Just a bunch of guys & gals that love hiking during their free time. Always adventurous, looking for the next peak to summit, we love experience the mountains and the challenges in the wilderness. Site is kept up by Cham. Photos are by Beau R, Tim C, Cham Mc, Kathy L.
I will let the video do the talking. Surprisingly, I loved shooting it. I will say commentating on it was a first, but you have to start somewhere. Enjoy below...
-cham
p.s.: make sure you turn off the website music in bottom right corner of the page.
There comes a time where us Yokels can't make it to the mountains due to the weather, responsibilities, time, etc. So we make the best of the time & environment closest to us.
Late Summer in 2009, you could find Beau R. and I fishing the stilly on a daily basis. It was the first time that I have every salmon fished (considering that I live in AL all my life), so I was game. I quickly caught my first humpy salmon and moved on to Silvers (Coho). Such a great time enjoying the river, the locals fishing around us, and the catch. The best and freshest salmon that I have ever had.
Beau landing a big Coho.
Yeah..we dominated.
Bobby G. looking for the Ducks.
We also hit the skies from time to time. 1st year of duck hunting and I love it. Ducks are a lot different and challenging compared to the Mourning Doves that are easy to hammer in the South. It takes skill, patience, and the ability to sit in the freezing cold rain. It was a good season.
If we can't hunt or fish, then we take to the backwoods 4x4 trails in Walker Valley. We will jump in J. Shepherd's jeep on an early Saturday morning and head out to get stuck with some other friends. It reminds me so much of my days in Alabama. Pushing your vehicle to the limit and go where most people can't such a great time. One thing I do love about the 4x4'ing here is the semi-traditional lunch break around a built fire. Sometimes the menu consist of some bratwurst which are so good on an open fire.
As mentioned in the other Mt. Forgotten write up. I love the hike so much that I had to get my friend Tim C. out to this incredible peak. Only took a few pics b/c I didn't want to be redundant.
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.
Probably my 2nd favorite hike in 2009. I went with my friend Beau R. & it was worth the intense 4+ hour trek to make it to the basin. If you go during the summer months, you can get some incredible waterfalls, beautiful tarns, and some sick looking shots of Monte Cristo...and thats before you even get to the basin.
Probably one of the most all around scenic hikes out there. You spend the first mile or so walking along the South Fork Sauk River, then you traverse through timber and rock formations with waterfalls. Its a great hike just to get to the top. The basin is totally worth it even if you don't plan to summit the Gothic Peak or Del Campo. Beautiful blue tarns, rock that looks like it would be a prop in The Lord of the Rings movies, a massive lake (Foggy Lake) and an incredible view of so many mountains.
Beau & I ended up shimmying up to Gothic Peak. I was to fatigue to try Del Campo due to a hike the day before. Just know that Gothic Peak involves some scrabbling at the end. We found that out when so guy explained to us that it was an easy summit with a clean trail. There was no clean trail. We scrambled a bit, but didn't summit b/c we weren't sure where we were climbing. So, the guy became the butt of a ton of jokes and frustrations on our journey down. We came across another guy who explained to us that the scramble was just apart of the summit. Again, we add more jokes and frustrating comments to our conversation about the first guy who didn't know what the heck he was talking about.
All in all, one of the best hikes. I plan to go camp at Foggy lake and summit both Gothic Peak & Del Campo. Below are some pics..
This mountain is a sore subject for me. I have hiked this beast of a mountain 3 times & due to multiple reason have yet to summit it. Yes..I have 2 times hiked up the epic switchbacks (65+) to be denied the peak. Reasons below:
1st Hike - Made it to the first meadows & didn't have
crampons to finish out the hike in the ice & snow.
2nd Hike - Hiked, camped, & it rained all night and day. It
was so foggy that it was pointless to hike to a
peak you can't really see anything from.
Dickerman deserves the respect of hiking it on a
somewhat visible day.
So to say the least, this mountain is on my 2010 list of redemption hikes. If you ever have hiked those switchbacks, you can understand the frustrations and defeat of not completing the journey. Some pics below...
l
Stillaguamish Peak (Granite Falls, Wa)
