washington hiking!

UPDATE (09/01/2004): The book is officially 99% done. Woohoo! 425 trails made it into the final draft. And the book should have roughly two dozen photos in it as well. It was a real haul but definitely worth it. The past summer was an insane one, with more time spent writing at Victrola, the local coffee shop, than out on the trail. The only thing that remains is the hiking tips section, a breeze to write. Soon, it will ALL be done!

welcome to my electronic base camp for washington hiking. as you may know, i am working on a trail guide which is to encompass all of the state of washington. holy cow! 7,000 miles of trail!

thanks to a lot of interest in helping with the book, i think i may finish by my deadline, which is less than a short year away - september 1, 2004! if you'd like to help, it's easy. below is a list of hikes that you can hike and write up a trail report. select a trail, hike it, take notes, then email me trail notes and any other info. even if you hike a trail that is listed below, send me a report! i'd love to read it and it will always help. maybe i haven't heard of the trail, or i missed something that you found.

where is scott now?

all done for the winter season!

november 18-20 : kalaloch beaches, rialto beach, on the olympic coast
november 3-5 : flapjack lakes, north fork skokomish river, in the olympic national park
october 18-21 : grand lake, cameron pass, & gray wolf river, in the olympic national park (5+ inches of rain in 24 hours!)
october 11-12 : spider meadow, in the glacier peak wilderness
october 7-9 : mount tumac, long john lake in the william o. douglas wilderness
october 3-5 : goat lake, old snowy summit, snowgrass flats, in the goat rocks wilderness
october 1-2 : cathedral rock, marmot lake, in the alpine lakes wilderness
september 19-26 : lake chelan/sawtooth wilderness, glacier peak wilderness
september 6-10 : north cascades np & okanagon nf, off hwy 20
september 1-5 : mt. baker wilderness, north of mt. baker, off hwy 542

sample trail report

this is an example of how i take notes on a trail. the more descriptive, the better. it's easiest to record the trail as you go along, for instance creating a mile-by-mile trail log. record the condition of the trail, what you can see, e.g. plants, peaks, waterfalls, what you thought of the trail, any overall impressions, and why or why not other people should hike it. the most important things are:

  1. what did you like about this trail?
  2. why is this trail special or unique?
  3. why will others enjoy or not enjoy this trail?
i'll look over your notes, maybe give you a ring to talk it over a bit, and then i'll write up the report. please throw in directions to the trail head. trail reports can be emailed to scottyineurope@yahoo.com. if you have any questions, please email me! i'm happy to help you help me help others!

mt. forgotten/perry creek, 8.0 miles, 5.0 hours

first 1/2 of trail on talus slopes, brushy at times, rocky tread. at 2m hit forest, perry creek falls. good for break, picnic, or turnaround. nest two miles up switchbacks to ridge and meadow. last 2 miles in old-growth forest. at ridge, views of baker, white chuck, mt. forgotten. at beginning of meadow, take fork to right, more meadows, wide open expanse to glacier peak and all major peaks of region. good forest- alaska cedar, pacific silver fir. trail crosses perry creek at falls. tough hike, heavy traffic, but well worth it for views. also can climb mt. forgotten. directions: mtn loop hwy out of grantie falls, fs road 4063, one mile, take left fork to trlhd.

sample trail listing

this is what the trail report will end up reading as when it is in the book.

Mount Forgotten Meadows
8.0 miles roundtrip, 5.0 hours
Difficulty: 4 out of 5 ; Beauty: 9 out of 10

When the trail breaks out of the forest onto the ridge, and Mt. Forgotten stares down you, the previous four miles become worth every step. Continue on to the meadows and the peaks of the North Cascades will share in your well earned lunch.

The first half of the trail climbs slowly up Perry Creek. The way goes across talus slope after talus slope, many engulfed in fireweed and salmonberries. Two miles in, you head into the forest and come upon Perry Creek Falls. Since the view is mostly looking down the falls from atop, catch your breath and keep heading up. The trail switchbacks up through very old, virgin forests, where Alaskan yellow cedars and Pacific silver firs abound. The shade and huckleberries make up for the strenuous climb.

Soon, you'll break out onto the ridge, with Mt. Baker standing tall, even from afar, and Mt. Forgottwen finally visible. Just before the ridge, follow the trail to the east. Mt. Forgotten Meadows await ten short minutes away, with spectacular views of Glacier Peak and surrounding mountains. This is a great hike!

Location:In the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, along the Mountain Loop Highway east of Granite Falls.
User Groups:June through October.
Permits:Northwest Forest Pass required at trailhead.
Maps:
Directions:Drive east on the Mountain Loop Highway from Granite Falls. 15 miles pass Verlot, turn left onto Perry Creek Road/Forest Service Road 4063. Drive one mile, taking the left fork one half-mile in.
Contact: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington Ranger Station.


hikes needing a good description...

information on any trail helps!

north cascades

  1. NC#05 !!! Yellow Aster Butte, 7.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  2. NC#06 !!! Tomyhoi Lake, 10.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  3. NC#07 Winchester Mtn., 4.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  4. NC#08 High Pass, 6.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  5. NC#10 Goat Mtn., 8.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  6. NC#23 Ptarmigan Ridge, 9.0m (of Hwy 542, N of Mt. Baker)
  7. NC#26 !!! Thornton Lakes, 10.6m (off Hwy 20, near Newhalem)
  8. NC#34 Pyramid Lake, 4.2m (off Hwy 20, near Newhalem)
  9. NC#43 Cascade River Trail, 8.0m (off Hwy 20, near Newhalem)
  10. NC#46 Boulder River/Boulder Falls, 9.0m (near Darrington)
  11. NC#47 Mount Higgans, 9.0m (near Darrington)
  12. NC#48 Meadow Mountain, 11.6m (near Darrington)
  13. NC#53 Green Mountain, 8.0m (near Darrington)
  14. NC#56 Sulphur Creek, 3.6m (off Mtn Loop Hwy, Granite Falls)
  15. NC#69 Sunrise Mine, 5.2m (off Mtn Loop Hwy, Granite Falls)

!!! = the word on the trail says this is an excellant hike

I-90 / mountains to sound greenway

  1. NC#165 Mount Si, 8.0m (exit 32)
  2. NC#180 Twin Falls, 2.6m (exit 34)
  3. NC#181 McClellan Butte, 8.8m (exit 42)
  4. NC#184 Granite Mountain, 8.6m (exit 47)
  5. NC#185 Annette Lake, 7.0m (exit 52)
  6. NC#187 Snow Lake, 7.0m (exit 52)
  7. NC#188 Commonwealth Basin/Red Pass, 10.0m (exit 52)
  8. NC#177 Jolly Mtn., 12.4m (exit 80, near Roslyn)

mount rainier

  1. MR#26 Green Lake, 3.6m
  2. MR#27 Windy Gap, 13.0m
  3. MR#28 Carbon Glacier/Mystic Lake, 15.2m
  4. MR#29 Tolmie Peak Lookout, 6.4m
  5. MR#30 Spray Park, 6.0m
  6. any hike in this region is helpful!

created by scott leonard 2003