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Day Hike Notes – Peoples State Forest via Elliott Bronson Trail

Forest decoration

At 6:00am, I was not expecting to take this hike. I was expecting to take another hike altogether, with Steve. But Steve messaged to say he had to bail, truly sorry mate. I could not do alone, and did not want to anyway, the hike Steve and I had planned. It was a point-to-pointer, requiring two cars. So I trawled my mental hike database (at dawn, not necessarily an easy task) and fixed on this trek. I had done it once before, 16 months ago, and liked its varied scenes and the good workout it provided. It proved a good choice.

[Previously in this blog: Day Hike Notes – Peoples State Forest (a route without Elliott Bronson Trail) and The View from Peoples State Forest (a newspaper article of mine from 2017)]

DATE: Sunday, March 24th.
START & FINISH: Elliott Bronson Trailhead, Park Road, Barkhamsted CT (GPS 41.921471, -72.972716).
ROUTE & MAP: A lollipop loop with the 2-mile Elliott Bronson Trail as the stick. The clockwise loop itself consists mainly of substantial sections of each of the Robert Ross, Jessie Gerard, Charles Pack, and Agnes Bowen trails.

DISTANCE: 10-11 miles.
TIME: 5¼ hours (8:30am to 1:45pm).
TERRAIN: My GPS says this route involves 2,000 feet of ascent/descent. That feels about right. First, Elliott Bronson goes up and down Ragged Mountain. Then there is the climb—mostly gradual, finally steep—to the lookouts. It is then mostly downhill back to Elliott Bronson and the up-and-over required to get back to the car. Trail quality is variable, being generally rougher underfoot away from the more popular trails on the hillside overlooking the West Branch Farmington River.
MAPS: Gaia GPS only.

WEATHER: Sunny and, for the first weekend in spring, quite cold (20s to start, 30s at the end).
WILDLIFE: Trekking back over Ragged Mountain, I heard a bird racket. I looked up and saw a hawk cruising at treetop height. I don’t know if it was the hawk making the racket or another bird doing so in reaction to it.

LUNCH: Chorizo & Swiss on sourdough overlooking Beaver Brook Meadow (a swamp).
UPS: The lookout views are grand but my favorite place in Peoples is the rustic bench at the outflow of Beaver Brook Meadow. It too has a grand view (see PICTURES) and, additionally, is a mostly solitary and peaceful spot.
DOWNS: Very minor, but Saturday’s pouring rain left behind a few muddy stretches (though most trail had drained remarkably well).
KIT: I have a new camera to take shots requiring more zoom than my iPhone can offer. I am still learning how to use it.
COMPANY: Only here and there, and mostly near the lookouts.

PICTURES:

Robert Ross Trail
Top of the falls
First lookout—West Branch Farmington River, looking south
Second lookout—Looking down, with zoom, on Riverton and upstream (north) view
Passing between glacial boulders
Lunch spot—Beaver Brook “Meadow”
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Road Trip Hikes – Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama

McAfee Knob ledge

Last month, I took a road trip to Columbus, GA and back. I did not take the shortest route, steering farther west than Google Maps would likely suggest. I’d see more open country that way, I figured; more mountains, less tailbacks. The main purpose of the trip was to visit one of my daughters, a new resident of Georgia. But I also wanted to take some hikes along the way to break up the driving and see some new places. My hiking plan was to stop in Virginia and climb to McAfee Knob; to take my first winter Smokies hike; and to visit Cheaha Mountain in Alabama—about as far south as you can go in the Appalachians. I managed to do those things but, of course, the experience was different from the imaginings of planning.

McAfee Knob, Thursday February 22nd: If you have spent any time at all looking at pictures of the Appalachian Trail, you know McAfee Knob. Its slanted, protruding ledge with huge views is the icon and Instagrammable moment of the Trail. For those, like me, pushed for time, it is just an 8-mile roundtrip from the trailhead on VA Route 311, 15 minutes from Roanoke. Since the trailhead lies in a gap at almost 2,000 feet, it is also a fairly short climb to the Knob at 3,197 feet. Even so, when contemplating the hike before leaving home, I wondered if I might need snowshoes at these elevations in February. Not even close! On my drive down, snow cover disappeared in southern Pennsylvania and, at the trailhead, temperatures were mild even at sunrise.

