West Cady Ridge, 11/8/08, 8 miles, 2200 elevation
Talk about solitude. Michael & I took Zillah to West Cady Ridge in the new Wild Sky Wilderness and saw not another person - except for the two people in their car at the trail-head possibly wondering if they were going to brave the weather. I've mentioned this before, if you want solitude on a popular Washington trail, head out after September with the threat of rain.
On this day there was no threat. No the rain was a reality, but being prepared we zipped on our rain gear and started out on the trail. So wet was the day, a stream rushed down the hillside in the trail just after we passed the wilderness boundary. A little rain nor a little trail mud were going to deter us. A friend had mentioned this was on of his favorite hikes and we were bound and determined to discover why.
Steadily we climbed up the hill through thick forest with salal and ferns for undergrowth giving lush autumn nourishment to the dozens of varieties of mushrooms growing along the trail. We soon came to forest without much undergrowth and meandered on a traverse, climbing slowly and gently. Several bridges along this section were rather treacherous having twisted during their slow rot. Then the climb became steeper again but we were soon catching glimpses of the fabulous view - or what we could only image was the fabulous view. Clouds clung to the mountainsides obscuring everything in a grey blanket.
The rain had stopped and we found an outcropping for a quick lunch. We didn't want to stay long for fear of catching a chill. The sun peaked through the clouds every now and then, teasing us with a hope of warmth and mountain views, but quickly hid again behind the clouds. We noticed Zillah was shivering so packed up the lunch to head back down the hill. In my mind, I could understand why our friend would love this hike, but I am hoping to see it again soon when the views don't have to be imagined. Except then, we won't have the absolute solitude we experienced on this trip.
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