09-08-23
Gary
suggested a strenuous hike. So far this year I had done only two hikes
with over 3000' of elevation gain until a 5300' gain trip in mid June.
I am still have a good year for gain but with a lot of 2700' to 2900'
gain trips. It was well past time to start getting in more 4000' plus
hikes. Gary suggested Lookout Mountain off the Cascade River Road in
the North Cascades. That sounded great. I had only been up it one time.
Back in 2006 Mike McQuaide interviewed me for a Seattle
Times article. He literally
asked questions and wrote down answers on a paper pad while hiking up a
4500' gain trail. I was impressed. That was a 17 year gap for me. For
Gary it was 29 years since his last time atop Lookout Mountain. We
were both overdue.
We met at Ash Way park and ride at 6:30 am and I drove us north. We drove through Darrington and on to Marblemount. Seven more miles down the Cascade River Road brought us to the small parking lot on the side of the road. There were already three cars there. We arrived at about 8:10 am and were on our way at 8:18 am. What I remembered about the trail is that it is steep but smooth. That it is. It starts especially steeply. We set out at a steady pace that began to slow down as we ascended. On my previous hike we hiked up 4.7 miles and 4500' in 2:50 as I took photos as I always do and Mike asked questions and wrote my answers. 17 years later I knew we would not hike that fast. More importantly, with just a couple food and water breaks, we kept up a steady pace. That did change a little near the top as we entered meadows of wildflowers and then had some views of mountain peaks. Photo opportunities always rank above a fast hike.
The first 3.5 miles are all in forest. This was especially helpful on the descent as the temperature rose. It was a bit cloudy in the morning and also humid. The humidity was more of a problem than the temperature. There are half a dozen or so large trees down across the trail. We went around a few and climbed over the rest. None were a big problem. We noticed a few saprophytes early in the hike. Gary saw a couple candy sticks right along the side of the trail. I was been seeing a lot of saprophytes the past few weeks but no candy sticks. With red and white stripes they are among my favorites. We also saw some pinedrops and a coralroot. Trillium were all done flowering but big leaves remained. Queen's cup and bunchberry were seen in many places.
At the 2 mile mark we stopped for a break. It was at a small flat spot used as a campsite. Running water was nearby. After our break we headed on and in just a few minutes reached the meadow. I had a vague memory of a flattish meadow. Well, no. the trail leaves the forest and climbs straight up a brushy meadow. The brush was head high in places and we are both over six foot tall. It was also wet. I had zipped off my pants legs and had a short sleeve shirt on. I can verify that there are nettles there. In places there were rock steps and it was hard to see them through the brush. A trail maintenance work party could really do some good by brushing this out. On the way down the brush was dry and it was much easier. The meadow ends with the trail heading back into forest.
We soon reached the largest creek crossing. It was an easy rock hop or walk along a 4 x 6 post. At about 2.8 miles we reached the junction with the Monogram Lake Trail. I backpacked to the lake with Kim Brown in 2009, three years after my lone Lookout Mountain trip. At about 3.5 miles we exited the forest. A big sloping meadow took us out into the sunshine. It was instantly much warmer. The green meadow soon began to show us a bounty of wildflowers. Tall tiger lilies were first with up to 7 flowers on a stalk. Red Indian paintbrush was next. The paintbrush flowers were huge. Some of the largest I have ever seen. Our pace slowed down much more. This and the views were what we came to see.
The trail after the forest is much narrower. It is sloping in places and has some short very steep spots. It is harder to hike than the first 3.5 miles but is still fine. Views to the south opened up but they were hazy. We hoped it would not stay that way all day. From the start of the meadow we could see the lookout tower 1000' above us. We still had a ways to go. Perhaps the most prevalent wildflower in the big meadow was Lewis monkey flower. We often see it along streams as it likes lots of water. On the bare slope with no creeks we found an enormous supply of the flower. Some of the bushes were larger with more flowers than I am used to seeing. It was quite a display. We also saw penstemon and columbine. The columbine was largely past prime. The others seemed to near their peak.
So far we had seen one person heading down. That left only two cars of hikers for Lookout Mountain and Monogram Lake. It looked like we would have a little solitude on top. The heat and humidity was really getting to me as we neared the summit ridge. Views were improving too with each step. We finally reached the ridge top and a few minutes later the lookout was in sight only a hundred or so feet above us. There was one big snow patch left just below the lookout. As we reached it a couple with several dogs passed us coming down. We did have the lookout to ourselves at first. We climbed the stairs up to the lookout and went inside.