About 90 minutes into the hike and nearing the Knob, I overtook another hiker, one of a few others who were out. Bill, it turned out, was a volunteer steward at the Knob and had, he said, climbed to it hundreds of times. More remarkably, he had started doing this after retirement at 70 having never been a hiker before. He had, he told me, lost weight, improved his balance, and benefited from the social aspects of his role. He had also taken photos of legions of hikers on the Knob and kindly, and very expertly, did so for me.

Click here for my GPS track. Note that I took the fire road option on the return leg.

Postscript: I took a second AT hike on my drive home. It was notable mainly for starting at the same trailhead as my Southern Pennsylvania backpack with Dave & Julie last summer. This time, though, I hiked south to the Maryland line (5.2 miles roundtrip), not north into Michaux State Forest.

You Know Who, courtesy of Bill

Breakfast on Bote Mountain, near Sandy Gap

Bote Mountain, Friday February 23rd: I had imagined a long hike in the Smokies, perhaps up to somewhere on the high ridge along the Tennessee-North Carolina line. But, the evening before at my motel in Townsend, I realized how much driving I still had to do to reach Columbus. That meant an early, shorter hike and, as it turned out, one taken mostly in rain. Even so, I enjoyed my three hours (GPS) on the Lead Cove, Bote Mountain, and Finley Cane trails—no grand views, but lots of peace—and I made it to Columbus by dinner time.

Cheaha Mountain, Sunday/Monday February 25th/26th: Cheaha Mountain is not well known, at least not outside its home region. I first heard of it quite some time ago and it stayed in my mind as the highest summit (2,413’) before the Appalachians peter out. I wanted to visit Alabama on this trip because I had never been before, and Cheaha seemed a suitable destination. In truth, the drive-up, developed summit will not excite serious hikers, but it offers some grand views and the “semi-primitive” campground gave me a peaceful, solitary night. I believe that the wider area boasts more challenging hiking, including the 335-mile Pinhoti National Recreation Trail, which passes over Cheaha’s eastern flank.

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Day Hike Notes – Bethany Loop

Somewhere on Mad Mare Ridge

I had hiked parts of this loop before, like High Rock and the trails near Lake Bethany. What this outing did was join the dots with some trails and roads that were new to me. I was very pleased with the result—a varied and mostly scenic trek 20 minutes from home. I have called it Bethany Loop but should point out that it strays into a corner of Hamden also. Please be aware that, from Lake Bethany to Finish, a Regional Water Authority permit is required. It is inexpensive and provides access to other worthwhile local hiking areas too.

DATE: Saturday, February 3rd.
START & FINISH: Sanford Feeder Trailhead, Brooks Road, Bethany CT (GPS 41.408381, -72.951508).
ROUTE: Sanford Feeder to Regicides Trail; Regicides up (north and uphill 😊) to junction with Quinnipiac Trail; Quinnipiac north to Downs Road, crossing Brooks Road on the way; Downs Road (mostly a track) south to Hoadley Road; Hoadley west to Lake Bethany; trails on east side of the lake to Hatfield Hill Road; track and trails (called Hemlock and West River on RWA maps, but not signposted) east of the West River from Hatfield Hill Road south to Downs Road; a short walk north on Downs to an unmarked track across to Brooks Road and Finish.
DISTANCE: Something over 9 miles.
TIME: 4½ hours (8:10am to 12:40pm).
TERRAIN: The loop involves a couple of climbs of 350-400 feet, both of which have short steep parts. They are near the beginning—up to High Rock and, a mile or so farther on, up to splendidly named Mad Mare Ridge. Grades are otherwise easy. Underfoot conditions range from rough trail, through smoother track, to asphalt. The only significant asphalt section is 0.75 miles and low on traffic.
MAPS: Gaia GPS only.

WEATHER: Sunny (for the first time in a while); temperatures around freezing early, high 30s later; little wind. Overall, very comfortable.
WILDLIFE: A pair of ravens (I think) riding thermals near High Rock; later, a turkey vulture; smaller birdies all the while.

