Rattlesnake with 48.8 pounds

A scene near the summit

Joan and I met up with Roger at QFC in North Bend and carpooled to the Mailbox Peak trailhead, only to find an overflow of cars and no parking spaces, not a surprise. We drove to Rattlesnake ledge, where there was still overflow parking, but plenty of space left along the highway approach. The number of people and dogs were unpleasant for Joan, and partway up the path she opted out. I headed on to the summit.

My feet are holding up surprisingly well with the new inserts I'm using. Minimum foot therapy needed after my latest hikes. But my right hip had a hitch in it following the hike. This is the first time in years I've ascended a mountain with a truly heavy pack.

(Follow-up: When I initially wrote this blog, I thought the pack weighed 26 pounds. However, two days later, when I weighed the pack ag 28.8 pounds. That's the weight I tried to climb Mt. Adams four years ago.)

View from the opening scene toward Mount Si and the valley below

The "Hall Monitor" that greets hikers as they pass the trailhead.

Exposed roots by an eroded bank near a switchback

Statistics for the day:
Distance:> 4 miles
Conditions: Clear skies, cool
Load: 48.8 pounds 
Elevation gain: 1,160 feet


Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 119.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 34,730 feet
Next Goal: 43,233 feet (third Rainier)

McDonald Mountain's bike trails, with Roger/ Plus . . .

A nurse log left a space for shelter

According to Washington Trails Association, if Roger and I had ascended just another 150 feet or so on McDonald Mountain, we would have reached a clear cut where we would have views of the Seattle Skyline, the Olympics and Mount Rainier. Alas, according to Map My Hike, we climbed only to 2,083 feet. My GPA Status app claimed we reached 20 feet less than that, with an error of +-9 feet. WPA claims an elevation gain of 3,500 feet, with the highest point being 3,750 feet. I'm puzzled by those figures, because Map My Hike claims the trailhead is 890 feet. Unless WPA is counting in the up-and-down nature of the trail to reach its elevation gain, my math indicates that, using those figures, the starting point should have been 250 feet, which is nonsense. Anyway, I'm claiming 900 feet of gain just to be conservative. The round trip is 9 miles according to WPA, and Map My Hike says we went 2.2 miles one way, so I'm claiming that we went half the distance, for a round trip of 4.4 miles. As for the credibility of the statistics, I say, "bah!"

The first interesting sight that greeted us after we left the trailhead was the  hollow tree in the photo above. It had clearly grown from a long-since-gone nurse stump, and the earth beneath had been excavated to create an abode of sorts, apparently abandoned, but remembered with broad strips of  notification tape clarifying that this was no place to be. The exposed roots showed signs of being burned by fire.

The extend of our hike on McDonald Mountain, measured on the descent.

Satellite view of our hike

We were trekking along mountain bike trails, which passed over uneven, rough terrain and through woodlands, as indicated by the photo below.

Logged at least once, this portion of McDonald Mountain is now the domain of mountain bikers.

This  bike  track leads off the main hiking trail  and into the thick of the forest.

Can your eye follow the bike track's sharp turn to the left? And can you see the path?

The bike path shoots across the hiking trail and descends back into the brush.

Just above 2,000 feet, we stopped for a snack and Roger watered his dog, Tucker.

Statistics for the day:
Distance:> 4.4 miles
Conditions: Clear skies, cool, hungry flying bugs
Load: 24 pounds 
Elevation gain: 900+ feet


Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 112.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 33,570 feet
Next Goal: 43,233 feet (third Rainier)

Plus . . .

Friday: Hike down hill to Janet Upjohn with vest and 26# pack for a total of  46 pounds over 2.9 miles. (She drives me home for helping her with her yard.) Whew! Tired afterward. Now total mileage:
115.5 miles.

Tiger; map confusion

The overcast and light rain created a verdant landscape.

I'm confused over my elevation gain on today's Tiger 3 hike. My GPS said 567 meters at the 2.2 mile mark, which comes out to 1,860 feet. But as I read Green Trails Map 204S, the point I believe I reached is listed as 1,980 feet. And Map My Hike seems to indicate 1,791 feet. I'm going to have to study the map more carefully the next time I ascend. There is one piece of agreement -- Map My Hike agrees that it is 2.2 miles from the marker to the trailhead -- presuming that the trailhead is where I believe it is. Just past the trailhead there's a sign claiming 500-feet elevation. If I believe that and accept my GPS figure, then I ascended 1,360 feet. I'm going with that.

Feet

I put new inserts into my hiking boots -- inserts that I heated in the oven and then stood in so that they would better conform to my feet. There were times on the trail when my right foot hurt, and it was a little troublesome afterward when I went shopping at Costco, but later it recovered and I am able this evening to walk without a limp and to perform rise and fall.

Just inside the horse barrier fence near the trailhead

Fungi colony on a rotting log

Lichen runs the length of a crooked section of fallen tree branch.