It was warm inside but shaded. We ate and drank water and I started to feel normal again. The afternoon high was forecast to be at or below 70 degrees at the summit level. It felt much warmer at 12:25 pm when we entered the lookout. The humidity had a lot to do with it. Views to the south were still hazy. It was a little hazy to the west. To the north and east the mountains looked great. Baker and Shuksan stood out along with the Picket Range. Hidden Lake Peak's lookout summit was clearly visible but a high zoom camera was needed to see the lookout. Eldorado Peak was close and very visible. We went out to the catwalk and walk around the building taking photos, videos, and just admiring the views. It was much cooler and there was a light breeze.
After about half an hour a lone hiker arrived. He had just moved here from Tennessee and was marveling at the views. Soon other groups began to arrive. Some stayed below and some braved the ladder up to the lookout. We stayed until 2:04 pm when we reluctantly headed down. We spent about 1:40 on the summit. The way down required much less effort. The narrow trail and steep spots required care but were not a problem. We took some but fewer flower photos. The sunshine was bothersome on the long open meadow section. I was glad to be back in the forest. The last 3.5 miles down was mostly uneventful. The steady grade and soft dirt trail made it easy on our knees and feet. My feet were much sorer on last weeks backpacking trip on rocky Teanaway trails.
We had one more stop at the campsite with 2 miles to go. We finally reached the road and my car at 5:26 pm. Traffic was relatively light for a Saturday and even with a stop for food and one for gas, I was home more than an hour before sunset. I do love the long summer days.
This was a great hike. The forest walk had some big trees and the saprophytes. The first meadow was brushy and wet but not that long. The big upper meadow slopes were hot but provided a very good wildflower display. The view south was hazy at first but improved by the time we left the summit. The mountain views in general were fantastic. The North Cascades have big and jagged peaks which can seldom be seen from the highway except near Washington Pass. A 4500' climb buts you right in the middle of a lot of big peaks. This time of year there is still a lot of snow on the peaks. We had a hard time figuring why we went 17 and 29 years between visits. Lookout Mountain is a terrific vantage point of the North Cascades.
Click on thumbnails to get
larger pictures.
Trips - 2023
Home
We met at Ash Way park and ride at 6:30 am and I drove us north. We drove through Darrington and on to Marblemount. Seven more miles down the Cascade River Road brought us to the small parking lot on the side of the road. There were already three cars there. We arrived at about 8:10 am and were on our way at 8:18 am. What I remembered about the trail is that it is steep but smooth. That it is. It starts especially steeply. We set out at a steady pace that began to slow down as we ascended. On my previous hike we hiked up 4.7 miles and 4500' in 2:50 as I took photos as I always do and Mike asked questions and wrote my answers. 17 years later I knew we would not hike that fast. More importantly, with just a couple food and water breaks, we kept up a steady pace. That did change a little near the top as we entered meadows of wildflowers and then had some views of mountain peaks. Photo opportunities always rank above a fast hike.
The first 3.5 miles are all in forest. This was especially helpful on the descent as the temperature rose. It was a bit cloudy in the morning and also humid. The humidity was more of a problem than the temperature. There are half a dozen or so large trees down across the trail. We went around a few and climbed over the rest. None were a big problem. We noticed a few saprophytes early in the hike. Gary saw a couple candy sticks right along the side of the trail. I was been seeing a lot of saprophytes the past few weeks but no candy sticks. With red and white stripes they are among my favorites. We also saw some pinedrops and a coralroot. Trillium were all done flowering but big leaves remained. Queen's cup and bunchberry were seen in many places.
At the 2 mile mark we stopped for a break. It was at a small flat spot used as a campsite. Running water was nearby. After our break we headed on and in just a few minutes reached the meadow. I had a vague memory of a flattish meadow. Well, no. the trail leaves the forest and climbs straight up a brushy meadow. The brush was head high in places and we are both over six foot tall. It was also wet. I had zipped off my pants legs and had a short sleeve shirt on. I can verify that there are nettles there. In places there were rock steps and it was hard to see them through the brush. A trail maintenance work party could really do some good by brushing this out. On the way down the brush was dry and it was much easier. The meadow ends with the trail heading back into forest.
We soon reached the largest creek crossing. It was an easy rock hop or walk along a 4 x 6 post. At about 2.8 miles we reached the junction with the Monogram Lake Trail. I backpacked to the lake with Kim Brown in 2009, three years after my lone Lookout Mountain trip. At about 3.5 miles we exited the forest. A big sloping meadow took us out into the sunshine. It was instantly much warmer. The green meadow soon began to show us a bounty of wildflowers. Tall tiger lilies were first with up to 7 flowers on a stalk. Red Indian paintbrush was next. The paintbrush flowers were huge. Some of the largest I have ever seen. Our pace slowed down much more. This and the views were what we came to see.