LUNCH: I was done hiking by 12:40 and had snacked along the way. Nonetheless I ate a sandwich beside the West River around noon.
UPS: The varied nature of the hike—ridges with views, brooks, woodland, water’s edge.
DOWNS: In spite of breaks along the way, I finished more than an hour earlier than expected and did not feel fully worked out. I must have hiked the track and road sections at a fair clip.
KIT: In mid-hike, I switched to less substantial gloves and headgear.
COMPANY: Next to none, but I did bump into two women walking a dog that was the doppelganger (in both appearance and behavior) of one of my daughter’s pups.

PICTURES:

Sanford Feeder Trail
Regicides Trail rocks
View from the Quinnipiac Trail near High Rock—New Haven visible left, Lake Watrous right
Starting the Brooks Road-Downs Road section
Scrappy woods beside the Downs Road track
Lake Bethany, a reservoir
Hemlock Trail to the West River
A secluded spot in West River Gorge

MAP:
Star marks Start & Finish

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My 2023 Seasonal Highlights

I have cheated a little in this 10th edition of Seasonal Highlights. First, I have allowed a tied highlight. Second, fall’s highlight actually took place in late astronomical summer, though meteorologically it was autumn for sure. I have used collage for the first time too, to reflect summer’s tie and because no single photo adequately showed both the fall colors and a grand view of the Pasayten Wilderness. I am thankful for 2023’s hikes and hopeful that 2024 will be just as memorable.

WINTER: A test of a good hike is surely that you want to do it again. In January, I hiked Olympic National Park’s Hoh River Trail twice, once with my daughter Marjorie and once alone. It was more or less the same 5-6 mile section each time. Next time, I want to backpack the whole 17½ miles, all the way to the glaciers of Mount Olympus. This Hoh River scene was taken near Happy Four campsite on January 23.

SPRING: I took 5 hikes in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest in late April. They were all memorable in their own way but Seneca Creek Backcountry was the last, longest, and best—and the highlight of it was the Upper Falls of Seneca Creek. Although they are the Upper Falls, I hiked down to them, descending with Seneca Creek from its beginnings in a high valley west of Spruce Mountain.

SUMMER is Appalachian Trail focused. Over the July 4th weekend, I was lucky enough to join Dave & Julie on a tiny part of their AT thru-hike. The photo (courtesy of Dave) shows me in humid Pennsylvania woods on the morning of the Fourth near the end of my 43 miles. A few weeks later, hiking buddy Steve and I finished our drawn-out section-hike of the Massachusetts AT by hiking from the summit of Mount Greylock (pictured) to the Vermont line.

Back to Washington for FALL and a 2-night backpack in the Pasayten Wilderness with Marjorie. The photos were taken within 30 minutes of each other on September 19 near Devils Backbone on the Pacific Crest Trail. The view looks down into the valley of West Fork Pasayten River. I was very lucky that Marjorie moved to Washington. I had not even visited the state before 2022 but now have found so much there that I would still like to do. More in 2024, perhaps 🙂

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Day Hike Notes – Lake Awosting Lollipop Loop from Awosting Preserve

Crossing a brook on the climb to the plateau

For anyone who may not be acquainted with the area, Awosting Preserve is part of the greater Minnewaska State Park Preserve. Both are in the Shawangunk Mountains, or “Gunks”. Although the Shawangunk Ridge runs 47 miles north from the New Jersey line, its thickest (most plateau-like) and recreationally most popular part is in the area of this hike. Four hikes in this area now feature in this blog: Sam’s Point (an article) and three Minnewaska routes, including this one.

