I know that I’ve talked to several folks on hikes about how I really want to get out and explore new places this summer. In that spirit, Matt and I did some exploring on Saturday in the Glacier Peak Wilderness area on Saturday. We drove up to the North Fork of the Sauk River trailhead and walked up the trail a couple of miles to where the Pilot Ridge trail diverges. This is supposed to be a super spectacular hike and I’m hoping to lead it in August as the CHS2 Go Getter. The tricky part is a log crossing of the N Sauk. The river is wide and raging right now, but should be tamer in later August. Doing the hike requires crossing the log—it’s very doable, but has to be something that hikers are fairly comfortable with. I plan to go back in August and do the crossing and part of the trail to see how it goes. There are other cool options in the same area if this doesn’t work out.
Once we’d checked out the log crossing, we took a short, steep trail up to an old lookout site on Red Mountain. Did a bit of a rock scramble to get to a nice secluded lunch spot and enjoy views of Sloan Peak and Bedal Mountain. It was such a lovely day and so enjoyable to be outside. We also checked out the Sloan Creek campground right at the North Fork Sauk trailhead; very primitive, but I think I could get the trailer up there since the forest service road is pretty good.
Finally, we did a little exploring for another trailhead that was farther up the same Forest Service road—Bald Eagle Mountain. This hike hooks up with the Pilot Ridge hike and makes for a 24-mile eye-popping, scenic loop. In my opinion, this is best done as a backpack to enjoy the views earned by all the sweat to get up there. But if you look on WTA, lots of folks have done the loop in the day. After this weekend’s explorations, I’ve got some new hiking fantasies perking!
With all of the cool weather we’ve been having it’s tough to remember that at some point we will experience summer temperatures. Once we get to this point, then you’ll experience the fact that’s it’s very hard to hike uphill in the heat. I do believe that summer will eventually be here in the Northwest and we will need to start thinking about being comfortable and safe while hiking on warm days.
First you will notice that some of the hike meet times are getting earlier. Many hike leaders like to do all of their gain in the cool of the morning and I am certainly one of them. It’s not uncommon to meet at 5:00 and 6:00 AM in July and August just so we can start hiking around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. I think on one hike I led a couple of years ago, the meet time was 4:30 so we could get on the trail by 7:00. Hiking uphill requires a lot of energy and having to counteract the heat as well can really tax your body. So while crawling out of bed in the wee hours of the morning may seem really yukky at the time, you’ll appreciate it later in the day.
You’ll also find that your need for water really amps up on a hot day. It’s not uncommon to bring at least 4 liters of water on these hikes, along with the ability to purify more water if needed. I carry iodine tablets with me at all times as well as a 1 liter bottle so I can purify water without having to put the iodine tablets in my water bladder. You will want to be sure that you bring some sort of purification method with you as well. You never know when you’ll run out of water and need to use it.
Be sure that you have some sort of plan for replacing electrolytes. Most people bring along an extra liter of Gatorade or some other sports drink with them. I usually find that most people who end up feeling really bad on a hot day have neglected to consume something like this during the day. I personally use Emergen-C which I find not be as sweet as Gatorade and other sports drinks. So if you’re drinking lots of water and eating well but still feeling bad, then drink some of your sports drink. As with water consumption, this is best done in frequent, but smaller amounts. Don’t guzzle a whole liter of sports drink at once or you’ll waste its benefits by inundating your body with more than it can use at once.
Also be sure to use plenty of sunscreen and wear sunglasses. I often have to reapply sunscreen several times during a hike—especially to my face. Sometimes the best remedy against the sun is to cover up exposed skin, either with lightweight clothing or by wearing a hat to shield your face. I have been known to use my umbrella on really hot sunny days to shield myself from the heat and rays.
Finally, bring a bandanna or towel along to dip in streams as you pass along them. I like to put a wet bandana around my neck on a hot day. It really helps cool me down. I also like to put my feet in water whenever possible. This really helps them deal with miles by reducing swelling.
