09-30-24
Gary
and I planned a fall color
hike to Rachel Lake and Alta Mountain. The weekend had overcast skies
and then high winds. That left us planning a Monday hike. On Sunday I
saw a report with photos of great fall colors at Green Mountain. We
made a last minute decision to head to Green Mountain. It is a long
drive so we met at Ash Way P&R at 6:15 am. It was dark for more
than an hour after I left home. Traffic was not bad at that hour going
north. At Darrington we headed north and then turned off on the
Suiattle River Road. The dirt part of the road was in much better shape
than I expected. Google suggested 2.5 hour and we took only 2 hours.
The Green Mountain spur road was in the best shape I can recall. Even
the sides had the brush and small trees cut down. We arrived at the
3500' trailhead at about 8:15 am. By 8:23 we were on our way. I had not
hiked it until 2001. I did it again in 2003. In 2006 the road washed
out and visitation came to a virtual halt. Kim Brown and I cooked up an
idea of biking in and trying to hike the long abandoned trail that
started off the Suiattle Road at Downy Creek. After some scouting,
Randy Schroder joined us for the bike/backpacking trip
up in 2009. The trail was barely
there and it was quite an adventure. I did the old trail two more times
during the road closure, in 2012
and 2014.
On November 1, 2014, the road was reopened and a bunch of us did a very
cold hike
up from the normal trailhead. I
did one more trip up at the end of September in 2018
with fall colors and a sea of clouds and rain. Gary did the 2012
backpacking trip up on the old trail and had not done the regular trail
in decades.
I was a little surprised to see no other cars in the lot when we started. It was forecast to be cool but sunny all day with little wind. The first part of the trail is in dark forest. The grade is moderate and smooth. It is a very nice trail to hike up and down. We saw some mushrooms but only a few very old saprophytes. We made good time, partly in an effort to warm up. It was in the mid 30s at the start. We left forest for tall brush at about 9:00 am. One traverse and we switchbacked above the tall brush. Now we were on mostly open slopes with lower brush. Sun shone on the grassy green and yellow slopes above us. As we ascended views began to appear. Up the valley we could see down to the Suiattle River. Higher up, peaks began to appear over the ridges. First, Three Fingers and Whitehorse came into view. Then, White Chuck Mountain, Circle Peak, and Lime Mountain appeared. Sunshine felt a lot warmer than in the forest. The trail was not particularly brushy.
Everything was photogenic in the early morning light. The hillside lit up in the sunshine. The peaks were crystal clear. We did see some fog or smoke farther up the valley. That may have been remnants of the fire that closed the end of the valley for much of the summer. Glacier Peak came into view. That is the show stopper on this hike. Green Mountain is a great spot to view 10,541' Glacier Peak. After numerous switchbacks the trail turns to the north heading for Green Mountain. On my 2018 trip Kim and I saw flagging for a new trail section that cuts around the slope rather than climbing up then descending a muddy gully. The north end of the trail was about finished. I was looking forward to not hiking the old section again. Turning north put us partly in forest again. It was much colder in the shade. We had seen icy leaves at the bottom of the open slope but now we had ice on the trail. In the open spots we started to see some great fall color. There was just enough backlighting to light up some of the leaves.
We saw the old trail heading up and were then on the new (to us) trail section. It has minimal elevation change as it contours the slope. We soon popped out on the north side of the bump with views out to the summit of Green Mountain. There is a small tarn/pond below.The trail continues to where it meets the old trail. A few minutes later we were at the bigger tarn. This is where we camped on our 2012 trip. That trip was in mid-September and much warmer. We passed the tarn and started ascending. The trail gets out in the open. All around were red and orange leaves. It was hard to get the sun to backlight the leaves but the colors were somewhat bright. High up the slopes the colors were very muted. We stopped for a food and water break at 10:30 am. There was so much to see that our pace was very slow. Too much shutter delay. After our break, we continued up. The leaf color was okay in some directions, muted in other, and great at times. We kept expecting to be passed by other hikers but it did not happen.
The trail switchbacks up the slope. We started to see some snow on the berry bushes. We also saw a lot of berries. A whole lot of berries. Neither hikers nor bears have eaten many. They are getting a little mushy though still sweet. In places the icy snow was melting an leaving slick mud. It was more of a problem higher up where the trail steepens. Gary had one slip coming down but otherwise we were fine. Once on the summit ridge the views improved even more. When vies to the northeast appeared it as great. Spire Point and Dome Peak really stood out. There was a thin coating of snow on most of the peaks. That really made them stand out. We heard voices and finally spotted a small dot of a hiker down in the lower basin. Voices really carry. We continued on, reaching the summit lookout building at 11:34 am. From the back of the lookout walkway we could see north to Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. There are an awful lot of peaks visible from the summit. With peak finder software I was able to even pick out Mt. Index south of Highway 2. Bonanza Mountain was clearly seen to the east. The Ptarmigan Traverse Peaks from Dome Peak north were clearly seen with that fresh snow coating.