DATE: Sunday, December 31st, New Year’s Eve.
START & FINISH: Parking for Awosting Reserve, Aumick Road, Gardiner, NY (GPS 41.675857, -74.263490).
ROUTE: Awosting Reserve Access Road (a track) and Awosting Reserve Loop (northern route) to Spruce Glen Trail; Spruce Glen to the Scenic Trail just south of Lake Awosting; Scenic Trail over Margaret Cliff to Castle Point; Castle Point carriage road and Rainbow Falls Trail to Rainbow Falls; retrace part of Rainbow Falls Trail to take the Upper Awosting and Lake Awosting carriage roads to meet Spruce Glen Trail again on the south shore of the Lake. Return to Start on Spruce Glen Trail and the same Awosting Reserve tracks as on the out leg. A bit confusing? (See MAP).
DISTANCE: 13 miles.
TIME: 6½ hours (8:50am to 3:15pm).
TERRAIN: More than half the miles of this hike are taken up with the stick of the lollipop, a gradual 1,350-foot ascent/descent of the plateau on good track. The terrain of the loop itself, i.e. starting/finishing in Spruce Glen, is very varied, ranging from immaculate carriage trails to some real scrambling between Margaret Cliff and Castle Point. Beneath Castle Point, the Scenic Trail is routed through a tight cave (see PICTURES). I baulked at this and bushwhacked around instead.
MAPS: Gaia GPS and (paper) NYNJTC Shawangunk Trails, Map 104.

WEATHER: Despite a “mainly sunny” forecast, the sun appeared at most for an hour around mid-morning. The rest of the day was gray and felt colder than its mid-30s high. Still, not bad for winter in upstate New York, especially 2,000 feet up.
WILDLIFE: Little birds flitting in the trees.

LUNCH: A sandwich (cheese & prosciutto on sourdough) consumed sat on a fine rock seat above Lake Awosting. I was however soon chilled to the bone from breeze and inactivity, so it did not become a long break.
UPS: The Gunks scene, above all its cliffs, ledges, and twisted dwarf pines. Rainbow Falls too was a spectacular surprise.
DOWNS: I was exhilarated to break out of the trees onto Margaret Cliff’s sunny ledges. I felt, however, an offsetting down when the ledges ended and the trail took me down to hardwood forest, made gloomy by the simultaneous disappearance of the sun.
KIT: Although there was (thin) ice here and there, my microspikes were definitely not required.
COMPANY: Thin on the ground. My favorite was a friendly young couple who, having asked me about the Rainbow Falls Trail (which I had just come down and they were thinking of going up), sought confirmation that there were no wolves in the Preserve. Nope.

PICTURES:

Atop Margaret Cliff—the distant cliff center-picture is probably Murray Hill
Atop Margaret Cliff—the “rear view” of the preceding photo
The Scenic Trail enters a tight cave—no thanks!
Lake Awosting from Castle Point (about 2,180 feet up)
A view from Castle Point Carriage Road
Catskill Mountains in the distance seen from Rainbow Falls Trail
Rainbow Falls—spray has frozen onto the twigs beneath
Lunchtime—“a fine rock seat above Lake Awosting”

MAP:

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Day Hike Notes – Pachaug State Forest

Lowden Brook Cascades

Pachaug State Forest, as Connecticut’s largest (26,477 acres), had been on my radar for quite some time. But as a west-of-the-river resident, its location near the Rhode Island line counted against it. So, to be honest, did my image of its likely landscape, which for sure would not include hills even as modestly tall as those in the northwest of the state. A few years ago, however, I moved somewhat closer to the middle of Connecticut and last weekend Pachaug had its moment. After a few hours of hiking, I was not sure if I would be rushing back for more, but then, abruptly, I was won over (see DOWNS AND UPS) and I left Pachaug fully expecting to return.

DATE: Saturday, December 16th.
START & FINISH: Parking spaces beside Beachdale Pond just off Headquarters Road, Voluntown CT (GPS 41.584713, -71.856996).
ROUTE: A clockwise loop made of sections of the Nehantic, Quinebaug, and Pachaug trails, plus a side trail to connect Quinebaug to Pachaug at the northeastern part of the loop.
DISTANCE: A little short of 12 miles.
TIME: 6 hours (8:15am to 2:15pm).
TERRAIN: A few low hills, but even on them grades are generally easy. Trail quality varied from pine-needle carpet to, in a few places, wet and muddy or rocky. Overall, this was not a strenuous hike.
MAPS: Gaia GPS, following a route I had earlier created in the app.

