Mt. Forgotten 1st Ascent

Mt. Forgotten 1st Ascent (Granite Falls, WA)

Probably my 3rd favorite hike of all times. This trail is an incredible contender of being one of the most beautiful hikes on the Mountain Loop Hwy.

My first attempt/summit of this mountain was with Beau R. Tony A. & his friend Brandon (also known as "Captain"). We hit the trail roughly around 6am. It was going to be a hot summer hike. In fact, I went through 5 liters of water. Always make sure you have enough to drink, vitamins, & food or you will be sorry as you descend with leg cramps and blurry vision. :)

You begin with a 2 mile hike to Perry Creek. Most hikes usually begin in the timberline which provides very few breath-taking moments. This trail begins in an open valley riddled with large talus fields, smooth sounding waterfalls, & two sleeping giants towering above you (Mt. Dickerman to the right & Stilliguamish Peak to the left). Such a great morning stroll as the sun begins to rise. If you happen to turn around, you can see the Hall Peak dominate the horizon behind you.

Once you get to Perry Creek, you begin to traverse through the timberline. Open sections provide great glimpses of Dickerman & Twin Peaks. The old forest has been termed as a rain forest due to the constant moisture and rain. It is definitely an old forest with little brush for the most part.

In most write ups, you will see only two meadows mentioned. The Yokels have actually determined three. Once you get to the top of the first traverse in the timberline, you hit a very small meadow on the ridge line that forks to the Stilliguamish Peak or to Forgotten. Here you can see a clear view of Baker and Forgotten with the early morning sun glowing on them. It is breath taking. If you are lucky, you may have a visit from some locals aka. Grey Jays. We have termed this areas as "the grey jay meadows" due to the pic above. They will actually landed on your hand and take the food from your fingers if allowed.

Moving on, you will come to the 2nd set of meadows (deemed 1st in most write ups). This can be reach by any hiker of any skill level or age. Even if you never plan to summit a mountain, this section of meadows is worth going to see. The meadows provide a great view of the southern mountains such as Dickerman, Glacier Peak, Bedal, Sloan, & so on. It is an incredible and indescribable view. I perfect place to camp. You just have to experience it for yourself. It has a few tarns that are present for the most part of the summer with some adequate shade.

Moving on to the 3rd meadows (2nd in most write ups), you have to "shimmy" down from the current meadows. I think it has been labeled a class II or III scrabble down. Little steep, but not bad. Trekking poles definitely would help. Then you move on across a fairly large talus field into more timber. This timber some what slows you down because the trail is small as well as the timber. So you are having to stump & root jump to a degree before you finally reach the meadows at the base of the summit.

3rd meadows (remember 2nd in most write ups) are incredible just like the other set of meadows. Great view of the southernish mounains, tarns, a great view of Mt. Whitechuck & Mt. Pugh. Here is where we normally break for a bit, get some water and eat a light snack. Great rest area before you ascend to the top of Forgotten.

As you begin the ascent, you start off with a class III/IV scramble straight up the slope. The trail is real vague but you can make it out as you push through some talus and scree. As you get above this scramble, you begin to pick up the well defined trail in the grassy knolls. Here you begin a pretty steep prominence up to the top of the mountain. The trail switchbacks to the top which would probably equal out to be around 200 yds before you summit. As you make your way, you can look back and see the incredible view behind you.

When you summit, you can see a 360 view all around the peak. It is amazing! You actually feel a sense of being among kings as you look at the various peaks around you. Make sure you sign the note pad found in the summit canister. It keeps a record of all of those who have made the climb. I usually call it a pipe bomb due to the looks of it.

All in all, it is was an incredible hike. In fact, I hiked it again with a Tim C. the following weekend.

-cham mc