant archaeological sites in western Washington. Animal bones and stone tools found on the floor of the cave and buried in the soil layers enabled experts to piece together a history of more than 7,000 years."

I ended up getting to the Alder bunkhouse at Cispus just as folks were rallying to go to dinner. I made a poor decision to stay and get settled, knowing I didn't have enough supplies. (For lunch on Friday, I made a sandwich with only condiments and spinach.)

The Hikes

Saturday Crew

May 10, 2024

Covel Creek Falls

Distance: 1.73 miles
Elevation Gain: 277 feet
Maximum Elevation: 1,499 feet

 

 

 

 

 

In the morning, we were split into small teams to tackle different parts of the Covel Creek trail. Since I'm not certified to run the chainsaw, my duties were safety, cleanup, brushing, and tread work. I was with two other guys that still included me in the OHLEC plan (OHLEC – Objective-Hazzards-Leans-Escape Route-Cut).

We completed all of our objectives in our section of the trail. It was hot, humid, and there were lots of mosquitoes.

Before

Before

After

May 11, 2024

Burley Mountain

Distance: 3.27 miles
Elevation Gain: 75 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3,908 feet

 

The Saturday group included four new people that were just working one day. I helped carpool folks to the top of the trail on the road to Burley Mountain Lookout. The teams leapfrogged each other as we cleared obstacles (trees) from the trail. 

It was also meant to be a learning process for "A" sawyers on trickier obstacles: multiple logs, hazards, etc. The biggest challenge was the "jackstraw", a jumbled heap of logs with the difficulty of trying to remove them one at a time without moving any of the others. The "B" and "C" sawyers were assigned to this one.

When this one was cleared, we started our descent back to Cispus. We passed through steep switchbacks and under Curtain Falls. We followed Covel Creek down and there were several more waterfalls.

One of the crew wasn't feeling well. When we reached them, they were dehydrated and a bit woozy. When someone asked me to carry their chainsaw, I didn't hesitate for a second: I was happy to help.

Back at camp, we still had to retrieve our vehicles from Burley Mountain. I got a ride with one person. When we got to the top, I knew it was a narrow forest road and that another vehicle was on the way up, so I waited. I considered driving up to the lookout but I also didn't want to miss going to dinner. I waited for James and Karin, then followed them down.

May 12, 2024

Covel Creek Falls, Part II

Distance: 1.53 miles
Elevation Gain: 255 feet
Maximum Elevation: 1,507 feet

 

The last day of the 3-day work party was short. We'd completed most of the tasks. A couple new people were there but there wasn't much to do. A small crew left early to go back up to Burley Mountain while the rest of us walked back over to the Covel Creek Trail to complete tread work and brushing.

Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis

As we were sitting outside on Friday night, I looked up and noticed what looked like clouds but they were streaked. With the naked eye we could see some faint colors but the camera (with 3-second exposure). 

Holy shit! It was epic. We hesitated whether to wake up the rest of the crew but opted not to. James set up a shot with the four of us.

James, Matt, Oliver, me

Hike: Windy Ridge to Windy Pass Loop (via Truman, Loowit, Abraham trails), Randle, WA

AllTrails map

Getting There

This was the first hike of my July 2021 road trip.

I left Portland on Sunday afternoon, July 18 and drove to Randle, WA. I camped at Iron Creek Campground about 15 min south of US-12/Randle. My plan all along was to do a hike at MSH before heading north to Mt Rainier but when I got to the road on Monday morning, I debated for a few minutes.

After a couple of beats, I turned left towards MSH.

Windy Ridge Viewpoint and the trailhead is 1h 7m via NFD-25 and NF-99. There are so many hikes along NF-99 include Meta Lake, Independence Pass, Smith Creek Trail, and more. I was headed to Windy Ridge and the Loowit Trail.

When I got the TH, there were only a few cars. I couple I'd seen earlier taking photos along the road also arrived and parked.

I geared up and set out.

The Hike

Length: 7.49 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,253 feet
Moving Time: 2:30:27
Avg Pace: 20:06
Calories: 1,326
Total Time: 2:40:33
Type: Loop (except section from TH to Loowit/Truman Trails junction)

The Truman Trail #207 follows the Spirit Lake-Iron Creek Road for the first mile before you reach the non-vehicular part of the trail and you set out on the plains, where the mountain collapsed onto/into Spirit Lake, on top of hundreds of feet of ash & mud. Somewhere buried out there is the former St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake and the remains of Harry R. Truman (RIP).

It's just 0.3mi until you get to the junction to Windy Trail #216E. (The Truman Trail continues west across the plain to Johnston Ridge.)

The Windy Trail changes into the Loowit Trail #216 about 0.8mi passed the Truman Trail junction and starts heading south toward Windy Pass.

The pass is 0.8mi from the junction. This is about as far as I reached when I hiked from Ape Canyon recently.

On the south side of the pass is the Plains of Abraham. The glacier fed creek was still running but I couldn't find a spot deep enough to fill my bottle easily. I ended up with less water than I started with. I didn't really need it. (Also, not using any water purification.)

---

In an episode of Survivorman, Les Stroud talks about the risks of drinking untreated water in some cases.