WEATHER: A frosty start, but becoming mild (about 50); sunny; a light breeze in places.
WILDLIFE: Making my way down Lowden Brook after lunch, I saw a great blue heron take off silently above the stream. I had not noticed its presence and must have disturbed its fishing. I moved stealthily after that and saw the bird a few more times from a distance, but it quickly sensed me and took off. My photograph is not great:

LUNCH: Toasted rye cheese & salami sandwich sat on a boulder at Lowden Brook Cascades.
DOWNS AND UPS: For four hours I mostly enjoyed my Pachaug loop. There were some fine conifer stands, a good view or two, and plenty of solitude. But there were also areas of cleared forest, and woods that seemed to be degrading more slowly (from drought, storm, and insect infestation said a sign). Most importantly, there did not seem to be anything here that I could not find closer to home. Then, on the home stretch on the Pachaug Trail, I came to Lowden Brook Cascades in spate, as noisy and powerful as a mountain stream—an exhilarating surprise. Next, hiking downstream, the brook felt wild and beautiful—on account of the trout-fishing heron, of course, but also because of its little cascades, tannin-stained pools, and banks of jumbled woods.
KIT: I have been adding electrolyte tablets to my water on longer, more strenuous hikes recently in a bid to end the thigh cramps that have started to afflict me now and again. I suffered no cramps on this hike but, in truth, it was not a tough enough test. I will have to wait for a long mountain trek to see if the GU “energy hydration electrolyte drink tablets” work. They do taste good though 🙂
COMPANY: Almost none until the final miles, and even then not much.

PICTURES:

MAP:

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Day Hike Notes – Pond Mountain Natural Area from the Housatonic River

Beneath St John’s Ledges

My Thanksgiving holiday hiking day used to be, usually, the Friday. For a time I even had a regular route for this “turkey burner”. But at least once our family feast was put back to Friday and I hiked on the Day itself (and recall meeting backpackers on the New York Appalachian Trail trading, I assumed, snug homes for cold nights). Thanksgiving dinner this year was, for me, scheduled for Saturday, so my turkey burner preceded the turkey. I had thought that the trails would be quieter than usual. As it turned out, they were all but deserted and it seemed at times as if the birds were filling that space with chatter.

DATE: Thursday, November 23rd, Thanksgiving Day.
START & FINISH: River Road, Kent CT, at the Appalachian Trail trailhead (GPS 41.757859, -73.450469).
ROUTE: AT south to Skiff Mountain Road; Skiff Mountain Road north a short way to Pond Mountain Natural Area’s Red Gate Trail; Red Gate, Saturday Afternoon, and Pond trails around Fuller Pond; Mountain Trail to Pond Mountain summit; Mountain and Escarpment trails back down to Red Gate Trail and back to Start retracing out leg route; a short walk along River Road to see the Housatonic.
DISTANCE: 8.7 miles.
TIME: About 5½ hours (8:30am to 2:00pm).
TERRAIN: Varied. The hike starts with a scramble up St John’s ledges, some 550 feet in 0.5 miles. Grades and trail quality are then good for the next 3.5 miles, even allowing for a couple of summits (Caleb’s Peak and an unnamed hill east of Fuller Pond). The trail up Pond Mountain is steep but short. Gaia GPS calculates the total ascent/descent of the hike as 2,450 feet, a decent workout.
MAPS: Gaia GPS.

WEATHER: Sunny, breezy in places, low-to-mid 40s.
WILDLIFE: Birds about which, sadly, I can say no more than it was nice to have them around.

LUNCH: Swiss, salami, and arugula ciabatta sandwich on a wind-chilled Pond Mountain.
UPS: Until this hike, I had always rounded Fuller Pond’s east side on the bank-hugging Pond Trail. On this outing, I took the Saturday Afternoon Trail, which gives the pond a wider berth. The new route yielded a fine view of the pond from the unnamed hill and, better still, traversed a couple of big, open fields, something of a novelty and greatly enjoyed.
DOWNS: None at all.
KIT: It was one of those days for frequent taking off and putting on of layers. The top of Pine Mountain was a four-layer place.
COMPANY: Next to none; a dog-walker on the AT “doing penance” (his words) before feasting, and later a hiker scaling Pond Mountain as I descended.

