Springtime Snow

Rattlesnake Ridge 4/15/07 8 miles

Continuing on our conditioning for climbing Mt St Helens, Michael & I decided to traverse Rattlesnake Ridge near North Bend. This hike is 11 miles from start to finish - from the east end of the mountain to the west with a 2000 foot elevation gain. Not the conditioning hike Mt Si can be, but a good stamina booster. However, we didn't expect the late season snowfall that would contribute to our turning around.

Our plan was to start at the Rattlesnake Ledge trail head and continue to the other end at Snoqualmie Point. The last time we hiked the trail all the way through, the WTA had still been working on it. I was interested in seeing what they had done. We saw the dusting of snow atop Rattlesnake and the other mountains surrounding North Bend as we drove to the trail head. I thought this might make for an interesting hike.

Our initial climb to the ledge went smoothly, fog had settled in around the lake which gave the new green of the forest a soft quality. A few birds could be heard calling back to one another, possibly catching up on overnight happenings. The view that greeted us from the rocky ledge was partially obscured as the clouds drifted about the mountains - Mt Si and the other mountains across the valley played peek-a-boo with us.

We continued up the mountain. It wasn't too long before we reached the snow we had seen from the highway. Already the glimpses of sun had started melting what snow rested in the branches overhead. The resulting melt felt as if we were hiking in the rain - big heavy drops splashed on our packs, arms and hats. Every now and then a small frigid clump of wet soggy snow would let loose invariably hitting my neck or ear.

But that wasn't the worst of it. When we had hiked Mt Si the week before, there was no snow at the top. Mt Si is higher than Rattlesnake. We didn't envision the amount of snow we would run into on the trail. Approximately two feet of snow still lay in wide trail that once was a road. We were not prepared for this. On top of the snow on the ground, more snow had begun to fall around us. After a brief discussion, we decided not to chance it and turned around to head back to Rattlesnake Ledge and the lake below. Our day of happy springtime hiking cut short by snowfall.

Mt Si

4/7/07 8 miles

I have, for the past 10 or so years, avoided with all possible strength hiking Mt Si. I've gone up Little Si, Mt Teneriffe, Green Mtn and Rattlesnake Mtn. But to Mt Si, I gave a resounding NO. Why is that? Because everyone has done her. I referred to Si as the town ho - everyone has been on top of her so why should I? But in our quest to climb Mt St Helens in May, I made the ultimate sacrifice. I suggested climbing Mt Si.

Mt Si is used by climbers as an early season training hike. 4 miles of up followed by 4 miles of down can take it toll on you leg muscle and is considered prime hiking for conditioning your legs and lungs for larger more intensive climbs. It is not unheard of for climbers who have their hopes set on the summit of Mt Rainier or Denali in the summer, to be blasting up Mt Si in April. But there are also the casual hikers, those wanting a nice view at lunch and have heard Mt Si is a good place for that. And when I say casual hikers, I'm talking about the people who wake up in Seattle on a sunny Saturday and say, "Wow, what a beautiful day. Let's go on a hike." Which isn't to say that's a bad thing, a little spontaneous foray into the natural world is a wonderful thing for the body and soul. But what that creates is a superhighway of hikers. And if you are looking for a bit of solitude, Mt Si and it's superhighway is not where you want to be.

After my solo road trip to the southwest, this superhighway quickly became a irritant. I started grumbling almost immediately about how many people passed us, both going up and coming down. "See?" I would say. "This is why I hate this hike." At one point I even mentioned being afraid of catching some sort of hiking venereal disease. But who was I kidding? I already have the worst kind of hiking venereal disease out there (and whole hardily plan to infect as many people as possible) - Wilderness Obsessionitis. Yep, I am not happy unless I get to pee behind a tree then crawl into my sleeping bag with just the wild critters for neighbors.

In the end, I enjoyed my lunch with a view, worked my calf muscles into a knot, and felt a little more confident to climb Mt St Helens later. I won't search out Mt Si for much more enjoyment than that, but training - she serves her purpose. All I needed to do was get off my pretentious high horse and admit that once in a while something that the rest of the huddled masses enjoys can't be all that bad.