"But learn this mantra: you will die of dehydration a lot faster than you will from the effects of drinking untreated water. In fact, in all but the rarest circumstances, drinking untreated water won’t kill you at all. Even if you do contract parasites, most of them won’t hit you for at least a week, if not longer. Should you make it out alive, you can easily treat most of them, albeit with powerful drugs. (https://www.bcoutdoorsmagazine.com/finding-water-in-the-wilderness/)

---

After the pass I crossed paths with a guy on a mountain bike. I turned back to check his progress periodically. It was narrowly and slippery on foot, so I'd bet it was challenging carrying a mountain bike.

It's about 0.9mi from the pass and the Abraham Trail #216D junction. This trail takes you back to the Truman Trail and Windy Ridge TH.

A couple of mountain bikers were headed in the same direction but I didn't them again. The trail skirts a ridge just on the edge of the Restricted Zone and zigzags through these small drainage ravines. There are views for days the whole time. You cross through lots of bushes. It was a bit wary of mountain lions but figured the area was not optimal for bears or wolves. I wonder about the food chain here, and if there are enough food sources to sustain larger animals. Best to let the mountain bikers go first. Ha!

I finally reached the Truman Trail & road back to the TH. I met a small group that were taking in the views. I waved and said hello and booked it to back to Windy Ridge. The weather was great, sunny but not too hot, but the lighting for photography was a bit harsh. No ND filter on the iPhone.

Once back at the car, I took my time changing to road-trip shoes and a dry shirt. It felt good to have completed this section of the Truman & Loowit trails. Soon I was eager to continue on my road trip and set off north.

 

Road Trip: Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainier, Snoqualmie Pass, WA

 

Google Map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=13lY7QLGLPGvweV7K2vjD9N3R3A9GMbbN&usp=sharing

Roadtrippers:

https://maps.roadtrippers.com/?lng=-122.83943523240896&lat=46.6916834137775&z=7.18495178484434&a2=t!34112337

Itinerary

Day 1 - Sunday, July 18, 2021

Late start, around 11am, drive I-5 N to Hwy 12 E. 

Stopped in Morton for some groceries

Arrived at Iron Creek campground around 3pm

Set up tent and rearranged gear, edible stuff

Walked around the camp loop for a while, ended up going to the day camp. I just walked back to the campground on the road (NF-25).

Day 2 - Monday, July 19, 2021

Woke up earlier but finally got out of the tent around 7am. Spent the next hour or so breaking down the tent and packing everything but the coffee making stuff. 

When I reached the road I really didn't know what I was going to do. I considered my options around Packwood and Mt Rainier. I reviewed my plans for the following day and the trails around Reflection Lake and the Paradise Lodge. I also thought about doing a run up to High Rock Lookout. In the end, I'd planned my trip so I could be close to the north side of MSH. I wanted to complete the loop I'd started last weekend, and continue scouting the Ape Canyon-Smith Creek-Lava Canyon Loop.

I'm really happy with my choice to stick with the plan. I turned left on NF-25 and headed south. I remember driving this road after a long trek from Concrete. It was my goal the entire trip to avoid the interstate*. (*besides the part between home and Woodland).

As expected there was almost no traffic being that it was Monday morning. Once I turned onto NF-99 to Windy Ridge, I remember seeing a couple taking photos when the first big panoramas came into view from the road. I really want to explore the Mount Margaret Backcountry! Craggy peaks, surreal landscape of blast zone, a slowly returning ecosystem.

The views just got better and better. I remember visiting Windy Ridge last year or maybe it was in 2019, I don't remember. Just incredible to see across Spirit Lake toward Johnston Ridge, Harry's Ridge & Coldwater Peak where I was just hiking 11 days before. I want to see it all, even if it's, by necessity, in stages.

I parked near the trailhead and that couple I saw early pulled up to; it sounded like they were going for a picnic.

I geared up and set out on the Spirit Lake-Iron Creek Road (Truman Trail).

See ____ for the hike details.

I was stoked on a great hike and cheerfully changed out of my hiking boots. I was glad to have started my first full day of this trip with this particular hike. I could continue north to my next stop without reservation.

Since Norway Pass was my second option, I wanted to at least see the trailhead and get a peak at the terrain. I hesitated and passed the turn but went back around and made the turn. Why take the same road back to Randle that I came out there on. (I'd done this road a few years ago so I knew it linked back to the main road.)

This area that NF-26 takes you through is amazing in it's own right. Deep valleys, lush forest, and steep craggy peaks and ridges, outside of the blast zone. This road is the same distance as the main one, 26mi, but there are a lot of potholes and such, so it slow going. No matter, I'm there for the scenery. I would highly recommend this route if you have the time. In fact, I didn't realize where I was on the route but a guy stopped me and asked it it went to Windy Ridge. I said "yeah, more or less, it's definitely the more 'scenic' route to other road."

I emerged from the forest road and to the openness near Randle. I hopped on Hwy 12 and head to Packwood. The Mountain View Lodge just outside of town. I stayed there last summer but for just one night. (I'm recreating part of that trip but taking more time in each. Plus, there are fires and road closures up in the Methow area/North Cascades Scenic Byway.)

Side note: I didn't plan to go into town but I had sudden hankering for pizza. The place I went last time was open for another hour. On the way back into town, a huge herd of Elk or deer were grazing across from the gas station. (The pizza joint was a bust, 30-40 min wait for orders). On the way back, 1/2 the herd had crossed the road, so I carefully passed through.

Day 3 - Tuesday, July 20, 2021

???

Day 4 - Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Day 5 - Thursday, July 22, 2021
Day 6 - Friday, July 23, 2021