The trail after the forest is much narrower. It is sloping in places and has some short very steep spots. It is harder to hike than the first 3.5 miles but is still fine. Views to the south opened up but they were hazy. We hoped it would not stay that way all day. From the start of the meadow we could see the lookout tower 1000' above us. We still had a ways to go. Perhaps the most prevalent wildflower in the big meadow was Lewis monkey flower. We often see it along streams as it likes lots of water. On the bare slope with no creeks we found an enormous supply of the flower. Some of the bushes were larger with more flowers than I am used to seeing. It was quite a display. We also saw penstemon and columbine. The columbine was largely past prime. The others seemed to near their peak.
So far we had seen one person heading down. That left only two cars of hikers for Lookout Mountain and Monogram Lake. It looked like we would have a little solitude on top. The heat and humidity was really getting to me as we neared the summit ridge. Views were improving too with each step. We finally reached the ridge top and a few minutes later the lookout was in sight only a hundred or so feet above us. There was one big snow patch left just below the lookout. As we reached it a couple with several dogs passed us coming down. We did have the lookout to ourselves at first. We climbed the stairs up to the lookout and went inside.
It was warm inside but shaded. We ate and drank water and I started to feel normal again. The afternoon high was forecast to be at or below 70 degrees at the summit level. It felt much warmer at 12:25 pm when we entered the lookout. The humidity had a lot to do with it. Views to the south were still hazy. It was a little hazy to the west. To the north and east the mountains looked great. Baker and Shuksan stood out along with the Picket Range. Hidden Lake Peak's lookout summit was clearly visible but a high zoom camera was needed to see the lookout. Eldorado Peak was close and very visible. We went out to the catwalk and walk around the building taking photos, videos, and just admiring the views. It was much cooler and there was a light breeze.
After about half an hour a lone hiker arrived. He had just moved here from Tennessee and was marveling at the views. Soon other groups began to arrive. Some stayed below and some braved the ladder up to the lookout. We stayed until 2:04 pm when we reluctantly headed down. We spent about 1:40 on the summit. The way down required much less effort. The narrow trail and steep spots required care but were not a problem. We took some but fewer flower photos. The sunshine was bothersome on the long open meadow section. I was glad to be back in the forest. The last 3.5 miles down was mostly uneventful. The steady grade and soft dirt trail made it easy on our knees and feet. My feet were much sorer on last weeks backpacking trip on rocky Teanaway trails.
We had one more stop at the campsite with 2 miles to go. We finally reached the road and my car at 5:26 pm. Traffic was relatively light for a Saturday and even with a stop for food and one for gas, I was home more than an hour before sunset. I do love the long summer days.
This was a great hike. The forest walk had some big trees and the saprophytes. The first meadow was brushy and wet but not that long. The big upper meadow slopes were hot but provided a very good wildflower display. The view south was hazy at first but improved by the time we left the summit. The mountain views in general were fantastic. The North Cascades have big and jagged peaks which can seldom be seen from the highway except near Washington Pass. A 4500' climb buts you right in the middle of a lot of big peaks. This time of year there is still a lot of snow on the peaks. We had a hard time figuring why we went 17 and 29 years between visits. Lookout Mountain is a terrific vantage point of the North Cascades.
 Signboard Near Start |
 Gary On Trail |
 Huge Rock |
 Candy Stick |
 Pinesap |
 Another Candy Stick |
 Tiger Lilies |
 Wet Brushy Meadow |
 Queen's Cup |
 Big Tree Down |
 Creek Crossing |
 Trail Junction |
 Entering Big Meadow |
 Haszy Views South |
 Penstemon |
 Columbine |
 Summit In Sight |
 Big Indian Paintbrush |
 Lewis Monkey Flower |
 Many Monkey Flowers |
 Orange Paintbrush |
 View East |
 Eldorado Peak |
 Snow Patch |
 Gary Ascends Tower |
 Trail In Meadow |
 Mt. Baker |
 Snowking Mountain |
 The Picket Range |
 Inside Lookout |
 "Museum" |
 Photo Of Lookouts |
 Photo Of Lookouts |
 Blue Sky & Clouds |
 Hidden Lake Lookout |
 8000' Peaks |
 Close Up View |
 Eldorado Close Upl |
 Wide Angle Shot |
 Lookout Tower |
 More Flowers |
 Many Paintbrush |
 Bog Orchid |
 Coralroot |
 Climbing Over Log |
 Big Stump |
 Find Gary |
 Open Forest |
Trips - 2023
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