THE HIKE IN PICTURES:

Looking NE into the Housatonic River valley from the Ledges
Looking south from Caleb’s Peak (Kent seen on the east bank of the Housatonic)
Fuller Pond from unnamed hill to its east
Hills of Macedonia Brook State Park
On Fuller Pond
Looking west from Pond Mountain, Catskill Mountains just visible in the far distance
Housatonic River from River Road

MAP:

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Mount Isolation Backpack

SAT: Rocky Branch river

After my New Hampshire 4000 Footers outings in June and August, I began to question my approach to the list of 48. It wasn’t that the climbs had ceased to be enjoyable, rather that a certain routine or lack of intensity seemed to have crept in. It had been a while since I’d come down from a peak and thought “wow, that was quite something.” I decided to focus less on accomplishing the task (Mount Osceola, √ ) and more on the experience of doing it. From this came the idea of choosing a challenging summit next and making it an overnight. Mount Isolation, as its name says, is a remote peak, but do-able in a day even at the end of October. Doing it as a one-night backpack, however, might be more memorable, less rushed.

I was ready to take this hike on October 21/22, but the forecast became for heavy rain. I stayed in Connecticut. The next weekend began to look good, but by Thursday high winds had entered the forecast and put doubts in my mind. Finally, I decided that I would deal with whatever was put in front of me even if that meant turning back short of the summit. You can only plan so much. But Mount Isolation became my 35th summit of the 48 and I look back on it now and think “wow, that was something.”

DATE: Saturday and Sunday, October 28/29.
START & FINISH: Rocky Branch Trailhead (GPS 44.204372, -71.240455) 5 miles north of Jackson, NH on NH Route 16.
ROUTE: Rocky Branch and Isolation trails, Davis Path, to Mount Isolation summit (4,003’); retrace steps.
DISTANCE: 14.4 miles—Saturday: 10.7 miles (to summit, then back to a campsite near the junction of the Isolation and Rocky Branch trails); Sunday: 3.7 miles
TIME: 26¾ hrs (7:45am Saturday to 10:30am Sunday), of which maybe 10 hrs was actual hiking.
TERRAIN: With the exception of the first and last few miles, plus bits of the ridgeline Davis Path, the trails were very rough. My abiding memory will be of stretching from rock to uneven rock to evade surface water (flowing or still) and mud. There were several crossings of the Rocky Branch. I took off my boots for one of them, maybe unnecessarily as I rock-hopped across at the same place on my return leg. These obstacles overshadowed actual elevation gain—2,800’ from trailhead to summit. Most of the hike is in the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness, so these conditions were not unexpected.
MAPS: Gaia GPS, plus print-outs of relevant notes from the AMC White Mountain Guide to help with river-crossings and campsite information.

WEATHER: Saturday morning—the ascent—was mild, even warm. In the afternoon, on the ridge and summit, it became windy, then wet, windy, and cold. By late afternoon, at camp at 2,800’, the rain had stopped and the campsite was sheltered from the wind. Hiking down on Sunday morning, it was colder, but calm and dry. Just as I arrived at my car, it began to sleet.
WILDLIFE: Squirrels; bird sound; a blue jay, I think, flying through the forest; a sound like antlers hitting timber in the woods.

FOOD: The highlight was Mountain House yellow curry on Saturday evening.
UPS: (1) The fleeting beauty of the rainbows seen from Isolation’s summit (see PICTURES); (2) a peaceful overnight camp to the sounds of river and breeze; and (3) Sunday’s short, carefree hike (no need by then to care what the weather may do, or wonder if I’d find a good campsite).
DOWNS: (1) Several episodes of thigh cramps; (2) I had hoped to camp near the ridge and make several visits to the summit, and maybe to nearby Mount Davis also, but actual and forecast conditions made for a brief summit stay and a decision to camp lower down.
KIT: My Salomon boots, fairly new still, kept my feet remarkably dry given the conditions. My smaller (1.9 gal) bear canister, brand new, kept my food safe from critters (without, I am pretty sure, actually being tested).
COMPANY: More than I expected, but nearly all gone by sundown.