Statistics for the day:
Distance:> 4.5 miles, counting distance to parking lot 
Conditions: Cool, overcast, light rain
Load: 24 pounds 
Elevation gain: 1,360 feet


Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 108.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 32,670 feet
Next Goal: 43,233 feet (third Rainier)

Mailbox with John

The landmark where I turned back

Yesterday John Anderson and I agreed we would hike for two hours and try to get as far as I did on the last hike (when I only hiked about 1.5 hours). We fell short of the mark, and I hiked farther, still not making the same distance, but finding a familiar landmark that I recorded for future comparisons. My feet hurt on the way down, but at this writing (Monday morning) they are not hurting so bad.

Map My Hike showed my top elevation at 2,296 feet, but GPS status listed 2,263. I went with 2,200 and figured actual elevation gain at 1,400 feet, more conservative then necessary, I believe.

I wore the backpack I expect to take to Mount Adams, and on this first trip packed it as if for the Mt. Adams climb.

Individuals we spoke with on the trail told us they had made the summit in 2.5 hours. Another group claimed 3 hours. It's unclear whether they followed the route we used, or the old route, which is shorter but steeper. I decided on the next hike I will use the old route.

John at a waterfall next to a foot bridge

Me, getting my leg wet while John slowly frames and shoots the photo

John next to a treestump (left) and a dead tree that grew out of a dead tree (right)

Beautiful, colorful rot

Overgrown fallen tree

The waterfall

Rotting stump

Statistics for the day:
Distance: 4.5 miles 
Conditions: Cool, clear skies
Load: 26 pounds 
Time from parking lot: 2.5 hours
Elevation gain: 1,400 feet


Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 103.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 31,310 feet

33 pounds on Rattlesnake in the rain

Statistics for the day:
Distance: 4 miles 
Conditions: Light, steady rain
Load: 33 pounds 
Time from parking lot: 90 minutes
Elevation gain: 1,160 feet


Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 99.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 29,950 feet, Second Rainier accomplished

Tiger 3 again; on the cusp of the second Rainier for 2019

Washington Trails Association says the ascent of West Tiger 3 is 2,100 feet. In that case, I am within 32 feet of my second Rainier. However, it also lists the hike as being 5 miles round trip, whereas the trailhead claims it is 3 miles. Whatever the case, I reachedthe posted 2.2  mile marker at an hour and 20 minutes, yielding a speed of 1.6 mph. I was at the top at 9:39 a.m., having left the parking lot at 7.52, so this is as good a time as I've ever made.

I woke early, couldn't get back to sleep, so I headed out earlier than usual. I headed down at 9:45 a.m. from the summit and reached the car at 11 a.m.

Events along the way: I heard woodpeckers twice, once quite close. I didn't see the birds, however.

Statistics for the day:
Distance: 5 miles 
Conditions: Cool, clear skies, chill and misty at elevation
Load: 15 pounds 
Elevation gain: 2,100 feet

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 95.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 28,790 feet, 32 feet short of my second Rainier.

Mailbox: Exploratory hike

This Mailbox Peak route offered paths that were much like old logging roads.

This was my "get acquainted"  Mailbox Peak hike. I have put off trying it for a long time because of its reputation for difficulty. And I went today instead of tomorrow, because rain was forecast for tomorrow. Today the sky was clear. I left my raincoat in the car and relied on a down vest over other garments to stay warm. I followed the new, easier route, not the historic one. For as much of the new route that I followed, it was almost like an old logging road, and there were plenty of old growth stumps along the trail. I was told by a hiker that the final slog can be scary because of the proximity to steep slopes beside the trail. I guess I'll find out when I get there whether my discomfort with heights prevents me from reaching the top.

I relied on Washington Trails Association to find the trailhead. There are two parking lots. The upper one requires a Discover Pass and is closed at night. It has a nice bathroom.

The upper parking lot at Mailbox Peak hike

The trail map at the trailhead kiosk

WTA says the highest point is 4,822 feet, and the gain is 4,000 feet. My GPS Status phone app showed the trailhead at  252 meters (826 feet), which is within 1% accuracy (presuming I was at the right location when I used my app.) That's pretty impressive.

Map My Hike image: The green box indicates the start of my descent; the red box, the trailhead.

I reached a maximum elevation of 765 meters by my GPS Status program, or 2,509 feet. A woman I passed on the trail gave the elevation as 2,400 feet (roughly); Map My Hike said it was 2,461 feet. I will settle for 2,422 feet, for and claim an elevation gain of 1,600 feet.

Map My Hike software says I covered 2.4 miles, about what the woman told me on the trail. I figure my speed at 1.6 mph ascending and 2.3 mph or greater descending. I was packing a 15-pound backpack.

Before I get to the statistics, what follows immediately are photos I took along the trail. Captions have been provided when appropriate.

The first of many waterfalls. The trail is wet with runoff.

A bend in the trail

A successful tree still draws nourishment from a nurse log.

Statistics for the day:
Distance: 5 miles 
Conditions: Cool, clear skies, chill at elevation
Load: 15 pounds 
Elevation gain: 1,600 feet

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 90.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 26,690 feet, 2,132 feet until my second Rainier.