We were on the summit for half an hour when three women hikers arrived. We had only seen one when they were entering the lower basin. The sunshine was nice on top but we had some cold wind too. I had my rain jacket on as soon as I arrived. We stayed for a while after the women left. It was 1:02 pm when we finally started down. We spent nearly 1.5 hours at the summit. It was time well spent. We hiked down the ridge while still stopping for the spectacular views. Switchbacking down the slope provided interesting looks at the colorful slopes. At first the colors were muted. We had some good color where the sun lit up the leaves below us. My photos make it seem that the whole slope was lit up. In fact, we searched for spots that were lit to take more photos. We left the trail in one spot into a sandy gully to get to some great colors. We also stopped to check out some crazy dense clumps of huckleberries. The result was a slow descent back to the big tarn/pond. It was 2:37 pm when we arrived.
Most of the great color was now behind us. We took the new trail section again and found it was still icy in the shade. Soon we were back to the open south facing slopes. The sunshine felt good and at a lower elevation it was almost hot. Part way down the slope we passed two backpackers heading up. Farther down we passed a lone backpacker heading up. That brought the total hikers seen up to six and that is where it stayed. Such a great day and only three other groups hiked the trail. One by one the peaks dropped behind the ridges until only Three Fingers and Whitehorse were left. They disappeared as we neared the bottom. More high brush and we were back in the forest. The shady cold forest. The last part went by fairly fast. We reached the car at 4:14 pm. The drive back to the highway was easy. We saw only a couple of cars. The drive home was surprisingly easy. Through Everett and back to Ash Way was at the speed limit. So was my drive back to North Seattle.
This turned out to be one of the best hikes of the year. A last minute change sent us to blue skies and great fall colors. The dirt roads were in great shape. The trail was nearly empty. We made the most of the shortening day. I was up at 4:45 am and home at 7:00 pm. A full hour and a half on the summit was great. The fresh snow on the peaks was an unexpected bonus. The sharp North Cascade summits looked great with a thin white coating. Six years is a long break for a trip I should do every couple years. Our timing was great and this was a very good day to by in the mountains.
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larger pictures.
Trips - 2024
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I was a little surprised to see no other cars in the lot when we started. It was forecast to be cool but sunny all day with little wind. The first part of the trail is in dark forest. The grade is moderate and smooth. It is a very nice trail to hike up and down. We saw some mushrooms but only a few very old saprophytes. We made good time, partly in an effort to warm up. It was in the mid 30s at the start. We left forest for tall brush at about 9:00 am. One traverse and we switchbacked above the tall brush. Now we were on mostly open slopes with lower brush. Sun shone on the grassy green and yellow slopes above us. As we ascended views began to appear. Up the valley we could see down to the Suiattle River. Higher up, peaks began to appear over the ridges. First, Three Fingers and Whitehorse came into view. Then, White Chuck Mountain, Circle Peak, and Lime Mountain appeared. Sunshine felt a lot warmer than in the forest. The trail was not particularly brushy.
Everything was photogenic in the early morning light. The hillside lit up in the sunshine. The peaks were crystal clear. We did see some fog or smoke farther up the valley. That may have been remnants of the fire that closed the end of the valley for much of the summer. Glacier Peak came into view. That is the show stopper on this hike. Green Mountain is a great spot to view 10,541' Glacier Peak. After numerous switchbacks the trail turns to the north heading for Green Mountain. On my 2018 trip Kim and I saw flagging for a new trail section that cuts around the slope rather than climbing up then descending a muddy gully. The north end of the trail was about finished. I was looking forward to not hiking the old section again. Turning north put us partly in forest again. It was much colder in the shade. We had seen icy leaves at the bottom of the open slope but now we had ice on the trail. In the open spots we started to see some great fall color. There was just enough backlighting to light up some of the leaves.
We saw the old trail heading up and were then on the new (to us) trail section. It has minimal elevation change as it contours the slope. We soon popped out on the north side of the bump with views out to the summit of Green Mountain. There is a small tarn/pond below.The trail continues to where it meets the old trail. A few minutes later we were at the bigger tarn. This is where we camped on our 2012 trip. That trip was in mid-September and much warmer. We passed the tarn and started ascending. The trail gets out in the open. All around were red and orange leaves. It was hard to get the sun to backlight the leaves but the colors were somewhat bright. High up the slopes the colors were very muted. We stopped for a food and water break at 10:30 am. There was so much to see that our pace was very slow. Too much shutter delay. After our break, we continued up. The leaf color was okay in some directions, muted in other, and great at times. We kept expecting to be passed by other hikers but it did not happen.