PICTURES:

GPS TRACK:

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Day Hike Notes – Park Butte Fire Lookout, Mount Baker

View of Mount Baker from Park Butte Lookout

Baker from the lookout

After our backpack in the Pasayten Wilderness, Marjorie and I drove back to Seattle. Marjorie’s plan was clear—cold medication and bed. I wasn’t so sure what to do next. On Wednesday evening, I browsed options but did not reach a decision. On Thursday, awake early, I quickly decided to head for Mount Baker. I had browsed the Park Butte hike on the Washington Trails Association site. It ticked a couple of boxes: (1) it lay on the south side of the mountain, implying the shortest drive (about 100 miles), and (2) it held out the prospect of views of Baker even if I didn’t want to hike very far (not only might I get tired after my Pasayten exertions, but I wanted to be back in Seattle by early evening too). It all worked out rather well. I did not get tired; the trail offered view after view, each finer than the one before; and I made it back to Seattle in time for dinner.

DATE: Thursday, September 21st.
START & FINISH: Trailhead parking (GPS 48.70671, -121.81113) at the end of Forest Road 13, south side of Mount Baker. The trailhead is a 9-mile drive on forest roads 12 & 13 from a point on Baker Lake Road 12 miles north of Washington Route 20 (the “North Cascades Highway”).
ROUTE: Trail 603 to the lookout and back.
DISTANCE: 7.5 miles according to Washington Trails Association.
TIME: About 4 hours (9:45am to 1:45pm).
TERRAIN: The lookout is 2,000 feet above the trailhead, but grades are mostly moderate and trail quality excellent.
MAPS: The trail is well marked and my only map was my GPS app. Setting out, I did not know that the lookout was a structure and, on reaching superb natural vantage points at 5,000 feet, I wondered if my trek was done. The trail, however, continued on and I decided to see where it led. The answer was a westward swing and a further 0.3 miles to the lookout. Glad I did not miss that 😊

WEATHER: The temperature on the summit (5,400’) may have been only in the mid-40s, but on a calm, cloudless day, it was very comfortable.
WILDLIFE: Nothing that made me pay attention.

UPS: The scenery, obviously. But I also felt notably strong and energetic, climbing with ease. I expect this was a result of hiking for a fifth straight day, and also of the fine weather and high-quality trail.
DOWNS: None.
KIT: A day-pack again after three backpack days in the Pasayten.
COMPANY: Plenty of solitude, especially on the out leg. Pleasant chats along the way too.

PICTURES:

First good view, from glacier-fed creek bed
From 4,700 feet (Mount Baker summit is 10,781 feet)
I believe the pine-covered rocks in the near distance left of Baker are Cathedral Crag
Further along, higher up
I believe the distant pointed peak center right is Mount Shuksan, 14 miles NE
Twin Sisters Mountain, looking SW from the lookout
Shuksan again, and countless other peaks to the east
On the way down—if you zoom in, you’ll see the lookout atop its rocks

MAP:

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Pasayten Wilderness Backpack

Devil’s Backbone, PCT

I live in New Haven County, Connecticut. The county holds more than two dozen towns and cities, 865,000 people, and even areas of field, hill, forest, and marsh. It might take me an hour to drive across it, even in light traffic. New Haven County’s land area is 605 square miles, which is also the size of Greater London in England. Now, the Pasayten Wilderness of north-central Washington covers 830 square miles and holds not so much as a hamlet, not a single permanent human resident. The Pasayten holds instead Cascade Range peaks, rivers, lakes, conifer forest, and—among the big charismatic beasts—mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolf, lynx, and maybe a handful of grizzlies.

Perhaps not the kind of place to be entering when you are feeling under the weather. On Monday morning, soon after crawling out of her tent at our campsite near Mazama, Marjorie reported a sore throat. We wondered if the wildfire tang to the air in the area might have something to do with it and bought soothing tea when we went to the store for our backcountry supplies. After breakfast en route to the trailhead, Marjorie declined to abort our outing despite growing symptoms of a cold. As the day progressed, particularly as we hiked along the PCT, I could tell that she was suffering, but still she did not want to abort—not after a bad night’s sleep, not when we were about to turn off the PCT (our last practical turnaround point) for the greater emptiness and rougher trails of the river valley. I am glad we did not turn around, and Marjorie says she is too (which is not to say that she wasn’t mighty pleased to reach our car at Harts Pass on Wednesday).

