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Around Glacier Peak

by Bob Turner

Summer wasn't turning out the way I had hoped. My wife, Chris, and I had planned to spend about 5 weeks hiking the PCT south from Ashland but a bad case of chronic blisters on Chris' feet put an end to that after only 10 days.

The long, almost scary, 20 hour bus ride home left us with plenty of time to think. Mostly I thought of being back on the trail. We had the food, where could I go for a week or so? I liked the idea of going around a mountain like the Wonderland Trail, but we had already done that. There was Mount Hood, and there was Glacier Peak. Glacier Peak had the longer trail.

Within hours of arriving home Chris had been invited to spend a week on the Washington coast the first week of August, giving me a reason to be over in western Washington and the north Cascades. This gave me the opportunity to pursue the trail around Glacier Peak.

Our children first broke into long distance hiking in the Glacier Peak area, doing the Milk Creek-Vista Ridge-Suiattle River trip when they were just 8 and 10 years old. Over the years we have hiked through there northbound, southbound, and on our PCT thru hike in 1997. I had often pondered taking some of the other trails in the area.

The opportunity to hike around the mountain really piqued my interest. I looked for information on the Internet, studied some of my old topos, and read a couple of trail guides. I first found out that there is no single trail around the mountain. Depending on your preferences, the route utilizes 8-12 trails including the PCT. As I gathered information on the trails I grew even more excited when I read that Little Giant Pass made "Strong mountaineers turn pale at memories of Little Giant…" and "You gotta really want it" interspersed with grueling and fearsome . I'm not that macho, but I felt in good shape and I knew this had to be the trail I wanted to hike.

Less than a week after arriving home, I was headed back west over the Cascades. After a brief stop at the Forest Service office in Darrington, I headed down the Suiattle River road to the Suiattle River trailhead. The Suiattle River road is about 23 miles long; almost half of it is gravel. It was much more pleasant than the drive on I-5 from Seattle to Arlington.

What an awesome start to the trip. I hit the tail about 1:00 in the afternoon. The sky was clear, the air just about perfect for hiking. The first 9 1/2 miles of the trail run fairly flat; rising a mere 1300 feet. Though the trail follows the course of the Suiattle River you get only fleeting glimpses of the mocha colored waters. Mosses and ferns dominate the lush greenery set in huge ancient cedars, Douglas fir and hemlock.

At the Miners Ridge trail (#785) I started the 3300-foot climb to Image Lake. This mostly dry stretch of trail is well graded by a multitude of switchbacks. By the time I had climbed above the tree line it was getting cloudy and cooling down a bit. When I reached Image Lake and started filtering my water the clouds that had slowly accumulated during the late afternoon started rumbling ominously. Hurriedly I moved down to the backpacker camp a ways below the lake. I set up my camp in the rain, carefully orienting the door of the tent for what proved a futile glimpse of the mountain. The clouds were to stay with me for the next three days.

Morning proved to be no more accommodating than the previous evening in offering a view. All I could see was the fog that had settled around the ridge. The unpleasantness of starting the day's hike in the fog on a very wet trail was tempered by the sight of a small herd of deer grazing below. They were so unconcerned about my passing, the only acknowledgement I received was a couple wary glimpses before they returned to their browsing.

The trail crosses Miners Ridge to the junction with the PCT just southwest of Suiattle Pass. From there it descends back to the SW to Miner Creek. I took some time just beyond Miners Creek to change into dry socks-a futile exercise. A little less than a mile after crossing the creek I started up the Middle Ridge trail (#789) to Buck Creek Pass.
Middle Ridge trail climbs about 1600 feet in 3 miles then drops steeply to a crossing of Small Creek only to climb again to Buck Creek Pass. This could have been a very pretty stretch of trail but the clouds kept most of the mountain under wraps throughout the day leaving me to wander in the world immediately surrounding me.