July Hike Signup
July sign up is going well. On Wednesday, July 7th, the hikes will open for you to sign up for more than two. So if you haven’t completed your two-hike signup yet, I urge you to do so before that date. Signup for July hikes and the Cougar Flat Campout is also going well. Folks who are not planning to campout may sign up for Cougar Flat hikes beginning on July 7th as well. July hikes with space available are listed below.
If you end up only hiking, not camping this weekend, please be sure to communicate this with your hike leader so that they can arrange meeting times/places with you accordingly. One suggestion is to fill in the note section when you register for the hike that tells if and when you are camping (Friday, Saturday or both nights). But be sure to also email the hike leader and let them know your plans as well so there is no confusion about carpooling. If you are camping, I encourage you to use the CHS Google Group (http://groups.google.com/group/CHS2010) to see if others are interested in carpooling with you so we can cut down on the number of drivers and cars parked at the campground.
CHS1:
7/03/10— Duckabush River to Five Mile Camp, Steve Payne (10.5 miles, 2300’ gain)
7/11/10— Tired Creek to Pollalie Ridge, Barry Kellems (11 miles, 2600’ gain)
7/12/10—Midweek Hike, Surprise & Glacier Lakes, Jan Davis & Sue Shih (11 miles, 2800’ gain)
7/16—Cougar Flat Campout: Union Creek Photography Hike, Steve Payne (6 miles, 1300’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/17—Cougar Flat Campout: Naches Peak/Sourdough Gap/Crystal Lakes, Steve Payne & Heidi Walker (12 miles, 2400’ gain)
7/17—Cougar Flat Campout: Berkeley Park/Grand Park, Shep Griswold (14 miles, 1800’ gain)
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Noble Knob, Barbara Folmer & Jan Pecoraro (7 miles, 800’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Summerland, Heidi Walker (8.5 miles, 2100’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Mt Fremont Lookout, Steve Payne & Shep Griswold (5.5 miles, 800’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/24/10— Harry’s Ridge/Coldwater Peak/South Coldwater Trail, Steve Payne (8.5 miles, 2,300’ gain)
7/24/10— Navaho Peak, Gregg Pilgreen (13 miles, 4200’ gain)
CHS2:
7/10/10— Alpine Lookout via Merrit Lake, Deborah Dickstein & Bill Schecket (12-13 miles, 3200’ gain)
7/10/10— Indian Bar, Marion Bauman (14.5 miles, 3700’ gain)
7/11/10—Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground from Longmire, Barb Motteler (15 miles, 3500’ gain)
7/16—Cougar Flat Campout: Union Creek Photography Hike, Steve Payne (6 miles, 1300’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/17—Cougar Flat Campout: Indian Bar, Barbara Foler (14.5 miles, 3700’ gain)
7/17—Cougar Flat Campout: Mt Aix, Kelly Cleman & Matt Cleman (12 miles, 4000’ gain)
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Noble Knob, Barbara Folmer & Jan Pecoraro (7 miles, 800’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Summerland, Heidi Walker (8.5 miles, 2100’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/18—Cougar Flat Campout: Mt Fremont Lookout, Steve Payne & Shep Griswold (5.5 miles, 800’ gain)—no CHS hike credit for this.
7/25/10— Leavenworth Area Hiking Weekend: Snow & Nada Lakes, Christine Pratt & Steward Hougan (13.5 miles, 3900’ gain)
7/25/10— Leavenworth Area Hiking Weekend: Lake Stuart & Horseshoe Lake, Michale Kelly (13.5 miles, 3900’ gain)
WTA Trail Maintenance Signup
In June, the first of several WTA Trail Maintenance work parties is coming up. The link to sign up for this trip and the others is located on the CHS web site in Course Document>CHS Trail Maintenance Flyer. (http://www.mountaineers.org/seattle/chs/CHS/Class_Resources.html)
CHS Pictures:
If you took any pictures on your hike this weekend, please be sure to forward them to chshiker2008@gmail.com to post them on the picture site for everyone to view.
No comments:
Post a Comment