Yearly Archives: 2020

Oh My Goodness This trip was an astrophotography bonanza. Davis Peak sits just north of the intersection of the Cle Elum and Waptus Rivers, about a mile-and-a-half past where state highway 903 ends at the Salmon la Sac campground in central Washington. The 20%-grade trail switchbacks straight up the southern ridgeline for four miles before leveling out at the foundation of an old fire lookout. A short distance to the west lies a craggy central summit, past which progress can only be made by scrambling. I embarked on an overnight to take advantage of the new moon for astrophotography and [...]

Mount Stuart from Red Mountain Third time's a charm. After two previous forays along Red Mountain Trail #1330 I finally managed to reach the ridge and then followed it north to the summit. Approach valley The trail ascends a southwestern valley with a steep southern wall, meaning that it receives minimal sun exposure. As a result, even in early July there are still large patches of snow out in the open and there were still 2 to 3 feet of snow on the ground above 5,400 feet in the final climb to the ridge. The trail itself went from almost [...]

Diamond Lake Yesterday I went on a day hike along Polallie Ridge, which separates the Waptus River and Cooper River valleys in central Washington. The goal was to reach the site of an old fire lookout just shy of Waptus Pass and then try to summit Cone Mountain. I'd noticed Cone's formidable eastern face while backpacking to Waptus Lake. After examining a map of the area post-trip I noticed that the western side of the mountain wasn't even a face at all, it was a flat expanse filling the space between the summit block and Polallie Ridge. Although satellite imagery [...]

Mount Jerry Garcia from the south shore of Waptus Lake Last weekend I went on a two-nighter to Waptus Lake. Nestled within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Waptus Lake offers incredible views of Summit Chief and Bears Breast Mountains as well as access to the PCT. The relatively flat 9-mile hike in follows the Waptus River on and off and sports a number of small creek crossings to keep things interesting. The horse ford Unfortunately the foot bridge at the end has been washed out so access to the main campground is via a horse ford where moderately-paced water currently sits [...]

This week's adventure was a day trip to French Cabin Mountain North, located near the northwestern corner of Cle Elum Lake. The forecast called for rain so I was eager to try out my new rain wrap. Recent trip reports indicated that there was a swift water crossing at the very start so I was excited to give that a go as well (I don't really do many water crossings). Goals Test out creek crossing using DexShell waterproof socks ✅ (they were awesome)Test out Enlightened Equipment rain wrap in extended heavy rain ❌ (barely got sprinkled on) The water crossing [...]