At Buck Creek Pass I had my first encounter with some equestrians. We shared a few brief pleasantries and continued on our ways; I headed down the Buck Creek drainage (trail #1513) while they explored the pass.

The afternoon rain started around 4:30. At 5:30 I had reached the Chiwawa River and decided to get out of the rain and stay the night there. No sooner had I completed my camp preparations than the rain stopped.

While cooking dinner the two folks on horseback came by. They were all concerned about my safety. It seems that right after I left them at the pass they saw a bear come up the trail from the direction I had gone. Unfortunately I never got a glimpse of that bear.

My third day on the trail dawned with clear skies. I set out early since this was the day I would ascend the "grueling" Little Giant Pass. From the tiny private mining community of Trinity it is a 5 ½ mile road walk to the trailhead (trail #1518).

An alternative that I had considered and have since been told is very enjoyable is the High Pass route. This route begins back at Buck Creek Pass and goes up over Liberty Cap to High Pass and then down into the Napeequa Valley. Following this agenda would shorten the trip some; avoid the road walk and the infamous Little Giant Pass trail.

The wade across the Chiwawa River was pleasant enough, nothing like the "fearsome ford" foretold in the trail guide. I took some time for pictures and to steel myself for the 4000-foot climb in the next 4 ½ miles.

This trail is steep. The first mile is very gradual, and then the climb begins. The trail gets so steep at times it requires both hands and feet to move upward. Once out of the trees though, you are rewarded with magnificent views of the mountains and valleys. The pass is well worth the climb. Besides, it's all downhill from there to the Napeequa Valley, right?

I left the pass about 1:00 after eating a quick lunch and taking in the view. From here it is about 2 miles and 4200 feet down to Napeequa River Valley, and another 1 ½ mile to the ford. I got to camp the just other side of the ford six hours later!

Going up was tough, but down was a real thrill. The trail lost all appearances about halfway down. The overgrown brush grabbed at my feet and tugged on the pack. I was constantly tripping and falling. One spill had me headed downhill, on my back, head first. Images of self-arrest practice flashed through my head as I slid helplessly, hand pinned behind me. When I had straightened myself out, I wondered what the bear I had seen below me a few minutes ago was thinking now.

Regaining the trail in the valley wasn't much of an improvement. The overgrown brush hid the trail and required much reconnoitering to retrace the trail. More than once I felt like a bug in a web as I tried to force my way through the tangles.

For all this the cost was worth it. The Napeequa Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! You really have a sense of being the only person on the planet. I am sure that the trail conditions are a big part of that.

Shortly after I had set up camp, but before I had finished dinner, the rain started again. The storm's lightening and thunder broke directly overhead, rolling down the valley and reverberating off the steep walls. What a treat!

One drawback to great thunderstorms is that they leave everything wet. It was a very wet hike out of the valley the next morning. The evening's storm had finally cleared out most of the clouds but it had left the valley ridges frosted in a fresh glaze of snow.

Boulder Creek Pass trail (#1562) is the preferred route into and out of the Napeequa Valley. From the valley it rises almost 2000 feet in 2 ½ miles to the pass then descends 4000 feet in 6 ½ miles to the White River trail (#1507) where it heads down river to its origination at the White River trailhead 4 miles south.

Compared to the hike over Little Giant Pass this was a cakewalk. The trail had not been logged yet for the summer (maybe not for a couple years?) but was overall in great shape and easy to follow. I arrived at the White River Trail about noon. Nestled in my nylon windbreaker to avoid the bugs I enjoyed my lunch as I dried off.

Heading up the White River trail I had hopes of good trail and easy hiking. All thought of leisurely hiking vanished after about the first half mile. The blow down was so bad it became a challenge to figure ways through the huge stick piles. I was reduced to plodding, crawling and groping my way through those short stretches.

When there was no blow down the brush was often so dense I could no longer see my feet and footing. I could only discern the trail route by the slightly shorter growth of the vegetation in the trail.