DATES: Monday, September 18th to Wednesday, September 20th.
START & FINISH: A half-mile NE of Harts Pass (elev. 6,204 feet). Harts Pass lies, in turn, 18.7 mostly dirt miles NW of Mazama, WA (population 158). Trailhead GPS 48.724764, -120.663904.
ROUTE: Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) north to Holman Pass; Trail 472A east to Holman Camp; Trail 472 south to Slate Peak; forest road down from Slate Peak to Finish.
DISTANCE: 25.4 miles.
Monday: 7.7 mi to Jim Pass on the PCT
Tuesday: 11.0 mi to West Fork Pasayten River ford on Trail 472 (GPS  48.787698, -120.699748)
Wednesday: 6.7 mi to Finish
TIME: Two days and two nights (lunchtime Monday to lunchtime Wednesday).
TERRAIN: The PCT was a breeze, in many ways the perfect trail. Rocks, roots, mud, steep grades? Not a chance. Trail 472A was mercifully short (1.8 miles) but fitted into that distance an impressive number of big blowdowns to clamber over, crawl under, or detour around. Trail 472 was pretty good for a wilderness trail and, in particular, was blowdown-free. The only significant ascent of the route is that from the West Fork Pasayten River to Slate Peak—2,000 feet, but accomplished gradually.
MAPS: On the Avenza app on my phone, Green Trails Maps 50 (Washington Pass) and 18 (Pasayten Peak). In case my phone became unavailable for some reason, we carried the latter (Map 18) in paper form. Except for the very beginning and end, the whole loop is shown on Map 18.

WEATHER: In the days running up to our hike, I kept an eye on the Mazama forecast, and kept in mind that the Pasayten, being higher up, would be colder. I assumed however, that if it was dry and sunny in Mazama, it would likely be fine in the Pasayten too. Monday bore out this assumption, Tuesday less so, and Wednesday not at all (or, of course, the weather may have turned in Mazama too). We expected Monday night to be chilly, but not so much that by dawn on Tuesday our tent flies would be frosted and our water would have begun to freeze. As I walked to the edge of the trees to retrieve our bear barrel, there were flakes in the air. The flakes did not last, but Tuesday stayed overcast. Then, meeting a PCT thru-hiker hurrying happily back to Harts Pass after reaching Canada 18 miles north, we got the news that measurable snow would arrive overnight. We camped Tuesday night around 5,100 feet up. When some sort of precipitation hit our tents during the night, it sounded at worst like wet snow. And, indeed, shining a headlamp outside an hour before dawn revealed not a trace of white. But as we packed and breakfasted and it grew lighter, we saw the snow on the ridge behind us, the ridge where we were heading. Mostly, the snow we encountered that morning was just pleasantly decorative but, emerging from the trees at 6,500 feet to cross Slate Peak, the breeze and snow picked up and the course of the trail ahead became at times unnervingly hard to pick out.
WILDLIFE: Grouse; a Douglas squirrel; a marmot; and a deer of some sort, possibly elk, glimpsed incompletely by Marjorie.

UPS: Scenically, the PCT was the highlight. Wednesday’s climb over Slate Peak may have matched the PCT had the scenery been more visible through snow and cloud. Overall, the big high was spending three days with Marjorie in such a special place.
DOWNS: Apart from Marjorie’s cold (see introduction), we had to ration our water on Monday evening and Tuesday morning before finding flow in Shaw Creek. Even there, we had to wait for our filters to thaw out!
KIT: (1) I bought a new (olive green) Big Agnes backpacking tent for this adventure and bequeathed my old Big Agnes to Marjorie; (2) Bears: we shared a bear barrel, but decided against carrying spray (Cascades grizzlies are very few in number and black bears just aren’t as intimidating, we reasoned).
COMPANY: A tale of two trails: We met other hikers on the PCT; after we turned off it, we were alone.

PICTURES:

MAP:
(Start at bottom. Camp 1 was at Jim Pass, camp 2 on the river a little south/down from an imagined Jim Pass-Pasayten Peak line.)