7-11-09
After the heat
in Horseshoe Basin the week before I was ready for a cooler hike. No
such luck. The flower show in Bean Creek Basin should have been near
its peak. Kim and I headed east. The NF Teanaway Road has not been
graded. The potholes are deep. We drove slowly to the Beverly Creek
turn off. The drain ditches cut across the Beverly Road are as deep as
ever. Absolute insanity that they were put in. We reached the trailhead
at 9:00 am. It was already warm. Cle Elum was heading for 92 degrees. I
hoped we could get in Bean or Earl Peaks before the heat wore us down.
We hiked up to the Beverly junction and turned right on the Bean Creek Trail. Some flowers started there. After crossing Bean Creek the scarlet gilia began. This has been a very good year for scarlet gilia sightings. Some lupine and paintbrush mixed in as well. It was a little cooler on the forested section. We came back out of the forest into the lower basin and the flower show improved. There were shooting stars around the creek though they are past their prime.
Lots of lupine and other flowers before reaching the upper basin. There to, the shooting stars were still going but past the peak. There were big clumps of Indian paintbrush. We also saw some elephant head, bog orchids, thistle, asters, and more. Bean Peak also came into view. So far we had seen only one couple hiking out and no tents. Since there were 4 or 5 cars in the lot I expected to see more people.
It was now getting really hot and the plan boiled down to getting up Bean Peak and back without melting. I don't particularly enjoy the direct climb to the ridge connecting to Earl Peak. I prefer to wind my way up from beneath the summit. Our route meandered around a bit but did offer some periodic shade much of the way up. Glacier lilies were all withered but the ground was still wet much of the way up. Our route was easy on the knees and we stowed poles for the last 100' of rock to the summit.
On top we found nobody. In fact, we spent nearly two hours on top and had no company. There was a whisper of wind which did provide a little cooling. I figured we would not stay on top too long. Then Kim moved 15 feet to the other side of the summit. There was a steady wind blowing there. If fact it was a cold breeze. The temperature dropped 30 degrees. It was fantastic. I walked back to the other side. No wind. I went 15 feet back. Steady cold wind. Hmm.... what was going on. I have no idea. I do know we stayed on the cold side.
There were no clouds when we summited but they steadily crept in. That too helped to cool things off. We really hated to leave. At 3:20 we did head on down. Back in the basin we passed three overnighters who were out for a walk. A fourth person was back in camp. The clouds provided occasional shade which helped with photography. Below the upper basin we ran into one final person. It was John Morrow of the Forest Service hard at work. He recognized both of us. John is an interesting guy and we had a nice conversation. More flower shots and then back into forest. With all the stops it was nearly 7:00 pm when we returned to the lot.
We stopped at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum for dinner before the drive home. It was after 10:00 when I arrived home. It was a long day and a hot one. The saving grace was the narrow breeze across the summit and the clouds. It made the day much more manageable than I expected. The flowers were not the best I have seen in the basin but they were still very good. The views from the peak were excellent. All in all, it was a fine day to be on the trail.
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Trips - 2009
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We hiked up to the Beverly junction and turned right on the Bean Creek Trail. Some flowers started there. After crossing Bean Creek the scarlet gilia began. This has been a very good year for scarlet gilia sightings. Some lupine and paintbrush mixed in as well. It was a little cooler on the forested section. We came back out of the forest into the lower basin and the flower show improved. There were shooting stars around the creek though they are past their prime.
Lots of lupine and other flowers before reaching the upper basin. There to, the shooting stars were still going but past the peak. There were big clumps of Indian paintbrush. We also saw some elephant head, bog orchids, thistle, asters, and more. Bean Peak also came into view. So far we had seen only one couple hiking out and no tents. Since there were 4 or 5 cars in the lot I expected to see more people.
It was now getting really hot and the plan boiled down to getting up Bean Peak and back without melting. I don't particularly enjoy the direct climb to the ridge connecting to Earl Peak. I prefer to wind my way up from beneath the summit. Our route meandered around a bit but did offer some periodic shade much of the way up. Glacier lilies were all withered but the ground was still wet much of the way up. Our route was easy on the knees and we stowed poles for the last 100' of rock to the summit.
On top we found nobody. In fact, we spent nearly two hours on top and had no company. There was a whisper of wind which did provide a little cooling. I figured we would not stay on top too long. Then Kim moved 15 feet to the other side of the summit. There was a steady wind blowing there. If fact it was a cold breeze. The temperature dropped 30 degrees. It was fantastic. I walked back to the other side. No wind. I went 15 feet back. Steady cold wind. Hmm.... what was going on. I have no idea. I do know we stayed on the cold side.
There were no clouds when we summited but they steadily crept in. That too helped to cool things off. We really hated to leave. At 3:20 we did head on down. Back in the basin we passed three overnighters who were out for a walk. A fourth person was back in camp. The clouds provided occasional shade which helped with photography. Below the upper basin we ran into one final person. It was John Morrow of the Forest Service hard at work. He recognized both of us. John is an interesting guy and we had a nice conversation. More flower shots and then back into forest. With all the stops it was nearly 7:00 pm when we returned to the lot.
We stopped at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum for dinner before the drive home. It was after 10:00 when I arrived home. It was a long day and a hot one. The saving grace was the narrow breeze across the summit and the clouds. It made the day much more manageable than I expected. The flowers were not the best I have seen in the basin but they were still very good. The views from the peak were excellent. All in all, it was a fine day to be on the trail.
 White On Black |
 Aster |
 Multiple Colors |
 Scarlet Gilia |
 Shooting Stars Along Creek |
 Bistort |
 Field Of Paintbrush |
 Bean Peak Above Basin |
 Elephant Head |
 Red Paintbrush |
 Thistle |
 Balsamroot |
 Ascending Bean |
 Reddish Rock |
 Summit Above |
 Slanted Rock |
 Kim & Basin Below |
 Starting Summit Scramble |
 Scrambling |
 Near The Top |
 Summit Visitor |
 Mt. Stuart |
 Volcanic Neck |
 County Line Trail |
 Stuart Summit |
 Sherpa Balanced Rock |
 Clouds |
 Fourtune & Ingalls |
 Bean Creek Basin |
 Earl Peak |
 Descending Bean |
 Yellow Flower |
 Different Paintbrush |
 Deep Red Paintbrush |
 Bog Orchid |
 More Gilia |
 Better Light |
 One More Flower |
 Columbine |
 Hiking Along Bean Creek |
Trips - 2009
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