But, the scenery was worth it. Thunder Creek, Lightning Creek and Foam Creek each had their own wonders; Thunder Creek cascading down the valley side to the river, Lightning Creek winding through the trees, and Foam Creek mysterious and hidden on the opposite of side of the river. The creek crossings were usually dry on logs or footbridges, but the two crossings of the White River were refreshing fords.

I spent my fourth night just above the river about 3 ½ miles below the junction with the PCT. The evening thundered a bit, but calmed to a beautiful starlit night, hopefully an omen of better weather to come.

It is a gentle climb out of the end of the White River valley, though the brush held plenty of moisture to wet me through for the fourth straight day. It is 11 miles and 2600 feet of elevation gain from the junction of the Boulder Creek Pass trail (#1562) to the where the trail meets with the PCT. The last 3 ½ miles climb up out of the valley some 1500 feet.

What joy to be on a major trail again! Compared to the other trails I had been on the PCT was like a freeway. It was clear, well graded and mostly brush free. From here on, with unhampered tred, I wound around Reflection Pond, through White Pass and on over Red Pass. Small snow patches covered the trail in places, but these just added to the pleasure of walking high on the ridge top savoring blue skies and the lifting valley fog.

At Red Pass I met a section hiker (the first person I had seen in almost 3 days) going from Stehekin to Snoqualmie. He carried a nice small pack with few frills and was making about 18 miles a day. Just below the pass I came across a group of hikers with enormous packs. All sorts of paraphernalia hung from their packs. They were covering about 8 miles a day. When I told them how far I had come in 4 ½ (about 80 miles at this point) days they looked at me like I was a champion liar and quietly walked away shaking their heads in disbelief.

The rest of the day was spent zoning out on the walk. For the first time since I had started I was totally taken by the sights, sounds and smells of the trail. Miles rolled under my feet; 11 miles to Red Pass, 6 miles to Kennedy Creek, 8 miles to Fire Creek Pass, and a final 2 miles in fading light to camp below Mica Lake. I hadn't covered miles like that since I did the PCT in '97. I felt awesome, almost invincible, except for the last 2 miles. Going over the pass and down below Mica Lake in the dusk was not the smartest thing I ever did. Fire Creek Pass was mostly covered with snow and that snow had already set an icy glaze making passage a bit more dramatic.

I awoke to Glacier Peak in full display. For the first time on the trip I didn't start down the trail until after 8 that morning (I usually am on the trail by about 6:30). The sun glistened off the snowfields and glaciers. As I moved down the trail I was struck with the reality that I had only two more days of hiking left. Going up the 36 switchbacks above Milk Creek (trust me there are 36 of them: I have counted them each of the 5 times I have been through there and the number never changed- 36 switchbacks), I was pulled back to a slower more reluctant pace than the day before.

On the East Fork of Milk Creek near Vista Ridge on the shoulder of Glacier Peak I stopped to do some washing, dry out my gear, eat, and generally loaf around. Looking around me at the surrounding mountains I was again struck with how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things.

Continuing on, I crossed Vista Ridge and the started the long descent to the Suiattle river. The long downhill allowed my mind time to wonder and reflect on the trip. I was amazed that already my favorite part was the most challenging over Little Giant Pass and on to the PCT. The route finding, the brush, the wet and the blow down all were a part of the trip. And I enjoyed that.

I spent my last night on the trail in a small campsite about 9 miles from the Suiattle River trailhead. It was odd camping near other folks. For the first time in 6 nights my silent meditations around dinner were interrupted by loud conversation and other camp noises. A part of me was anxious to be done, another part of me was angry that I had only packed 7 days of food.

Hiking out the wide, gently graded, well maintained Suiattle River trail was a pleasant exit from the trip around Glacier Peak. All told I had hiked about 120 miles in 6 ½ days. The trip proved to be not so macho. Little Giant Pass did not make "Strong mountaineers turn pale…," grueling and fearsome were exaggerations, and "You gotta really want it" was much more personal.

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