The trail switchbacks up the slope. We started to see some snow on the berry bushes. We also saw a lot of berries. A whole lot of berries. Neither hikers nor bears have eaten many. They are getting a little mushy though still sweet. In places the icy snow was melting an leaving slick mud. It was more of a problem higher up where the trail steepens. Gary had one slip coming down but otherwise we were fine. Once on the summit ridge the views improved even more. When vies to the northeast appeared it as great. Spire Point and Dome Peak really stood out. There was a thin coating of snow on most of the peaks. That really made them stand out. We heard voices and finally spotted a small dot of a hiker down in the lower basin. Voices really carry. We continued on, reaching the summit lookout building at 11:34 am. From the back of the lookout walkway we could see north to Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. There are an awful lot of peaks visible from the summit. With peak finder software I was able to even pick out Mt. Index south of Highway 2. Bonanza Mountain was clearly seen to the east. The Ptarmigan Traverse Peaks from Dome Peak north were clearly seen with that fresh snow coating.
We were on the summit for half an hour when three women hikers arrived. We had only seen one when they were entering the lower basin. The sunshine was nice on top but we had some cold wind too. I had my rain jacket on as soon as I arrived. We stayed for a while after the women left. It was 1:02 pm when we finally started down. We spent nearly 1.5 hours at the summit. It was time well spent. We hiked down the ridge while still stopping for the spectacular views. Switchbacking down the slope provided interesting looks at the colorful slopes. At first the colors were muted. We had some good color where the sun lit up the leaves below us. My photos make it seem that the whole slope was lit up. In fact, we searched for spots that were lit to take more photos. We left the trail in one spot into a sandy gully to get to some great colors. We also stopped to check out some crazy dense clumps of huckleberries. The result was a slow descent back to the big tarn/pond. It was 2:37 pm when we arrived.
Most of the great color was now behind us. We took the new trail section again and found it was still icy in the shade. Soon we were back to the open south facing slopes. The sunshine felt good and at a lower elevation it was almost hot. Part way down the slope we passed two backpackers heading up. Farther down we passed a lone backpacker heading up. That brought the total hikers seen up to six and that is where it stayed. Such a great day and only three other groups hiked the trail. One by one the peaks dropped behind the ridges until only Three Fingers and Whitehorse were left. They disappeared as we neared the bottom. More high brush and we were back in the forest. The shady cold forest. The last part went by fairly fast. We reached the car at 4:14 pm. The drive back to the highway was easy. We saw only a couple of cars. The drive home was surprisingly easy. Through Everett and back to Ash Way was at the speed limit. So was my drive back to North Seattle.
This turned out to be one of the best hikes of the year. A last minute change sent us to blue skies and great fall colors. The dirt roads were in great shape. The trail was nearly empty. We made the most of the shortening day. I was up at 4:45 am and home at 7:00 pm. A full hour and a half on the summit was great. The fresh snow on the peaks was an unexpected bonus. The sharp North Cascade summits looked great with a thin white coating. Six years is a long break for a trip I should do every couple years. Our timing was great and this was a very good day to by in the mountains.
 Trailhead Signboard |
 Smooth Shady Trail |
 Tall Brush Spot |
 Sunshine Is Ahead |
 First Peak In Sight |
 White Chuck Mountain |
 Circle Peak |
 Fireweed Stalks |
 First Glacier Peak View |
 Frosted Leaves |
 Fog Or Smoke |
 Gary At Work |
 Spire Point |
 Green Mt. Summit |
 Fresh Snow |
 Lit Up Leaves |
 Frost On Slope |
 Near Basin |
 Frosted Berry Leaves |
 Pond Reflection |
 Color Show Begins |
 Gary On Trail |
 Better Color |
 Red Leaves & Glacier Pk |
 Glacier & Trees |
 More Red & Glacier Pk |
 Sloan Peak |
 Red & Orange |
 Snow In The Shade |
 White Check & 3 Fingers |
 Heading For Ridge |
 Mt. Pugh |
 Lime Mountain |
 Red & White |
 Sun & Shadows |
 Heading Higher |
 Bonanza Mountain |
 Lookout In Sight |
 Clouds Behind Glacier Pk |
 Spire Pt. & Dome Peak |
 Summit Lookout |
 Baker & Shuksan |
 Mt. Baker |
 North Cascades Peaks |
 Sentinel & Old Guard |
 Huckleberry & Boulder |
 Snow On Peaks |
 Summit Gary & Glacier |
 Looking Down |
 Small Mushrooms |
 Western Anemone |
 Photo Time For Gary |
 Meadow Below |
 More Fall Colors |
 The Angle Is Everything |
 More Great Colors |
 Dull To Bright |
 Huckleberries! |
 Colorful Mushroom |
 Red & Yellow |
 Solid Red |
 More Orange |
 |
 Sulphur Mountain |
 One More Glacier Peak |
 Muted From Below |
 Still Ice In Afternoon |
 Crazy Bright |
 Back On South Slope |
 Very Red Berries |
 Smooth Trail Down |
 Fungus |
Trips - 2024
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